by Anne Calder\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarkenko (USA) won their second 2017 JGP gold medal; Anastatia Skoptcova & Kirill Aleshin (RUS) narrowly took silver, and Arina Ushakova & Maxim Nekrasov (RUS) won bronze.<\/p>\n Short Dance:<\/strong> Carreira & Ponomarenko earned a personal best 63.77 for their level 4 patterns, straight-line lifts, and twizzles. Skoptcova & Aleshin were second with 61.71. The two-point lower difference was the base value on their level 3 patterns and twizzles. Ushakova & Nekraskov\u2019s lower step sequence GOE placed them third with a personal best 59.62 score. Canadians Ashlynne Stairs & Lee Royer also had a personal best with their fourth place 55.58. The new American team of Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik had a breakout fifth place finish in their international debut with a 50.37 score.<\/p>\n Free Dance<\/strong>: Carreira & Ponomarenko used the W.E.<\/em> soundtrack as a vehicle to drive their emotional journey of obsession and disappointment. The level 4 twizzles, combination spin, and spectacular opening stationary lift earned an 86.28 segment score. The total 150.05 was five points higher than their 2017 gold medal score at Salzburg. *<\/p>\n Ushavova & Nekrasov received a personal best 83.32 for their second place performance to Fergie\u2019s \u201cBe Italian\u201d from the romantic musical drama, Nine. <\/em>Their level 4 twizzles, lifts, and spin contributed to a technical score that was .13 higher than the winners, but their PCS was three points lower. Their personal best 142.94 total was not enough to overtake their country-mates\u2019 short dance score. They earned the bronze medal.<\/p>\n Skoptcova & Aleshin were third in the free dance with an 81.93 score for a tango selection by Gotan Project. The lifts and spin were level 4, but the level 3 twizzle and level 2 serpentine step sequence base values lowered their technical score. The total 143.64 gave them a slim +.70 ahead of the other Russian team and the silver medal.<\/p>\n The gap between the podium winners and the fourth place team of Ashlynne Stairs & Lee Royer (CAN) was over 20 points. In fifth were Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik (USA), followed by Darya Popova & Volodymyr Byelikov (UKR).<\/p>\n * Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko are the first team in ice dance to qualify for the JGPF.<\/p>\n An excerpt of ISU commentator, Ted Barton\u2019s, interview with Carreira & Ponomarenko:<\/strong><\/p>\n Barton: <\/strong>You have punched your ticket to the Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya. What do you do between now and then?<\/p>\n Carreira:<\/strong> We will be working on our Cha Cha because I feel that\u2019s our weakest point.<\/p>\n Ponomarenko:<\/strong> We\u2019ll take our constructive criticism, improve on it, and patch up the holes in the program so we\u2019ll be ready for the JGPF.<\/p>\n Featured JGP Riga Cup Video:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Yuzhu Guo & Penkun Zhao (CHN)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>free dance (via ISU Youtube Channel)<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_color=”#282828″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”10px|10px|10px|10px” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px” module_alignment=”left”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.76″ src=”https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Olivia-Adria.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” custom_margin=”10px|10px|10px|10px” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_color=”#f9f9f9″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”10px|10px|10px|10px” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px”]<\/p>\n ARTICLES & BLOGS<\/strong><\/p>\n PHOTOGRAPHS<\/strong><\/p>\n RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Ondrej Nepela” _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n While Team IDC was in Montreal for the Autumn Classic International (recap will be posted separately), a second ISU Challenger series event was taking place across the ocean in Bratislava, Slovakia – the Ondrej Nepela Trophy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Held annually since 1993, the Ondrej Nepela Trophy has included ice dancing in all but two years (2003, 2006).<\/p>\n Russia’s Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitry Soloviev walked away with the gold medal in Bratislava. \u00a0In their Challenger series debut, Rachel & Michael Parsons of the United States claimed silver, while Betina Popova & Sergey Mozgov of Russia collected bronze.\u00a0<\/p>\n Short dance: \u00a0<\/strong>Bobrova & Soloviev, the 2013 European Champions, set the high score in the short dance with 71.08. The team received level four on only two of their elements, but were aided by a component score that was five points higher than the next team. They join Nelli Zhiganshina & Alexander Gazsi of Germany and Nora Hoffmann & Maxim Zavozin of Hungary as the only teams to win this event twice.