JGP Lake Placid: Thoughts and Highlights

Some surprises in this event! What were the highlights for you? Aside from Liu becoming the first US lad to land a quad Lutz in competition

Utana and Shingo

Impossible to believe that they have been together for only six months, and that Shingo, a singles skater, has only been training dance for that long.:shocked: Amazing!

Could Japan possibly have a shot at the Team Event in the 2022 Olys, if this team develops the way they show every sign of doing?

- Thank you Ted Barton banners
- Ted Barton himself
- Korean girls
- Alysa's short program and 3A-2T. Also her spins
- All skaters from small countries doing their best
- Did I mention Ted Barton?

Men
- I don't recall ever seeing Shun Sato before, but he was very impressive here, even with the free skate errors. Not quite at Yuma Kagiyama's level for me artistically, but promising; the Japanese men have had it rough at Junior Worlds the last few seasons, so hopefully this is the year to turn that around.
- Stephen had a really good short program where he looked about the same or even better than last year, but the free skate was rough. Clearly the coaching and physical changes are going to have him skating at a lower level for the next little while. But he eked it out.
- Gleb Lutfullin, I belatedly realized I recognized because Sofia Samodurova is always Instagramming pictures with him; undistinguished short program, the free skate I was very impressed by.
- Ilia Malinin, shows signs of future stardom for the USA. Too bad for him to be third in both programs but miss the podium. I also liked Joseph Klein, the other young American.
- Lower down, Harrison Bain unfortunately cannot jump, but he's got a beautiful sense of style in his other elements and his performance quality.

Ladies
- Alysa Liu makes her debut under a lot of expectations (and, looking at the thumbs-down on the YouTube videos, a lot of people ready to start hating her), and largely delivers. She's got a lot of charisma, both on and off the ice, so whatever deficiencies there undeniably still are in her bladework, her performances are memorable; especially the short, where she's a great fit for Streisand.
- Of the two Koreans who were in podium position after the short, I really like Ji more than Park, artistically; but Park had the better jump technique (except on the Axel), so that won the day. Ji's short program was probably my favourite discovery of the event; the free doesn't suit her nearly as well.
- Tarakanova, our lone Russian, had a mostly good technical skate, but on the performance side she was not delivering very much in either program.
- Bausback managed the highest Canadian lady's placement at a JGP since Sarah Tamura at 2016 JGP Germany, which is certainly an achievement for her. I wish I could be more excited, but she doesn't do anything for me artistically. But she's got the will to make jumps happen even when the circumstances aren't favourable (e.g., that short program triple toe), so credit where it's due.
- Jessica Lin's ultimate Hanyu fan tribute free skate was a lot of fun to watch.
- Emilia Murdoch, the third American, had really remarkable skating skills and overall presentation. If she can sort out the jumps, there's definite potential there; also the case with Azusa Tanaka.
- Victoria, the young Australian, showed real potential, especially in the short program. Good to know there's somebody to pick up whenever Kailani decides to call it a career.
- Pantaree, the Thai skater, was only doing double jumps, but all other aspects of her skating were very nice (and the doubles were good too, for that matter). I especially liked the short program, again.
- Harshita, the plucky Indian skater who barely gets any ice time at home, I was initially not sure what to make of, just because it initially seemed to me like bringing somebody with that low a skill level to the event wasn't fair to them. But she clearly wanted to be there and enjoyed it a lot, so more power to her. I hope she can find more opportunities to train in the future.

Pairs
- The gap between the Russian pairs and everybody else was stark here, especially considering most of the Russians weren't precisely skating clean themselves. Even the Chinese, their nearest rivals in having a consistent pairs program, were way back; Wang/Huang's skate was the stuff of nightmares.
- I continue to be pleased with the progress that McIntosh/Toste are making technically. They're going to be real contenders in the future, assuming Brooke doesn't outgrow Brandon.
- The other Canadian pair, Levesque/Hudon, I unfortunately don't have much hope for; Gabrielle's jumps and throws are just hopeless, however strong their lifts are.
- Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard, the young American team, showed some promise.
- I'm not sure, based on their general demeanour, if Hamon and Strekalin's partnership is long for this world.

