Bereswill Runs Away with JGP Final Gold

The gold medalist at the SBS ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) of Figure Skating Final for the 2008-09 season was USA’s Becky Bereswill, who is also a champion distance runner. The 18-year-old had qualified for the Final by winning silver medals at the JGPs in Spain and France, but was the sixth-ranked skater coming into the event.

“My goal was to qualify for the Final,” she said. “When I made it, I was happy I achieved my goal, but in the back of my mind, I wanted to medal. I knew it would be inspirational to be with the seniors and hoped to skate well.”

Only fourth after the short program, Bereswill scored almost 15 points…

2008-09 Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating Preview

Goyang City, South Korea will be center stage for both the Junior and Senior Grand Prix Final. The event will take place December 10-14, 2008 at the Seongsa Ice Rink. It will be the first time the International Skating Union (ISU) merges both divisions at the same time, and promises to be a memorable competition.

The six-event Senior Grand Prix (GP) circuit began in October with Skate America in Everett, Wash., and ended in November with the NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Japan. Approximately 40 men, 41 ladies, 33 dance teams, and 30 pair teams competed for points throughout the series, with only the top eight skaters/teams in each discipline earning a spot to the Final.

A very talented sextet of ladies will challenge for the title of Grand Prix Final Champion, and this season, the competition is deceptively closer than ever.

Leading the charge is two-time and defending champion Yu-Na Kim (18) from South Korea. Kim has proven herself to be the…

2008-09 Junior Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating Preview

Goyang City, South Korea will be center stage for both the Junior and Senior Grand Prix Final. The event will take place December 10-14, 2008 at the Seongsa Ice Rink. It will be the first time the International Skating Union (ISU) merges both divisions at the same time, and promises to be a memorable competition.

The eight-event Junior Grand Prix (JGP) circuit began with JGP Courchevel (France) in August, and ended in October with the JGP John Curry Memorial in Sheffield, Great Britain. Approximately 121 men, 173 ladies, 72 dance teams, and 35 pair teams competed for points throughout the series, with only the top eight skaters/teams in each discipline earning a spot to the JGP Final.

As in past seasons, American and Japanese ladies dominated the Junior Grand Prix, winning all eight events, and capturing 18 of the 24 medals awarded. Leading the way is an impressive quintet of American ladies who could sweep the podium if they skate up…

Kozuka breaks through on the Grand Prix

Takahiko Kozuka finally made a breakthrough in the Grand Prix series this season. The 2006 World Junior Champion, who is now competing in his third senior Grand Prix season, is much more consistent than he was in the past.

The 19-year-old won the gold at Skate America in Oct., and then followed up with a silver medal at Trophée Eric Bompard two weeks ago. As a result, he has qualified for his first Grand Prix Final and is currently second in the GP standings for the Men’s division.

The breakthrough comes at the right time as Japan’s leading male skater, Daisuke Takahashi, is undergoing knee surgery and will be out for the whole season.

Kozuka, a shy young man with a sweet…

Khokhlova and Novitski prevail at Cup of Russia

In the dramatic showdown, Russia’s Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski prevailed over their more decorated compatriots Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin to win their first Grand Prix gold medal of their career.

USA’s Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who stood in fourth after a disastrous Original Dance, placed second in the Free Dance and moved up to third place overall capture the bronze.

Khokhlova and Novitski opened their free dance to Paganini’s Caprise 24 and Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with a level four twizzle sequence executed in perfect unison, and the good start allowed the 2008 European bronze medalists to leave the anxiety behind and deliver the rest of the program with power and confidence required by the music.

The…

Kostner snags gold in Moscow

Carolina Kostner of Italy rose from second after the Short Program to capture the gold, while USA’s Rachael Flatt claimed the silver.

Overnight leader Fumie Suguri of Japan slipped from first to third overall to settle for bronze.

Kostner won the long program and the gold despite a flawed performance of last year’s free program to the music of Dumsky Trio. The skater, who cited the need ‘to feel more like herself on the ice’ for returning to the old program, opened her routine with an excellent triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a slightly flawed triple Lutz-double toe loop-double loop, and a strong triple flip. However, the current World silver medalist later fell out of a triple loop entry, underrotated and fell on a triple toe loop (in combination with a double Axel), and stepped out of her final double Axel.

The comfort of the old program allowed the two-time European Champion to relax and enjoy her performance, which was especially evident…

Domnina and Shabalin maintain lead at Cup of Russia

Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski of Russia won the Original Dance with an entertaining performance, but remain in second place going into the Free Dance.

The students of Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin were the most energetic couple on the ice, and their routine to Sam’s Blues and Puttin’ on the Ritz allowed them to post the best technical score of the night.

“Our dance did not have grand idea,” explained Khokhlova. “it’s just the style of the period. Let’s say a bar, people meeting each other, men and women flirting with each other…The second part is more entertaining.”

The 2008 World bronze medalists began their performance with their trademark dance spin, which received level four, and went on to execute a level four twizzle sequence. They followed up with a daring straightline level four lift in which Novitski holds his partner upside down while balancing on one foot, and both their step sequences received a level three.

The Russian Champions held nothing…

Zhang and Zhang take pairs title at Cup of Russia

China’s Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang won the Pairs Long Program despite placing second in the long program. Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov of Russia captured the silver, while Ukrainians Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov claimed the bronze.

Kawaguchi and Smirnov ran into problems with side-by-side jumps, with Kawaguchi doubling the second jump in an intended triple toe loop-triple toe loop sequence and later falling on the double Axel. However, the team executed a nearly clean throw quad salchow, as well as a second throw triple loop in the second part of the program.

The students of Tamara Moskvina attempted some new elements, but not all of them worked as planned, and their final lift received only a level one. The choreography of their program to Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci told the story of a mime pinning after a beautiful girl who refuses him, and the 2008 Russian Champions carried the theme throughout. They scored 110.51 for first place in the long,…