Fukuoka, Japan hosts the 2013 Grand Prix Final

by Daphne Backman & Ashli Meynert | Photos by Robin Ritoss

Fukuoka, Japan, will host the International Skating Union’s 2013/14 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final this week.  Since the 2008/09 season, the Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix Final events have been held concurrently at the same location, exposing skating’s next generation to the top teams at the senior level. Japan last hosted the Grand Prix Final in 2009/10 (in Tokyo). Fukuoka is located Kyushu, the most southwestern of Japan’s major islands.

The top six teams at each level qualified for the Final by earning points based on placement at their respective Grand Prix events.  Russia, the United States, and Canada have the most competitors, with France, Ukraine, and Italy sending one team each.  With Japan having some of the most enthusiastic and respectful fans, it is sure to be a great week for the athletes.
 

For the senior competition, all eyes will be on the duel between Meryl Davis & Charlie White from the USA and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir from Canada. Both teams won gold at their respective events. Davis & White scored a total of 188.23 at Skate America, approaching their world-record-setting score from the 2013 World Championships. Davis & White have remained undefeated for over a year, since winning 2012 Skate America.
 
Though both teams have posted similar short dance scores, the Americans have broken 112 in the free dance at both of their events (Skate America and NHK Trophy), while the Canadians’ highest score was 107.88 at Trophée Eric Bompard. Virtue & Moir have received lower level calls in their free dance, but have had several weeks to iron out these issues in time for the Final.  Virtue & Moir also tend to reach their peak later in the season, which bodes well for the Canadians as they continue on their quest to repeat as Olympic champions.
 
The competition for bronze could be as close as it is for gold. All four of the remaining teams have a legitimate shot at the medal, which could set up one team as a podium favorite for Sochi.
 
Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje of Canada (pictured, right) are competing in their third Grand Prix Final and posted their highest score to-date (175.23) at Skate Canada this season.  Weaver & Poje’s programs are well choreographed and showcase their strengths and chemistry, especially their free dance to “Maria de Buenos Ares” by Astor Piazzolla.
 
France’s Nathalie Péchalat & Fabian Bourzat have won the bronze at the last two Grand Prix Finals. This season, they won a gold at Cup of China, but settled for a bronze at Trophée Eric Bompard. Despite winning bronze, the team’s score of 171.89 at Trophée Eric Bompard was an improvement on the marks they received at Cup of China, but they were not thrilled about dropping to third at their home Grand Prix.  The French are known for their ability to tell a story and this season’s free dance theme, “Le Petit Prince,” continues to grow and develop with each outing.
 
Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitry Soloviev finished a close second to the French at Cup of China, but bested Weaver & Poje at Rostelecom Cup by five points. The Russians are in their second season with coach Alexander Zhulin, who has continued to improve their technical and performance skills. While their short dance has been well received, their free dance has been met with mixed reviews.
 
Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte of Italy, who placed fourth at the 2013 World Championships, have not yet faced the Russians, French, or Canadians this season, finishing second to Davis & White at both of their events.  The Italians turned to long-time choreographer Liudmila Vlasova for their programs this year and continue to work with Igor Shpilband in addition to their main coach, Paola Mezzadri. Both programs, their short dance to “42nd Street” and free dance to Rossini’s “Overture” from the Barber of Seville are charming and entertaining.

At the junior level, the gold medal fight appears to be between Russia’s Anna Yanovskaya & Sergey Mozgov and Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker of the United States.  Both teams won gold at their respective events.
 
Yanovskaya & Mozgov posted the highest score on the JGP series this year, setting a new personal best of 149.98 points at Tallinn Cup. Yanovskaya & Mozgov won the silver medal at the 2012 JGP Final in Quebec City, but finished fourth in 2013. Finishing just off the podium at Russian Junior Nationals last year, they did not compete at the World Junior Championships in 2013.
 
Hawayek & Baker are the reigning U.S. junior silver medalists and finished seventh at the 2013 World Junior Championships. They set their new personal best score of 144.84 at JGP Baltic Cup in September. They train with Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova and their coaching team in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Hawayek & Baker have plenty of American company as three of the six teams hail from the United States.

Ukraine’s Alexandra Nazarova & Maxim Nikitin collected a pair of silvers, the first at Baltic Cup, followed by another at the JGP event in Tallinn. Nazarova & Nikitin have continued to rise in the rankings since winning the silver medal at the 2012 Youth Olympics. They were 11th at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

In just their second season on the JGP circuit, Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter won a gold and silver medal at their events, which qualified them for their first Final. Skating together since 2006, they are one of the longest-running partnerships in the United States. They competed at the World Junior Championships last year, placing ninth.
 
Betina Popova & Yuri Vlasenko of Russia competed for the first time on the JGP Series this year, finishing second to McNamara & Carpenter in Minsk and winning gold at Czech Skate. Though inexperienced internationally, they have steadily risen through the deep ranks of junior dance in Russia in the past four seasons.

Rounding out the finalists is the third U.S. team, Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons (pictured, left), who train at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy with McNamara & Carpenter. The siblings missed the 2013 U.S. championships due to injury, but started strong this season, winning two JGP silver medals to earn the sixth and final berth to this event.

Official practices start on Wednesday. The competitive event gets underway with the senior short dance on Friday, December 4. The junior short and senior free dances are on Saturday, and the junior free dance is set for Sunday.