Kanako Murakami capped off a successful event for the host country by taking the junior ladies title at the 2009-10 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo. Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin of Russia nabbed the top spot on the poidum in the junior ice dance discipline.

The Junior Ladies

Murakami slipped past overnight leader Polina Shelepen of Russia to pull out a 1.24 margin of victory. American Christina Gao claimed the bronze.

It was a high-level competition. Murakami landed five strong triple jumps. She only had few errors—a wobble on one spin and a deduction for the wrong edge take-off on her triple Lutz. The 15-year-old scored 101.01 points for her long program. She compiled 160.53 overall to move up from second place after the short prgram to first place for the competition.

“I didn’t skate my best in the free, but I am happy to win in the final here in Japan. I wanted to do all the jumps, spins, footwork clean, but I made a few mistakes,” she said. “I was really nervous before I went out onto the ice, and I thought my heart would pop out of my mouth. But the audience called out my name and cheered me on, so I was able to relax a little bit and skate well.”

Skating to “Polovetsian Dances,” Shelepen hit six triples including a double Axel-triple toe loop combination. She had higher technical marks than Murakam, but the Japanese teen-ager had higher component scores.

Shelepen earned 99.75 points for her free skate. It was her season best mark. Overall the 14-year-old accumulated 159.29 points.

Gao, who stood in fifth place following the short program, gave a strong performance to “La Fille Mal Gardée” that featured six triple jumps. With a season best 98.65 for the free skate, she scored 151.47 points overall.

For Shelepen and Gao, it was their first appearanaces in the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, while Murakami ranked fourth last year.

Murakami pocketed $6,000 (U.S.) for her big win. Shelepen earned $5,000; and Gao $4,000. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers took home $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively

The Junior Dance

It was Monko and Khaliavin first appearance in a Junior Grand Prix Final but the handled the pressure well. Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov (RUS), newcomers as well, overtook Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (USA) to earn the silver medal. The Americans settled for the bronze.

Monko and Khaliavin turned in a powerful dance to “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown, showing difficult lifts and intricate footwork. The couple from Moscow picked up all level fours and threes for their elements to score a season best 85.51 points. They defended their overnight lead with a total of 141.21 points.

“We are very excited to have won. We never expected to win this final, since we compete here for the first time. Right now in Russia we have a tough competition in ice dance, there are many good junior and senior couples,” Khaliavin said.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov produced a dramatic performance to “Schindler’s List” that was highlighted by their speed and effortless looking elements. The Muscovites posted a season best 85.01and pulled up from third after the short program to second overall with a score of 139.36.

Shibutani and Shibutani produced a smooth “Tango Rhapsody” and scored 83.54 points. The reigning World junior silver medalists slipped to third place with 138.75 overall points.

Monko and Khaliavin earned a total of $9,000 for the win. The second place team of Ilinykh and Katsalapov netted $7,500 while Shibutani and Shibutani earned $6,000. The fourth place team earned $4,500, fifth place $3,000 and sixth place $1,500.

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (CHN) continued their successful comeback with their third gold medal in as many competitions. Meanwhile in the junior ice dance competition there were some surprises.

The Pairs

For Shen and Zhao, it was the sixth Grand Prix Final gold medal of their career. Their teammates Qing Pang and Jian Tong made it 1-2 for China by claiming the silver medal. Reigning World champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany took the bronze.

The Chinese husband-and-wife team posted a World record overall score of 214.25. “Our program was really good today; it felt awesome," Zhao said.

Shen and Zhao nailed a triple toe, excellent throw jumps and showed a rare forward outside death spiral to earn a personal best 138.89 points for their lyrical program to “Adagio.” "Each lift, the twist, the throws felt perfect and we felt more power,” Zhao said. “Coming back [after a break of two years] wasn’t easy; it was very hard. When we returned to practice, it was hard on our bodies, it hurt, but we are skating with our hearts.”

Pang and Tong, the 2008-09 Grand Prix Final champions ranked fourth in the short program. They rallied with a dynamic performance to “The Impossible Dream.” Their program was highlighted by their big throws and difficult lifts. They scored 133.82 points. The 2006 World champions broke the magical 200 points barrier for the first time in their career with a total of 201.86.

