Fourth Junior Grand Prix Event In Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, This Weekend
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| Melissa Bulanhagui Photo by Michelle Harvath |
(9/20/06) - The fourth event of the 2006 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) Series takes place in Miercurea Ciuc, Sept. 21-24. The event will be held at the Vakar Lajos Ice Rink, where the ladies will be the first to compete on Friday at 1 p.m.
Eight athletes will represent the United States at the event in three disciplines: ladies, men's and ice dancing. A recent ISU decision has designated that pairs teams will only compete at four of the eight JGP events this season. The U.S. team hails from seven states: California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The JGP Series, now in its 10th season, consists of eight international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Approximately 400 athletes representing more than 35 countries are expected to participate in the series. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the eight scheduled events (pairs can compete in two of four designated events). The top eight point-earners in each of the disciplines then qualify for the JGP Final in Sofia, Bulgaria, Dec. 7-9. Athletes will be vying for a total of $258,000 in prize money throughout the series.
The medal count from the first three JGP events has been dominated by U.S. skaters, who have raked in 15 of 30 total medals. They continued their winning streak in Mexico City last weekend, with every competing U.S. skater earning a medal. Caroline Zhang blew away her fellow competitors, winning the gold by an unprecedented 53.6-point margin. Brandon Mroz and Daisuke Murakami took second and third, respectively, with a scant 0.16 points separating the two. Ice dancers Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates earned their first international gold on the junior level, while Piper Gilles fought through an injured knee to claim third place, with partner Timothy McKernan.
Ladies
Competing in Romania for her first JGP event, Melissa Bulanhagui is the 2006 U.S. junior bronze medalist. She also took gold at her first international event, the 2006 Gardena Spring Trophy. Katrina Hacker, who is also competing in the JGP Series for her first time this weekend, took seventh at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the junior division. Her international experience includes a first-place finish as a junior at the 2005 Triglav Trophy.
Men
Making his sixth appearance at a JGP event is Tommy Steenberg. He has made previous stops in Poland, Estonia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary, with his best finish being a gold at Estonia in 2005. Steenberg has also done plenty of competing state side, placing 13th at the 2006 U.S. Championships in his first year as a senior. Princeton Kwong is back for his third JGP event after two bronze medal-winning performances in 2004. Kwong competed at both the 2005 and 2006 U.S. Championships as a junior, taking fifth and seventh places, respectively. In 2004, he was the U.S. novice champion and took silver in the junior division at the Gardena Spring Trophy.
Ice Dancing
Lindsay Cohen & Evan Roberts are newcomers to the JGP Series, although they have previously competed on the international level. The duo took fifth place at their 2006 North American Challenge Skate event in Vancouver as juniors. Also making its JGP debut is the team of Brianne Oswald & Buck Withrow, whose performance in Romania will be their first major event as partners.
