2023 JGP Pairs: Thoughts?

[gsk8]

Metelkina and Berulava secure historic gold in Beijing

2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Final: Pairs Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava secured historic gold in the Pairs’ event at the 2023-24 Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China, on […]

www.goldenskate.com

Good job for Metelkina and Berulava - a historical first! While I LOVE Queen, I was not a fan of their FS, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of them!

I hope Sierova gets a chance to heal. They were safe and I was glad to see them on the ice, but I hope they are not overdoing it.

What are your thoughts?

 

[ladyjane]

I wasn't a fan of their FS either, but their skate was really good. We'll have to stick with that FS for this season (although it will be even longer in srs) but I hope to see more of them as well in the future!

 

[Dreamer57]

I was impressed by Kemp/Elizarov. What a great event for Bond programs!
I think they could work on their spins to maximise levels and the twist. They definitely gave everything to their free skate! Lovely to see how happy they were at the end.

I am a fan of Flores/Wang Star wars music. I believe it would look epic when skated fully clean. Sad to see all those falls, but they really got back up on the ice fast!

 

[throw_triple_flip]

Flores and Wang's twist in the free was terrifying.. it looked like he didn't really catch her at all, more like he slowed the fall by putting his hand out. I wonder if the near miss (and the possible implications to her safety) distracted him for the rest of the free skate?

 

[throw_triple_flip]

I like the Georgian team and I think they make a better match compared to their previous partnerships.
And I enjoy the eccentricity of their programs- they certainly can't be called boring. I feel that they are beginning to reflect the archness of the Queen music in the free skate and it could be something pretty special by the end of the season.

I think Desroscher and Thrasher make a really good match and her progress this season has been remarkable. Kemp and Elizarov were wonderful and I think their programs are charming.

I really wonder if the Ukrainians should've been competing- everything in her body language screamed 'pain' to me.

 

[4everchan]

I was pleasantly surprised with the Canadian pairs finishing 2-3-4. It's as close as a podium sweep as anything considering who won the top prize (not like I care about podium sweeps). Two of these teams are brand new and still have junior years ahead of them.
Ava and Yoni : their health issues are finally behind them. They did so well at the finals. They were not in that kind of shape by any mean at the beginning of the season. I really like this team, especially him. My eyes are often drawn to him as he has a very nice presence on the ice with good lines and body posture.
Martina and Charly ( I call them Marly) are the future of Canadian pair skating. Brand new team. Quite young. (2007 for her, 2005 for him) Already have "senior" type elements (triples) They suffered some set backs lately but were stellar at the beginning of the season. They should be considered favourites next year and I hope they get selected for Junior worlds (only two spots for Canada)
Jazmine and Kieran : surpassed my expectations for a new team with the bronze here. They look superbly well matched. They are both respectively a year older than Marly... so still have time to develop in juniors. They have improved steadily during the season adding some triples as well.... the issue is that neither of them is a good jumper. I think Kieran only started skating later as he was a hockey player. Jazmine is not well-known for being a good jumper in singles either. Their pair elements are very strong and promising already though. If they get their SBS jumps working, they could go far.