2023-24 Japanese Junior Nationals

[RatedPG]

My preliminary guessing is this: JSF goes with the Jr. National Champion first, and the second spot goes to the top placing skater who's from a different section of that of the Champion (Rio from East, so a second spot to a skater from West; Mao from West, so a second spot to a skater from East). That's only a guess. I think another point to consider is if the skaters are within the age limitation (which I'm not familiar with.)

No, there's no such a sub list to the invitation list, unfortunately.

Oh! Well, I really love Yo and Yo just missed the GP Finals. Also, it is nice to see other camps represented. So, will take it.

So, Ami won’t be at Nationals
She is still young and will have other opportunities

 

[lileychristie]

My preliminary guessing is this: JSF goes with the Jr. National Champion first, and the second spot goes to the top placing skater who's from a different section of that of the Champion (Rio from East, so a second spot to a skater from West; Mao from West, so a second spot to a skater from East). That's only a guess. I think another point to consider is if the skaters are within the age limitation (which I'm not familiar with.)

I have another theory that might add to how JSF decided on the YOG spots - recent performances at the JGP ("body of work").
Ikura unfortunately was the only Japanese girl that didn't manage to medal in this year JGP... and Tsudoi bombed his first JGP so badly that JSF pulled him out of his second assignment.

I can understand why JSF did this - both Ikura and Tsudoi are wonderful skaters but sadly they're just too inconsistent to be fully trusted by JSF

As for the age limitation for YOG, it's 1 Jan 2006 to 31 Dec 2009. Hence why Shunsuke and Rena aren't eligible.

 

[lileychristie]

Jr. skaters invited to (Sr.) Nationals: Link

Jr. women:

• Mao Shimada
• Ikura Kushida
• Rena Uezono
• Yo Takagi
• Ayumi Shibayama
• Haruna Murakami
• Kinayo Yokoi

* Riria Kono, in place of 7th, is NvA skater so not invited to Nationals

Ami....

I'm more shocked with this decision for the Sr. Nationals invitations.... Only 7 junior girls are invited, and that's even including Mao who is seeded for senior nationals.

Mao + 6 juniors instead of Mao + 8 juniors - so the "Top 8 juniors go to senior nationals" is not a hard and fast rule then

 

[skim1001]

I have another theory that might add to how JSF decided on the YOG spots - recent performances at the JGP ("body of work").
Ikura unfortunately was the only Japanese girl that didn't manage to medal in this year JGP... and Tsudoi bombed his first JGP so badly that JSF pulled him out of his second assignment.

I think this have always been the criteria for the 2nd and/or 3rd spots for worlds etc. Only the champion gets a guaranteed spot. For the other spots, total score and highest finishing placement on the j/gp are taken into consideration. Just like how Rinka was sent to worlds even though she finished 12th at nationals.

 

[lileychristie]

I think this have always been the criteria for the 2nd and/or 3rd spots for worlds etc. Only the champion gets a guaranteed spot. For the other spots, total score and highest finishing placement on the j/gp are taken into consideration. Just like how Rinka was sent to worlds even though she finished 12th at nationals.

The criteria for Worlds team is spelled out more clearly though, if I remember correctly you either have to:
1. Podium at Sr. Nationals
2. Top 3 world ranking
3. Top 3 season's best
4. Top 2 at GPF (not too sure about this one, but there's definitely something about GPF in the criteria).

I remember there was quite an uproar when Rinka was selected last year, while in reality she was the only one who fulfilled any of the criteria above other than Kaori and Mai. And it makes me wonder whether the criteria stays the same this year or whether there's any changes (IMO "Top 3 seniors at nationals" probably work better than just the podium).

Meanwhile seems like the criteria for YOG team is not spelled clearly and really just up to JSF's deliberation.
One can argue that this will be prone to politics and coach/club influence, but seems like JSF is pretty fair in this YOG selection. People say that Mie Hamada has the biggest influence in JSF, yet Ikura is passed over for Yo. I'm glad to see that JSF is supporting other camps too.

 

[hermine17]

I'm confused. I thought there were 9 spots left for nationals, and they were to go to Mao + the other 8 top ranking junior girls. Yet now it's Mao + 6 girls? Does that mean the other two spots will be filled by two senior ladies, or will there just be 28 women at nats instead of 30? If it's the latter, what a bizarre decision. I'm actually not too upset about Ami not going if she's injured; she needs rest. But why did they decide that Mayuko Oka is so unworthy?

Anyway, otsukaresama to everyone. I'm happy for all the girls who did make it.

