Samuelson and Bates maintain lead at Junior Worlds

The Folk/Country dance is the Original Dance (OD) for the 2007-08 season. While there are no restrictions on the the number of music selections used, the dance must have a theme based on a specific country/region.

USA’s Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates maintained their overnight lead after placing first in the OD, while Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier of Canada rose from third to second place.

Russia’s Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov, who stood in fourth after the Compulsory Dance (CD), rose to third overall, while teammates Maria Monko and Ilia Tkachenko slipped to fourth.

Samuelson (17) and Bates (19) skated with speed and enthusiasm in their Russian folk dance to Kalinka, while displaying a wide range of expression. The 2007-08 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final silver medalists produced impeccably…

Rippon takes Junior World title

USA’s Adam Rippon won the Men’s title in this event, while Russia’s Artem Borodulin won silver, and Jinlin Guan of China took bronze.

Performing to Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Rippon demonstrated his artistry and fluid movement with the intricate choreography of his routine. The 2007-08 JGP Final champion had a rough start when he two-footed the landing of his second jump in a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, but quickly recovered to produce a triple Lutz, a triple loop, and a double Axel.

The 18-year-old also struggled with a planned double Axel-half loop-triple Salchow sequence, but otherwise landed a triple Lutz-double toeloop-double loop combination and a triple flip. He also earned a level 4 on all three spins and displayed complex level 3 footwork in which he used his entire body.

The U.S….

Rippon leads men in Sofia

USA’s Adam Rippon lead the men after the short program, while teammate Brandon Mroz is currently third. Artem Borodulin of Russia placed second with just over a three-point difference between between first and third place.

With great attention to the details in his program, Rippon found and explored every nuance of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. From the soft gentle opening bars to the dynamic strains that accompanied his level 3 circular and straightline footwork, the 2007-08 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) champion produced superb spins as well as a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a double Axel, and a triple loop.

The U.S. Junior champion received positive Grades of Execution (GOE) on all elements, and earned a new personal best of 69.35 (37.85/31.50) points.

“The competition here…

Krasilnikova and Bezmaternikh win gold in Sofia

In their third trip to this event, Ksenia Krasilnikova and Konstantin Bezmaternikh of Russia won the title after winning the bronze in both 2006 and 2007.

Teammates Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze captured the silver in their first international debut, while Huibo Dong and Yiming Wu of China rose to cinch the bronze in their first appearance at this event.

Iliushechkina (16) and Maisuradze (20) delivered a fun and entertaining routine to a medley of ABBA music, but it wasn’t flawless. Iliushechkina put her hand down on the landing of the first jump in their side-by-side triple toeloop-double toeloops, and later fell on her jump in the side-by-side double Axels. The team also encountered a problem on the final pair combination spin and also received a deduction for a time violation.

Nevertheless, the new team from…

Samuelson and Bates lead at Junior Worlds

The 2008 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships are being held Feb. 26 – Mar. 1 in Sofia, Bulgaria at the Winter Sports Hall. It is the second time since 2001 that Sofia has hosted this event. Approximately 209 skaters from 50 different countries are competing in Sofia.

The ISU will be awarding prize money totaling $200,000 to skaters and couples that place first through 12th. In addition, the top three skaters and couples per discipline having earned the most World Standing points during the 2007-08 season, will be awarded with a World Standings Bonus.

The competition kicked off on Feb. 26 with the Compulsory Dance and the Pairs Short Program.

The Compulsory Dance (CD) of the event was the Cha Cha Congelado, which was created by Bernard…

Russian pairs dominate at Junior Worlds

Russia dominated the Pairs event despite the absence of Vera Bazarova and Juri Larionov, who won the JGP title earlier this season.

Bazarova and Larionov were unable to compete due to a positive drug test for Furosemide by Larionov on November 26, 2007, and are currently facing a two-year-ban.

According to the investigation by the Russian Federation, Larionov took the prohibited substance inadvertently and only once. He was excluded from the national team and banned from competitions for the rest of the season for “irresponsible use of medication”.

The final decision on sanctions will be made by the International Skating Union (ISU). Until then, the team, who won silver at this event last year, are currently suspended from all national and ISU competitions pending…

2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships Preview

The 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from Feb. 25 through Mar. 2, 2008, in which over 200 young skaters/teams will be competing. This competition has served as the springboard to international success on the senior level for such skaters as Michelle Kwan (Gold medalist, 1994), Ilia Kulik (Gold medalist, 1995), and Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (Gold medalists, 2001 and 2003). Skaters from the United States, Russia, and Canada have traditionally dominated the podium, and this year could be more of the same.

The pairs competition was to be an easy victory for Russians Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov, a team that dominated the junior scene this fall. However, a positive drug test by Larionov puts this team’s future in jeopardy as he now faces a two-year ban from competition. Bazarova and Larionov are not permitted to compete in this competition as they await word on what their fate will be. As such,…

Italian Ice Dancers Rising Quickly

Italy’s Anna Cappellini, who turns 21 on February 19, and Luca Lanotte, 22, had a very successful debut season in senior dance during the 2006-07 season. The couple won the Winter Universiade, finished eighth at the European Figure Skating Championships, and placed 13th at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.

“We didn’t expect to get eighth at Europeans,” Lanotte said. “We skated good at the Winter Universiade in Torino, but we weren’t sure how we would be treated at Europeans. The second couple never gets the marks. And a new couple never gets eighth at Europeans on their first try. We had a huge party after Europeans because all of the Italians were in the top ten. That was the first time that…