2024 Skate Milwaukee | Jul 8-12

[yuki@thelake]

Wow, I did not see that coming for Patrick Blackwell, winning this event. Good for Sasha Fegan and his second place.

Sad that Taira could not hold on to second, but he did relatively well absent a fall which messed up his combo (?) (reading protocols is not my gift). Jacob not only fell, but had a time violation Presumably he finished late.

Also Kai Kovar did not have a great skate, falling from first to seventh. Falls and pops will do that.....

I have been following Blackwell's Instagram, and he posts videos of his quads and triple axels, so I am not surprised he won. He's just been so under the radar, mostly because he missed competing at the sectionals and nationals. This is like his comeback.

 

[RatedPG]

Hopefully, Jacob’s sixth place is strong enough for a JGP event

 

[natsulian]

Some of the skates I managed to catch:

Of note, Sofia's jumps are guessed because I don't remember specifically but I know that she repeated the Lutz and Flip

1. Sofia Bezkorovainaya - 3Lz, 2A3T, 3F, 3Lz2A2T(?), 3F2T, 3Lo, 3S
2. Sophie Joline von Felten - 3A (hangs on), 3Lo, 3A2T, 3Lz3T, 3Lz2A2A, 3F, 3S
3. Jessica Jurka - did not manage to catch her skate
4. Jiaying Ellyse Johnson - 3T3T, 3Lz, 1F, 3Lo, 3Lz2A (hangs on), 2A2T2T
5. Angela Shao - 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo2A2A, 3T, 3Lo, 3S2Lo, 3S2Lo

Mia had a very rough skate, seems to be injured (?) but went for the 4T but fell. Fell on the 3F later then only did 3Lz (hangs on) and 3Lz2T near the end of the program. Very rough skate and this about closes the doors on her chances to compete on the JGP circuit this year.

 

[natsulian]

Emilia Nemirovsky - 3Lz3T (huge), 3F2T, 3Lo (hangs on), 2A, 3Lo2A (hangs on), 3Lz, 2S

 

[RatedPG]

Some of the skates I managed to catch:

Of note, Sofia's jumps are guessed because I don't remember specifically but I know that she repeated the Lutz and Flip

1. Sofia Bezkorovainaya - 3Lz, 2A3T, 3F, 3Lz2A2T(?), 3F2T, 3Lo, 3S
2. Sophie Joline von Felten - 3A (hangs on), 3Lo, 3A2T, 3Lz3T, 3Lz2A2A, 3F, 3S
3. Jessica Jurka - did not manage to catch her skate
4. Jiaying Ellyse Johnson - 3T3T, 3Lz, 1F, 3Lo, 3Lz2A (hangs on), 2A2T2T
5. Angela Shao - 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo2A2A, 3T, 3Lo, 3S2Lo, 3S2Lo

Mia had a very rough skate, seems to be injured (?) but went for the 4T but fell. Fell on the 3F later then only did 3Lz (hangs on) and 3Lz2T near the end of the program. Very rough skate and this about closes the doors on her chances to compete on the JGP circuit this year.

Thanks for the updates!! I feel so bad for Mia!!
Despite learning a quad jump, the rest of the elements are lacking
In 7th, with 8 skaters left to go… her JGP dreams are as good as over.
Lots of good free skates so far!!
USA has a lot of future prospects

 

[natsulian]

Cleo Park - 3Lz2T (goes off wrong on the Lutz, I do not know how she saved that one so instead of a 3T, she goes for a safe double), 3F, 3Lo (gorgeous), 2A, 3Lz2T, 3F2A2T (Zayak?), 3S

Cleo, although plagued by under-rotation issues, is a consistent skater and she rarely melts down. Her movements have become more refined over the past few seasons and you can clearly observe that she's working meticulously on her jumping technique. Last season, her jumps were borderline < or << and now she only gets < on the end of her triple-triple combinations. She's on the right path.

 

[natsulian]

Alina Bonillo - 2A (huge, thought she might've gone for her 3A but played it safe), 3Lz2T, 3F2T, 2Lo, 2Lz, 3S, 2A

Didn't go for the 3Lz3T or a third combo and doubled two jumps so her chances have dramatically decreased. Her jumps are beautiful when she does not pop but the stamina or refinement do not seem to be there which is understandable since she came back from injury recently.

 

[natsulian]

Logan Higase-Chen - 3F3T, 3Lz, 2A, 3S, 3F, 3Lz2A2T, 3Lo2T

Logan skates with SO much speed, she looks and feels like a completely new skater compared to previous seasons. Her jumps are quick, landed with aplomb and confidence, and her under-rotation issues do not seem to be as prevalent which is staggering considering who her coach is. That was a tremendous effort by Logan and now puts the pressure on the other four skaters after her.

 

[katymay]

Some of the skates I managed to catch:

Of note, Sofia's jumps are guessed because I don't remember specifically but I know that she repeated the Lutz and Flip

1. Sofia Bezkorovainaya - 3Lz, 2A3T, 3F, 3Lz2A2T(?), 3F2T, 3Lo, 3S
2. Sophie Joline von Felten - 3A (hangs on), 3Lo, 3A2T, 3Lz3T, 3Lz2A2A, 3F, 3S
3. Jessica Jurka - did not manage to catch her skate
4. Jiaying Ellyse Johnson - 3T3T, 3Lz, 1F, 3Lo, 3Lz2A (hangs on), 2A2T2T
5. Angela Shao - 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo2A2A, 3T, 3Lo, 3S2Lo, 3S2Lo

Mia had a very rough skate, seems to be injured (?) but went for the 4T but fell. Fell on the 3F later then only did 3Lz (hangs on) and 3Lz2T near the end of the program. Very rough skate and this about closes the doors on her chances to compete on the JGP circuit this year.

