1. 146.69; 2. FS 98.01 (51.85+46.16) Consistency won Rebecca Ann "Becky" Bereswill the gold. She was only fourth after the short program after popping her triple Lutz, and was outskated technically by the tiny Japanese Fujisawa in the free skate. However, Fujisawa was too far back, seventh in the SP, and had to be content with silver. Bereswill said, "I was really proud of my performance, particularly the double Axel to triple toe, and that I got a personal best."

Dressed in a light blue sleeveless creation, Bereswill performed to the timeless Turandot’s Nessun Dorma performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, choreographed by Marina Zoueva. "I really love this music," said Bereswill, who, at one point studied the violin. She opened with a superb double Axel which gained 1.20 over the base value. That was followed by a +0.20 triple Lutz. Her layback was executed at Level 4 with a +0.50 GoE. Her combination of triple loop to double loop was landed softly and earned +0.20 over the base value. The change foot combination spin was Level 4 but with a tiny -0.06.

At the entry of the 10% bonus, she executed a base value triple flip to double toe to double loop and banked 9.23 points. That was followed by Level 3 straight line steps, which earned +0.40 over the base value. She singled her loop but kept her head and brought off a double Axel to triple toe which earned the base value plus 10% which gave her 8.25 points. She got the rotation but two-footed the landing on the following jump, a triple toe, which was saddled with a -1.20 GoE. However, she concluded on a high note with a flying combination Level 3 spin which earned +0.30 over base.

She had the second highest element and the second highest component scores. For the elements, the 13 year old Fujisawa beat her by 5.59. Bereswill beat Fujisawa on the components but was 2.08 behind Murakami, the other Japanese, in this category.

"I was very excited for the free skate," Bereswill said. "The crowd here is wonderful. My goal was to perform the music, and the story, and I just went with that feeling and took everything one second at a time. I really enjoyed my time out there. It was a really amazing experience."

Like Alyssa Czisny, Bereswill is a twin "I’m one minute older. She’s a junior but so far we’ve never had to compete against each other. That would be really hard because we are so close." She still has one year’s eligibility for Juniors but Bereswill has already competed in the US at senior level and was tenth in nationals." She is relatively unknown because that was her only trip to nationals. On the strength of that showing she was sent in March to the Challenge Cup in The Hague in the Netherlands where she made her international debut and won the bronze. That showed enough promise for US Figure Skating to give her two Junior Grand Prix events.

2. 145.92; 1. FS 101.44 (57.44+44.00) Yukiko Fujisawa, a Japanese jumping bean from Fukuoka, performed to Prokofiev’s Cinderella dressed in white. She admitted, "I thought my Short Program (in which she messed up her combination, singled her triple Lutz and placed seventh) was really weak so I intend really to train hard on that when I get home. That made me not so confident in practice this morning but once the Free Skate started, I felt strong. I think these were some of my best jumps of the season. I hope this competition will give me more confidence. I was really nervous. I think my strength is my jump quality. I also like to do spins. As I get taller, I probably will need to perform more."

She began with a triple Lutz to double Axel sequence which earned +0.80 and she banked a total of 8.40. Later, when the 10% bonus clicked in, she repeated this move, which this time received +0.20 GoE and gave her a total of 8.56. Many wondered whether it was illegal to repeat this exact sequence and obviously it wasn’t, but perhaps should be.

She received an "e" for wrong edge of her second move, a triple flip, which means the judges could go no higher than -1 in their GoEs. Some judges penalized even more and her median -1.40 GoE meant she banked only 4.10. Her third move, a triple Salchow, earned +0.60. Then came a Level 4, +0.50 change foot combination spin. The second of her three double Axels followed and was rewarded with +1.0. After the repeated triple Lutz to double Axel, she executed a base value triple toe to double toe to double loop and then a second triple toe which was rewarded with +1.0. Her last three moves were a Level 4, +0.50 flying change foot combination spin; Level 2, +0.20 straight line steps; and a +0.70, Level 4 layback spin.

3. 144.49; 4. FS 90.25 (44.17+46.08) Alexe Gilles, dressed in yellow with wavy black vertical lines, skated to Latin music from three sources: the Selvatica Album, Bongo Madness by Buddy Collette; Softly As in a Morning Sunrise by Henderson and Vallee; and two Tito Puente cuts, Ti Mon Bo and Mambo Beat lo Mejor de lo Mejo. The piece was choreographed by Catarina Lindgren. It was a sophisticated piece and it’s easy to see how well it will transition to a senior program. Although she was only fourth in the free skate, she was just a sliver, 0.34, behind Murakami, who was third in this section. Gilles’ technical score was 1.82 higher than the Japanese, but Murakami beat her by 2.16 on the components.

"I think I could have skated better. All my spins could have been better," the US Junior champion admitted. "Overall, it was not a very good performance. I needed more overall speed and a better performance, but third’s (place) not bad, and I think I can keep improving on that, So, I’m happy with it. I was a little more nervous today. I wasn’t trying to hold back. I wanted to fight for everything but it just didn’t come out that well. I rushed the second Lutz (and popped it). I’m looking forward to senior nationals. I’ll try the same triple-triple and one more spiral. Overall, I’ll try to train the routine better."

Gilles began a little tentatively with a triple toe to double toe that was planned as a triple-triple and was given a -1.0 GoE. However, the triple Lutz and triple Flip which followed were terrific and both gained +1.0. The two spins which came next were not her best. She received only Level 2 and -0.30 for the flying sit and only Level 1 and +0.30 for the layback. At the bonus point, she executed a base value triple loop but then singled a Lutz to double toe and got only 2.09 points from that element. Her double Axel was given +0.20 over base but her triple Salchow in the three jump combination with a double toe to double loop was downgraded and presented with -0.48 GoE, although she still banked 4.03 points for it. Her final two elements, straight line steps (+0.40) and a change foot combination spin (+0.20), were both Level 3.

4. 141.63; 3. FS 90.59 (42.35+48.24) Kanako Murakami won the Free Skate. She presented a routine beginning with Diablo Rojo by Rodrigo y Gabriela, a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic, classical guitars. That was followed with a selection by Jos Luis Encinas and the routine finished with Vamos a Bailar by the Gypsy Kings. Murakami wore a colorful red, yellow and green outfit with a pink and yellow flower in her hair. The youngster, who is trained by the coach who developed Midori Ito, began well but subsequently faded.

"I was very tense and very nervous." Murakami said. "It is a shame that I made these mistakes. I under-rotated two jumps. That was bad but everything else was fine. I’ve only been training the triple Lutz since this season and I landed it today, which makes me really happy. I didn’t qualify for Junior Worlds this season. From now on I will skate senior (although she only turned 14 on November 7).

Murakami received an "e" which resulted in a -1.40 GoE for a wrong edge take off on her first jump, a triple Lutz, but she gained +0.80 for both the subsequent triple flip to double toe and triple toe. Her flying sit spin was Level 4 and +0.50 but her camel spin was given only Level 2 and +0.30. The triple flip showed more attack and earned +0.80. But, when the bonus point arrived, she messed up a combination, executing only a single Salchow to a downgraded double toe loop. The following double Axel was also downgraded as was the second triple Salchow which was combined with a double toe to double loop. The second and third jumps got credit and so she still earned 3.97 for this element. The straight line steps were +0.60 and Level 3. She concluded on a high note, presenting a change foot combination spin which was rewarded with Level 4 and +0.80.

5. 131.75; 5. FS 82.91 (39.51+44.40-1.0) Angela Maxwell showed great attack, perhaps too much, and dropped from third to fifth overall with a flawed free skate. She performed in a sleeveless, deep red with silver dress. She used the dramatic Theme from the Inuyasha soundtrack by Kaoru Wada.

Maxwell opened with a super double Axel which earned a substantial +1.20 over the base value. That was followed by a great triple toe to double toe, which was originally planned as a triple-triple, and was given +0.80. Then came a good, high, +0.40 triple Lutz and a Level 3, +0.20 flying camel combination spin.

But then she singled a flip and her flying sit spin was only Level 2 and +0.20. She completed the rotations but fell on a triple flip. Her straight line steps were (+0.20) Level 2. She hit a triple toe earning 0.20 over the base value but her triple Salchow, meant to be combined with two double loops, was saddled with -0.80 GoE. Her final move, a change foot combination spin was Level 2 and earned +0.30.

This was only Maxwell’s second season as an international competitor. It was her first Final. She was the 2007 US novice champion and runner-up for the Junior title earlier this year. She said, "It wasn’t too bad, though I think I could have done a little better. I’m going to work on trying to get my jumps fixed. It’s been so amazing, such an honor to be here. It’s pretty nerve-racking, but I’m looking forward to competing as a senior in Cleveland. It’s going to be very exciting."

As the top qualifier, there was a lot of pressure on Musademba and she did pull up to sixth but her performance was no where near her best. Her first jump, a triple Lutz, got an exclamation mark, which is warning for wrong edge take-off. That doesn’t automatically mean a deduction but the judges gave a -2.0 GoE to be taken off the base value. She touched a hand down on her triple flip to double toe and got a -1.0. However both the double Axel to double toe and the Level 4 flying sit spin earned their base values. A flying change foot combination spin received Level 3 and +0.20. The Level 2 straight line steps earned just the base value.

