2018 U.S. Nationals: Junior Ladies

Links will open a new window: Junior Ladies Final standings/FS protocols
GOLD – Alysa Liu, St. Moritz ISC 63.83 (1) 120.33 (1) 184.16
SILVER – Pooja Kalyan, Ozark FSC 54.55 (4) 111.98 (3) 166.53
BRONZE – Ting Cui, Baltimore FSC 145.55 (11) 119.96 (2) 165.51
PEWTER – Hanna Harrell, Dallas FSC 52.10 (5) 102.26 (4) 154.36
5 Emily Zhang, Richmond FSC 56.97 (2) 92.86 (8) 149.83
6 Gabriella Izzo, SC of Boston 55.19 (3) 93.05 (7) 148.24
7 Angelina Huang, St. Peters FSA 51.27 (6) 92.57 (9) 143.84
8 Akari Nakahara, All Year FSC 49.12 (7) 94.29 (6) 143.41
9 Audrey Shin, SC of New York 46.05 (10) 94.45 (5) 140.50
10 Emma Coppess, All Year FSC 48.08 (8) 91.22 (10) 139.30
11 Lily Sun, Peninsula SC 47.38 (9) 90.37 (11) 137.75
12 Jenna Shi, Arctic FSC 44.20 (12) 70.30 (12) 114.50

Junior Ladies SP results
Top 6 (with jump notes):
1 Alysa Liu, St. Moritz ISC 63.83 (2A, 3F!3T, 3Lz+)
2 Emily Zhang, Richmond FSC 56.97 (3Lz+, 3F!2T, 2A)
3 Gabriella Izzo, SC of Boston 55.19 (3Lz, 3Lo2T, 2A)
4 Pooja Kalyan, Ozark FSC 54.55 (3Lz-, 3T3T, 2A)
5 Hanna Harrell, Dallas FSC 52.10 (3F3T+, Rippon3Lz< fall, 2A step)
6 Angelina Huang, St. Peters FSA 51.27 (3F!2T, 2A, 3Lz-)
[Link to SP protocols]

EVENT ARTICLES & PHOTOS (links will open a new window):
Photo of the new champion and her coach, Laura Lipetsky
Junior Ladies FS recap by Lynn Rutherford

