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Mel's Weekly#2: September 14, 2004Last weekend, I found myself doing something I have never done before. I stayed up until nearly 2 am, waiting for results from a junior competition. The competition? Skate Long Beach. The reason? Mao Asada. Mao Asada, another bright light from Japan, will not even turn fourteen years old for another two weeks, yet she has captivated the interest of dedicated skating fans around the globe. Some are on the bandwagon, some are skeptical, some proclaim her as the next great, and some vow that she will burn out within a few years. Whatever your take on her, you're reading this, aren't you? She's interesting, at the very least. She did not disappoint in her debut on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, winning the competition and exciting those who gathered in the ice arena in California. It's certainly the beginning of something. How extensive her career will be, well, only time can tell, but I confess...I am among those who hope that she is around for years to come. American hopefuls for stardomKimmie Meissner and Danielle Kahle took silver and bronze, respectively. Asada was not the only skater to cause a stir at the event last weekend. Princeton Kwong, a youngster from the United States, managed to overtake both his teammate Dennis Phan and Christopher Mabee of Canada for a win in the free skate. However, his short program held him back and although the results of the top three were reversed during the free program, no change was made in the final standings. Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison took home the win, rather expectedly, but it was the young pair of Aaryn Smith & Will Chitwood who won the free skate and made the small crowd take notice. The second Canadian pair, Cronin & Shales secured the bronze medal. There was no surprise in dance as Matthews & Zavozin eased into the gold medal position with their program to Lord of the Dance, even with a fall. Clearly in a class of their own in this field, they guarantee to be a team to watch when the Junior Grand Prix Final comes around. With about ten points separating each of the medalists, Karam & McGrath and Gorshkova & Tkachenko stayed well above the remainder of the field for the other medals. This weekend brings us the JGP event in China. I'll be watching to see if Dubé & Davison can hold off Russians Mukhortova & Trankov. Additionally, Jessica Dubé is hoping for a medal of her own in the ladies event, but will likely find fierce competition from Yu-Na Kim, who won the JGP in Budapest last week. In dance, Canadians Virtue & Moir look to continue their rise in the ranks, but in order to win gold, they'll have to get past Mikhailova & Sergeev of Russia, fourth at last year's World Junior Championships and Junior Grand Prix Final. Until next week! Archives -- Contact -- Features -- Guestbook -- Links -- Webmistress (c)2004-7 Melanie L. Hoyt All rights reserved. |