Savchenko and Szolkowy of Germany dropped to third with a score of 200.38 after she failed to complete the opening triple toe-triple toe sequence and stumbled on the throw triple flip. Their other elements were strong. “We were not completely concentrated. I don't know exactly, what was the reason for that. Maybe it was the quick turn-around between [Skate] Canada, [returning to] Germany and [then traveling to] Japan,” Szolkowy said.

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov (RUS) delivered a strong performance but nevertheless slipped to fourth place. Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov (RUS) moved up from sixth after the short to fifth overall with a solid free skate, while Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (CHN) struggled with some elements to finish sixth overall.

Junior Original Dance

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin (RUS) upset reigning World Junior silver medalists Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (USA) to grab the lead after the junior original dance. The Russians opted for an Ukrainian dance while the Americans chose a Japanese theme for the folk and country dance that reflected their Japanese heritage. Both couples had the same technical base value, but Monko and Khaliavin narrowly beat the brother-and-sister team with 55.70 to 55.21 points thanks to a slightly higher program component score and slightly higher grades of execution for their elements.

“It was our best performance in competition this season so far, it was the cleanest one,” Khaliavin said. “It is surprising for us (to be in first place) as the Shibutanis had higher scores than we had in their Grand Prix events and they skated clean.”

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) came in third with an elegant dance to folklore from the Andes as they got only a level two for their side-by-side footwork (54.35 points).

Cash Rewards

The couples earned big cash prizes in Tokyo. The breakdown (per couple) was as follows:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

In junior ice dance, the winning couple will split $9,000 (U.S.) the second place team $7,500, third place $6,000, fourth place $4,500, fifth place $3,000 and sixth place $1,500
On Tap

The remainder of the schedule for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

* Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

Reigning World champions Yu-Na Kim of South Korea and Evan Lysacek of the United States once again skated away with the big titles when it counted.

Both rose from second place after the short program at the 2009-10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Japan to win the free skate in their respective divisions and climb to the top of the podium.

Meanwhile, newcomer Polina Shelepen (RUS) won the junior ladies short program (scroll down for more photos).

The Ladies

Kim skated to the gold in and recaptured the title she had lost last year to Mao Asada (JPN), who did not earn a spot in this season's final. Miki Ando (JPN) earned the silver today, her first medal in what was her fifth appearance in the Grand Prix Final. Akiko Suzuki (JPN) captured the bronze medal.

Kim landed four clean triples and three double Axels in her expressive routine to George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” to score 123.22 points. The South Korean superstar overtook overnight leader Ando to win her third gold medal in the Grand Prix Final with a total of 188.86 points.

“Today in the practice my blades hit each other and got flat. I fixed it but it's still a little bit not too comfortable to skate with. So I tried to forget about it, but even though my performance was not perfect, it was okay,” Kim said. “I didn't give up and that led to this wonderful result. I think it was a good fight for the Olympics. And as I could keep up my strength, I found some self-confidence again.”

Ando nailed also four good triple jumps in her exotic “Cleopatra”-themed routine. The 2007 World champion posted a season best of 119.74 points but slipped to second overall at 185.94. “I’m happy about medaling and automatically qualifying for the Olympic Games (for team Japan),” said Ando, last season's World bronze medalist. “I didn’t make any major mistakes and I skated better that I did at NHK. But I was tired and I know I didn’t skate with enough speed."

Suzuki turned in a strong performance to “Westside Story.” Her program included seven triple jumps as she moved up from fifth to third with a score of 174.00 points in the first Grand Prix Final of her career.

“Before I started, my coach didn’t tell me anything about my jumps. He told me to dance and just be Maria! And that’s just what I did. I wasn’t thinking about ranking or points while I was skating. The happiest moment was when the audience gave me a standing ovation,” the 24-year-old offered.

Ashley Wagner (USA) moved up from sixth after the short prgram to fourth place overall with a solid performance. Joannie Rochette (CAN) and Alena Leonova (RUS) came in fifth and sixth, respectively, with each skater making several key errors.