Her triple toe and second double Axel which came after the bonus point both earned +0.40. However, her triple loop was downgraded and saddled with -0.48 and so earned only 1.17. Then she stumbled badly and fell on her triple toe to double toe. The second jump was downgraded. Her final element was a Level 4 change foot combination spin which gained the base value.

7. 117.07; 7. FS 69.59 (27.15+43.44-1.0) Amanda Dobbs, at 14, the youngest on the US team, dropped two places, skating to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue played by Vanessa Mae. She admitted, "My jumps were a little shaky, but I fought for them, so I’m really proud of that. I really enjoyed the experience here. I’ve loved being in the arena. The fans have been really amazing. I am learning that there are always injuries and hardships along the road in skating but they are all worth handling if it means I can continue to be on the ice."

She began with a Level 3 flying sit which earned +0.50 but then fell on her triple toe. She had landed it but then just sat down. Her double Axel earned +0.20 GoE but the triple Salchow, which was combined with a double toe, was scratchy and downgraded. Her Level 3 layback spin earned +0.50 over the base value. That was followed by a double flip. The second double Axel in a sequence of two of these jumps was downgraded. She was scheduled to follow that with a triple toe to double toe to double loop but only got the first two jumps in and both were downgraded. Her straight line steps were Level 2 and +0.30. Her last jump, a triple Salchow, got a -0.80 GoE. Her final move was a Level 2 change foot combination spin which only earned the base value.

Dobbs made her international debut in Holland in March 2008 winning a bronze at junior level in the event in which Bereswill won the Senior bronze. She was the 2007 US Novice bronze medalist and fifth nationally in Juniors in 2008.

8. 113.25; 8. FS 67.61 (29.77+39.84-2.0) Diane Szmiett, a farm girl whose parents raise pigs on a farm in Watford, Ontario, a tiny hamlet with a population of 1,700, performed to Farrucas Flamenco in black with red and silver sparkles. It wasn’t a good outing.

She began with a triple toe loop which earned the base value. But then she fell twice. The first time was on a downgraded triple Lutz, and she slammed down very heavily on a hip. The second was on a triple flip which was not only downgraded but also saddled with an "e" for wrong edge takeoff. A less determined competitor might have given up at that point.

However, she accomplished a Level 4 flying sit which earned +0.40 over the base value. Then came three moves which just earned their base value, a double Axel, a combination of three double toes (the first was planned as a triple), and a double Salchow (again, planned as a triple). Her change foot sit spin earned Level 3 and +0.10. The straight line steps were Level 2 and earned the base value. Her final jump, a double Axel, was shaky and was saddled with a -0.80. Her final element was a Level 4 change foot combination spin which earned the base value. It was a gutsy performance but better just forgotten.

The following element, a triple Lutz earned +0.20 but her flying camel was only Level 2 with a marginal -0.06 taken off. Her spirals and layback spin were both Level 3 gaining, respectively, +0.40 and +0.10 GoEs which were added to their base values of 3.10 and 2.40. The Level 2 straight line steps earned an extra +0.40 and the solid double Axel gained a whole point over the base of 3.50. She finished on a high note with a base value Level 4 change foot combination spin.

She lay 3.20 points ahead of second place, earning her best international score this season. Gilles said, "I wanted my program to get better each time I competed, and I did that today, so I’m happy. Coming back to the Final feels even better than going last time, because this time we get to see the seniors. That’s pretty cool." When asked how his pupil could skate so well in the competition, yet have such a bad practice the day before, coach Tom Zakrajsek, who trains her in Colorado Springs, said, "That was just one practice. She had an exhausting trip here and she was just tired. But she bounced back to her normal self today."

Gilles’ older brother, Todd, and her twin sister, Piper, who had to pull out of the Junior Dance Final, are both competitive ice dancers on the international scene. Gilles earned the third slot for the Final by taking silver in Mexico and gold in Cape Town. Last year she also qualified for the Final where she finished sixth.

2. 51.04 (28.08+22.96) Kanako Murakami, who is from the Nagoya area in Japan and turned 14 on November 7, was the fourth qualifier having earned bronze in Madrid and gold in England. She is trained by Machiko Yamada. Dressed in white with a rose adornment, she showed great attack and personality, skating to music from Charlie Chaplin movies Limelight and Modern Times which was peppy and did not overwhelm her. Asked if she knew who Chaplin was, Murakami said that when this music was presented to her, she watched DVDs of those movies.

Murakami skated at great speed but the routine didn’t start too well. Her triple Lutz, though high, is an extremely obvious flutz and she was penalized with an "e" for wrong edge. That meant the judges could not give her above -1.0 for the GoE marks. They actually penalized her even more, and -2 was taken off the base value of 6.0. However, the following triple flip to double toe gained a +0.40 added to the 6.80 base value.

Her double Axel was downgraded and she earned only a total of 0.48 points for this move. However, she was awarded Level 4 for her spirals (with +0.50 GoE) and for her final move, the change foot combination spin, which earned only the base value. Her other three elements, the layback spin, which earned +0.50, the flying camel (+0.40), and the straight line steps (+0.40) were all Level 2. "I think I did okay," said Murakami, "but one of my jumps was downgraded."

3. 48.84 (27.88+21.96-1.0) Angela Maxwell, dressed in black and white with silver, performed a Robin Wagner created routine set to What Hands Can Do by Beatsucht, Florian Lakenmacher and David Paulicke; and to Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade Waltz performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Her opening move, the double Axel was good earning +1.0 over the base value. The combination of two triple toe loops seemed good but received a very slight negative (-0.20). The takeoff for the triple Lutz, which received a warning exclamation mark for wrong edge, signaled problems and she fell badly on the landing.

Maxwell recovered quickly and earned Level 3 and the base value for the spiral sequence. Her layback was Level 2 and received +0.50. However, her change foot combination spin gained only Level 1 with +0.14. Her circular steps were Level 2 with +0.40. Her final move, the flying camel spin was Level 2 with a minimal negative, -0.06.

Maxwell is the 2007 US Novice champion, a 4’10" 16 year old (born July 28) from Dallas who now trains in Hackensack, NJ, with Olga Orlova. She was the seventh qualifier with a silver in Spain and a bronze in Britain, winning a tie-breaking with Szmiett who collected 258.04 points in her two competitions to Maxwell’s 284.05. Maxwell’s actual score in her qualifying events was the second highest, beaten only by Fujisawa’s. Maxwell said, "It’s awesome being here in Korea, but it’s pretty nerve-racking too. It’s so cool to see the seniors walking around here. It’s a great motivation for us." Only 0.16 separated Maxwell from Bereswill.

4. 48.68 (26.72+21.96) Rebecca "Becky" Bereswill, from Houston, performed to lively music from the show, Carousel, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra. She began with a triple flip to double toe which earned +0.40 over the base value. That was followed by a Level 3 flying camel spin which was awarded the base value. Then, however, the take-off of the third of her eight required moves went wrong. "I tripped on the footwork going into the triple Lutz, and had a hard time getting my feet back under me," she explained. It popped into a single so instead of 6.0 points, she earned only 0.30.

Her spirals were Level 3 with +0.60 GoE and she received the maximum Level 4 for her change foot combination spin with a +0.10. Bereswill’s circular steps were Level 3 with +0.40 GoE. Her double Axel earned +0.20 over its base but her final move, a Level 2 layback spin had 0.18 removed from the base value.

Bereswill, who turned 18 on October 2, has no problems with stamina since she also competes in track and field. With silver medals in both France and Spain, Bereswill was the sixth qualifier. She placed 10^th in seniors at the 2008 US championships. She is trained by Megan Faulkner. She has a twin, Allison, who also skates. Bereswill said, "I’m looking forward to the free skate. It’s the routine I practice most."

5. 47.48 (25.40+22.08) Dressed in deep blue with silver, Amanda Dobbs from Riverside, CA, performed to The Warsaw Concerto performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The routine was a little disappointing. Her opening move, the flying camel, gained only the base value for Level 1. She simplified her combination from two triple toes to a triple and double which earned her the base value of 5.30 plus 0.80 GoE. Then she presented a double Lutz earning the base value which is only 1.90 points. Her straight line steps were Level 2 and earned +0.30. Her spirals were Level 3 and had an added +0.40. The double Axel was given the base value of 3.50. Her final two moves, the change foot combination (which earned +0.10 over the base value) and the layback (+0.40) spins were both Level 3.

Dobbs is the US’s fifth ranked junior. She won gold in Mexico City but lay only 12^th after the SP in Cape Town. In what must be one of the biggest swings upwards, which would never have been possible under the old system, she won the FS pulling up to earn the bronze overall and that gave her the sixth qualifying spot. She turned 15 on August 10 and is taught by Tammy Gambill.

6. 45.64 (25.64+20.00) Diane Szmiett, from Watford, Ontario, performed to Once Upon a December by David Newman from the movie Anastasia. The routine was choreographed by Alison Purkiss. In her opening move, planned as a triple flip to double toe, she doubled the first jump. Her triple Lutz was saddled with -1.0 GoE. Her flying camel was rated Level 3 but had a minimal 0.06 subtracted from the base value. The following move, a double Axel was awarded +0.20. Her spirals and change foot combination spin both received Level 4 and earned the base value. Her straight line steps were Level 2 and earned the base value. Her final move, the layback spin was also Level 2 with a tiny +0.10 added.

