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Mel's Editorial#25: October 1, 2006Annual Junior Grand Prix Predictions It's hard to believe that it's already that time of year again! The juniors have finished five events in their Grand Prix series, with only three events remaining before December's Final. Some have already qualified for the final, some are looking to be solid contenders, but especially in juniors, anything is possible. Dance is often the most predictable discipline, but even dance is starting to experience some unexpected shifts. The only juniors who are sure bets for the final, at this point, are the Russian teams of Bobrova & Soloviev (30 points) and Gorshkova & Butikov (28 points). Brouiller & Richaud of France, with a bronze and a silver on this year's circuit, may find themselves among the alternates. Other safe bets are two teams that have already secured 15 points with a victory - Samuelson & Bates of the United States and Estonia's Grünberg & Rand. The American brother/sister team of Hubbell & Hubbell took second place in the season's first event and are scheduled to compete against Grünberg & Rand and another silver medal winning team, Canada's Lenko & Islam. In two weeks, Samuelson & Bates will try to make it two-for-two in Taipei and they will be joined by Crone & Poirier and Gilles & McKernan. The team that wins silver in Taipei could very well be punching their ticket to the final. And with so few entries in place for the final event, it's hard to guess who will take the remaining spots, but here's my predictions for the Final: Bobrova & Soloviev, Gorshkova & Butikov, Samuelson & Bates, Grünberg & Rand, Spelta & Garavaglia, Hubbell & Hubbell, Crone & Poirier, and Zlobina & Sitnikov. The only junior lady who's definitely in is American Juliana Cannarozzo, who added another win this weekend to her victory in Hungary a few weeks ago. Currently second in the standings is a surprise from Italian Stefania Berton, but Berton's 24 points may not quite see her into the Final. Cannarozzo will have some company from teammates Caroline Zhang and Ashley Wagner if their strong showings thus far have anything to do with their upcoming assignments. Japan is generally well-represented and both Nana Takeda and Rumi Suizu have a shot at qualifying. Surprisingly, Akiko Kitamura will not make the Final, for the first time since her début on the JGP circuit in 2003. Russia's Ekaterina Kozireva and Korea's Ji-Eun Choi are still in the mix, but I think that Yea-Ji Shin of Korea has the best shot, based on assignments. Melissa Bulanhagui of the United States is still a factor as well. Conclusion? A lot remains up in the air and ice is slippery, but my predictions for the Final are: Canarozzo, Zhang, Wagner, Takeda, Suizu, Shin, Bulanhagui, and Berton. Like in the ladies' field, only one junior man has qualified for the Final - American Austin Kanallakan, who secured his second victory this past weekend. Others with gold medals and carrying 15 points thus far are fellow Americans Tommy Steenburg and Stephen Carriere, along with Canadian Kevin Reynolds. All three have an excellent shot at securing a place in the Final, and all three are conveniently scheduled for separate events from each other. Add into the mix the silver medalists thus far: Artem Borodulin of Russia, Takahito Mura of Japan, Brandon Mroz of the United States, and China's Jinlin Guan, and the remaining seven spots truly are up for grabs, even without figuring in the bronze medalists in the series thus far. I say it's still too early to tell and I'm crazy for trying to predict this now, but here I go anyway. My picks for the Final are: Kanallakan, Carriere, Steenburg, Reynolds, Vladimir Uspenski, Guan (depending on where else he is assigned), Borodulin, and Hirofumi Torii. I'm not sure how to predict pairs this year. Since only four of the eight events include a pairs competition, lower point totals will make the Final. This is the first year for this format, so these might be really off, but I'll give it a shot. No pairs have competed twice yet, so no one is definitely in. However, the frontrunners thus far are probably the safest bets and, like last year, the field is overwhemingly North American - quite a change from the senior scene! From the United States, Moyle & Seitz and McLaughlin & Brubaker each have 15 points, while Namiotka & Coughlin and Pflumm & Pottenger have 13 points each. Canadians have won bronze medals in the first two events, giving Demers-Boutin & Joncas and Velenosi & Fernandez 11 points each. So I'm a little cautious about these, but here goes nothing. In the Final are: Moyle & Seitz, McLaughlin & Brubaker, Namiotka & Coughlin, Pflumm & Pottenger, Demers-Boutin & Joncas, Velenosi & Fernandez, Levshina & Gavrin, and Bazarova & Larionov. Archives -- Contact -- Features -- Guestbook -- Links -- Webmistress (c)2004-7 Melanie L. Hoyt All rights reserved. |