The Men

Lysacek claimed his first Grand Prix Final title and is the second straight American man to win the title (last year Jeremy Abbott won gold at the final and followed that up with a victory at the 2009 U.S. Championships). Nobunari Oda (JPN) claimed the silver medal, and the bronze went to Johnny Weir (USA), who repeated last year’s result.

Lysacek was second going into the long program but overall he finished more than six points ahead of his nearest competitor. He produced a sophisticated program to “Sheherazade” and reeled off eight triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations and also showed strong spins and footwork. His only error came when he popped his second triple Axel. Nevertheless, Lysacek earned a personal best 159.60 points and overall accumulated 249.45 points to pull up one spot.

“I feel confident now heading into the latter part of the season,” the two-time (2007-09) U.S. champion said. “I’m happy with [the performance] as far as the scores go; it reflected an improvement from Skate America untill now. Yes, I had that one mistake and I wasn’t happy about it, because I’ve been training this program clean every day. To make a major error like that was disappointing, especially because I didn’t feel tired going into that Axel.”

Like Lysacek, Oda singled a planned triple Axel, but his eight other triples were of excellent quality. He earned 155.71 points for his entertaining “Charlie Chaplin” program. “I’m mad at myself for popping the Axel,” Oda said. “I was third yesterday, and in trying to pull up, maybe I tried to be too perfect. In practice, I can do it (the triple Axel) without any problems. I guess I just try too hard in competition and when I’m skating in front of the audience.”

Weir delivered a clean performance of his routine he titled “Falling Angel.” He landed eight triples in his elegant program and achieved a personal best score of152.75. He compiled 237.35 overall.

“It's the best long program that I've done so far. I rotated all my jumps, so I'm happy with that. And a new career best score is excellent,” Weir said. “I hope this competition gives me some legitimacy, because a lot of people always write me off after I make mistakes and then I have to climb my way back up.”

Jeremy Abbott (USA) moved up from fifth to fourth with the second best free skate. He missed his quad toe but hit all his triples. He scored a competition mark of 235.38.

Overnight leader Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) not only crashed on his quad toe attempt, but also made costly errors on other jumps and his spins to plummet to fifth place overall. He scored 224.60 overall points while Tomas Verner (CZE) remained in sixth place with a competition mark of 192.32 points.

The Junior Ladies

Newcomer Polina Shelepen (RUS) won the junior ladies short program with an impressive performance to “Adagio.” Her program featured a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination. The 14-year-old from Moscow picked up a personal best of 59.54 points.

“I am very pleased with my performance today. I went for the triple-triple (Lutz-toe) combination for the first time in an international event. At some point you have to start doing it in competition and a big event like this motivates me even more to do it.” Shelepen said.

Kanako Murakami (JPN) was just 0.02 points out of first place. The 15-year-old Japanese skater turned in a crisp Flamenco and hit a triple toe-triple toe, but her double Axel was downgraded. Murakami received 59.52 points.

Ksenia Makarova (RUS) rounded up the top three with another solid program and produced a triple toe-triple toe combination as well (55.38 points).

Anna Ovcharov of Russia was fourth (54.92) in the short prgram and American Christina Gao was fifth (52.82). The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place finishers were also Americans: Ellie Kawamura (50.30), Kiri Baga (49.58) and Anglea Maxwell (47.28), respectively.

Money Talks

The seniors skaters are shooting for a big paydays in Tokyo. Skaters will earn the following:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

The junior ladies are shooting for smaller paydays. The winner s.will net $6,000 (U.S.), the silver medalist $5,000; and bronze medalist $4,000. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers will take home $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

On Tap

The remainder of the schedule for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

* Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA) continued their ascent this season and won their first title at the 2009-10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada took the silver and Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (FRA) claimed bronze.

Davis and White put out a powerful performance to “Phantom of the Opera” that was highlighted by their whirling lifts. The reigning Four Continents champions earned a personal best 103.64 for the routine. The Americans, who led after the original dance, climbed to the top of the podium with a total score of 169.44.

Davis said the title was the most significant win of their career to date. “It’s been a really great season so far and we’ve been feeling great in all competitions," she said. "The performance went pretty good today. I think that we can definitely skate a lot better and going home we’re going to look through that.”