 

[tsuyoboogie]

I woke up to drama~

Not even going to bother with the Youth Olympic selection because there's no guidelines set by JSF for this decision so they likely just chose the age-eligible skaters they felt could best benefit from the opportunity

I'm confused. I thought there were 9 spots left for nationals, and they were to go to Mao + the other 8 top ranking junior girls. Yet now it's Mao + 6 girls? Does that mean the other two spots will be filled by two senior ladies, or will there just be 28 women at nats instead of 30? If it's the latter, what a bizarre decision. I'm actually not too upset about Ami not going if she's injured; she needs rest. But why did they decide that Mayuko Oka is so unworthy?

Anyway, otsukaresama to everyone. I'm happy for all the girls who did make it.

At this moment, there is only 28 Women lined up for Nationals

Although unfortunate, I also think it was for the best that Ami was not invited
Expecting her to train and compete in her current condition would be an irresponsible decision made by the federation

As for Mayuko, I've seen some Japanese fans say that considering how much she muscles her jumps, adding a quality Stsq and 30 seconds more to fulfil the requirements of a Senior FS program might currently be a bit too much to ask of her and that the decision may have come down to skating skills

Though we don't really know the reason, I do agree with this opinion
I realize this is only Mayuko's first year as a Junior but when watching her skate I still find myself thinking of her as a Novice skater
She's obviously very talented and has the tech to compete with the top Junior Women however, I would love to see her refine her jumps, to show less effort and more flow, and to also focus on improving her basic skating

For some perspective, I was confused as to why there is always at least 4 Novice Girls invited to Junior Nationals while the Boys will usually get only 3 spots
It's fair to say that while a lot of Novice age girls can be very competitive with Juniors, the boys tend to get stronger and more skillful as they get older
Though I adore Sakutaro Yoshino, and he shines among Novice boys, BV wise he just can't compete with most Junior Men and honestly looked a bit too young for this competition
Same goes for Haruki Matsumoto who is a full year older

Not certain, but maybe this would've been a similar situation for Mayuko had she been sent to participate in Senior Nationals next month
I'm sure if Kaoruko Wada was next in line she would have been invited

My hope is that the two available spots will be filled with the Senior Women, 1 from each Sectional, who just missed qualifying for Nationals (West~Ayumi Kagotani, East~Miyu Masuda)
I think Japanese skating fans would also like to see this outcome since so many were extremely upset with the decision to take two spots from Seniors to offer more to Juniors in the first place

 

[tsuyoboogie]

Going to start working on Day 3 video soon~

 

[hermine17]

I woke up to drama~

Not even going to bother with the Youth Olympic selection because there's no guidelines set by JSF for this decision so they likely just chose the age-eligible skaters they felt could best benefit from the opportunity



At this moment, there is only 28 Women lined up for Nationals

Although unfortunate, I also think it was for the best that Ami was not invited
Expecting her to train and compete in her current condition would be an irresponsible decision made by the federation

As for Mayuko, I've seen some Japanese fans say that considering how much she muscles her jumps, adding a quality Stsq and 30 seconds more to fulfil the requirements of a Senior FS program might currently be a bit too much to ask of her and that the decision may have come down to skating skills

Though we don't really know the reason, I do agree with this opinion
I realize this is only Mayuko's first year as a Junior but when watching her skate I still find myself thinking of her as a Novice skater
She's obviously very talented and has the tech to compete with the top Junior Women however, I would love to see her refine her jumps, to show less effort and more flow, and to also focus on improving her basic skating

For some perspective, I was confused as to why there is always at least 4 Novice Girls invited to Junior Nationals while the Boys will usually get only 3 spots
It's fair to say that while a lot of Novice age girls can be very competitive with Juniors, the boys tend to get stronger and more skillful as they get older
Though I adore Sakutaro Yoshino, and he shines among Novice boys, BV wise he just can't compete with most Junior Men and honestly looked a bit too young for this competition
Same goes for Haruki Matsumoto who is a full year older

Not certain, but maybe this would've been a similar situation for Mayuko had she been sent to participate in Senior Nationals next month
I'm sure if Kaoruko Wada was next in line she would have been invited

My hope is that the two available spots will be filled with the Senior Women, 1 from each Sectional, who just missed qualifying for Nationals (West~Ayumi Kagotani, East~Miyu Masuda)
I think Japanese skating fans would also like to see this outcome since so many were extremely upset with the decision to take two spots from Seniors to offer more to Juniors in the first place

I would be very happy if the spots go to senior women. It seems absurd to give almost one third of the spots to junior girls.

(Ayumi Kagotani especially deserves to go IMO, but that’s a discussion for another thread.)

