Twelve U.S. athletes head to the sixth event of the 2021 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) Series this week in Gdansk, Poland. Since 2001, this event has been held in Poland every two years, alternating between the cities of Torun and Gdansk. This year will mark the third-consecutive time that Gdansk has hosted the competition.
Competition begins on Thursday, Sept. 30, with the women’s, pairs and men’s short programs. The rhythm dance and pairs and women’s free skates are scheduled on Friday, Oct. 1. The event concludes on Saturday, Oct. 2, with the men’s free skate and free dance.
Mia Kalin and Clare Seo will represent the U.S. in the women’s competition. Kalin, a native of California, finished seventh at JGP Slovakia earlier this fall and eighth in the junior competition at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Seo took third at JGP France and claimed the junior bronze medal at the 2021 U.S. Championships.
In the men’s competition, Will Annis and Jacob Sanchez headline the U.S. contingent in Poland. Annis will make his third-career JGP appearance, most recently grabbing the bronze medal at JGP Slovakia. This competition marks the first JGP appearance for Sanchez, who finished third in the 2021 Cranberry Cup.
Team USA will send two pairs to Poland. 2021 U.S. junior champions Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia are set to compete in Gdansk. This will be their second JGP competition. Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard will make their third JGP appearance. Competing together since 2015, the duo took the junior silver medal at the 2021 U.S. Championships and bronze at the 2019 U.S. Championships.
In the ice dance field, Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski will take the ice in their second JGP event. The 2021 U.S. junior pewter medalists earned silver at the second JGP event in France earlier this season. Leah Neset and Artem Markelov will also represent the U.S. Since teaming up in March 2020, the pair placed eighth at JGP Russia and third in the junior competition at 2021 Lake Placid Ice Dance International.
Entering its 24th 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). Depending on the developments during the JGP Series, the ISU Council will evaluate if and how the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021 (scheduled for Dec. 9-12, 2021, in Osaka, Japan) could be held by applying alternative qualification criteria. The ISU will stream all events live on its YouTube page.
U.S. ENTRIES AT JGP POLAND
Athlete(s) | Hometown(s) | Training Town
Women
Mia Kalin | Oakland, Calif. | Oakland, Calif.
Clare Seo | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Men
Will Annis | Duxbury, Mass. | Norwood, Mass.
Jacob Sanchez | Montgomery, N.Y. | Newburgh, N.Y.
Pairs
Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard | Lake Barrington, Ill.; McHenry, Ill. | Geneva, Ill.
Anastasiia Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia | Shakopee, Minn. | Bloomington, Minn.
Ice Dance
Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski | Colorado Springs, Colo.; Lakewood, Colo. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov | Minot, N.D.; Volzhsky, Russia | Colorado Springs, Colo.