On Tuesday night, before a sparse SAP Center crowd in San Jose, Alysa Liu delivered the kind of magic in her junior ladies free skate that some senior-level skaters may find difficult to replicate.
Skating to Les Miserables, the 12-year-old from nearby Oakland stormed the barricades with all the gusto and bravado of the musical’s revolutionary schoolboys — and a lot more finesse. Standing at 4 feet 7 inches but commanding the ice, Liu leapt and spun to perfection, reeling off seven triple jumps — all in the second half of her program — including triple lutz-triple toe and triple flip-loop-triple salchow combinations. The diminutive whirlwind notched 120.33 points, and ended with 184.16 overall to eclipse the field by nearly 18 points.
“If you just stay focused and think about your technique and what you’ve been working on, then you can do it,” Liu told a cluster of reporters after the event.
Not even the start of a bad cold on Monday night could deter her from completing the mission.
“One quote my coach always says is ‘fake it to make it,'” Liu said. “But I’m actually sick. I had a fever and my throat is hurting right now.”
Advil, tea with lemon and Chinese cough drops got her through the day, along with a home remedy fixed by her father, Arthur.
“I drank wheatgrass juice, my dad makes it,” Liu said. “It’s supposed to help your immune system. It’s gross.”
The pre-teen’s confident attitude and back-loaded program reminds one of two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva, who not surprisingly, is Liu’s idol.
“I just find (Russian skaters) really motivating, because they are so young and have such good jumps, and I aspire to be like them,” Liu said. “Evgenia Medvedeva is amazing. I really look up to her. Her jumps are really amazing and her skating skills are perfect. I want to be just like her when I’m older, or I can just try to be like her now.”
Laura Lipetsky, who has coached Liu at Oakland Ice Center since she first stepped on the ice at five-and-a-half years of age, looks to Japan for inspiration.
“Looking at the Japanese girl, Rika Kihira, who has triple axel-triple toe, we definitely strive for that,” Lipetsky said.
Regardless of skill, though, Liu’s turn on the international junior stage will have to wait: she will not be eligible for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships or the Junior Grand Prix circuit until the 2019-2020 season.
“I hope they change it so that no matter what age you are, you can go,” she said. “But they probably won’t and that’s okay. It gives me more practice to get ready.”
Liu’s fireworks should not overshadow the balletic yet powerful free skate of silver medalist Pooja Kalyan, a 14-year-old improbably hailing from Springdale, Arkansas, who landed six effortless triples — including a triple toe-triple toe combination — in a superb free skate choreographed by Scott Brown to Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1.” Kalyan was third in the free and finished with 166.53 points.
“The first thing I wanted to do was land my jumps and skate a clean program, but I also wanted to perform to the audience and make sure I use up the space as much as I can, because it’s such a big arena,” Kalyan said. “I wanted to smile and skate with as much joy as possible, and bring that joy to the crowd.”
There are only two ice rinks in Arkansas, where Kalyan is coached by Jennifer Kelly and Robin Aprea. Her primary coach is Alex Ouriashev in Chicago.
“It’s pretty amazing how much my parents and coaches have supported me through this journey,” she said. “A lot of the skaters in Arkansas have already texted me to say congratulations. Whenever I do my programs, they try their best to move out of the way, which is really nice.”
After a disappointing short program left her mired in 11th place, Ting Cui threw caution to the wind in her Chopin free skate, landing seven triples, including double axel-triple toe loop and triple lutz-loop-triple salchow combinations. Her 119.96 points put her second in the free, and she won bronze with 165.51 points.
“I had nothing to lose and I let go and skated just like I do in practice,” Cui said.
The 15-year-old made a coaching change to Vincent Restencourt after last season, and now works with the former French competitor in Aston, Pennsylvania. Natalya Linichuk and Uschi Keszler, who have both trained multiple world and Olympic medalists, are also on her coaching team.
“I added a lot of arm variation to my jumps, and my consistency with triple flip and triple loop has gone up,” she said.
Texas skater Hanna Harrell, fifth after the short, landed a triple flip-triple toe combination in her free to climb to fourth place with 154.36 points.

Junior Ladies SP recap with quotes from top 3

Just minutes after the Times Square ball dropped in midtown Manhattan to ring in 2018, Alysa Liu made some noise of her own 3,000 miles away, delivering a clean program to grab a surprising 6.86-point lead in the junior ladies event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California.
“It actually is the best (short) of my season,” the bubbly 12-year-old said. “I’m really proud of myself, because what I’ve been practicing for this entire year finally showed at nationals.”
Liu, who hails from nearby Oakland, skated like she had little to lose. The youngest skater in the field lit a fire with her short to Maxime Rodriguez’s “Spanish Flame,” reeling off a clean triple flip-triple toe loop combination and triple lutz, as well as three Level 4 spins to earn 63.83 points.
“I love challenging myself with older skaters,” Liu said. “That shows the world no matter what age you are, you can still be at the top.”
The precocious Liu, featured in several Bay area articles and video features, happily held court with reporters and loudly blew her new year’s noisemaker at the free skate draw.
“She loves to perform for the audience and that’s awesome,” her father, Arthur Liu, said. “She’s happy when she’s skating and she shows that. Everything her coach teaches her, she tries a hundred times until it’s perfection.”
“She’s been practicing like that every day, and I’m glad she could show everyone that program at nationals,” Laura Lipetsky, who has coached Alysa for nearly seven years, said. “She’s trained and ready. She’s having fun.”
Emily Zhang performed a lyrical program, set to Joe Hisaishi’s “Castle in the Sky,” that was punctuated by big jumps — including a triple flip-triple toe and a triple lutz — as well as a powerful Level 4 step sequence. Her 56.97 points puts her in second place heading into the free skate.
“There were so many people watching, they gave me such energy and such a positive vibe,” Zhang said of the crowded Solar4America Ice arena. “The jumps felt really good today. I would normally practice like this and I just went out and did it.”
The 14-year-old Zhang, fourth at the intermediate level last season, skipped the novice level to compete as a junior this season.
“It was a decision made toward the end of summer when we saw she could be competitive with her scores,” Chris Conte, who coaches Zhang in Baltimore, Maryland, said. “She won the Liberty summer competition with over 100 points in the long, so we knew she was competitive with juniors.”
“That was a really big step forward,” Zhang said. “Intermediate went really well and I wanted to challenge myself.”
Gabbie Izzo, a 16-year-old who trains in the Boston area under Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson, skated a mature and stylish short to “Tu Pálida Voz” by Lidia Borda that included a triple lutz and a triple loop-double toe combination, as well as superb spins. She earned 55.19 points, which was good for third place.
“It was really fun to be out there, and it’s nice to work hard every day and have it come forward when it needs to,” Izzo said. “It was definitely a personal best for my short.”
Unlike many skaters, the 16-year-old Boston Latin School student prefers spinning to jumping.
“I love spinning,” she said. “A lot of time is devoted to running programs and getting them as good as they can be, and then at least once a week I have a session just devoted to spinning.”
Pooja Kalyan, a student of Alexander Ouriashev, hit a solid triple toe-triple toe combination and closed her short to Sarah Brightman’s rendition of “Dreamers” with a stunning layback spin. She is fourth with 54.55 points.
Hanna Harrell, one of the pre-event favorites, fell on a triple lutz and sits fifth with 52.10 points.