Szmiett was the 2006 Canadian Jr champion and is now ranked 10^th at Sr level. She qualified by taking the bronze in France and silver in England. She turned 18 on September 17. She is trained by Scott Rachuk.

7. 44.48 (24.20+21.28-1.0) Yukiko Fujisawa, who is from Fukuoka in the south of Japan, was only 19^th in the 2008 national Junior championships. However, she won gold in Ostrava after being second in the SP and then gained silver in Sheffield by winning the FS after being second in the SP. That gave her the second qualifying slot, in a tiebreaker with Gilles. Fujisawa’s total marks in the two events was a huge 297.53 to Gilles’ 270.57. Fujisawa turned 13 on April 14. She is taught by Yumi Kono.

Skating to pieces from Lionel Jeffries’ music The railway Children, the tiny Fujisawa fell on her first jump, a triple flip which was to be a combination. She also received an "e" for wrong edge takeoff. On her second move, she singled her planned triple Lutz. However, all three of her spins earned the maximum Level 4 and received small positive GoEs. Her spirals (+0.40) and step sequence (+0.20) were Level 3.

8. 43.04 (21.92+22.92-1.0) Kristine Musademba, who is the fourth ranked US junior, was the top qualifier, winning in both France and Spain. But skating last as the top seed appeared to put extra pressure on her. She opened her routine set to Within by William Joseph with a Level 2 spiral sequence which earned a small +0.20 GoE. Then she fell on her triple flip which was to be her combination. Her next move was classed as an under-rotated triple Lutz. Her layback spin was Level 3 (+0.30). The double Axel earned +0.60 over base. Her flying camel (+0.10) and straight line steps (+0.30) were both Level 2. She finished her two minute fifty second routine with a Level 4 change foot combination spin which earned an extra 0.40 over the base value.

Although disappointed, Musademba said, "The audience was great. It’s a really nice crowd." She is half Filipino and half Zambabwe but totally American. She was born in Washington, D.C. and only just turned 16 (on December 3). She is trained by Traci Coleman in Reston, VA. This is her second JrGP Final. Last year she finished fourth.

1. 199.58; 1. FS 131.38 (71.48+59.90) Florent Amodio won by 6.10 with a near flawless showing. He skated to a selection which began with music from The Mission soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, then went into Rockin’ Gypsies by Willi and Lobo, and concluded with Bullfighter’s Dream by Ottmar Liebert which included Malaguena.

The French 18 year old, who was fourth in last season’s national championships, began with a triple loop which four of the nine judges thought was good enough for the base value and one even ranked as a superior +1. But three others saw something wrong and punched in -1 and one gave -2. Those must have been in the random selection because the median GoE was -0.60. There was more accord for his triple Axel to double toe which earned +1.40 and triple Lutz was awarded +1.20. His first spin, a Level 3 change foot combination got +0.50. His second triple Axel earned +0.20. He put a lot of energy into his Level 3 circular steps which also earned +0.20 over the base value. At the bonus point, he executed a +0.40 triple Salchow to triple toe. However, his triple flip got an exclamation point (warning for a wrong edge) and -0.40. A triple Lutz to double toe (+0.80) followed and then two moves which received only the base value, a double Axel and a Level 3 flying sit spin. He rounded up his performance up with a Level 3 change foot sit spin.

Amodio, who performed with a white top tie dyed to black, black trousers and gloves and a red waist band, survived an 18 month period when he thought his skating days were over. At 12, he hung up his skates after being diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, but he grew out of it.

He was over-the-moon after his showing, gushing, "This is just fantastic. I did my very best. I gave everything until the end. I’m just so happy now. I’ve improved my results because we’ve (he and the coach, Bernard Glesser, who spotted him as a four-year-old in a public session and talked his parents into letting him have lessons) corrected many things after each competition and I progressed. I worked hard and it paid off. I got very emotional in the last seconds of my program. I knew that I should wait until my ending pose but I just couldn’t hold myself back. It’s the first time that I traveled with our national senior team to a competition and they are really nice. It’s been a great experience and now, with the first place, it couldn’t be better. Now I have the French (senior) championships and then Junior worlds. My goal is to make the podium there. I will get back down to earth now and start working hard again to achieve my best result in these next competitions."

2. 193.48; 2. FS 126.43 (69.53+56.90) Armin Mahbanoozadeh was solidly in second, earning 9.55 points more than the bronze medalist. He skated in black with gold bands snaking down the right arm and chest and straight down the left leg and black gloves. His music was from The Mummy soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith

Mahbanoozadeh opened with a triple Axel with a rough, flawed landing that was penalized with -1.40 GoE but the following triple flip to triple toe loop earned +0.60 over the base value, and the triple Lutz to triple toe +0.20. His triple loop earned just the base value but his flying sit spin earned level 4 and +0.50. At the bonus time, his second triple Salchow earned +0.40 over base value. Then came a +0.20 Level 4 flying change foot combination spin and a +0.60 double Axel. His double Axel to double toe to double loop and triple Lutz both earned the base value. He finished up with two Level 3 moves, the straight line steps which earned +0.10 GoE and a change foot combination spin, which earned an extra +0.50.

He said, "I’m thrilled. It was the first time I ever put the triple Axel out there. To land it and to go on and do a clean program and get a season’s best, was just great. I kept thinking, ‘Keep on going! Keep on going!’ I felt really tired, exhausted at the end. I’ve worked very hard on landing the triple Axel and improving my program components and I’ve achieved both of those goals, so I’m very happy. I was disappointed after nationals not to qualify for (the 2008) Junior Worlds. But I regrouped and trained really hard and that hard work has paid off."

3. 183.93; 4. FS 117.43 (61.73+55.70) Richard Dornbush was fourth in the Free Skate but held onto the third spot. Brad Overett choreographed his FS to the soundtrack from the movie, Backdraft, by Hans Zimmer. He performed in black with some red material symbolizing fire.

Dornbush began with a good triple flip to triple toe which earned +0.80 over the base value. Then came a triple Axel which was landed despite a noticeable lean in the air that resulted in a -0.84 GoE. His circular steps were Level 3 and +0.10. Then came a base value double Axel and a +0.50 Level 4 combination spin. He stepped out of his triple Lutz which was meant to be a three-jump combination, timed just when the 10% bonus clicked in and had -2.0 taken off the base value. With some very quick thinking, he added the double toe to double loop on to the following triple flip which earned the base value plus 10%, a total of 9.13. A triple loop followed earning +0.60 and then a Level 3 flying change foot sit spin which got +0.20 added on to the base value. After a Russian split, he singled an intended second triple Lutz and added a double toe to make it a combination. His final jumps was a base value triple Salchow and he concluded with a +0.50 Level 4 flying change foot combination spin.

Dornbush said, "I am most satisfied with my overall performance of the program and the way I did the choreography. I’m also very happy with the jumps at the beginning, landing the triple-triple and the triple Axel. I’m glad that I thought to put the double toe on the single Lutz. That made it less of a disappointment. I’m very excited to have won a medal at my first time in the Final. It’s just a great achievement. I’ve worked hard and I’m glad that it has paid off. I’m injured right now, so I’m going to rest that a bit with some down time to help that heal. That should help me to be able to skate a better program next time and to be better prepared. I started to tear my left hamstring, the top of it. I’ve been working all week long with the doctors."

4. 180.65; 5. FS 116.90 (62.20+54.70) Ivan Bariev skated to Poeta by Vincent Amigo in a black and silver top cutout. He looked very pleased in the Kiss & Cry area, miming, "I Love You" into the television camera. He was fourth overall despite taking fifth in both sections.

Bariev began with a double Axel (which was meant to be a triple) to triple toe which was rewarded with an extra +0.80 over the base value but the following triple Lutz had a strong lean and he had to really bend the landing leg to hold on to the edge. That resulted in a -0.80 GoE. The triple flip which followed, however, was worthy of +0.80. His circular steps were Level 3 and a combination upright spin only Level 1. Both received just the base value. Then came a +0.80 triple loop. At the bonus point, he executed a slightly dicey triple Lutz to double toe which was penalized with -0.40. His three jump combo, triple flip to double toe to double loop received only the base value, as did the following Level 2 flying camel spin and triple Salchow. His final jump, a double Axel was landed scratchily sending up a lot of snow and got a slight minus (-0.16). His final move was a Level 4 change foot combination spin which earned +0.40.

Bariev said, "It was a good program for me. Obviously, there were some minor errors on some landings but overall, I still think it was good as it was difficult for me to skate here, probably because of the jetlag and the long trip. I initially planned to do a triple Axel and a triple-triple. But, because of a problem with my leg, we decided not to do it here. My legs feel kind of heavy. I got a higher score in my Grand Prix events. The judges are stricter here. They don’t give you any presents. I have proved hat I can skate well not only in Russia and Europe but also in countries that are far away. In Africa (Cape Town), it was easier for me. There was not the time difference. Now I will analyze everything from here, draw my conclusions and try to show my best in the next competition. I hope to do the triple Axel in Russian nationals."

5. 180.34; 3. FS 119.75 (64.35+55.40) Denis Ten skated to Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The crowd loved him, especially after they learned that his great-great-great grandfather, Min Keung Ho, was a Korean general. They showered him with flowers. He was able to climb up two spots from his seventh in the Short Program.