Roller derby, er, Ice dance
- I dearly hope that in March 2020 we will look back and say that the Lake Placid RD was unequivocally the worst ice dance segment of the competitive season. Because if there's another event in the future worse than that, that will not be a good thing.
- Nguyen/Kolesnik were the clear frontrunners for the win here, and they won by a mile. I'm not a huge fan of the way the music in the RD is arranged, but the FD is very nice.
- Davis/Smolkin took silver, as expected. In their case, I like the RD more (I'm disappointed that Andreeva/Desyatov's withdrawal meant we didn't have two Russian cat-themed RDs at the event).
- Taschlerova/Taschler were not, I don't think, on anybody's radar going into this event, but they did very well. I especially liked the free dance. This is a huge leap upward for them, after not even making the top ten in any of their past JGPs.
- Makita/Gunara, oh so close to that bronze medal (Canada takes the dreaded pewter medal for the second week in a row), but overall this was a good event for them. They put themselves on the map internationally, particularly since their only previous JGP placement last year was undistinguished.
- Yoshida/Nishiyama were already a hit with those of us who watch Canadian summer competitions, and now the rest of the skating world can enjoy them too. I would have had them fifth overall, but all the same, a great international success for them, and especially since they're such a new pairing (and he new to the discipline).
- Galiyanova/Lochhead, sigh, that was a rough pair of programs for them. Their next assignment is in only two weeks, so I hope they can rally and do better there.

-Wow, Alysa! Great job skating under the challenge of expectations.

-Thrilled to see Makita & Gunara finish 3rd with their wonderful Hairspray program in the RD. Both earning level 3 on the pattern & making strides since last season's JGP. So close to the podium!

-And, well, the men's short was nice. Joseph Kein's SP was bang on the music. It was fun to finally see Ilia Malinin in competition. Nice to see some growing musicality in that portion of the event for Sato & Gogolev.

-Also wow, I was surprised to see these particular Korean ladies so competitive in only their first JGP.

Disgusting, utterly biased judging.
Uncalled Liu's URs (3A<+2T, 4Lz<, 3Lz+3T<, 3Lz+1Eu+3S<)
Lutfullin's clean 3A unjustly called
Numerous Seoyeon Ji's uncalled obvious URs both in FP and SP
Gogolev's huge overscoring in PCS for blatantly bad performance
all of that and some more which allows to watch judges scores manipulation in real time - which in some case was successful (in changing mens podium placement) and in some cases was almost successful (in attempt to change ladies podium placement). It was main highlight for me. Unfortunately :sarcasm:

ruga said:

- Did I mention Ted Barton?

Click to expand...

Maybe not quite enough He's like a gentle grandfather voice to all of the kids, isn't he? That Twitter hashtag was just an added joy.

Can I again (I know I mentioned it in my top 3) give a warm and fuzzy shout out too, to all all of the skaters from countries where it's hard to skate, still getting up there and risking ridicule and failure on a world audience, at an age where it's especially hard to take that risk? They are one and all braver than I could ever be. And I'm glad they had Ted to talk them through it.

Oh, and Azusa's P&P music - she had a rough skate (I think she was injured?) but I thank her anyway, I'm a hopeless devotee of the BBC series and the glorious soundtrack. And her pink dress was perfect for period echoes.

Speaking of costumes (as I always do, yes) Darian's ultragroovy outfits and Darien's ultragroovy hair wins hands down in the men, and I liked Joseph's FS with the subtle scarlet sparkle and Fang-Yi's lovely white jacket. In the ladies, lots and lots of sparkles and bare backs. Both Koreans were as exquisite as expected (I cannot decide which of Seoyeon's I love more), Beverly's white SP was a stunner, as Mana's Black Swan. And yes, while the fellow feeling I have for Jessica's fangirl tribute may make me biased, it was simply and totally beautiful (the ombre shading!) and remimded me again just how glorious the original was....

Men:
I enjoyed watching Shun's SP and he has really improved over time. The other standout for me was Ilia - to me he was rather unlucky not to win a medal. His score would have achieved silver in France. I thought Stephen was very fortunate to hold on to the silver here but I'm glad we'll get to see him in another event and hopefully skate his free program clean.

Ladies:
My favourite was Mana Kawabe's Black Swan FS and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow over the season! Azusa had wonderful artistry in both of her programs. I also liked seeing Pantaree, Yeonjeong and Mandy, who I was not familiar with before Lake Placid. I like how we get to discover new stars and skaters with potential at events like these.

Ice Dance:
Utana & Shingo They have conquered all the twizzles and warmed our hearts too!
I became new fans of Miku & Tyler as well (Hairspray), I was a little sad that they just missed the podium but I'm also happy for Natalie & Filip (plus 150.00 is such a neat score!)