Virtue and Moir edged the Americasn in the orginal dance. The Canadians performed an elegant dance to Gustav Mahler’s "Symphony No. 5" and scored 104.21 points. Over they compiled a competition mark of 168.22 points.

“There is room for improvement and I can’t wait to get back home and start training for nationals,” Virtue said.

Pechalat and Bourzat totaled 147.62 points to win their first medal in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. "It wasn’t our best today. We were very tired and we didn’t have enough training for a great performance,” Bourzat explained, referring to an ankle injury that has handicapped him during the past weeks.

Sinead Kerr and John Kerr (GBR) came in fourth with a dance to “Krwlng” by Linkin Park. Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (ITA) were fifth and Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier (CAN) finished sixth.

Cash Prizes

The couples earned cash awards in Tokyo. The breakdown (per couple) was as follows:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

The remainder of the schedule for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

* Saturday, Dec. 5: Junior Original Dance, Junior Ladies Short Program, Pairs, Ladies, Men Free Skating
* Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

Japanese skaters are giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about at the 2009-10 Grand Prix Final being held in Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo. Miki Ando and Daisuke Takahashi are in first place in the ladies and men’s disciplines, respectively, after the short program.

Meanwhile the first sets of medals were handed out, giving the home fans more to celebrate as countryman Yuzuru Hanyu took the junior men’s title. Young upstarts Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (CHN) won the junior pairs title (scroll down to see photos).

The Ladies

Going into the Grand Prix Final, Ando wanted to show that she is the real deal. She won two gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit but felt she had not skated her best. “I am pleased to be in the [Grand Prix] Final and will train hard for it,” Ando said after winning NHK Trophy in Japan. “I’m looking forward to the final in Tokyo, so I can show the people in Japan a better performance. I have to make my free skate more competitive.”

In the short program today, Ando scored 66.20 points. She downgraded a planned triple-triple to open her program and isntead went with a triple-Lutz, double-loop combo. "I wanted to do the triple-triple but the first landing of the triple didn't feel right. I changed it to a double and everything was fine after that," she said.

Skating to “Requiem” by Mozart, Ando skated an otherwise solid program to come out on top. Ando is the 2007 World champion and claimed the bronze at last year’s global event.

Reigning World champion Yu-Na Kim had uncharacteristic problems with a few jumps. The second jump of her triple Lutz-triple toe combination was downgraded. She also singled a triple flip. She produced strong spins and a double Axel to earn 65.64 points.

“I had a huge fall on the Lutz prior to the performance. I got a little nervous," Kim said. "I thought my triple-triple was okay, even if I missed my flip the rest of the program was good.”

Russia's Alena Leonova was third with a score of 61.60. "I’m awarding myself a score of ten-plus for this program, This is a nice present for my coach, who celebrates her birthday today,” Leonova said.

Canadian Joannie Rochette of Canada was fourth with 60.94. Japan’s Akiko Suzuki was fifth (57.54) and American Ashley Wagner was sixth (54.26).

The Men

Takahashi, skating in just his fourth competition in almost two years, landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination en route to a season best score of 89.95. He was one-tenth of a point ahead of reigning World champion Evan Lysacek of the United States who compiled 89.85 points. Japan's Nobunari Oda was third with a score of 87.65.

“I was very nervous during the warm up since I hadn’t competed with the top skaters last season,” Takahashi said. “But in today’s performance, I didn’t think about what my rivals were doing. The performance today wasn’t ideal but I’m in good condition in the final and I feel I’m achieving my ideal performance step by step.”

Lysacek called his program a “good warm-up” and said he has not pulled out all of his tricks yet.
“For the last two seasons, I’ve been trying to break 85. I think the closest I’ve come was 83 and 84,” he said. “To not just break it, but to go up to almost 90 points, is really a great improvement for me, and I think it’s reflected a lot in the components score. I’ve been working so hard technically making these elements so strong, not just execute them.”

Oda was happy with his performance. “I was very nervous because I was the last skater,” he said. “I knew Daisuke and Evan had gotten high marks, but I just tried to focus on what I had to do. I was confident.“

American Johnny Weir was fourth (84.60), and his teammate, Jeremy Abbott (the defending Grand Prix Final champion) was fifth (76.65). Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic placed sixth (70.17 points).

