2025-26 German Nationals

[Jumping_Bean]

I am not familiar with German women's figure skating, what I don't understand is the division into “junior women” and “youth women.” How do they differ? What strikes me when I look at the profiles is that “junior women” are 13-15 years old (as is customary internationally), while “youth women” are 14-16 (or 17?) years old, with the latter appearing more mature and feminine in some cases, but being rated significantly lower...?!

It's two different tracks of development - Juniors is the "elite" track, while Youth is the "hobby" track.

The age ranges are the same (13 to 19, though most Juniors who are Senior-eligible move up in their first season, at least among the German women), but the expected technical content is different. Juniors have the same requirements as at ISU competitions (2A, 2Lo/3Lo and 3+3/3+2/2+3/2+2 combination in the Short), while the Youth category has lower technical requirements (only 1A and double jumps allowed in the Short).

Basically, the Youth category is kind of a mix of the ISU categories Basic Novice (in terms of jump rotations) and Junior (in terms of everything else).

There are also some cases in which skaters from the Youth class may end up competing in the "elite" divisions as part of an Ice Dance or pairs team later on in their career. - Or may have done so previously (though some of them are also doing solo Ice Dance now). For example, Annika Mende, who placed 18th in Youth Women A, competed in Basic Novice pairs in the 2021/22 season at the State level.

 

[Reah]

It's two different tracks of development - Juniors is the "elite" track, while Youth is the "hobby" track.

Ah, now I understand the high demand in this youth class and the need to divide it into two groups. What opportunities do Youth women such as Lorin Deli actually have to advance over the status as amateur skaters? (if, for example, they realize that they might be more capable than they thought? ... I found the aforementioned skater to be quite distinctive, lively, and talented; it would be a shame if we never saw her compete in a larger international competition).

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Ah, now I understand the high demand in this youth class and the need to divide it into two groups. What opportunities do Youth women such as Lorin Deli actually have to advance as “amateur skaters”? (I found the aforementioned skater to be quite distinctive, lively, and talented; it would be a shame if we never saw her compete in a larger international competition).

Well, some switch disciplines - Solo Dance, partnered disciplines or, particularly common, Synchro. Others only compete domestically, while some of those who are still age-eligible may compete in Basic or Intermediate Novices internationally.
For older hobbyists, there are Young Adult and Adult categories, which have their own National championships, and Adults also have their own international competitions, so some may choose to keep competing in those age categories.
From what I've seen at a cursory glance, some of them even go on to become professional skaters, for example with Disney on Ice or on cruise ships, coaches or are employed by the German Skating Union.

And some of them leave skating behind, focusing on education and careers, or in some cases on other sports.

 

[Reah]

Thanks, that sounds very relaxed. I like this youth class; it would have been right up my alley at that age...

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Aww, this is a very baby Novice pair - She turned 12 three months ago, he turns 16 next week. I hope to see them in Juniors in two years, they've actually been skating together for a little while already, as this is their fourth (!) season as a team.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

These costumes remind me a little of ones worn by baby Nolan Seegert and his then partner. Love the floral appliques Benjamin Steffan did their choreo, that's really cool.

 

[EdgeCall]

Did they mention the music of the last pair? ISU bio says they are skating to Two Worlds, but this was a different piece.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

The Herrmann siblings withdrew, which makes sense considering how new they are as a pair. Even if they have a Free Skate, they might not have the conditioning to do a full run-through with all elements and in competition, and then it's better to be safe.

Sophie and Ilia did really well, and they looked quite satisfied

The fall on the 2Lo for the Löwenherz siblings was a bit unfortunate, especially after they landed the 3T. Not a bad skate overall for them, though.

And Anfisa and Lukas won this easily. The 3Tw attempt wasn't bad at all, I have faith they'll be able to clean that up soon enough. Their 2A+1A+1A combination was really good.

 

[Reah]

Anfisa Sevastianova seems to have a solid Russian foundation (which, incidentally, does not prevent this East German blogger “mein-kleines-eiskunstlaufblog” from being caustic and destructive about her performance, as usual. It's a shame that you only have someone who has a corrosive effect on even the best in your own country).