Pairs:
I missed most of the skates but managed to catch Panfilova/Rylov's free. It was so nice to watch, a well deserved win for them!

gsk8 said:

Some surprises in this event! What were the highlights for you? Aside from Liu becoming the first US lad to land a quad Lutz in competition

Click to expand...

Ahem ... not to mention Alysa Liu becoming the first lady in the World to land a quad and a triple axel in the same program in competition.

I wasn't able to watch the events of the first two days live. So I looked at individual skaters first that I already knew (not many, as I don't follow juniors) ... and the first program that really Knocked Me Out was Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik's Rhythm Dance to Aladdin. Not because of the choreo or skating at first, but because I'd never seen Vadym's acting skills to that extent before. Well, I haven't watched them that much, but when I did (last year, admittedly), I was noticing Avonley's stunning ability to inhabit and beautifully portray a character or a feeling. I mean, Vadym became Aladdin with the first exuberant movements of the program. And he continued this all the way through. Avonley portrayed her character too (Jasmine?), but, whether this was intentional or inherent in the choreography, for once she seemed (to me) to be in a supporting rule, which is as it should be, in Aladdin. The fact that they did this so beautifully AND made all the requirements necessary for the judges to mark them like they did was just marvelous. (Note: I think the Igor Shpilband/Pasquale Comerlengo partnership is brilliant ... I think Igor, and perhaps Pasquale too, is one of those coaches/choreographers who works extra well in a team ... perhaps because of bouncing ideas off the other, or perhaps because of the mutual encouragement.)

Then Avonley and Vadym surpassed themselves in the FD with Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2. Simply gorgeous, and a great contrast to the RD.

The next WOW!, when I watched more Ice Dance more or less in order, was in response to Utana Yoshida and Shingo Nishiyama. When I saw them, I was just knocked out all over again, through the whole program. They simply projected this light, both separately and together, I mean they glowed and literally lit up the ice. When I heard afterwards that they've only been skating together for a short time, I was even more amazed. They seem to be born to ice dance, and born to be partners. I can't even point to elements of their dancing that I liked .... and that, from me, is a very high compliment, because it didn't seem like they were executing elements (which, from their marks, must have been very good). But for me, it just seemed like they were dancing. This is what I love in an Ice Dance team. Also, did they wear sky blue in one program? If they didn't, they must in retrospect, to me, have been wearing blue ... because they projected hope, and joy, and optimism.

End of Part I

TallyT said:

Can I again (I know I mentioned it in my top 3) give a warm and fuzzy shout out too, to all all of the skaters from countries where it's hard to skate, still getting up there and risking ridicule and failure on a world audience, at an age where it's especially hard to take that risk? They are one and all braver than I could ever be. And I'm glad they had Ted to talk them through it

Click to expand...

This, this, a thousand times this.

We had Indonesia, India, Singapore, Iceland (well, actually, Iceland should rule skating, but anyway ...), Hong Kong, Peru, Thailand.

I liked the performances overall better in the French one, maybe because it was the first. But I am all on Ted Barton’s appreciation team!

What made on my 2019-2020 list are:

Short: Gogolev, Klein, Tarakanova, Liu
Free: Vetlugin, Kyeong, Alcantara and Malinin

Didn’t finish watching pairs yet

skylark said:

The next WOW!, when I watched more Ice Dance more or less in order, was in response to Utana Yoshida and Shingo Nishiyama. When I saw them, I was just knocked out all over again, through the whole program. They simply projected this light, both separately and together, I mean they glowed and literally lit up the ice. When I heard afterwards that they've only been skating together for a short time, I was even more amazed. They seem to be born to ice dance, and born to be partners. I can't even point to elements of their dancing that I liked .... and that, from me, is a very high compliment, because it didn't seem like they were executing elements (which, from their marks, must have been very good).

End of Part I

Click to expand...

Just watched their FD. OMG! :eeking: :luv17: I've never heard of them. They are adorable (even when Shingo nearly fell over at the end LOL), full of sparkle and so elegant as well for a young team. I am stunned that Japan has come up with such a lovely ice dance couple. Hope they stay together and are carefully nurtured into a top team.

Sai Bon said:

Just watched their FD. OMG! :eeking: :luv17: I've never heard of them. They are adorable (even when Shingo nearly fell over at the end LOL), full of sparkle and so elegant as well for a young team. I am stunned that Japan has come up with such a lovely ice dance couple. Hope they stay together and are carefully nurtured into a top team.