The Junior Men

Earlier today, Hanyu (JPN) was golden with a stellar showing in the junior men’s division. Hanyu hit a triple Axel and six othertriples including a triple Salchow-triple toe loop combination in the last minute of his routine to “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”

The 14-year-old posted a season best 136.92 points and accumulated 206.77 overall to move up from third to first place. “I didn’t expect that I could win,” Hanyu said. “My jumps were not good coming into the competition, but what’s important is doing them in competition. I only thought about completing each element as I went along."

Overnight leader Nan Song (CHN) skated to the silver medal with a solid performance that included two triple Axels. He scored 133.29 points for the free skate, which was a season best, and overall had 204.99 points.

Ross Miner (USA) clinched the bronze medal with six clean triples (196.09 points). All three medalists competed in their first Junior Grand Prix Final.

Junior Pairs

Newcomers Sui and Han skated off with the gold medal in their first Junior Grand Prix season, overtaking more experienced competitors. The 14- and 17-year-old skaters turned in a cute Charlie Chaplin program that was highlighted by a big triple twist, a throw triple Salchow and a double Axel-double Axel sequence. The young Chinese team picked up 103.65 points for this routine and totaled 160.45 points.
“We are deeply moved. It is our first time in the Final, and we wouldn't have dreamed about achieving such a good result and promise to give our best in the future as well,” Han said. “From our point of view the, performance today was okay, but we could have performed better.”

To the delight of the home crowd, the silver medal went to Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran (JPN), who are only the second pair from Japan to have medaled in the Junior Grand Prix. They produced a throw triple toe and difficult lifts to score 91.36 points and overall had 145.80.

Yue Zhang and Lei Wang (CHN) rounded up an all-Asian podium with their bronze medal. They landed three triple throws and moved up from fifth to third at 137.19 points overall.

In the Money

The seniors skaters are shooting for a big paydays in Tokyo. Skaters will earn the following:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

Hanyu pocketed $6,000 (U.S.) for his big win; Song netted $5,000; and Miner $4,000. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers took home $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. In junior pairs, the winning couple split $9,000 (U.S.) the second place team split $7,500, third place $6,000, fourth place $4,500, fifth place $3,000 and sixth place $1,500.

On Tap

The remainder of the schedule for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

Saturday, Dec. 5: Junior Original Dance, Junior Ladies Short Program, Pairs, Ladies, Men Free Skating
Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (CHN), who have won three World titles and two Olympic medals in their stellar careers, captured the pairs short program on Thursday night in Tokyo at the Grand Prix Final. Meanwhile Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the lead in ice dance, and competition in the junior men's and juniors pairs events began.

The Pairs

Shen and Zhao set a World record score of 75.36 points in the process.

With a clean and emotional performance to “Who Wants to Live Forever” the Chinese pair, which rejoined the competitive ranks this season, upset two-time and reigning World champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (GER), who came in second.

“Today we felt very good out there on the ice. We almost felt like we were in Beijing,” Zhao said. “All our elements were beautiful today, and also our emotions were strong. So we feel this was a better performance than at our previous Grand Prix events in Beijing and in the USA. Therefore we are very happy today. The audience was great too; it was almost like [we were] at home.”

Szolkowy touched down his hand on his and Savchenk's side-by-side triple toes. The other elements in their lyrical routine to “Send in the Clowns” were solid. “It was a weird feeling today. It felt more like a practice than a competition,” Savchenko explained. “The elements felt better than in the other competitions, except for my triple toe obviously.”

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov (RUS) finished third with a performance to “Appassionata” in the high-level competition. The Russians achieved a personal best score of 69.78.

“It was not easy, because it's a very big time change and we prepared for this competition in the United States and the ice rink there is smaller than this one and we didn't feel so comfortable. But we just tried to skate and make it work and are finally happy,” Trankov said, referring to the fact that the couple had stayed in North America following their second Grand Prix assignment, Skate Canada International last month.

Defending Grand Prix champions Qing Pang and Jian Tong (CHN) came in fourth. Their pair spin received no value as they had lost touch during the change of foot. Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (CHN) and Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov (RUS) followed in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Ice Dance

2009 Four Continents champions Davis and White danced to the lead in the original dance ahead of reigning World bronze medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (CAN). The two couples are separated by less than two points.

