Congratulations to Isabeau and Sophie on their Cranberry Cup victories. For reference, Isabeau's August score is roughly two points below her Boston showing (209.84). I also want to take the opportunity to highlight some of the up and coming
novice skaters who demonstrated grit and quality.
Skylar Lautowa-Peguero ranked first in the short despite a singled Axel and came second in the free to nab the silver medal behind Lia Cho from Canada. She earned a total score of 144.47, landing a 3Lz3T and four other triples. If not for a few level issues on her spins and the singled Axel, Skylar would have likely taken gold. Skylar and Lia will be exciting to watch in the coming years, and I wish them both nothing but the best. As we have seen in the past, ice is slippery and prodigies come and go like waves crashing onto shore. Nevertheless, it would be unwise to also not hope for healthy careers marked by longevity and contentedness.
Tera Gropp won bronze, landing six triples including a 3Lz2A2A sequence worth 14.62 points. Tera has markedly improved year after year and will probably incorporate a 3T3T or 3Lz3T soon.
Mia Iwase came in third, landing six triples including a 3T3T and a 3Lz2A2A.
Deborah Liu came back from a disappointing short to place fifth, landing five triples out of her six attempts including a 3T3T. Finally,
Lizbeth Tu came in sixth and landed four clean triples. I've linked videos of the performances I could find on social media.
Also, Sophie became the 16th woman to land a clean quad. I am excited to see her on the Junior Grand Prix this season and with this victory, she all but sealed her second assignment. I'm excited to see where Emilia will be assigned after her monstrous score at her last competition. I also think Kaya Tiernan deserves an assignment, especially after her bronze medal finish following two clean skates. There are eight spots left and if we assume that Sophie will receive a second assignment, that leaves seven. If Sherry does well, then that leaves six. If Emilia and Kaya are assigned, that leaves four. If nobody else does well enough to receive a second assignment, then the last four should be given to Jiaying, Jessica, Hannah, and Rachel.
Next week (August 20-23), the Junior Grand Prix starts with
Sherry Zhang and Angela Shao.