Click to expand...

A little bit of background about :luv17:Utashin:luv17::

The Japanese Fed "created" them and must be paying for them to train at TCC, at least in part, so I hope they understand what a treasure they now have.:yes:

Shingo was a male singles skater, with all the charisma you now see in dance. He went to TCC to train in 2017 as a singles skater, which is where I first heard of him. He said while still a young singles skater: "What I want to do is to express something through my skating and deliver it to all those who watch it. It is my heart and soul." (The entire article is fascinating, it is linked thanks to @katmari in the Utashin FanFest).

Next thing I know, this year, he's an ice dancer. With Utana. Training at TCC. Word is that he was encouraged by Japanese Fed to take up ice dance, but I have nothing I can point to for that. I saw vids from Canadian summer skates and was immediately taken, as is everyone who sees Utashin.

I can only hope and pray they get a second JGP

Sai Bon said:

Just watched their FD. OMG! :eeking: :luv17: I've never heard of them. They are adorable (even when Shingo nearly fell over at the end LOL), full of sparkle and so elegant as well for a young team. I am stunned that Japan has come up with such a lovely ice dance couple. Hope they stay together and are carefully nurtured into a top team.

Click to expand...

Tracy Wilson is coaching them, and I believe they said Roman Haganauer choreographed their dances. I think theyre in good hands.

For pairs, Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov were exquisite and so enjoyable, in the FS. I found their SP a bit hard and jarring, which doesn't fit with my vision of them, especially after last year's W.E. FS, but that's just me. I imagine they want to show their diversity, or maybe they just like to experiment with different styles and music. I like their lifts and throws very much; they're so fluid. They make such difficult elements look easy.

I didn't watch many of the men's programs, but of those I was able to see, I especially enjoyed Gleb Lutfullin, with his grace, beautiful skating, and power which seemed to me somewhat understated. Which I loved. I was completely charmed by Joseph Klein also; he has such a great ice presence.

Ladies: Asuza Tanaka has the loveliest use of her arms. She was simply an embodiment of the music, and I got lost inside her skating. Very lovely. She was one of my new discoveries, as was Emilia Murdock. Talk about ice presence and a striking character or personality. I look forward to seeing more of both.

Alysa Liu is simply a phenomenon. I love the sense of joy that she brings to the ice, perhaps most of all. Her SP portrays that perfectly, and then the FS music, Jennifer's "Illuminations," is so lovely, a different mood that she also portrays well. Her jumping is phenomenal, her personality on and off the ice are both charming and natural, she's sensitive to the nuances of her music, she's on the ice because she loves it and she belongs there. I'm also impressed by the way she's working hard to refine and advance her technique.

Question: was there a gala/exhibition? I didn't see any mentions of one.

el henry said:

A little bit of background about :luv17:Utashin:luv17::

Next thing I know, this year, he's an ice dancer. With Utana. Training at TCC. Word is that he was encouraged by Japanese Fed to take up ice dance, but I have nothing I can point to for that. I saw vids from Canadian summer skates and was immediately taken, as is everyone who sees Utashin.

I can only hope and pray they get a second JGP

Click to expand...

It's all coming back to me now. Shingo was the young man who started doing two disciplines. I didn't realise they'd already found a partner for him. And they already have a fan fest? Will have to check it out...

The biggest surprise for me were Taschler siblings Natalie and Filip. They have made huge progress, I really like their performance. If they would countinue like this, Czech Republic could finally have very good Ice dancers.

Add me to the list of new Utashin fans I don't think I have enjoyed a junior routine from any discipline this much for a long time. They looked like they were performing at an ice show rather than a competition - no stress at all but so much joy and charisma. For a team that only formed 6 months (and the male switching from singles), I felt they managed to achieve better synchronisation and chemistry than a lot of teams together since childhood. I always thought it was weird that Japan with their wealth of skaters with excellent skating skills never bothered to develop in ice dance. Well I hope Utashin's great first JPG outing showed the federation the potential for ice dance in Japan in the future.

purplecat said:

Question: was there a gala/exhibition? I didn't see any mentions of one.

Click to expand...

There wasn’t. Courchevel is the only one that does have one.

Liu's 3A is "rotated", but Lutfullin's 3A is "underrotated". This is just Orwellian.