Davis and White put out an exotic Indian dance that featured intricate footwork and scored a season best of 65.80 points. Virtue and Moir had chosen a Flamenco routine for this year’s folk and country dance theme and left some technical points on the table as their elements had mostly lower levels than those of their main rivals. They posted a season best 64.01 points.

“We skated pretty good; not our best, but we’re pretty happy with it,” White said. “To be awarded with a score like that is always is always a good thing. Especially at this point in the season, we’re trying to build and build and it’s good to see our score building with us.

“Overall everything was very good, but we want to make it perfect. We are still striving for that. It’s the key, the key to success – never be content, keep striving.”

Moir said he and Virtue were happy with ttheir performance. “This is a program that we're really happy to bring with this week. Not that we were unhappy with OD in the GPs, it's just that we felt we could do a lot better, so we feel like this is a good step in the right direction,” Moir said.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (FRA) came in third with an upbeat American country dance. They received 56.93 points, which was also a sesaon best. “We could have done better. It was just the same as in the practice. I think we did a better performance in Skate Canada even though we got the season’s best today,” Bourzat noted.

European bronze medalists Sinead Kerr and John Kerr (GBR) placed fourth with another entertaining American country dance. Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (ITA) and Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier (CAN) finished fifth and sixth, respectivlyt.

Junior Men's Short Program

Nan Song (CHN) grabbed the lead in the junior men’s dicsiplien after the short program with a strong performance, edging out Ross Miner (USA) by less than one point. Song hit a triple Axel and a triple Lutz-triple toe to score a npersonal best of 71.70 points. Miner landed the same combination but put down his hand on the triple Axel. He earned 70.85 points.

“Today’s program was better than at previous competitions. I [will] make some changes after every competition, and I try to keep improving with each competition,” Song said. Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) finished third after wobbling on the triple Axel and his final combination spin (69.85 points).

All three men were competing for the first time in the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Junior Pairs Short Program

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (CHN) wrapped up a successful day for China by winning the junior pair’s short program ahead of Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran (JPN) and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov (RUS). Skating last out of the eight pairs to Russian Folk music, Sui and Han delivered a flawless program that included a side by side double Axel and a throw triple Salchow. The couple was awarded 56.80 points, just slightly below their personal best score.

”I think our performance was lacking in expression today. Our elements were rather solid,” Han said. “It is very exciting."

Takahashi struggled on the landing of the double Axel, but all the other elements earned a positive grade of execution. The team compiled 54.44 points.

Stolbova and Klimov produced a solid program that featured a double Axel and a throw-triple Salchow to score 48.90 points.

In the Green

The seniors skaters are shooting for a big paydays in Tokyo. The winners in all disciplines (per skater in singles, per couple in ice dance and pairs) will earn the following:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

The junior men and ladies who win gold will pocket $6,000 (U.S.); the silver medalists $5,000; and bronze medalists $4,000. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers will take home $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. In pairs and ice dance, the junior couples will split $9,000 for the top spots down to $3,000 for the sixth-place teams.

The remainder of the schedule for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

Friday, Dec. 4: Junior Men, Junior Pairs Free Skating, Men and Ladies Short Programs, Free Dance
Saturday, Dec. 5: Junior Original Dance, Junior Ladies Short Program, Pairs, Ladies, Men Free Skating
Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

American Ross Miner is making the most of his appearance at the 2009-10 Junior Grand Prix Final. He is in second place after the short program at the event, being held in conjunction with the senior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo this week, with a personal best score of 70.85. The 18-year-old American is less than one point behind the leader, 19-year-old Nan Song of China who grabbed the top spot with a personal best 71.70 for his short program.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is in third with 69.85. Hanyu, who turns 15 on Dec. 7, is Japan’s reigning junior champion. American Grant Hochstein, 18, in striking distance in fourth place with 66.45 points. See our articles with coverage of the junior men's short program and the junior men's free skate.

