Above: Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal showcase their unison and presentation. Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating
By Troy Schwindt
U.S. junior champion Logan Higase-Chen, U.S. junior silver medalist Taira Shinohara and the U.S. junior bronze medalist ice dance team of Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal represent two-thirds of the Team USA athletes who will compete Sept. 11-14 at Junior Grand Prix Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand, the third event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.
Higase-Chen, will look to build upon her second-place Challenger Series finish in the junior event last month at the Cranberry Cup International in Boston, Massachusetts. The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based skater is making her second Junior Grand Prix Series appearance and skates on the circuit for the first time since 2022. Last season, she won the junior event at 2023 Budapest Trophy.
Making his JGP debut, Shinohara arrives in Bangkok with momentum from the end of last season after taking the top step of the podium at the 2024 Bavarian Open.
Shinohara trains in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, under coach Denise Myers and her team. Two-time Olympian Jason Brown is one of his choreographers.
The Peals, who train in Nashville, Tennessee, will commence their third season on the JGP circuit. Fifth at the ISUWorld Junior Figure Skating Championships 2024, the brother and sister duo kicked off the current season by placing fourth in the junior event at the 2024 Lake Placid Ice Dance International at the end of July.
Coached by their father, Robert, the Peals have competed in four JGP events, with two podium finishes last season in Armenia and Austria.
The ice dance team of Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin will make their JGP debut, having formed their partnership in December of 2023.
The Connecticut-based team captured the junior title at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International in their international debut.
Competition kicks off Thursday with the women’s and men's short programs. On Friday, the rhythm dance will open the competition, with the women’s free skate to follow. Competition concludes Saturday with the free dance followed by the men’s free skate.
Fans can watch all the action from JGP Thailand, as well as the entire Junior Grand Prix Series, live on the ISU YouTube channel.
Now in its 27th season, the ISU Junior Grand Prix 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 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2024, taking place Dec. 5-8 in Grenoble, France.
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 Fan Zone.
U.S. ENTRIES AT JGP THAILAND
Athlete | Hometown | Training Town
Women
Logan Higase-Chen | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Men
Taira Shinohara | Schaumburg, Ill. | Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Ice Dance
Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin | Woodbridge, Conn.; Wethersfield, Conn. | Newington, Conn.
Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal | Nashville, Tenn; Nashville, Tenn. | Nashville, Tenn.