Did Jurka land her 3A? Gutted for Mia.

 

[natsulian]

Keira Hilbelink - 3Lz2T, 3F2T, 3S, 3F, 3Lo2A1A, 3Lo (step out), 2A (step out)

Keira couldn't add the 3T to her Lutz or Flip but I thought she might add it at the end instead of the 2A but that did not happen. A very conservative skate following Logan, she seemed nervous. Keira is a talent and there are areas of refinement that are necessary but she seems to be developing at her own pace which is great. Looking forward to seeing more of her.

 

[natsulian]

Did Jurka land her 3A? Gutted for Mia.

Didn't catch her skate, sadly.

 

[natsulian]

Ela Cui - 3S, 3Lz2T, 3F (fall), 2Lo, 3Lz (fall), 3T (step out), 3T+REP (fall)

Ela continues to demonstrate beautiful lines and artistry but lacks consistency. Her jumps, especially her Lutz and Flip are gorgeous when landed but she struggles to keep it together. Ela was second coming into the free but her placement will tumble following what was a disastrous skate. However, she has much to be proud of!

 

[natsulian]

Josephine Lee - 3Lo, 3Lz2T, 3T, 3S2T, 3F2A2A, 3S, 3F (step out)

Joey fought for every jump, muscling and powering through them via sheer will alone. Artistically, Joey is miles ahead of all the junior women, showcasing depth of edge and emotion that cannot be rivaled at this competition. However, technically, Joey seems to have regressed with each season, her jumps are borderline "<" or "q" which is why she scores well domestically but is hosed by international judges. Joey will need to re-tool her jumps before jumping to the senior ranks.

 

[Jeanie19]

For the junior grand prix, are the top 6 favored to get spots? Is there any other events that they can gets spots...Cranberry open?

 

[natsulian]

Annika Chao - 3Lz3T, 3Lo, 3S, 2A, 3Lz2T, 3F2A2T, 3F (fall, so close to a clean skate)

Annika continues to showcase consistency and beautiful lines, a very lyrical and emotive skater. She was very close a clean skate, falling on the 3F at the end of the program—no height on the last jump to finish the rotation. She should be very pleased with her skates, she performed very well.

 

[ptvvibezz]

Thank you for the reports @natsulian

 

[natsulian]

Junior Women Results
1. Annika Chao, 179.85
2. Logan Higase-Chen, 179.74
3. Josephine Lee, 173.02
4. Cleo Park, 168.21
5. Keira Hilbelink, 168.15
6. Sofia Bezkorovainaya, 163.02
7. Sophie Joline von Felten, 162.30
8. Emilia Nemirovsky, 161.80
9. Alayna Coats, 158.06
10. Jessica Jurka, 157.05
11. Jiaying Ellyse Johnson, 156.99
12. Angela Chao, 155.92
13. Mia Kalin, 151.93
14. Alina Bonillo, 145.08
15. Teryn Kim, 143.24
16. Ela Cui, 141.51
17. Mia Barghout, 132.07
18. Ella Kim, 130.60
19. Jasmine Clarke, 110.26
20. Courali Clay, 107.10

My picks for the first two women to send to the Junior Grand Prix:
1. Annika Chao
2. Logan Higase-Chen

Based on the first two assignments, proceed to give the aforementioned two women second spots if they are likely to make the Junior Grand Prix Final. Additionally, if either of them score >180, give them a second assignment. Based on these two criteria, I would assign all of the women who placed below Annika and Logan to the Cranberry Cup and give the third spot to the winner.

Based on how Annika and Logan do, if both of them score >180 or are in contention for a medal, I would give them both a second assignment. This leaves three spots left, with one spot decided by the Cranberry Cup. If the Cranberry Cup winner scores >180 or is in contention for a medal, they automatically receive a second spot. This leaves us with one wild card based on their performance throughout the rest of the summer going into the fall.

Historically, Joey has done poorly on the Junior Grand Prix and Junior Worlds... two seasons in a row. I think it is time we give other upcoming junior women the opportunity to compete and gain competition experience. I would also give those that scored >150 international assignments.

 

[RatedPG]

For the junior grand prix, are the top 6 favored to get spots? Is there any other events that they can gets spots...Cranberry open?

Last year some skaters that fell out of top 6, were still picked for JGP. Sherry Zhang from what I remember… maybe, Josephine too. But, they were close enough. I think Cleo was 6th and not picked. So, this event showed a bit of revenge on her part.

 

[saine]

Last year some skaters that fell out of top 6, were still picked for JGP. Sherry Zhang from what I remember… maybe, Josephine too. But, they were close enough.

Sherry had good scores in other summer competitions after Junior Team Cup last season, including a 186.59 at Skate St. Moritz. That must have helped her get the spot by showing more scores higher than Junior Team Cup.

 

[natsulian]

For the junior grand prix, are the top 6 favored to get spots? Is there any other events that they can gets spots...Cranberry open?

Based on last year's competition and how assignments were handed out, the winner (Elyce Lin-Gracey) received two assignments. Annika, who placed second, received one and was assigned to the first competition. Mia, Sarah, Soho, and Josephine—who rounded out the Top 6—all received one assignment with Soho withdrawing which then went to Sherry (9). Sherry's assignment was based on a stellar summer competition performance, consistently scoring 170-180 which translated to winning a medal on the Junior Grand Prix in her second assignment which was given based on her previous outing (4 at her assignment).