“I am super excited to have made the Junior Grand Prix Final in my first season on the Junior Grand Prix,” Miner told IFS prior to the competition. “It's an honor to be able to represent the United States in Tokyo, thrilling to be traveling to Tokyo for the first time, and even more exciting to actually be able to watch the terrific senior skaters when my event is over.

“And I would be less than honest if I did not mention how ecstatic I was to learn that [making] the JGP Final meant that I had a bye through regionals and sectionals, thus getting me on the express train to Spokane, where U.S. Championships will be held in January (Miner will compete as a senior there). [I am] like cartwheels, handsprings and jumping over barrels ecstatic!”


Miner, the reigning U.S. junior champion, won two medals on the Junior Grand Prix Series this season to earn his spot in the final. He was golden in Lake Placid, N.Y. and won the silver medal at Croatia Cup in Zagreb. Even though he was second in Croatia, Miner put up terrific numbers. He scored all personal bests there at the time — with 66.86 for his short, 129.22 for his free skate and a 196.08 total score.

The most difficult aspect of his short and long program are the jumps, according to Miner. “In both the short and the long program this season, the triple Axel is on the agenda, as well as a triple-triple,” he said. “It takes a lot of mental concentration but the point reward can be worth it.”

Last year Miner was an alternate for all the Junior Grand Prix events, due to the deep men’s field in the United States. “I didn't do any events as an alternate,” he said.

This season has brought about a reversal of fortunes for the young American. “For me, the highlight of my season thus far was winning my first event in front of a home crowd at Lake Placid, where I trained during the summers until I was 12,” said Miner who now works with Peter Johansson and Mark Mitchell in Boston. “The people running the event at Lake Placid are always so kind and supportive of me, and I feel like it's coming home when I skate there. From the rink manager to the Zamboni driver, everyone was terrific, and the town itself is so welcoming.

“Croatia was also wonderful. The practice rink was beautiful, and the city of Zagreb was warm and hospitable. It was a very well run event, and I enjoyed traveling to a country I had never visited before. I only wish I had had the time to stay longer and visit the Dalmation Coast.”

Miner has appreciated the opportunity to travel and make connections on the series. “I have really enjoyed the friendships I have made at my events, both with my Team USA teammates and with skaters from other countries. It is important for us, as Team USA members, to try and network and establish friendships with our colleagues from other nations as well, because we may be their lasting impression of our country. I want it to be a positive impression,” Miner said.

Miner said his goal for the final is to be happy with his performances once he gets off the ice . “For me, the satisfaction of doing the best I can is what I can control,” he said, “so that is what I aim for.”

For full results in the junior men's event and junior pairs, visit the RESULTS PAGE for the competition.

Along with competing for a spot on the podium, Miner is competing for a cash reward. The junior men and ladies who win gold will pocket $6,000 (U.S.); the silver medalists $5,000; and bronze medalists $4,000. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers will take home $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. In pairs and ice dance, the junior couples will split $9,000 for the top spots down to $3,000 for the sixth-place teams.

The seniors will have much bigger paydays in Tokyo. The winners in all disciplines (per skater in singles, per couple in ice dance and pairs) will earn the following:

1st place USD $25,000
2nd place USD $18,000
3rd place USD $12,000
4th place USD $6,000
5th place USD $4,000
6th place USD $3,000

The schedule of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (junior and senior) is as follows:

Thursday, Dec. 3: Junior Pairs, Junior Men, Pairs Short Programs, Original Dance
Friday, Dec. 4: Junior Men, Junior Pairs Free Skating, Men and Ladies Short Programs, Free Dance
Saturday, Dec. 5: Junior Original Dance, Junior Ladies Short Program, Pairs, Ladies, Men Free Skating
Sunday, Dec. 6: Junior Free Dance, Junior Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

Thin Ice – Reality Skating Show With a New Twist

By Susan D. Russell

Get ready for “Thin Ice,” a hot new reality skating show, set to hit the airwaves next March.

Produced by O’Neil Entertainment for ABC Television, the show will be hosted by Kurt Browning and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of “The View.” Lea Ann Miller will serve as artistic director.

Canada’s Shae-Lynn Bourne, the 2003 World ice dance champion and Shizuka Arakawa from Japan, the 2006 and reigning Olympic champion, are confirmed entries for the event.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button have signed on as judges with a third to be announced at a later date. The judging criterion is simple – entertain us!