Junior Ladies SP action photo gallery (top 10)
Backstage photos after the SP (via IceNetwork’s Instagram account):
New Year’s fun at the FS draw
Alysa Liu with her dad & coach Laura Lipetsky
Emily Zhang & coach Chris Conte
Gabbie Izzo & coach Mark Mitchell

COMPETITOR PROFILES (listed by age, youngest to oldest):

Alysa Liu
Age: 12; 8/8/05
Club: St Moritz ISC
Training Town: Oakland, CA
Coach: Laura Lipetsky
Choreographer: Cindy Stuart
SP: “Spanish Flame” by Maxime Rodriguez
FS: Orchestral music from Les Miserables
Sectional scores/placement: 61.68(SP)/109.74(FS)/171.42 (P1)
Regional scores/placement: 56.61(SP)/112.96(FS)/169.57 (CP1)
SP jumps (Sectional): 2A / 3F+3T, 3Lz
FS jumps (Sectional): 2A / 3Lz+3T, 3F+1Lo(half)Lo+3S, 3Lo, 3Lz, 3F, 2A+2T
(Base Value=59.52; TES=62.98)
Notes: She is the 2017 Novice pewter medalist & the 2016 U.S. Intermediate champion.
Her coach placed 9th in Senior Ladies at 1995 U.S. Nationals.
Feature article on Alysa & her father by Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News

Lily Sun
Age: 13; 4/12/04
Club: Peninsula SC
Training Town: San Jose, CA
Coach: Drew Meekins, Christy Krall
Choreographer: Derrick Delmore
SP: “Liebestraum” by Franz Liszt
FS: Adagio from Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian
Sectional scores/placement: 51.91(SP)/91.79(FS)/143.70 (P3)
Regional scores/placement: 52.73(SP)/93.79(FS)/146.52 (CP2)
SP jumps (Sectional): 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
FS jumps (Sectional): 3T+3T, 3Lz, 3Lo / 3S, 3F, 3S+2T, 2A
Notes: She was 11th in Novice in 2017 and the 2014 U.S. Intermediate bronze medalist.

