Thirteen U.S. Junior National Team skaters will represent U.S. Figure Skating in Xi'An City, China, at the first competition of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. The competition will take place from Aug. 19-22. All four figure skating disciplines will be represented at the event. 

Here is what you need to know before the competition begins: 

Event: ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, China 
When: Aug. 19-22, 2026 
Where: Xi'An City, China 
Watch: All Junior Grand Prix competitions are streamed live on the ISU YouTube channel. 

U.S. ENTRIES AT JGP CHINA 
Athlete | Hometown | Training Town
 
Women
Annika Chao | Irvine, Calif. | Anaheim, Calif.

Men
Patrick Blackwell | Norwood, Mass. | Norwood, Mass.
Zachary LoPinto | Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. | Norwood, Mass.

Pairs
Sofia Jarmoc and Luke Witkowski | Danvers, Mass.; Milton, Mass. | Norwood, Mass.
Alena Kerr and Sam Herbert | Rochester Hills, Mich.; Charleston, S.C. | Canton, Mich.
Baylen Taich and Nikolai Apter | Wilmette, Ill.; San Antonio, Texas | Park Ridge, Ill.

Ice Dance
Jane Calhoun and Mark Zheltyshev | Colorado Springs, Col.; Detroit, Mich. | Novi, Mich.
Annelise Stapert and Maxim Korotcov | Leesburg, Va.; Gaithersburg, Md. | Leesburg, Va.

* Indicates Junior Grand Prix debut 

Of these skaters, five will make their Junior Grand Prix debut at this competition. Six athletes enter the event as U.S. junior medalists.

Annika Chao, skating in her fourth career Junior Grand Prix this August, will represent the United States in the women's event. She placed fifth last season at Junior Grand Prix Italy, where she recorded her international best short program score (59.37). Chao also finished the 2025-26 season as the U.S. junior silver medalist.

Patrick Blackwell, reigning U.S. junior men's champion, closed out the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Series with two top-five placements. He claimed silver at Junior Grand Prix Thailand, his second career JGP medal. Blackwell's JGP Thailand performance garnered a new international personal best total score (222.17). He finished the 2025-26 season with an additional international medal, earning gold at 2025 Tallinn Trophy.

In the pairs event, 2026 U.S. junior silver medalists Sofia Jarmoc and Luke Witkowski head into their second season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. They earned a bronze medal at Junior Grand Prix Thailand and an eighth-place finish at the Junior Grand Prix Turkey last season.

Rounding out the pairs entries for the United States,  Alena Kerr and Sam Herbert and Baylen Taich and Nikolai Apter, will be making their Junior Grand Prix debuts in Xi'An City.  

Two ice dance teams, Jane Calhoun and Mark Zheltyshev and Annelise Stapert and Maxim Korotcov, will take the ice for the stars and stripes.  

Calhoun and Zheltyshev are coming off of a bronze medal in the junior event at the 2026 Lake Placid Ice Dance International. They are building on a strong 2025-26 season, which saw them finish as U.S. junior bronze medalists.  

Competition begins with the rhythm dance on the night of Wednesday, August 19, followed by the women's, pairs and men's short programs early on Thursday morning. The first medals of the event will be awarded on Friday after the conclusions of the free dance, women's free skate and men's free skate. The competition will conclude on Saturday with the pairs free skate.  

The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which started in 1997, 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 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2026, which will take place Dec. 10-13 in Chongqing, China. 

For more information on the Junior Grand Prix Series, including full results, news and more, visit the Junior Grand Prix Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating website.