With only 6 days to go, the post-Olympic season will start on August 23 with the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2018/19. Talented young Skaters aged 13 to 19 (21 for the male Ice Dance and Pair Skating partners) from all over the world will compete at an international level. Some Skaters will become the stars of tomorrow, others aim to gain valuable experience but all Skaters want to share their passion for Figure Skating. The 2018/19 season marks the 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] edition of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating that was introduced in 1997.
Overview of the events
The series consists of seven events and starts August 23-25 in Bratislava (SVK), followed by Linz (AUT) August 29-September 1, Kaunas (LTU) September 5-8, Richmond (CAN) September 12-15, Ostrava (CZE) September 26-29, Ljubljana (SLO) October 3-6 and concludes in Yerevan (ARM) October 10-13. The events in Bratislava, Linz, Richmond and Ostrava include Pair Skating. Armenia and Lithuania will host an ISU Junior Grand Prix event for the first time.
The best six Skaters / Couples in each discipline qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series in Vancouver (CAN), December 6-9, 2018. Skaters earn points according to their placements in order to qualify for the Final.
Several top Junior Skaters return to the circuit this season including World Junior Champion Alexandra Trusova (RUS) and World Junior silver medalist Alena Kostornaia (RUS). Trusova became the first female skater to perform two quadruple jumps in a program and is aiming for three quadruple jumps this season. World Junior Pair Skating silver medalists Polina Kostiukovich/Dmitri Ialin (RUS), World Junior silver medalist Artur Danielian (RUS), ISU Junior Grand Prix Finalists Majorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN) and ISU Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist Mitsuki Sumoto (JPN) return to the junior circuit as well.
Junior Grand Prix livestream
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating YouTube Channel. Additionally, all performances since 2011 are available on demand.
Subscribe to the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating YouTube Channel to receive all the latest videos and follow the conversation with #JGPFigure.
Selection Criteria
More than 300 young Skaters from over 50 ISU Members are expected to compete in this year’s series. Each ISU Member is entitled to enter competitors for the series while the number of their entries depends on the result of the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2018.
Prize Money & Points
Competitors collect points in their ISU Junior Grand Prix events towards the qualification for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. The following point system based on the ranking has been established to determine the qualifiers for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final:
Place Men/Ladies Pairs Ice Dance
1st place 15 points 15 points 15 points
2nd place 13 points 13 points 13 points
3rd place 11 points 11 points 11 points
4th place 9 points 9 points 9 points
5th place 7 points 7 points 7 points
6th place 5 points 5 points 5 points
7th place 4 points 4 points 4 points
8th place 3 points 3 points 3 points
9th place 2 points - -
10th place 1 points - -
The Global Prize money per individual event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating is
US $22.500,00 awarded to each medal winner for each category as follows:
Singles (Ladies and Men) Pair Skating and Ice Dance (per couple)
1st place US$2.000,00 US$ 3.000,00
2nd place US$1.500,00 US$2.250,00
3rd place US$1.000,00 US$1.500,00
Further to the introduction of the +5 / -5 Grade of Execution (GoE), all statistics start from zero for the season 2018/19 and all previous statistics are now historical.
This will be the third season where I fully expect to follow juniors more closely than seniors. Easy access, Great Skating, Bias free announcers and High quality live streaming. I’m so excited about this season too. It’s always fun seeing new stars emerge and find new favorites from all parts of the globe.