This past weekend kicked off the Junior Grand Prix circuit. The Courchevel Grand Prix holds a special place in my heart, with its ski lift kiss and cry and altitude that seems to make skaters die at the end of programs (no matter what their program would suggest they do).
There were certainly some interesting takeaways. This was the first time I’ve watched a full competition with the new Rhythm Dance rules, where ice dance teams no longer compete with the same patterns or with male/female key points in their patterns. I’ll be interested to see what this looks like at larger senior competitions, but my initial takeaway is that it makes an already boring lineup look even more boring? It didn’t seem to encourage original choreography in most of these teams, but perhaps this will look different at different levels of skating.
Additionally, this is the first Grand Prix without Russian skaters, since being banned indefinitely. The Junior Grand Prix is usually dominated by Russian women and is where most of the famous skating names of the past few years first rose to recognition. On one hand, it did feel empty without that drama and difficulty, but on the other hand, it felt nice to watch a competition that was less decided and more up to day-of skating quality and completeness.
1. Big Wow from Hana Yoshida
Both of the Japanese women at this competition, coached by Mie Hamada, were fantastic. Their skating skills certainly stand out. I absolutely enjoyed Ayumi’s performances, but I think Hana brought a much more infectious energy to her skating. The choreography in her short program was quite captivating (Thank you, Lori Nichol), and I think she performed it well. And the same with the long program- the jumps were nice, considering her age and level, and the triple axel was exciting (even though is was a little under and stepped out). Looking forward to seeing how her next grand prix goes.
2. Great Dances from South Korea
The winners, by a lot, in the ice dance competition were Hannah Lim and Ye Quan, who represent South Korea but train at the Montreal Dance Academy. To be honest, their performances were really the only ice dance performances of the weekend that made any mark. Although the new rhythm dance rules may make for less creative dances, I thoroughly enjoyed theirs, and the free was well above their competitors in speed and quality and overall interest. It’s quite nice to see a really good junior dance team representing a country that has never had great representation (or any representation, for that matter) in the discipline. (Also, check out their lift at 1:45 of the free dance)
3. Welcome Back, Mark Hanretty!
It is so exciting to hear Mark’s voice alongside Ted’s in this Junior Grand Prix series! No matter what your opinions of Ted are, not hearing his voice would be too weird. But after Mark’s wonderful commentary at 2021 Worlds, I look forward to what he can offer this junior series. He does a really great job of being complementary like Ted, but also offering some interesting technical and political insights, particularly in the ice dance discipline where good and accurate commentary is severely lacking.
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