Audrey Shin
Age: 13; 3/12/04
Club: SC of New York
Hometown: Northport, NY
Training Town: Lakewood, CA
Coach: Rafael Arutunian, Nadia Kanaeva, Vera Arutunian (Mary Lynn Gelderman in NY)
Choreographer: Nadia Kanaeva, Benoit Richaud
SP: Prelude No. 1 from Three Preludes by George Gershwin
FS: “Je Me Souviens De Nous” by Maxime Rodriguez
Sectional scores/placement: 54.21(SP)/102.76(FS)/156.97 (E2)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3F+3T / 3Lz, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz+3T, 3F+2T+2Lo, 3Lo / 2A+2T, 3F, 3Lz, 2A
Notes: She placed 9th in Novice last year. She was 7th in her junior international debut at the Asian Open Trophy in Hong Kong (August 2017) and won the silver in her novice international debut at Golden Bear in Croatia (October 2016).

Jenna Shi
Age: 13; 1/8/04
Club: Arctic FSC
Training Town: Canton, MI
Coach: Theresa McKendry
Choreographer: Tanith White, Marina Zoueva
SP: “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim (female vocal)
FS: “Colors of the Wind” (from Pocahontas) performed by Judy Kuhn
Sectional scores/placement: 53.17(SP)/108.59(FS)/161.76 (M2)
Regional scores/placement: 45.68(SP)/95.55(FS)/141.23 (EGL1)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3F+2T, 3Lz / 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3F+2T, 3Lz, 2A+1Lo+3S, 3Lo / 3F, 3S, 2A+2T
Notes: She placed 6th in Intermediate at 2015 Nationals.

Hanna Harrell
Age: 14; 9/26/03
Club: Dallas FSC
Training Town: Plano, TX
Coach: Aleksey Letov, Olga Ganicheva
Choreographer: Olga Ganicheva
SP: “Dark Eyes” performed by 101 Strings Orchestra
FS: Mambo Mix by Perez Prado
Sectional scores/placement: 65.43(SP)/123.62(FS)/189.05 (M1)
JGP ITA scores/placement: 55.87(SP)/96.54(FS)/152.41 (7th)
SP planned jumps (JGP ITA & Sectional): 3F+3T / 3Lz, 2A
FS jumps landed (Sectional): 3F+3T, 3Lz+2T, 3Lo, 2A+1Lo+3S / 3Lz, 3F, 2A
(Base Value=59.36; TES=70.02)
Notes: She was 5th in her junior international debut at the Asian Open Trophy in Hong Kong (August 2017), followed by her JGP debut in Italy (7th).
She was 6th in Novice in 2017 and was the 2016 Juvenile silver medalist.

Emily Zhang
Age: 14; 9/7/03
Club: Richmond FSC
Training Town: Richmond, VA
Coach/Choreographer: Christian Conte
SP: “Castle in the Sky” by Joe Hisaishi
FS: “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg
Sectional scores/placement: 56.54(SP)/84.00(FS)/140.54 (E4)
Regional scores/placement: 50.12(SP)/76.77(FS)/126.89 (SA2)
SP jumps (Sectional): 3Lz, 3F+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz+2T, 3T, 2A / 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo+1Lo+3S, 2A+2T
Notes: She was the 2017 Intermediate pewter medalist and skipped Novice level to compete in Junior this year.

Pooja Kalyan
Age: 15; 11/25/02
Club: Ozark FSC (Arkansas)
Training Town: Chicago & Springdale, AR
Coach: Alexander Ouriashev
Choreographer: Scott Brown
SP: “Dreamers” performed by Sarah Brightman
FS: Gymnopedie #1 by Erik Satie
Sectional scores/placement: 56.34(SP)/95.01(FS)/151.35(M3)
Regional scores/placement: 53.47(SP)/105.84(FS)/159.31 (SW1)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz, 3T+3T / 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3T+3T, 2A, 3F / 3Lz, 3S, 3F+2T, 2A+2T
Notes: She is the 2017 Novice bronze medalist and won the bronze in her novice international debut at Golden Bear in Croatia (October 2016). She finished 9th in Novice in 2015.