I could watch the recordings one day later, to see impressive girls, even those who didn't make it onto the podium (such as Luisa Seifert, who looks as fragile as she is enchanting, with a great free skate). Anna Gehrke and Diana Ziesecke were incredible again, of course... Because of Anna: an international comparison based on the JGP Abu Dhabi (10/10/2025) — adding dates of birth, which allows for a better assessment of the rankings:

1 Mao SHIMADA..................30.10.2008 JPN 201.17
2 Hana BATH...........................06.03.2010 AUS 192.72
3 Sophia SHIFRIN.................11.08.2009 ISR 181.90
4 Seojin YOUN.......................11.08.2008 KOR 170.89
5 Ikura KUSHIDA...................29.10.2007 JPN 169.24
6 Inga GURGENIDZE............23.04.2009 GEO 168.23
7 Maria Eliise KALJUVERE...07.03.2009 EST 164.12
8 Rachel SAMIRI......................12.07.2011 USA 162.50
9 Kira BARANOVSKA............01.01.2010 LAT 161.95
10 Anna GERKE.......................12.11.2010 GER 161.70

 

[Jumping_Bean]

That was the best I've seen Kai skate maybe ever. Well done

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Unfortunately, neither the 4S nor the 3A worked out very well for Nikita. I appreciate that he is trying to push his technical content and this was still one of his better SP performances this season. Chin up, tomorrow is a new chance.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Well, I guess Kai will win this battle in the SP, as Genrikh unfortunately popped the 4Lz and had to put his hand down on the 3A. Congratulations, and good luck to all three in the Free Skate.

Unfortunately, none of them have fulfilled the DEU minimum score requirements (neither did any of the women), so it's an uphill battle for Euros and Worlds, no matter who wins here.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Lovely, lovely skate for Letizia and Luis I really want them to have a good Free Skate too, after all their injuries and other roadblocks.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Anni popped the Sal, but the rest was very good. This is just Nationals, but I'm sure it doesn't help her mentally that she didn't get it done in this rather low-stakes environent

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Minnie was slightly off on the Sal, but this was definitely better than the GPF SP, so that's a relief Keep that energy going in the new year and leave the silly errors behind.

 

[Reah]

Interesting... the fact that this national championship is a qualifier for the European Championship and that many international judges and technical controllers do their job quite mercilessly leaves no room for the usual flattery. Lots of 8s in the program components are pretty harsh and would probably cause gasping for breath at a GP. I had the impression that the reigning European champions had worked on their presentation and tried to be expressive. Mini's hand almost touched the floor during the Salcho, which was additionally punished with deductions afterwards. Good. In the throws, Annika is technically ahead with a clean flip and at least on par. After all, everything was level 4 today. Overall, I didn't get a spontaneous Olympic feeling, I now need the recording to be able to classify it somehow...

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Anna has so many good qualities, she's fast, her jumps are big and have nice flow when she hits them, and she's quite flexible, Unfortunately, she's not the most consistent skater, and when things go wrong, they go very wrong A little more confidence would go a long way, I think, but that is much easier said than done.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Mixed bag for Julia. She, too, has some very good qualities, but struggles with inconsistency. She's been having issues with injuries, so I'm sure that's also a factor, but she is with coaches who know how to help adult women reach new heights (Huth and Nicole Schott), so let's hope they can help her follow in those footsteps in the future (with fewer injuries, please).

 

[EdgeCall]

Ok, looks like Pesch has it. But only because she had less of a disaster than the other ones. German singles is a mess.

Edit: She got second place in the end. Apparently the falls lowered her PCS too much.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Two falls, yes, but also the only one who attempted anything more difficult than a 3Lo. Not sure if Sarah will win, but I do applaud her for trying to push herself.

Unfortunately, it's not easy for female skaters in Germany as they transition to Seniors. Due to the lack of funding, many retire young, while a lot of others end up sidelined with injuries like Olesya Ray. Fingers crossed that Anna (Gerke) and Diana can beat the odds.