The format will feature six couples that will perform together for the first time. Each will present a series of alternating solos within each program. “We want to bring together the greatest skaters in the world and we decided to draw from all four disciplines to make it interesting and exciting,” said producer, Terrence O’Neil. “No current pairs and dance teams will perform together.”

Teams will also not attempt the kind of synchronicity that pairs and dance couples typically do. For instance, Shae-Lynn has such a distinctive solo style – she will not recreate what she and Victor Kraatz did,” O’Neil explained. “Choreography will be the wild card. Who will be able to blend it into a compatible mix?”

Since the format of the show does not meet International Skating Union rules, only professional skaters will be invited. There are no rules about the selection of music or the use of props.

Both competition events will take place in the Premier Ballroom at the MGM Grand Hotel at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn., and will air live in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, March 19 at 8 p.m. (EST) on the ABC network. The show will also be broadcast around the world.

Voting will be split - 50% by the judging panel and 50% by viewer vote. For the first time in American reality television history, viewers from all corners of the globe will be able to vote for their favorites. “We are encouraging our international television partners to broadcast the shows live so that between Friday and Sunday, as many international viewers as possible will be able to vote,” O’Neil said.

The finale is scheduled for Sunday, March 21 at 7 p.m. All six couples will perform a second original program but, given the time constraints, only those in attendance at the show will be able to vote. Calculation of votes will take place during the final commercial break and the winner will be announced at the end of the show.

There is seating for 3,000 people at the Premier Ballroom. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale this week. As an added bonus, dress rehearsals will be open to the public. “With such limited seating, we anticipate the ballroom will be bustling with energy, both during the dress rehearsals and on-air shows,” O’Neil said.

The full roster of skaters and further details will be announced shortly.

IFS will be bringing you all of the exclusive backstage fun from "Thin Ice."

Brian Joubert Out of Grand Prix Final With Injury

By Paul Peret

On Wednesday night, during a practice session at his home rink in Poitiers, Brian Joubert injured his right foot while attempting a triple Lutz. The injury is serious enough that it would require surgery to be performed tonight (Thursday).

The same injury happened in February 2007, a few weeks before the Worlds in Tokyo, and some stitches were inserted into one of his tendons.

Joubert has therefore decided to pull out from next week's ISU Grand Prix Final in Tokyo (Tomas Verner is the first substitute) and might opt out also from the French Nationals, scheduled the weekend prior to Christmas in Marseilles.

UPDATE:

The surgery took place on Thursday night and on Friday morning the French star was back home.

Raymonde Joubert told IFS that her son's spirits are high despite the injury. She also said that starting today, the three-time European champion would start the rehab process through mesotherapy, which would last at least for 10 days.

Before the surgery, there was concern that Joubert might have fractured bones around his right big toe but the surgeon, who successfully repaired the ligament, found no breaks.

Joubert's participation at the French Nationals in Marseilles (Dec. 18-19) is highly questionable.

It may take up to six weeks for Joubert's injury to fully heal.

For the full-list of skaters in the Grand Prix Final, click HERE.

Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (2004-08) announced yesterday they will not compete at the 2009 International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 3-6, due to illness.

Belbin has been suffering from an infected wisdom tooth that required immediate oral surgery to avoid medical complications. Her oral surgeon advised her to avoid strenuous activity for at least one week following the surgery.

“Tanith had been attempting to control the infection with antibiotics, but, unfortunately, surgery became necessary in order to prevent more serious problems,” Agosto said. “The surgery was completed today, and it will be about a week before she can return to full training."

Belbin and Agosto said they are confident that they will be ready to compete at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-24, in Spokane, Wash.

"Tanith and I are very disappointed that we won't be able to compete at the Grand Prix Final,” said Agosto. “As soon as Tanith is ready, we’ll be back on the ice and training for U.S. Championships in January.”

Belbin and Agosto are four-time World medalists, winning silver in 2005 and 2009, and bronze in 2006-07. They also won silver at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The team trains in Aston, Pa., under the direction of former Olympic champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

For the full-list of skaters in the Grand Prix Final, click HERE.