Ten began with an impressive triple Axel to double toe which earned +0.80 over the base value banking him 10.30 points. However, he stepped out of his second attempt at the triple Axel which was saddled with a -2.80 and chalked up only 5.20 points. His triple Lutz was also excellent and he got +1.0 over the base value of 6.00. His flying sit spin was Level 3 and +0.50. He earned +0.40 over the base value for his triple Lutz to double double toe. However, his triple flip, timed just after the bonus marks took effect, was penalized with an "e’ for wrong take-off edge, and the landing looked two-footed. -1.40 came off the base value. The following triple loop gained +0.60 and a Level 3 change foot camel spin which included a donut position got +0.50. An excellent second triple Salchow gained +1.0. The following double Axel got a mere +0.20. His final spin, a Level 4 change foot combination, with a very definite forward outside portion, earned +0.40. He finished with Level 2, +0.60 straight line steps. Tatiana Tarasova was on hand to give the tiny Ten a huge hug and almost completely enveloped him.

He said, "I beat my season’s best - only by 0.40 points - but it is still nice to have that for the long program. But, because I didn’t do my best in the Short Program, I couldn’t achieve what I wanted. I can justify it, as I got injured one week ago. It’s my hip, the same problem that bothered me at Junior Worlds last year. I couldn’t skate my program for about a year. I just started to do the quad and probably I overdid it."

6. 178.40; 6. FS 113.55 (55.85+57.70) Alexander Johnson, skating in black with gold with a stripe of white and a sparking maroon cummerbund, earned the second highest (behind Amodio) component score. He interpreted Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Opus 28 by Camille Saint-Saens and Meditation from the opera, Thais by Massenet. However, his element score was the lowest.

Johnson opened with a triple flip to triple toe which was a little strained. It looked as if he put his hand down and he received -1.0 GoE. His next two jumps, a triple Lutz and a double Axel, however, earned their base values. A Level 4 change foot combination spin and Level 3 circular steps both earned +0.50 over the base value. Then came spread eagles. At the bonus point, he singled his loop which he had gone into from double threes. However, his triple Lutz to double toe to double loop earned the base value. He did a spiral into a triple flip earned +0.60 over the base value. He made a good save between a downgraded triple Salchow in a sequence with a double Axel. The GoE was a -1.60 and the whole move earned only a total of 2.62. However, the following double Axel earned its base value +10% of 3.85. He ended with two Level 4 spins. The flying combination showed off his flexibility and he earned +0.50 over base. The flying sit was given +0.20 but it got a little slow in the end. He seemed to finish before his music.

Johnson said, "It was definitely not my best performance. But I was a little more nervous for the long today, which is kind of weird because I’m usually much more comfortable with that and there’s a little bit more room to make a mistake. It was a little bit rough this time, but I found my way through it. So I’m proud of myself for doing that. But I wish I would have done some other things. (On popping the loop) Loops are a kind of an interesting jump for me. I’ve been doing them in practice. I don’t know what happened. I just think I rushed it, so it just didn’t happen. Now, I’m just hoping I do well enough at nationals to make the Junior World team which has been a goal of mine for quite a long time."

7. 170.34; 7. FS 110.45 (58.45+52.00) Elladj Baldé skated to Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Baldé, dressed in black, red and silver, sporting a ponytail, explained, "It’s half with the normal classical interpretation and the other half as hip hop." He was able to overtake Gachinski, who had been sixth in the SP.

Baldé began with a triple flip to triple toe but was given an exclamation mark, warning of a wrong edge take-off. Six judges punched in -1 while the other three thought the move deserved base value, and the Canadian was saddled with a -0.80 GoE. He then singled his triple Axel attempt but his triple Lutz was good and earned the base value. His Level 4 change foot sit spin got a minimal minus (-0.06). However, his triple loop was splendid, perfectly time to the music, and earned +1.0. When the bonus marks clicked in, he executed a double Axel to double toe to double toe and received a -1.0. His Level 3 flying sit earned the base value as did the following triple Lutz to double toe. His triple Salchow was saddled with a -0.20. His last three moves all earned the base value, Level 3 straight line steps, double Axel and Level 3 combination spin which included a skate-to-head position.

Baldé said, "The mistake, singling the triple Axel, was just that I wanted it too much. In my head, I was sure I was going to get it, so I wrapped inside like really hard. I popped it because I couldn’t hold the force. But, overall, I think I did a good program because even though I did one mistake, I refocused myself and did the rest. So it was a really good performance. It’s the best feeling ever, just to be at the Final for the first time. I hope it will not be the last time. From seeing the seniors and watching them practice, you learn and see what you have to improve for the next competition and the future. That is a really great experience."

8. 168.68; 8. FS 106.48 (55.98+51.50-1.0) The youngest competitor (by two months over Ten) Artur Gachinski skated in black with a plunging V-neck. His costume had tails which flapped very distractingly and one sided gloves with silver palms. He looked like a mad rock concert orchestra conductor. He was the only competitor to fall in this section.

Gachinski began with a triple Axel but his hand touched the ice on landing and he was saddled with a -1.40 GoE. However, a second triple Axel combined with a double toe, coming out of an Ina Bauer, was good and received the full base value. That was followed with a combination of two triple toes which was given a slight -0.20 GoE. However, he fell on his next move, the triple Lutz. It was the only fall in this portion of the competition. A Level 4 upright combination spin earned the base value. At bonus time, he executed a slightly flawed triple loop which was penalized by -0.40. Then he doubled his flip. The triple Salchow was good earning +0.60. His flying sit was only Level 1 but got a slight positive, +0.1, as did his Level 2 steps. He had a bad landing on the second jump in his sequence of two double Axels and touched down with his free foot. His GoE was -0.64. His final move, a change foot Level 4 combination spin was given a minimal minus -0.06.

1. 68.20 (39.10+29.10) The under-rated Florent Amodio of France, the fifth qualifier, skated to music from the soundtrack of The Mask of Zorro by James Horner, giving a showing which delighted the audience and judges. He left the ice smiling. His straight line footwork, in particular, got the fans clapping. He opened with a triple Salchow to double toe that earned a very good +1.40 GoE, followed by a base value triple Axel and a +0.20 triple Lutz. He received only one Level 4, which was for his change foot combination spin which was given its base value of 3.5 points. His change foot sit spin received Level 3. His three other moves which are awarded levels by the Technical Specialist, got Level 2.

"Everything was smooth and fresh today," said an ecstatic Amodio. "This is my first final. It’s huge which is a great experience." In an earlier season, he had used this music for his Free. "I really love this music and there’s a footwork sequence which matches it which I’m really into. But I will have new music next season."

Amodio’s life is already a fascinating story. He was born May 12, 1990 in Sobral, a city in the north of Brazil, not that far from the equator which is best known as the site of the first astronomical observation of a solar eclipse (in 1919) which proved Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (published in 1916). Earlier this year, the family who adopted Florent and another child returned to this city to show the youngsters their roots. Amodio is trained by Bernard Glesser. Amodio qualified by winning bronze in the first JrGP, which was in his own country, and taking gold in the last of the eight JrGPs, which was in Britain.

2. 67.05 (38.20+28.85) Armin Mahbanoozadeh (a Persian name which is pronounced pretty much the way it is spelled Ma-ba-nooz-a-day), performed his SP to Dark Forest by Ara Gevorgian. The 2007 US novice champion, who turned 17 on August 15, was the third qualifier, winning the Spanish JrGP after placing second to Brezina in France. Last season he finished eighth at junior level at Nationals and took the bronze in the JrGFinal. He is trained by Traci Coleman and is from Fairfax, VA.

Dressed in a deep velvety black with gloves adorned with silver, he opened with a +1.20 triple flip to triple toe, followed by a triple Lutz and double Axel out of an outside spreadeagle which both earned +1.0 over the base value. His last element, the change foot combination spin earned Level 4 with +0.50. Three of his other moves gained Level 3 but the circular steps were only Level 2.

Mahbanoozadeh, who won bronze in the Final last year, said, "It was an awesome crowd. I really felt their energy. It’s a new personal best for both technical and components. I skated how I’ve been training. It’s a great honor to qualify again."

3. 66.50 (38.00+28.50) Richard Dornbush, who turned 17 on August 27, was the top qualifier, earning golds in Mexico City and Cape Town with a greater score than Michal Brezina, who also won his two events, in France and Italy, but with 4.16 fewer points than Dornbush. Brezina suffered a knee injury and withdrew from the Final.

Skating in black with a small amount of silver, Dornbush reused his SP from last season set to La Virgen de la Macerena by Bernardo Bautista Monterde and performed by Genaro Nunez. He opened with a +1.0 triple flip to triple toe. Later he did a base level double Axel and a +0.20 triple Lutz. Two of his three spins earned Level 4 with +0.50 and +0.60. His second element, the flying camel was his weakest spin, earning only Level 3 and +0.20. Both step sequences were Level 3 with the straight line earning +0.40 over base and the circular +0.20.

Dornbush, who is trained by Tammy Gambill in Riverside, CA, was fourth in the US championships at Jr level, up four places from the year before. He said, "I went into this competition with high hopes. There was no real down side. Just getting here is an up. The routine was choreographed by Brandon Overett. He used to skate to this music and thought it would suit me. I competed well at both my Jr GP events this season but I feel that I definitely put more into the component part of my program and paid more attention to detail this time."

