Help on Jr. Championships

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Can anyone explain the difference between:

the Junior Championships held in Cleveland this year; and

the Junior Championships to be held at US Nats in January?

Joe

 

[Mathman]

The junior championships at Cleveland are for younger children (juvenile and intermediate).

The novices and juniors get to skate at U.S. nationals alongside the seniors.

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=36881

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=36876

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=36899

 

[SeaniBu]

Like Ruan, Firth as well as Zhang, Nelson too? Or am I confused on something?

Yep Joe you started my interest a little.:agree: and must add gkelly to that.

 

[chuckm]

The Junior Championships that were just held are for INTERMEDIATES and JUVENILES. The Championships that will be held in January are for SENIORS, JUNIORS and NOVICES.

Kristine Musademba was last year's Intermediate Champion, and she is competing as a Novice this year. Other top Novices are Armin Mahbbanoozadeh, Scott Dyer and Alexander Aiken; Masha Leonov, Carolyn Ann Alba and Ellie Kawamura.

Anyone who has subscription access to icenetwork.com can see some of these skaters, plus the Intermediates and Juveniles, in their Regionals performances.

 

[SeaniBu]

OK, now I am starting to understand this situation, it is like US collage football, and by the time I do they are moving on to a different league or not, what division, etc... .:banging:

Pick a fave watch them and hope.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Thanks guys. That cleared it up for me.

Musademba will light up the Novice Nats this year and go on to win the Worlds Juniors next year. Remember you heard it here first. :yes:

Joe

 

[Numbers Cruncher]

Joe,

Have you ever been to Don Korte's site? He's got lots of info about the different tracks. This might help too: http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_basic_ref/progression_of_qualifying_compet.htm

NC

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Thank you so much,NC. That will save me a lot of posts next season. Meanwhile, it should be required reading for all American fans of figure skating.

Just looking at that flow chart makes me feel for the work involved by the USFS.

Joe

 

[Numbers Cruncher]

Flow Chart Skating

Joe!

Are you pulling my chain a bit? Isn't it a hoot that we need a flow chart to figure out who does what?

Don Korte's site is really good though, he puts in a ton of info so we don't have to go searching the convoluted USFS rule book and website.

It's really interesting when we get four accountants in one room trying to decipher proper draw group rules during a qualifying comp!

NC

 

[mskater93]

Thanks guys. That cleared it up for me.

Musademba will light up the Novice Nats this year and go on to win the Worlds Juniors next year. Remember you heard it here first. :yes:

Joe

While Musademba is good, she will have to get past DeeDee Leng who has all triples except Axel in her LP now and is working on 3Lutz-3 Loop, 3 Loop-3 Loop, and 3 Flip-3 Loop. Leng was the only skater at any Sectional Championship in Novice to land a 3 Flip (flip out). Maybe I am biased because I skate with DeeDee, but she's got a special something when she skates where you just need to watch her.

Musademba probably won't even get a shot at Junior Worlds (assuming she is on the podium in Juniors next year) until Zhang and Flatt are age eligible for Seniors (I think they've both got 2 years). Also, it's common for US Figure Skating to send the highest ranking age eligible seniors to Worlds, assuming they aren't on the Senior World team, so a lot of the times, Junior National Champion (or sometimes the other 2 podium skaters) do not get a shot a Junior Worlds.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

msSkater - thank you the info on Deedee and reminding me of Flatt and Zhang.

Joe

 

[Nigel]

Musademba probably won't even get a shot at Junior Worlds (assuming she is on the podium in Juniors next year) until Zhang and Flatt are age eligible for Seniors (I think they've both got 2 years). Also, it's common for US Figure Skating to send the highest ranking age eligible seniors to Worlds, assuming they aren't on the Senior World team, so a lot of the times, Junior National Champion (or sometimes the other 2 podium skaters) do not get a shot a Junior Worlds.

Flatt is 14, Zhang is 13. IIRC, isn't age 19 the cut off for Jr Worlds for the young ladies? So, they have several yrs of eligibility ahead of them for Jr Worlds.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Flatt is 14, Zhang is 13. IIRC, isn't age 19 the cut off for Jr Worlds for the young ladies? So, they have several yrs of eligibility ahead of them for Jr Worlds.

I believe Flatt is scheduled for Seniors this year. I don't think she is permitted to do both but it would be hoot if she won both in the same year.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

I think Rachael can skate in U.S. Nationals as a senior, but can't skate in senior international events yet. What would really be a hoot is if she became the U.S. senior ladies champion, but could only compete in Junior Worlds on the international scene.

 

[gkelly]

The rules are different for national and international competition.

In international competitions sanctioned by the ISU, the distinction between junior and senior is by age only. And skaters who are 15 through 18 (or 20 for male pair/dance partners) as of July 1 are eligible for both junior and senior events.

Except for pairs (because there are so few of them), it's not allowed to compete on both the junior and senior Grand Prix circuits in the same year. Other than that, it's perfectly legal to skate at both junior and senior international events. It's very common for age-eligible skaters to compete at senior events all year and then go to Junior Worlds, and in some cases to senior Worlds after that.

It's up to the individual national federations to determine which skaters they want to send to international events at which level(s) that they're eligible for. The national federations also determine the requirements for competing at each level at national championships and other domestic events.

In the US, which level you compete at within the US system is determined by test level. The highest test you've passed is the level you compete at. Even if you're not old enough to compete internationally at that level.

Rachael Flatt chose to pass her senior freestyle test and entered (and won) regionals and sectionals at the senior level this season, so she will be competing at Nationals at the senior level. She was also scheduled to compete internationally on the Junior Grand Prix but had to withdraw because she was injured.

If she places well in the senior competition at Nationals, she will be one of the prime candidates to represent the US at Junior Worlds. Even if she medals at Nationals at the senior level, she won't be sent to Four Continents or senior Worlds because she is too young according to the international age requirements. (Like Meissner in 2005)

No US skater is yet "scheduled" to compete at any of the ISU championships at any level -- the USFSA won't make those decisions until after Nationals.