Ice Dance Observer: August 28, 2017

JGP BRISBANE RECAP: THE PODIUM VIEW FROM DOWN UNDER
by Anne Calder

Team IDC photographer Barry Gropman was on-site in Australia for JGP Brisbane.  View his photos in the ice-dance.com photo gallery.  To review the final standings, visit our JGP Brisbane results page. 

Sofia Polishchuk & Alexander Vakhnov (RUS) won gold, while Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha (CAN), earned silver, and newbies, Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva & Nikita Nazarov (RUS), claimed bronze.  

Short Dance:  The Russians took first place with twizzle and pattern levels that outscored the Canadians, who at the same time were struggling with their elements. The second Russian team, who had the only Level 4 for both patterns, was third. All nine teams received at least two choreographic violations for stops, separations or pattern restrictions.

Free Dance:  Polishchuk & Vakhnov danced to the 2010 Black Swan film soundtrack scored by British composer Clint Mansell. Their coach’s son, ice dancer Jonathan Guerreiro, co-choreographed the program. The spins, lifts, and twizzles were level 4. The program earned an 84.78, with a personal best total of 145.86.

The reigning Canadian junior champions, Lajoie & Lagha, lost twizzle and component points while the spin and lifts earned level 4. The “Dream” and “Nemesis” program scored 80.37. The total was 138.92.                  

Eliana Gropman & Ian Somerville (USA) took third place with a Latin medley and 75.20 score. Their 127.60 total was fourth overall. Khudaiberdieva & Nazarov were fourth after a fall in their Ghost program, but remained in third place (131.80). The free dance and total marks for both teams were a personal best.

Gropman & Somerville earned a 36.48 technical mark – the same score received by the Canadian silver medalists. The element score is the highest in their JGP events.

Featured JGP Brisbane Video:  Eliana Gropman & Ian Somerville’s free dance (via ISU Youtube Channel)

JUNIOR GRAND PRIX SERIES HEADS TO AUSTRIA
Cup of Austria, the second stop of the ISU’s Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) series, takes place this week in Salzburg. Cup of Austria has served as a JGP event five times, but this is the first time it has been held in Salzburg.

The medal hunt: Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko of the United States, who won the bronze medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships are the frontrunners for the top step of the podium. They started off this season with a win at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International (LPIDI). In 2017, the team marks its fourth year on the JGP series.

France’s Natascha Lagouge & Corentin Rahier, the 2017 French national junior champions, enter their second JGP season. During the 2016 JGP series, Lagouge & Rahier finished sixth and fourth. They finished 11th at the 2017 World Junior Championships.

Cup of Austria marks the second JGP event for Russia’s Evgenia Lopareva & Alexey Karpushov, who finished fourth in their debut last season at Czech Skate.

Canada’s Ashlynne Stairs & Lee Royer won the silver medal at the 2017 Canadian Championships. They finished 14th at the World Junior Championships.

The short dance takes place on Thursday, August 31 (9:00AM EST), with the free dance on Friday, September 1 (1:30 PM EST). You can follow the results live via the JGP Cup of Austria Starting Orders & Results Page or watch the JGP live on the ISU’s YouTube Channel.

SALZBURG ICE CHIPS: JGP CUP OF AUSTRIA

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  Salzburg is the birthplace of Amadeus Mozart.
• Evgenia Lopareva & Alexey Karpushov RUS) are coached by Ekaterina Rubleva & Ivan Shefer – four time Russian national medalists (2007-2010) and world championship competitors who retired in August 2010.
• Salzburg was the setting for the film, The Sound of Music.
• Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) – Anthony is the son of three-time Olympic medalists and eight-time ISU World medalists Marina Klimova & Sergei Ponomarenko.
• The following teams are making their JGP debut in Salzburg.
  • Natalie Taschlerova & Filip Taschler (CZE) – siblings who teamed up in 2016
  • Marie Duypayge & Thomas Navais (FRA) – sixth at 2017 French Junior Nationals
  • Lara Luft & Asaf Kazimov (GER) – 2017 German Novice Dance Champions
  • Shira Ichilov & Vadim Davidovich (ISR) – teamed up in 2016
  • Ksenia Konkina & Grigory Yakushev (RUS) – fifth at 2017 Russian Junior Nationals
  • Olga Giglava & Yegor Yegorov (UKR) – third at 2017 Ukrainian Junior Nationals
  • Isabella Amoia & Luca Becker (USA) – fourth at 2017 LPIDI

NEW IDC CONTENT: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Photographs from the 2017 Dance Pairs Chicago (by Melanie Heaney / Senior FD only)
• Road to a new partnership: Hurtado & Khaliavin (by Anne Calder)
• FYI: Junior Grand Prix Series (by Anne Calder)

Until next time,
Team IDC