 

[spatzchen]

Normally I’d agree, however jsf has really never been notorious for caring if skaters are injured or not. Apparently even the girls competing were confused about Ami and Mayuko not qualifying for senior nationals and they both left the rink under the impression they had. It reasonably raises a lot of questions.
Plus loads of fresh juniors who really “shouldn’t” have been invited still were in the past (arguably even Ami during 2021), so that doesn’t really explain this decision. Even if it’s for the better that Ami and Mayuko don’t compete there, it’s disingenuous and downright cruel for them to set guidelines and then not even follow them when the time comes. Imo, it’s more damaging to promise these skaters a huge opportunity—and for Ami, the second half of her season if she’s healthy—and then decide at the very end that they aren’t qualified anymore. I’m glad she gets to have a break and recover because of this, but it’s not fair to her or Mayuko at all.
Good for the senior girls if they do get those spots, but they still might not. It’s just a sad situation all around, especially if they do end up going to waste for no reason.

 

[rabidline]

Apparently even the girls competing were confused about Ami and Mayuko not qualifying for senior nationals and they both left the rink under the impression they had. It reasonably raises a lot of questions.

JSF and their lack of explanations really...
I understand why they chose to be like this but also I wish they can be more transparent with skaters on why assignments are made and how criterias fit (if criterias exist).

 

[tsuyoboogie]

Competition Day 3 Video
Video quality can be increased up to 720p by clicking on the settings gear

There are YT accounts who have already uploaded high quality video taken from BS Fuji's broadcast of Women's FS Groups 3 and 4 (with commentary and different camera angles than what was shown on the FOD stream)

Junior Men FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Shio Kojima
2. Kenta Omura
3. Shuntaro Asaga
4. Hiroto Hanai
5. Iori Horino
6. Kazuna Sato
Warmup Group 2
7. Ibuki Ogahara
8. Kairi Kato
9. Hayato Okazaki - Novice A Champion
10. Nobuyoshi Oda
11. Ryushin Yamada
12. Ryusei Kikuchi
Warmup Group 3
13. Masaya Mishima
14. Ryoto Mori
15. Kazuhiro Nakura
16. Sena Takahashi
17. Taiga Nishino
18. Ryoga Morimoto
Warmup Group 4
19. Daiya Ebihara
20. Rio Nakata
21. Seigo Tauchi
22. Haru Kakiuchi
23. Tsudoi Suto
24. Shunsuke Nakamura

Junior Women FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Saho Otake - Novice A 3rd
2. Minoka Chiba
3. Hikari Matsunami - Novice A 4th
4. Ruka Miyamoto
5. Koko Otsubo
6. Sumika Kanazawa - Novice A Champion
Warmup Group 2
7. Yurika Imazeki
8. Nana Sugiyama
9. Mei Okada
10. Aiko Iwamoto
11. Ami Nakai
12. Ayumi Nakao
Warmup Group 3
13. Kei Yamada
14. Riria Kono - Novice A 2nd
15. Yurina Okuno
16. Kinayu Yokoi
17. Mayuko Oka
18. Kaoruko Wada
Warmup Group 4
19. Rena Uezono
20. Haruna Murakami
21. Mao Shimada
22. Yo Takagi
23. Ayumi Shibayama
24. Ikura Kushida

Competition Day 1 Video post (Ice Dance RD, Pair SP)
Competition Day 2 Video post (Men SP, Ice Dance FD, Pair FS, Women SP)

 

[RatedPG]

Competition Day 3 Video
Video quality can be increased up to 720p by clicking on the settings gear

There are YT accounts who have already uploaded high quality video taken from BS Fuji's broadcast of Women's FS Groups 3 and 4 (with commentary and different camera angles than what was shown on the FOD stream)


Junior Men FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Shio Kojima
2. Kenta Omura
3. Shuntaro Asaga
4. Hiroto Hanai
5. Iori Horino
6. Kazuna Sato
Warmup Group 2
7. Ibuki Ogahara
8. Kairi Kato
9. Hayato Okazaki - Novice A Champion
10. Nobuyoshi Oda
11. Ryushin Yamada
12. Ryusei Kikuchi
Warmup Group 3
13. Masaya Mishima
14. Ryoto Mori
15. Kazuhiro Nakura
16. Sena Takahashi
17. Taiga Nishino
18. Ryoga Morimoto
Warmup Group 4
19. Daiya Ebihara
20. Rio Nakata
21. Seigo Tauchi
22. Haru Kakiuchi
23. Tsudoi Suto
24. Shunsuke Nakamura


Junior Women FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Saho Otake - Novice A 3rd
2. Minoka Chiba
3. Hikari Matsunami - Novice A 4th
4. Ruka Miyamoto
5. Koko Otsubo
6. Sumika Kanazawa - Novice A Champion
Warmup Group 2
7. Yurika Imazeki
8. Nana Sugiyama
9. Mei Okada
10. Aiko Iwamoto
11. Ami Nakai
12. Ayumi Nakao
Warmup Group 3
13. Kei Yamada
14. Riria Kono - Novice A 2nd
15. Yurina Okuno
16. Kinayu Yokoi
17. Mayuko Oka
18. Kaoruko Wada
Warmup Group 4
19. Rena Uezono
20. Haruna Murakami
21. Mao Shimada
22. Yo Takagi
23. Ayumi Shibayama
24. Ikura Kushida

You are the best. Now, I know what I’m doing for four hours tmrw

 

[RafaelAstro]

What if Ami end in the podium at jgpf?, does JSF could consider her for junior worlds even thou she won't compete at nationals?