4. 64.85 (35.80+29.05) Wearing a light blue shirt with discrete sparkles and black trousers, Alexander Johnson, skated to Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra from the Ladies in Lavender soundtrack, performed by Joshua Bell. He began with a rather shaky -0.80 triple flip to triple toe loop, with the flip receiving an exclamation mark, which is a "warning" for a wrong edge take-off. The triple Lutz was landed a bit on the toe and was and penalized with a slight -0.20. The double Axel gained the base value. Two of his spins received the maximum Level 4 with the flying camel getting Level 3. Both step sequences were Level 3.

He said, "It’s such an honor to be here. The people are so supportive. They were clapping the spins. It was fun. I think my jumps were a little shaky because I was a little nervous. The landings definitely could have been a lot better but I’m really pleased to check another clean short off the list."

Johnson was the fourth qualifier, winning in the Czech Republic and taking the bronze in Britain. He is the seventh ranked US junior and turned 18 on May 15. He represents the Braemar, City of Lakes FSC in Edina, Minnesota. He is taught by Joan Orvis and his choreography set by Sebastien Britten. He is going to the University of Minnesota studying biometrical engineering.

5. 63.75 (35.70+28.05) Ivan Bariev, from Moscow, skated in a red, silver and black outfit to a new arrangement by RMB of Beethoven’s Prelude. He began with a good triple flip to triple toe loop followed by a solid triple Lutz which both earned +1.0. He received only one Level 4 which was for his final move, a +0.10 change foot sit spin. He gained a Level 3 for his circular steps and +0.60 but his other level moves were only Level 2.

Bariev said, "I didn’t skate badly but I was a bit tired and I lost speed. For me, the short program is always harder than the free. But it was still my best short program of the season since I didn’t do a clean short earlier." Bariev had racked up silver medals in the Czech Republic and South Africa to gain the sixth qualifying spot. Last season, he also won two silvers on the JrGP circuit and finished seventh in the final. He said, "I think that it is very good that you can watch the senior skaters and learn from them. You can talk to them. Maybe they will share some secrets!"

Bariev turned 17 on April 16. He is the Russian Junior champion who is ranked seventh in their senior nationals. He also earned seventh place in the 2008 world junior championship. He is trained by Marina Kudriavtseva.

6. 62.20 (35.70+26.50) The first reserve, Artur Gachinski, who turned 15 on August 13, stepped into the competition after Brezina withdrew due to injury. His performance was as unruly as his shock of blonde hair. He put a hand on the ice after his triple Axel which saddled him with -1.40 GoE, and jackknifed his other landings on the combination of two triple toe loops (-0.60) and on the triple Lutz (-1.0). But he received Level 4 for his change foot combination spin (+0.40) and Level 3s for everything else which earned from +0.10 to +0.40.

Gachinski admitted, "It wasn’t my best but it wasn’t bad enough for my coach to be too embarrassed to stand by me (in the Kiss and Cry area). There were some small errors on my jumps. I wasn’t nervous so that wasn’t the problem. I found out I was coming here at the end of last week but I was preparing for an event in St. Petersburg so I was prepared."

Gachinski’s family moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg when he was nine so he could train with the Kingmaker, Alexei Mishin, who produced Olympic champions Alexei Urmanov and Evgeni Plushenko, and trained Alexei Yagudin until he won worlds in 1998. Gachinski took the silver in Spain and was fourth in Britain. Today’s piece of trivia: Gachinski has a Yorkshire Terrier, and a Sphinx cat. This is his second trip to the Final. Last year he finished eighth.

7. 60.59 (33.14+27.45) Denis Ten from Kazakhstan began with Flamenco music which flowed into Once Upon a Time in America by Morricone. He began with a good triple Axel (+1.0) but he stepped out of his triple flip which was to be a combination and got an "e" for wrong edge takeoff. Although he subsequently accomplished the triple toe, that did not count for the combination and he earned only 2.70 for this move which is normally the skater’s highest scoring element. He did not let that mistake phase him and did a +0.80 triple Lutz.

Ten explained that he is of Korean descent. "My great-great-great grandfather, Min Keung Ho, was a Korean general. My grandmother was born in Kazakstan but she speaks Korean. I do not speak it but I also sing with a choir and we traveled to Korea to Pusan to perform. So I have been to Korea before. It feels like home."

Ten was the seventh qualifier taking fourth in France and winning gold in the JrGP in Belarus. He turned 15 on June 13 but has already racked up quite an impressive international resume. He finished 26^th and 16^th in the last two world junior championships. This is his third season on the JrGP circuit but the first time he has made the Final. He is trained by Elena Buianova in Moscow.

8. 59.94 (33.94+25.95) Elladj Baldé, the Canadian Junior champion, was obviously very disappointed with his marks. Dressed in black with an irregular fringe going diagonally across his front and down one leg, he was given an exclamation warning on edge takeoff on his triple flip to triple toe which was saddled with a -1.0 GoE although three of judges thought it worthy of the base value. He stepped out of his triple Axel and received a massive -2.80. His triple Lutz, however, received a slight positive +0.20. Two of his spins earned Level 4 with the base value but the flying camel was Level 2 with -0.06. Both step sequences were Level 2 and gained a slight positives +0.40 for the straight line and +0.10 for the circular. He gained the seventh best technical score but the lowest components.

Baldé, who skated to the African music, Freedom, by Mei Li and Yin Yue Hui, performed by the 12 Girls’ Band, is a true international. He was born in Moscow on November 9, 1990. His Russian mother, who loved skating, and father, who comes from Guinea and was studying in Moscow, brought him to Canada as a toddler. She put him on the ice and he hated it. It was only when he started getting good at it that he stopped making excuses to get out of going to the rink. He was the eighth qualifier, taking a silver in Mexico and a bronze in South Africa. He is trained by Eric Therrien.

The 2008 World Junior Silver medalists Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze, who had never done pairs until they teamed up in April 2006, dominated the event but less than a point (0.89) separated second through fourth. The pair who was second in the FS was unable to pull up out of fifth place.

The US qualifiers, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, are the US Novice bronze medalists from the 2008 so this was a big step for them. Their choreography was cleverly devised to position four moves which are eligible for the 10% bonus points (lifts, jumps and throws) in the second half of the routine, when the bonus comes into effect. None of the others took advantage of this possibility. The pairs earning the gold and silver and fifth place executed only two of these moves in the second half. The bronze medalists put three there as did the Canadians. The fourth placed finishers scheduled only one eligible move there. Of course, you need stamina to be able to perform these difficulties later on, but surely it is worth training that way so you can pick up some extra points.

1. 149.38; FS 1. 92.50 (45.82+47.68-1.0) Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze performed to a selection of violin music played by the famed Hungarian, Edvin Marton, made famous in the skating world by his association with Evgeny Plushenko. They were thrilled with gold. Iiushechkina said, "We don’t yet understand that we have won. The result is good today but the performance wasn’t the best. We are still learning."

Maisuradze said, "The positive thing was that Liuba (his nickname for Iliushechkina) did the double Axel that didn’t work in the warm-up. But we made mistakes on the throws which we usually don’t do. For us, it is always important to skate well, if it is in practice or in competition."

Iliushechkina stumbled on the landing of their first element, the side by side triple toe loop to double toe loop, and the jumps were not quite in unison. They were penalized with -1.20 GoE. However, their second move, double Axels, was good and earned the base value. They did a cantilever into their double twist earning a Level 4 (rare on this move) with +0.50. She stepped out of their throw triple flip which was penalized with -1.26. Their forward inside death spiral earned Level 4 and +0.28. Their first lift, an Axel Lasso had some interesting positions and was awarded Level 3 and +1.00. But then on the throw triple loop, she was not vertical in the air and, after landing on a deep knee, fell. Their change foot combination spin lost some unison at one point but still earned Level 3 and +0.10. After Level 3 straight line steps, which gained the base value, they presented a good Group 3, Level 4 lift which got +0.30. They wrapped it up with a Level 2 pair combination spin which received +0.10. Although it was definitely flawed, it was a showing of great promise.

2. 137.92; FS 3. 87.70 (46.34+41.36) Yue Zhang and Lei Wang skated to Delibes ballet music, Coppelia, which accentuated their lack of musicality. They were lucky to gain the silver medals since they were only fourth in the SP and third in the FS. Zhang said, "This was one of our best performances and we are very pleased with it, and very pleased to have won a medal."

They began, promisingly, with triple toe to double toe, which earned the base value. That was followed by a very nice +0.70 throw triple loop and a good +0.50 throw triple loop. A base value toe lasso Level 3 lift followed with a one-armed descent. Far apart double Axels saddled them with a small negative (-0.16). That was one of the only two negatives they received. The other was a minimal -0.06 for the move that followed, side by side Level 3 flying change foot combination spins. Their straight line steps gained the base value for Level 2. Their back inside death spiral received only Level 1 but with +0.42. Their throw triple Salchow was good and was rewarded with +0.72. Then came a base value Group 3 lift which gained Level 3. They finished with their Level 4 pair combination spin which earned a minimal +0.04 over base.

3. 137.22; FS 5. 85.68 (42.48+43.20) Ksenia Krasilnikova and Konstantin Bezmaternikh’s routine was set to music from the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean. She wore a red unitard and he was in black.

