Pairs
Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin
They have strong elements, many of which rival the seniors. Their skating skills are strong enough, but the performance needs work. They skate with their eyes down, and don't connect well enough with each other or the audience, but that will come with time and confidence.
They were much stronger in the short than the long. She is not very strong on the side by side jumps and the side by side spins were not synchronized in the freeskate. The twist was also not as good in the freeskate than the short. However these are the issues that all pairs teams face, and could quite possibly be the result of one off day. The bigger issue is the lack of connection, their programs don't feel complete, they seem almost unfinished, like they have to think about what comes next, rather than performing.
Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau
I am generally a fan of these two (maybe just because I'm Canadian, but I really enjoy watching them), however I'm not a huge fan of this short program. I don't find it particularly attention grabbing, and I find the first section of music quite irritating. However, they, unlike Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin, really perform, even if the program feels a little gimmicky. Next season, assuming they move up to senior (which I'm pretty sure they will) they will need to have more mature programs to compete more seriously.
I really do like their freeskate much more than their short program. It feels more mature, and they look far more ready to compete at the senior level in the free than the short. However, some of the technical elements are a little more rough around the edges in this program, like the twist and the side by side spins. They'll need to work more on their technical elements to be competitive next season, but with choreography more like this for next season, they'll work their way up the ranks quickly.
Lina Fedorova and Maxim Miroshkin
They don't have too much going on in terms of choreography between elements, it feels a little bare, and the choreography they do have looks quite young. On top of that, some of their technical elements had some big mistakes especially on the side by side spins. He almost didn't make it into the spin at all, and wasn't able to recover the element. They tend to miss the accents in the music. They have choreography clearly meant to fall on the beats of the music, but most are either early or late, meaning they aren't listening to the music, which is not a good sign.
They had some huge mistakes in the freeskate. She fell on both opening side by side jumps, then put her foot down on the throw and caught an edge on their death spiral. The side by side spins are also the same in both programs, and they re-use many of the choreographic elements from the short program in the free. They also did not finish either program with the music. Despite the third place finish, based on these performances, I don't think they're ready to move up to senior just yet, especially with the quality of pairs skating in Russia
Anastasia Gubanova and Alexei Sintsov
First of, the costumes are terrible and their opening position seems very young, it doesn't look like a junior level program, between the costuming and the pose. They don't have great timing, and the skating skills need some work.
They could use a few more years at the junior level, but she is only 14, and is much younger than many of the other ladies in the pairs event.
Ice Dance
Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov
Overall, their performance was good. They had good speed and the pattern dance (the silver samba) was executed well, however they had a few mistakes, namely on the twizzles, they were out of sync and looked almost out of control. The music cuts were also strange and abrupt, and they didn't make much sense.
Technically, they were very good, and they are good enough performers, but in all honesty, I didn't find this free dance to be anything particularly special. It was fine, and they're good skaters, but I don't think I will have a particularly strong memory of them going forward.
Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter
Their costumes were horrible and tacky, and they were a little sloppy at times, but they were memorable, if only because she was overselling the performance. In many ways the program was tacky, but at least it leaves a lasting impression. They were fine technically, but the dismount from the lift was sloppy, and they weren't perfect, but they were good.
Again, the costumes were tacky and a little horrible, but if you're going to wear a terrible costume, you've got to sell it, and she sure does but WHY ANOTHER PHANTOM OF THE OPERA PROGRAM? From the second the music started, I started to lose interest (at least they didn't use the terrible Gerard Butler version, but the cuts are weird and abrupt). They, at least, are an interesting couple, even if they did pick the worst possible year to skate to this music. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the future far more than Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov at the very least.
Alexandra Nazarova and Maxim Nikitin
While not the best technically, and in terms of timing, these two are entertaining to watch. They don't have the greatest extension, and aren't always as sharp as the other teams, but they are committed 100% to the program and selling it as well as they can. Unlike some other teams, it is not just one skater or the other selling the program, both do, and it works for them.
Honestly, I don't know how I feel about them. Their free dance is interesting, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. They're still a little rough around the edges, but their speed is good, and their personalities shine through, making them interesting to watch.
Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons
I'm really not a fan of their music, and I don't find them to be exceptional in either their performance or their technique. They're good, but not a team I'll remember going forward.
Their free dance was fine, but a little sloppy. Their movements felt either too drawn out or thrown away. It wasn't really anything particularly memorable, but they are strong skaters, and over time their programs will get better.
Ladies
Evgenia Medvedeva
Like most of the Russian ladies, her jumps are small, and even though she gets the rotation now, there is a chance that because her technique relies so much on her small stature to get around that she may struggle, like many of the senior Russian ladies have. Though she's a strong enough technical skater, I' really not a fan of the Russian style of skating over the music. She doesn't use the music to fuel the program and really perform, it's just sort of there as she skates, making it difficult for me to enjoy her skating.
Serafima Sakhanovich
She's fine. Not specatcular. like most of the Russian ladies, she doesn't do much with the music, but unlike some of the others, she had some significant mistakes technically. Like most of the Russian ladies (especially those coached by this team) we will have to wait and see what happens with her career and where she will go from here. The competition in Russia is tough, and the girls are all so young it may be a while before the current juniors will be able to step into the spotlight.
(This isn't from Jr. Worlds, I couldn't find a video, but
instead from Russian Nationals earlier this year)
Wakaba Higuchi
She is fantastic. It's clear she's with the right coaching staff. Her jumps are strong; they're big and she has great air positions, though the running edge out of them isn't always great. She has good skating skills and choreography. She's a strong performer and skates with confidence.
She really was something special. She skates with power and flair and she is able to perform while executing the difficult elements. I would have had her in second. The two performances were almost perfect, and her PCS should have been better than both of the skaters ahead of her, by quite a bit.
Elizabet Tursynbaeva
Here's one to watch. She's coached by Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson, meaning she has great choreography and skating skills. Her jumps aren't as clean as the top three ladies, but are still strong. With her (presumably) training at the Cricket Club, the environment there is only going to improve her jumps and push her to improve. I am generally a fan of Wilson's choreography and Orser's students' skating, and Elizabet was no exception.
She does have a tendency to skate with her head down, but over time, she will become more confident and she will be able to perform a little more outwardly.
If Denis Ten is anything to go by, should she have any kind of success on the senior circuit, she will have no shortage of fans, both in Kazakhstan and around the world (maybe I'm a little biased in favour of the honorary Canadians).
Karen Chen
She had a rough short program, finishing in 12th, but came back, finishing 8th overall. After her finish on the podium at US Nationals, she's one to look for next season, even though she finished well off the podium.
Men
Shoma Uno
Shoma is one to watch. After his finish at both Japanese nationals and the Four Continents, assuming he continues to skate this way he'll be a force to be reckoned with, even on the senior circuit.
Despite some minor mistakes, Shoma Uno is one we'll all be watching next season. The only thing standing in his way next season is Japanese nationals. With a field that deep, even with a fantastic performance, there's a chance he wouldn't make it to the major internationals next year.
Some honorable mentions from the men's event:
Nathan Chen
Boyang Jin
Sota Yamamoto
Adian Pitkeev
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