 

[YuBluByMe]

What if Ami end in the podium at jgpf?, does JSF could consider her for junior worlds even thou she won't compete at nationals?

I think that Nakai is almost certainly not making the Junior Worlds Team. Because of the controversy last year (I personally sounded off on the ladies and junior men’s selections), the team selection criteria will not be published until about a week before Nationals. However, last year, if I recall, it was top two at JGPF (not three), but I could be misremembering. I would be pleasantly surprised if Nakai withdraws from JGPF, but I’m not expecting her to. She’s going to make a last-ditch effort to try to qualify for Junior Worlds, but I think the damage is already done because there’s at least three girls that could replace her. The situation was different last year. And if she’s injured now, she’ll still be injured at JGPF and she won’t do well anyway.

BREAK

The Japanese junior world’s selection procedure is similar to those of the United States, except Japan will name anyone who’s still age eligible, regardless if it’s appropriate or not. Junior National champion + Senior National results. The problem with this is that the team is usually already obvious based on the JGP and Junior National results. This is especially true if you have maximum spots. Not naming Nakata and Uezono outright just completely undermines junior results.

I watched all the junior lady SPs, but only last two groups of the free skate. Kono is one to watch. Her free skate was great and her costume is cuuuute. Takagi is mature beyond her years. Very delicate and musical skating. I like her a lot. I’m glad Kushida seems to be squaring herself away. She has a solid shot for Junior Worlds, but it’s going to depend on how she does at Nationals. I believe all the JGP Kinoshita girls were top 10 last year so she’s going to have to repeat that. It’s time for Shimada to throw the 4T in the trash can until she can get it consistent. It’s become an obligatory fall. I would rather her go for a 3A combination. I broke when Nakai hung her head after her score was announced. Poor kid. I hope she defies my expectations and decides to heal and rest.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Competition Day 3 Video
Video quality can be increased up to 720p by clicking on the settings gear

There are YT accounts who have already uploaded high quality video taken from BS Fuji's broadcast of Women's FS Groups 3 and 4 (with commentary and different camera angles than what was shown on the FOD stream)


Junior Men FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Shio Kojima
2. Kenta Omura
3. Shuntaro Asaga
4. Hiroto Hanai
5. Iori Horino
6. Kazuna Sato
Warmup Group 2
7. Ibuki Ogahara
8. Kairi Kato
9. Hayato Okazaki - Novice A Champion
10. Nobuyoshi Oda
11. Ryushin Yamada
12. Ryusei Kikuchi
Warmup Group 3
13. Masaya Mishima
14. Ryoto Mori
15. Kazuhiro Nakura
16. Sena Takahashi
17. Taiga Nishino
18. Ryoga Morimoto
Warmup Group 4
19. Daiya Ebihara
20. Rio Nakata
21. Seigo Tauchi
22. Haru Kakiuchi
23. Tsudoi Suto
24. Shunsuke Nakamura


Junior Women FS (listed in skate order)
Warmup Group 1
1. Saho Otake - Novice A 3rd
2. Minoka Chiba
3. Hikari Matsunami - Novice A 4th
4. Ruka Miyamoto
5. Koko Otsubo
6. Sumika Kanazawa - Novice A Champion
Warmup Group 2
7. Yurika Imazeki
8. Nana Sugiyama
9. Mei Okada
10. Aiko Iwamoto
11. Ami Nakai
12. Ayumi Nakao
Warmup Group 3
13. Kei Yamada
14. Riria Kono - Novice A 2nd
15. Yurina Okuno
16. Kinayu Yokoi
17. Mayuko Oka
18. Kaoruko Wada
Warmup Group 4
19. Rena Uezono
20. Haruna Murakami
21. Mao Shimada
22. Yo Takagi
23. Ayumi Shibayama
24. Ikura Kushida

tsuyoboogie

 

[lileychristie]

Competition Day 3 Video
Video quality can be increased up to 720p by clicking on the settings gear

As always, thank you so much for the coverage and the videos @tsuyoboogie

I also just watched the medal ceremony for the girls & boys, pleasantly surprised that it's still there in FOD if you have access.

https://fod.fujitv.co.jp/title/311d/311d110014/

Ikura looks like a giant next to Mao and Rena Considering her massive growth spurt, it's amazing what she has achieved this season. I hope once she's even more settled in her 'new' body, she will be more consistent too