Krasilnikova said, "I am not fully recovered from my injury. This was actually the first full run through of our long program since the injury happened." Bezmaternikh added, "After the injury, we are lacking in stamina. It was OK for me, but for Ksenia, it was difficult to do the whole program. She didn’t do any jumps till we got to Korea. Obviously, we wanted to do better here. Now, our next goal is the Russian nationals (where they were to compete as seniors over the Christmas period)."

She stumbled out of their opening move, double flips, and they earned only 1.16 for this element. Then came a Level 1 base value triple Lutz twist banking 5.00. Their throw triple flip had great height and the received +0.28 over the 5.50 base value. They did even better on their Axel lasso Level 4 lift, which had a "helicopter" section and a different descent. That earned an extra 1.0 for a total of 7.50. Their Level 3 back inside death spiral had a small negative (-0.14). Their Level 4 flying change foot combination spin got a little out of unison at one point but they were only penalized with -0.06. Both messed up their first double Axel in what was planned as a sequence of two of these jumps and they got a total of only 1.12. Their next move turned into a throw double loop instead of the planned triple with +0.10. Their Group 3 lift had a portion where she was parallel to the ice. It was awarded Level 4 and +0.10. Their Level 3 straight line steps were given a slight negative (-0.28). They finished off the routine with a Level 4 pair combination spin which earned the base value.

4. 137.03; FS 4. 86.43 (41.07+45.36) Anastasia Martiusheva and Alexei Rogonov gave a far superior showing of this routine when they won the gold in the British Junior Grand Prix. They had a frustrating outing with multiple errors but only 0.20 more would have let them claim the bronze. It was set to Tchaikovsky’s music for the ballet, The Nutcracker, and they were dressed appropriately.

They began with a smooth throw triple loop which earned +0.70 added to the base value. But their triple Lutz twist was only Level 1 and had a deduction of -0.14 although seven of the nine members of the judges thought it worthy of the base value. She stepped out of the first double Axel in what was to be a sequence of two. Their Group 3 lift earned Level 4 and +0.50 and their throw triple Salchow was rewarded with +0.70. But she singled their next move, double Lutzes. Then came a good Level 4 forward inside death spiral which was rewarded with +0.70 over base. Their change foot combination spin earned +0.20. He struggled and only just got her up into the Axel lasso lift which was deemed Level 2 and penalized with -0.56. She had a slight slip on their Level 2 straight line steps but the move still earned +0.10. They finished on a high with their pair combination spin which was awarded Level 4 and +0.40.

5. 134.91; FS 2. 88.87 (47.91+40.96) Sabina Imaikina and Andrei Novoselov, who only teamed up in 2006, were unlucky not to make up any ground up from their Short Program place despite placing second in the Free Skate which they performed to the soundtrack of the movie, Mask of Zorro, by James Horner.

They began with a Level 1 triple Lutz twist which gained +0.14. That was followed with a throw triple loop which earned +0.28 over base. He had a fault on their triple Salchows and they got -1.0. Their Level 4 toe lasso earned +0.20. They had an interesting transition into their back outside death spiral but it earned only Level 1 and -0.14. The judges had a rare moment of unanimity and all gave the base value for Imaikina and Novoselov’s sequence of two double Axels. Their flying change foot combination spin got Level 3 and -0.30. Their Group 3 lift received Level 4 with +0.10. Their throw triple Salchow was good, earning +0.28, but not as big as their loop had been. Their straight line steps were Level 2 with +0.10. They finished with their pair combination spin which got the base value for Level 4.

6. 126.40; FS 6. 81.56 (41.68+40.88) Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir skated to selections from the Gladiator soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. She was dressed in white, he in brown.

They began with a great Level 4 Axel lasso lift which earned +1.20 over the base value of 6.50. But she crashed into him on the catch in the Level 1 Lutz twist and they were saddled with -1.40 off the 5.0 base value. They did a double Salchow to double toe combination which gained the base value. Their Level 4 pair combination spin included a position with her in a held foot high kick which earned the base value. Their straight line steps received the base value. Then the bonus point clicked in. Their Group 3 lift earned Level 4 and was rewarded with +0.50 over the base value plus 10% and so they banked 4.90 instead of 4.40 had it been executed in an identical manner earlier in the program. Then came a Level 1 back inside death spiral which earned +0.56 over base. Their next move, eligible for the bonus, was a throw double Axel which got +0.42 on top of the base value plus 10% of 4.40. They followed that with a Level 3 flying change foot combination spin but lost -0.24 from the base value. The next, final two moves were eligible for the bonus. Their double Lutzes were meant to be in a sequence to double toes but they did not do the second jumps. They earned the base value of the Lutzes plus 10% although that was only 2.09. She fell on their last move, a throw triple Salchow.

Castelli said, "I don’t know what went wrong on the throw Salchow. I’ve been doing it perfectly every single day in practice. I just have to work on doing it under pressure. I was a little tired, and it was the last element. Apart from that, it went pretty well. I definitely enjoyed it. It was good, but it wasn’t perfect. We had mistakes in the twist and the throw. But, I’m really proud! However, we’re going to have to work on our unison for nationals."

Her partner said, "We landed all of our jumps, which is something we’ve both had a little bit of a struggle with occasionally. The lifts went up great. The twist was a little shaky, but we finished it and got the points for it. The first throw was terrific and the throw Salchow was rotated all the way before the fall. Nothing was really off. The fact that we made it here was great. We just wanted to go out there and have fun and hopefully we’ll be back in the Junior Grand Prix Final next year."

7. 106.04; FS 7. 71.80 (35.36+37.44) Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran skated to music from Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly and from the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. Both pieces were performed by Vanessa Mae. She wore a dress made to resemble a kimono with a beautiful butterfly pattern on the front. He had on black with a pattern matching her dress on his right sleeve.

Tran explained, "It was not like in the short (where they had three falls and an element which got no points at all.). Today, we performed like we do in practice. It was a little shaky in some parts, but it was okay. Yesterday, in the short, in the twist, I caught my toe, so the twist hit my knee, and I fell. I just got up and thought, ‘OK, we’ll just get on with the rest of the program. But then I caught an elbow in the eye and my left eye was blurry for the whole program and I fell again. Narumi (who had a bad fall on their throw triple loop in the short) said she was dizzy for the whole thing. I’m not too sure, but maybe it could be nerves, like maybe she didn’t eat enough today and her parents are out in the audience. It is the first competition that they’ve seen her skate. She didn’t say that she was nervous, though."

They began with a Level 3 double twist which earned +0.30. She skidded on the landing of their double Axels which were downgraded. Their throw triple toe got a small minus (-0.28). That was followed with a Group 3 lift which earned Level 4 and +0.20.Their flying change foot combination spin earned the base value for Level 3. She singled their double flip in a combination with a double toe and he singled the second jump. She fell on their throw triple loop. Their Level 2 pair combination spin earned the base value. Their Axel lasso lift got Level 3 but with -0.70 GoE. Their last two moves, Level 2 straight line steps and Level 3 back outside death spiral, earned their base value.

Withdrawn: Ksenia Oserova and Alexander Enbert. She sprained a ligament in her left foot during the short program.                         

Because the pairs discipline attracts the fewest competitors only four of the JrGPs have competition in that area. The top five qualifiers were from Russia, with two of those teams training with the same coach in Moscow and another two teams with the same coach in Perm. The American pair who qualified got the eighth and last slot. The best placed Canadians were second reserves. However, the sixth place qualifiers who represent Japan, consist of a Japanese girl and a Canadian boy, who train in Montreal.

1. 56.88 (33.28+23.60) Skating to Prologue, music by Canadian Loreena McKennitt, which appears in her album, The Book of Secrets, Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze, who train in Moscow with Natalia Pavlova, gave a superior performance worthy of their ranking as the top qualifiers, which put them 5.34 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Both are singles skaters who had no experience of pairs before they teamed together in April 2006, and their double Lutzes with hands over head (+0.50) attested to their skills in that discipline. None of their elements received a negative GoE. Their double Lutz twist gained a Level 4 (very rare for this element) with +0.80 GoE. They also earned Level 4 for their forward inside death spiral with +0.56; for their spirals (+0.80); for their pair combination spin (+0.40) and for their Group 3 lift (+0.10). Their throw triple loop was sensational, high and covering a lot of ground (+0.28). Their weakest element was their Level 3 (+0.04) change foot combination spin.

"Because we are so new," said the blonde Iliushechkina, "it’s hard for me to judge our performance. But I think it was quite good. We wanted to complete all the elements carefully and exactly. This was our best showing, but I still want to do better. We competed at the senior Grand Prix Cup of Russia not long ago (finishing fourth) and everything there was bigger. The rink was larger and there were more spectators. I’m glad the two Finals are together. I’m really looking forward to seeing my idol, Aliona Savchenko, skating. My goal is to skate on the same ice as her."

Maisuradze joked that with five of the eight competitors being Russian, "It feels like a national championship." Both nearly failed to get into the high altitude of the pairs world. His father had been trying to persuade the coach to take his son for some time but she was hesitant. The coach also felt that Iliushechkina needed to lose a few pounds before considering pairs. When she finally agreed, Pavlova kept them away from the public and they didn’t make their debut until an exhibition that September. In their first international, they made quite a splash, earning silver in the world junior championships. This season they competed in their first Junior Grand Prix events winning both in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, and Gomel in Belarus, earning the top qualifying place for the Final. She was 17 on November 5 and he turned 20 on February 18 so this is their last junior season. They are already ranked fourth at senior level in Russia.

