Colorado Springs, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2012) — The qualifying portion of the 2012 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series comes to a close this weekend in Chemnitz, Germany. Scheduled for Oct. 10-14, JGP Germany will be the last of seven qualifying events that have been held since the end of August. Athletes will compete in singles, pairs and ice dancing.
Icenetwork.com will provide event coverage, including news, photos and recaps from Chemnitz.
LADIES
Leah Keiser looks for her second JGP title of the season and to qualify for the JGP Final. She won gold at 2012 JGP Turkey, her first career JGP event. Samantha Cesario is the 2012 JGP Austria bronze medalists and has won bronze in each of her last three JGP events.
PAIRS
Britney Simpson and Matthew Blackmer, the 2011 U.S. junior silver medalists and JGP Final bronze medalists, were fifth to open their year at 2012 JGP Austria. Joining them are Jessica Pfund and AJ Reiss, who also placed fifth at their season-opening competition JGP United States.
ICE DANCING
After partnering up in June, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker made their competitive debut together at JGP Turkey and finished fifth.
Now in its 16th season, the JGP Series consists of seven international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the seven scheduled events (pairs can compete in two of four designated events). The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Dec. 6-9 in Sochi, Russia, home of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
In addition to the event in Croatia, the Junior Grand Prix Series consists of the remaining events:
· JGP Final: Sochi, Russia – Dec. 6-9 (includes pairs)
Ladies
Samantha Cesario
Oceanside, N.Y.
Monsey, N.Y.
Leah Keiser
Wexford, Pa.
Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Pairs
Jessica Pfund
AJ Reiss
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Franklin Park, N.J.
Artesia, Calif.
Britney Simpson
Matthew Blackmer
Golden, Colo.
Detroit
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ice Dancing
Kaitlin Hawayek
Jean-Luc Baker
East Aurora, N.Y.
Edmonds, Wash.
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