<\/p>\n Finishing second in the short dance, siblings Rachel & Michael Parsons received 10.14 points for their step sequence in route to posting the highest technical score. They were 3.60 points off the leaders.<\/p>\n Popova & Mozgov finished a distant third with 60.98 points. This was only the second international event for the team who paired up last season. \u00a0<\/p>\n Germany’s Shari Koch & Christian Nuchtern created a buzz with their fourth place short dance to music by Paloma Berganza and Chayenne.\u00a0<\/p>\n Free dance: \u00a0<\/strong>Skating to “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla and “Beethoven’s Five Secrets” by One Republic, the Russians solidified their place atop the podium. \u00a0Five of their elements were graded level 4 and all received all positive GOEs. They ended the event with 181.92 points.<\/p>\n Parsons & Parsons finished third in the free dance, but were able to hold on to second place with 163.14. They skated to a medley of music that included “La Partida” by Victor Jara and “Sikuridadas” and “Quiaquenpita” by Inti-Illimani.<\/p>\n Although Bobrova & Soloviev claimed gold, it was Popova & Mozgov (161.92) who exceeded expectations. Skating to Carmen Suite by Bizet, the team scored 100.94 points and was second in the free dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Korea’s Yura Min & Alexander Gamelin finished a distant fourth (141.78).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Ondrej Nepela” _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n by Laura Flagg<\/em><\/p>\n The fifth Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event takes place this week Zagreb, Croatia.\u00a0 <\/span>Fifteen ice dance teams are planning to compete, several of which are hoping to secure a spot in the JGP Final (JGPF) in December.<\/span><\/p>\n The medal hunt:<\/strong> Both Russian teams are favorites to medal.\u00a0 <\/span>Sofia Shevchenko & Igor Eremenko, who train with Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin, won their first event in Latvia by upsetting training mates Anastasia Shpilevaya & Grigory Smirnov. Shevchenko & Eremenko need to place at least third to qualify for the JGPF.\u00a0 <\/span>Ksenia Konkina & Georgi Yakushev placed second at their prior JGP event in Austria and would need a victory here to mathematically secure a spot at the JGPF, although another second place finish could be enough to qualify.\u00a0 <\/span>They are coached by Alexei Gorshkov and Maxim Bolotin.<\/span><\/p>\n Their main competition comes from the Canadian team of Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha, who\u00a0placed second at their JGP Brisbane this season, which was their first JGP medal.\u00a0 <\/span>Like Konkina & Yakushev, only a win will guarantee them a spot at the Final.\u00a0 <\/span>They train in Montreal.<\/span><\/p>\n Natacha Lagouge & Corentin Rahier will be representing France in Croatia.\u00a0 <\/span>They earned a bronze medal at JGP Salzburg and are coached by Olivier Schoenfelder, Muriel Zazoui, and Neil Brown.<\/span><\/p>\n Two American teams will also be competing. Eliana Gropman & Ian Somerville are at their second JGP event of the season after crushing their personal bests in Australia and placing fourth.\u00a0 <\/span>They train with Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, and Dmytri Ilin. Two-time U.S. National novice medalists, Sophia Elder & Christopher Elder, will be making their JGP debut.\u00a0 <\/span>They are coached by Kelley Morris Adair and Donald Adair in Louisville, Kentucky.<\/span><\/p>\n Ria Schwendinger & Valentin Wunderlich, who are the top German junior ice dance team, are competing in their first JGP event of the season.\u00a0 <\/span>They placed 7th and 8th and their events last season, and followed that up with a very strong showing at the Junior World Championships, finishing 10th.\u00a0 <\/span>They are coached by Rostislav Sinicyn, Natalia Karamysheva, and Martin Skotnicky.<\/span><\/p>\n Rounding out the field are two new teams, including the Ukranian team of Olga Giglava & Yegor Yegorov, who placed 7th in Austria and Canadians Ellie Fisher & Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette will be making their international debuts after a solid showing in summer competitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The short dance takes place on Friday, September 29 (5:30 AM EDT), with the free dance on Saturday, September 30 (6:00 AM EDT). You can follow the results live via the JGP Croatia Cup starting orders & results page<\/a> or or watch the JGP live on the ISU\u2019s YouTube Channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.73″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid” module_alignment=”left”]<\/p>\n Until next time,<\/em><\/p>\n Team IDC<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JGP MINSK RECAP: THE 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ON IDC<\/span><\/h4>\n
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ISU CHALLENGER SERIES CONTINUES IN CANADA & SLOVAKIA<\/strong><\/h3>\n
BOBROVA & SOLOVIEV WIN ONDREJ NEPELA TROPHY<\/strong><\/h4>\n
JGP SERIES HEADS TO ZAGREB<\/h4>\n
![\"Ellie](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FisherMalettePaquette-SD-Minto-3_600.jpg?resize=366%2C458&ssl=1\")