2. 51.54 (31.50+21.04-1.0) Ksenia Krasilnikova and Konstantin Bezmaternikh are from Perm in Russia. They "K’s" have been skating together since 2003. Wearing black catsuits, they performed to very dramatic music, Valpurgis Night, from the opera, Margarethe, by Charles Gounod. Their first moves were a Level 3 +0.60 double twist and a base value throw triple loop. Their double Lutzes earned only +0.10 over base. However, their lift (+0.70), spiral sequence (+0.60), death spiral (+0.28) and pair combination spin (+0.10) were all awarded Level 4. Their worst move was their flying combination spin which was Level 3 with -0.18 GoE.

It was a good showing in view of Krasilnikova’s recent accident. She explained, "I pulled a ligament in my left leg and was off the ice for about a month. It meant we had to pull out of the Cup of China (their first Sr GP assignment) and I only started training again fully about a week ago." He said, "It probably was the best short program we’ve done this season, but it wasn’t our best yet. We lost unison in the spin and we finished a bit late."

They are the current world junior champions after earning bronzes in that event in the previous two years. They won their first Jr. GP event this season in Mexico but were fourth in Belarus. That meant they earned 24 points (15+9) which was the same as Ozerova and Enbert who got 11+13. Even though their actual total scores were lower by 10.70 than their teammates, they were the higher qualifiers, fourth, because a gold and fourth beats a silver and bronze. Why don’t we instigate a new tie-breaker? Let the shorter name/s get the higher spot. (Tie breakers are most important in determining eight and ninth places, i.e. who gets into the Final. The rankings also determine order of skating the SP.)

Krasilnikova turned 17 on June 18 and Bezmaternik 20 on March 22, which means this is their last year of eligibility. Krasilnikova and Bezmaternikh were second in this Jr. Final last year in Gdansk, Poland. However, the winners, Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larinov, who also trained in Perm with a different coach, were later disqualified for his having taking a diuretic which was discovered through an internal doping test in Russia. They are trained by Valeri Tiukov. Valentina Tiukova does their choreography.

3. 50.60 (29.64+21.96-1.0) Anastasia Martiusheva and Alexei Rogonov, Russia, were the second qualifiers, earning bronze in Mexico City and winning in Sheffield. They performed to Korobotchka, Russian folk music. They began with a Level 4 forward inside death spiral. But, on their second move, Martiusheva, who turned 13 on March 17, sat down on her double Lutz. Since he was 20 on June 6, he ages out of juniors after this season, too old by 24 days. They teamed up in 2006, moving from Perm to Moscow where they are trained by Natalia Pavlova and Alexei Sokolov.

Rogonov said, "This is our second year as a team and our first Junior Grand Prix season. There is tough competition in Russia in pairs and we didn’t make it out last season. We can skate much better than we did today." In addition to her fall, they received only Level 1 for their change foot combination spin. However, they are less than a point behind second place.

4. 50.22 (29.74+20.48) Yue Zhang and Lei Wang, China, are having a very busy season, competing in both Junior AND Senior Grand Prix events. They were fifth in Mexico and won a bronze in Belarus which gave them the seventh slot in the Jr GPF. They also skated in Skate America where they were eighth and at the Cup of China where they finished fifth. Nationally they rank fourth at senior level and were seventh in the 2008 world junior championships. Zhang was 15 on January 27 while Wang turned 20 on July 11 which means they can still compete in Juniors next year if they wish. (He is eligible by 11 days!) They are trained by Bin Yao and Yu Sun in Beijing. Their choreography was done by Liu Wei.

They skated to The Way Old Friends Do by Abba performed by Maksim Mrvica. They received only one Level 4 which was for their spirals (+0.40). Their best move was their throw triple loop which earned +0.70 over its base value of 5.0 points. Their two spins (which both earned only +0.10 over base) and the lift, which earned nothing over base, were awarded Level 3. Their double Lutz twist (+0.60) and death spiral (+0.14) were only Level 2.

5. 46.04 (27.20+19.84-1.0) Sabina Imaikina, who turned 15 on March 25, and Andrei Novoslov, who was 19 on November 24, are from Perm in the Russian Ural Mountains. They qualified by earning silvers in the Czech Republic and in Britain. They train with the same coach as Krasilnikova and Bezmaternikh.

Skating in royal blue to The Dolphin and the Mermaid by Igor Nikolaev, they began poorly with -0.60 taken off their base for their double Lutzes. Their throw triple loop, however, earned +0.56 over base and their Level 3 double Lutz twist gained +0.20. That was followed by a Level 3 flying change foot combination spin which earned an extra +0.10. However they had a problem with their Level 3 lift which was penalized with -1.30. Then came two Level 4 moves, the spirals and a forward inside death spiral, which both received the base value. Their final pair combo spin received Level 3 with a slight negative (-0.06).

6. 44.84 (25.36+19.48) Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, who train in Boxboro, MA, with Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall and Sheryl Franks, teamed together in June 2006 and are the US novice bronze medalists. This season they earned the eighth qualifying place for the Final by finishing fourth in Ostrava and Sheffield. They share the same birthdate, August 20. She is 18 and he 21.

Skating to the three pieces of music to the TV Reality show Survivor Guatemala, Wild Dogs, The Gathering and Ancient Voices of Guatemala all by Russ Landau, they began with a Level 3 double twist (+0.60) but they had -0.40 taken off the base value of their Level 2 lift. Their Level 3 pair combination spin and Level 4 spirals both earned the base value. But she put a hand on the ice landing her double Lutz and they were penalized with -0.68 off the 1.90 base value. Though they earned Level 4 for their flying camel spins, it was deemed not quite worthy of base and -0.30 was subtracted. Their throw double loop earned +0.40 over base but their death spiral was rated only Level 1 although it gained +0.14 GoE.

They appeared delighted to be in sixth place ahead of a Russian and a Canadian team. He said, "I think it’s really great just to be here." She agreed. "It’s awesome. It wasn’t our best program but we can always improve. I thought our twist was really great. I don’t know what really happened on the lift." Both were looking forward to watching the seniors compete.

Shnapir was born in Moscow. When he was 16 months, his parents "defected" from the old Soviet Union. At that time, this powerful state considered such an act a heinous, traitorous crime. But, a short time later, in one of the most important and unforeseen political events of the past century, communism collapsed and the Soviet Union dissolved into many countries. They made their international debut in Estonia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union. Shnapir speaks Russian, is widely spoken there.

7. 43.46 (27.06+19.40-3.0) Ksenia Ozerova and Alexander Enbert, Russia, withdrew after the short. They began their routine to the Don Quixote ballet music by Minkus with a Level 1 double twist which received +0.30 but she had a problem on the landing of their double Lutzes, stumbling and then falling. It subsequently turned out that she sprained a ligament in her left foot. The referee, Pierre de LaCroix allowed them to take a small break. She was in obvious pain but they came back and continued. Amazingly, they earned Level 4 for both side-by-side and pair spins, their lift and the forward inside death spiral.

They are both from St. Petersburg. They were the fifth placed qualifiers winning bronze in the Czech Republic and silver in Belarus. They also competed in the Cup of Russia Sr GP where they finished fifth. She was 17 on April 24 and he turned 19 on April 17, so they can compete at this level for one more year. They teamed up in 2007 and are trained by the 1998 Olympic champions, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev. He previously skated with Victoria Kazantseva and they were 12^th in the 2006 world junior championships.

8. 34.24 (18.96+18.28-3.0) Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran, Japan, gave a flawed showing to Din Daa Daa, a Mi Remix by George Kranz, and Seventeen Years by Ratatat, dressed in black and red. They received -0.92 GoE on their opening move, a Level 2 double Lutz twist and then she had a bad fall, plunding flat out hard on the ice after not being able to hold the landing of their throw triple loop. Understandably, she was upset going into their next move, the pair combination spin and that received only a Level 1 and -0.24 GoE. After a Level 4 Group 3 lift, which earned the base value, she singled her double Lutz. He lost synchronization and speed in their flying change foot combination spin and they earned no points at all for this move. However, they did receive Level 3 and the base value for both their spiral sequence and the forward inside death spiral which were both Level 3.

They qualified by taking fourth in Mexico City and third in Sheffield. They are trained by Richard Gauthier in Montreal and were 15^th in the world juniors in 2008 after teaming the previous July. She turned 16 on January 15 and he was 18 on September 22, so they are eligible for three more seasons at junior level. They are the first pair ever to qualify for a GP Final representing Japan.

Their story crosses many borders. Takahashi had been a singles skater in Chiba before her father moved from Japan to China for business reasons. She was there for five years, skating one year of pairs with Gao Yu, finishing sixth in the Chinese Senior championships. She approached Gauthier when he was in China for a Grand Prix event, and he teamed her up with Tran who had never done pairs before. Tran’s parents came to Canada as refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia. They now live in Regina, Saskatchewan.

They opened with a Level 4 combination spin earning an extra +0.60 GoE to add to the move’s base value. Their Level 4 diagonal steps were even better and they earned +1.0. Both parts of their long lift, a curve into a rotation were good enough for the maximum Level 4 with a GoE of +0.60. The straight line lift was given Level 4 by the Technical Specialist Marie Bowness and her assistant, Monica MacDonald, while the nine judges, who included Shawn Rettstatt from the United States and Elizabeth Clark from Canada, gave them an extra +0.60.