Ting Cui
Age 15; 9/6/02
Club: Baltimore FSC
Training Town: Abingdon, MD
Coach: Vincent Restencourt
Choreographer: Derrick Delmore
SP: “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla
FS: Frederic Chopin medley
Sectional scores/placement: 48.93(SP)/114.38(FS)/163.31 (E1)
Regional scores/placement: 56.27(SP)/86.86(FS)/143.13 (SA1)
JGP AUS scores/placement: 55.34(SP)/95.61(FS)/150.95 (6th)
SP jumps (JGP AUS): 3T+3T, 3Lz / 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 2A+3T, 3Lz+1Lo+3S, 3Lo / 3F, 3F+2T, 2A, 3S
(Base Value=56.66; TES=65.34)
Notes: She made her JGP debut this fall in Australia (6th). She is the 2017 U.S. Novice silver medalist and won the gold in her novice international debut at the Bavarian Open (February 2017).

Angelina Huang
Age: 15; 8/4/02
Club: St. Peters FSA (Missouri)
Training Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Coach: Damon Allen, Kelsey Drewel
Choreographer: Tom Dickson, Catarina Lindgren
SP: “Victory” by Two Steps from Hell
FS: Music from Avatar Torukfrom Cirque du Soleil (with CBS’ Survivor show theme at the end)
Sectional scores/placement: 53.61(SP)/97.10(FS)/150.71 (M4)
JGP AUT scores/placement: 41.68(SP)/92.42(FS)/134.10 (10th)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3F+2T / 2A, 3Lz
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3F+2T, 3Lz+1Lo+2S, 2A+2T / 3Lo, 3F, 3Lz, 2A
Notes: She made her JGP debut this fall in Austria (10th). She is the 2017 Novice champion and won the bronze in her novice international debut at the Bavarian Open (February 2017).

Emma Coppess
Age: 15; 5/5/02
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Lakewood/Artesia, CA
Coach: Derrick Delmore, Peter Kongkasem
Choreographer: D. Delmore
SP: Music from The Addams Family film soundtrack by Marc Shaiman
FS: Music from Yuri on Ice by Taro Umebayashi and Ensemble FOVE
Sectional scores/placement: 46.33(SP)/90.38(FS)/136.71 (P4)
Regional scores/placement: 54.40(SP)/91.92(FS)/146.32 (SWP3)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz / 3Lo+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz+2T, 3F / 3Lo+2A seq., 3Lo, 3T, 3T+2T, 2A
Notes: She placed 10th in Novice last year and previously competed in Junior and Novice Pairs at Nationals but is focusing on singles now.

Akari Nakahara
Age: 15; 4/5/02
Club: All Year FSC
Training Town: Torrance, CA
Coach: Amy Evidente, Wendy Olson
Choreographer: Cindy Stuart, Jeffrey Buttle
SP: Music from the Cinema Paradisofilm soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, performed by Hayley Westenra
FS: Charlie Chaplin medley
Sectional scores/placement: 51.50(SP)/92.48(FS)/143.98 (P2)
Regional scores/placement: 55.15(SP)/108.34(FS)/163.49 (SWP1)
SP planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz, 3F+2T, 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lz, 3F, 2A+1Lo+3S / 3F+2T, 3T, 3S+2T, 2A
Notes: She placed 7th in Junior at 2016 Nationals and was 8th in her 2015 JGP debut in Poland. She is the 2015 Novice silver medalist.

Gabriella “Gabbie” Izzo
Age: 16; 8/5/01
Club: SC of Boston
Training Town: Brighton, MA
Coach: Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell
Choreographer: Adam Blake, Jamie Isley
SP: “Tu pálida voz” by Lidia Borda
FS: “Please Don’t Make Me Love You” (from Dracula, The M) performed by Linda Eder
Sectional scores/placement: 54.75(SP)/94.85(FS)/149.60 (E1)
Regional scores/placement: 51.72(SP)/84.11(FS)/135.83 (NE3)
SP jumps (Sectional): 3Lz, 3Lo+2T / 2A
FS planned jumps (Sectional): 3Lo+2T, 3F+1Lo+2S, 3Lz, 3Lo / 3S, 2A+2T. 2A
Notes: She placed 9th in Novice in 2016.