However, there was a problem with their next move. Chock explained, "I touched down (with her free foot) on the second twizzle (so they received only Level 2 with -0.20 taken off the base value)." The base value for Level 2 twizzles is 3.30 as compared to 4.70 for Level 4. Chock said, "Everything needs to be worked on all the time." They received Level 3 for their remaining two elements, the circular steps, which were rewarded with +0.60, and the short rotational lift, which gained +0.50.

Chock was thrilled by their reception, and because they won. "It was just so amazing being out there," she said. The crowd was awesome and so encouraging. It’s absolutely incredible. I don’t think words can describe it. It just has been such a great experience this year and last year." Zuerlein was a little more circumspect. "Once we get back to the States, we’re going to train really hard. We had a few levels here that were low, so we need to work on that. We want to do well at nationals and then hopefully, after that, Junior Worlds."

They teamed up in 2005. Her full first name is Madison La'akea Te-Lan Hall. She won the International Family Film Fest Award in 2003. Zuerlein’s sister Brittany (two years older) previously competed in synchronized skating.

2. 124.68; FD 2. 76.70 (39.20+37.50) Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell put their shock at his falling in the original, which had buried them in sixth place, behind them and gave a mature showing which earned them second place in the Free Dance and the overall silver medal, just a sliver (0.38) ahead of the Russians, Ekaterina Riazanova and Jonathan Guerreiro, who gained the bronze.

Dressed in green and brown, with Madison backless, they interpreted Dream of Me (Sognami) written by Damiano & Gianluca Nincheri and sung by Alessandra Safina. They are a tall couple, she’s 5’7" and he’s 6’, and the first impression you get is of raw power. While power is essential in figure skating, in ice dance this has to utilized but hidden. Coach Juri Tchesnitchenko obviously feels this music will help the brother and sister accomplish that goal. He said, "It is a very difficult program. Although it is Italian music, it’s very different from the routine Emily (Samuelson) and Evan (Bates) did last season. Of course, you have to be very cautious in what you create for a brother and sister."

They presented their twizzles as their first element, gaining Level 3 and +0.20. Then came two lifts, both Level 4, a curve, which earned +0.50 over the base value, and a straight line, which gained +0.40. Their excellent circular step sequence was given Level 3 and +1.00. The serpentine lift was Level 4 with +0.50. The final two elements, midline steps and combination spin, were both Level 3 but while the steps gained +0.80, he struggled a little in the camel position in the spin and they received nothing over the base value.

Keiffer said, "It wasn’t our best skate and I don’t know exactly what happened. It was good, but a little shaky. Coming back from the original dance performance was pretty rough. It wasn’t necessarily our best performance. It was great to be back on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. I think we did some awesome practices where we did what we can do."

His sister said, "It feels very good to pull up four places! I didn’t think we’d pull up that much. It’s a testimony to the new system and that’s what their goal was to make competition fairer. We need to work really hard. Our competition appearances here just weren’t as strong as the practices."

They teamed together when Madison lost her partner in 2001. She "commandeered" him when she couldn’t find another suitable candidate, despite his much lower standard and less, at that point, commitment to the sport. But they haven’t looked back since that point.

3. 124.30; FD 4. 73.45 (38.30+36.15-1.0) Ekaterina Riazanova and Jonathan Guerreiro, who had been second in the Original Dance, lost the silver medal by only 0.38. They could easily taken the silver, but they gave away a point which was the penalty for holding a lift longer than the allocated time. They were actually fourth in the Free Dance, just 0.10 behind the Shibutanis.

The Russians performed to music from the James Bond movies, including Golden Eye. She made a great seductress in maroon, with fake black knee-length boots with a silver thread running down the outside. But he was in black with silver adornments on the top half which continued down the outside of his left leg -- far, far too garish an outfit for the sophisticated 007.

Nevertheless, their routine was fun. They opened with Level 4 twizzles which were given +0.50 GoE. Serpentine steps (+1.0) and a straight line lift (+0.40) both received Level 3. Their spin (+0.50) was Level 4. The beginning curve of their long lift was only Level 2 but the rotational second half gained Level 4. Together, the two parts earned +0.50. Their midline steps were only Level 2 and +0.20 but their final element, a short rotational lift was Level 4 with a minimal positive GoE, +0.10. They were obviously very pleased with their showing and gave each other a big hug at the end. As they came off the ice, however, they were very puzzled about the deduction.

Guerreiro said, "Our coaches teach us that if the score isn’t as high as you expect, it was because there was a reason for it and you need to work to make sure there is no reason. I regret that we didn’t beat our personal best." Riazanova met Guerreiro, who was born in Sydney, four years ago when they were in rival partnerships attending an ice dance camp in Moscow. Their respective coaches suggested they team together in the summer of 2006.

4. 120.60; FD 3. 73.55 (38.10+35.45) The always smiling Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, who began skating when she was four and he seven, have been dancing together for four years zooming up the ladder very quickly. The incredibly cute Maia was outfitted in a knee length chiffon-y lavender dress. He had a deeper colored top and black bottom. They performed to a selection of music from the movie Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone.

They began with a Level 3 diagonal step sequence which earned +0.60 over the base value. Their twizzles were the maximum Level 4 with +0.30 over the base value. Their serpentine lift received Level 3 and +0.50. However, their combination spin was only Level 2 although it received +0.30 over base. The circular steps were Level 3 with +0.40. They finished with two lifts, both earning Level 4. The straight line received an extra +0.20 and the rotational +0.60.

They earned third place in the free which pulled them up from seventh to fourth overall. Maia said enthusiastically, "It was really exciting to make it to the Final our first year on the circuit. It’s been a great experience and we’ve really enjoyed going to France, Spain and Korea." Her brother said, "We’re really happy we were able to go out there and give a nice performance. We’re really happy about how we skated."

5. 120.35; 5. FD 71.76 (37.90+33.86) Ekaterina Pushkash and Dmitri Kiselev were fifth in both parts of the competition. With just 0.26 more they would have pulled into fourth place. No wonder he was shaking his head after learning the result. They performed to Sheherazade by Nikoli Rimski-Korsakov, performed by the Opera Babes. Pushkash’s costume was black and silver with elaborate harem pants and a very interesting black and white design on her boots. Kiselev wore a complicated costume which exposed one arm and bare sides.

Their first four elements all received Level 4. Their twizzles were awarded +0.30 GoE; their spin +0.50; their rotational lift +0.20 and their long lift, a straight line to curve, +0.30. But their circular steps were only Level 2 with +0.20. Their last two moves, the diagonal steps, which was fast but a little ragged, and a curve lift, received only the base value.

6. 120.09; FD 6. 71.37 (37.20+34.17) Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill lost out in what was a virtual three-way tie. There were only 0.51 points separating fourth, fifth and sixth overall. In the free dance, Ralph and Hill received 0.31 points more for their components than Pushkash and Kiselev but the Russians had 0.70 more for their technical score. They wore outfits which looked like regular clothes, she in a patterned pink and black dress, he in salmon satin pants, an elbow length shirt and an unfastened tie of material matching her dress, which fully suited their routine set to And Then There Was Blues and St. James Infirmary Blues.

Ralph and Hill began with a Level 4, +0.40 rotational lift followed by the diagonal steps with some nice edges and good speed at the beginning but they lost some speed towards the end. They earned Level 3 and +0.60. Then also presented a reverse rotational lift, the only couple to do this, which was awarded Level 4. The "reverse" for Level 4 has a 2.40 higher base value than the regular rotational Level 4, and Ralph and Hill received +0.40 GoE over that. Their twizzles were not as fast as some of the others but they were close and in synch. They were awarded only Level 2 with nothing over the base value, the same as for their next element, the circular steps, which could have been neater. Their final two moves, the spin (+0.10) and a straight line lift (+0.50) both earned Level 4. An internet poster wrote, "I like him. He’s not the cookie-cutter neutral we normally see in the male junior ice dancers."

Hill said, "We really worked hard to get here, our first Grand Prix Final." Ralph said, "It was pretty good but I thought the OD was one of the best performances we’ve ever done even though we didn’t beat our season’s best."

7. 119.38; FD 7. 69.93 (35.00+34.93) Alisa Agafonova and Dmitri Dun dropped from third place after the original, although only 1.22 more points would have put them in fourth place. They skated to music from the Ukrainian movie, Avora by Valeri Tishler, she in white with black, and white tights, he in a black unitard.

They earned only two Level 4s, which were for their first move, the twizzles which got a slight minus (-0.10), and for the second part of their long lift, a rotation. The first part of that long lift, a curve, was given only Level 2 and the whole lift received +0.30. They also got a Level 2 for their seventh move, the circular step sequence, which was awarded nothing over the base value. Their four other moves, diagonal steps (0.00); straight line steps (+0.40); combination spin (+0.40); and rotational lift; were Level 3.

8. 111.43; FD 8. 67.79 (38.20+29.59) Marina Antipova and Artem Kudashev had six out of seven Level 4s but also six out of seven zero GoEs. The exceptions were a Level 3 for their diagonal steps and a +0.20 for the combination spin. Dressed in lime-green and black, the first reserves, substituting for the injured Piper Gilles and her partner Zach Donohue, skated to what they described as a selection of soundtracks by Goran Bregovic, and put out a pleasant enough three and a half minutes.