Pham and Rogers Capture Bronze Medal in France

 
The first Junior Grand Prix event of the season kicked off in Courchevel, France, this weekend, where Team USA put out strong performances. Vanessa Pham and Jonathan Rogers captured the bronze medal in ice dance, and all U.S. athletes placed in the top 10.
 
Making their Junior Grand Prix debut, Pham and Rogers earned the bronze medal with a total score of 143.26. They performed a well-interpreted tango and flamenco in their rhythm dance and earned 55.76 points, placing third. In their passionate free dance to Scheherazade, they earned all positive GOEs save one element, scoring 87.50.
 
Also competing in their first Junior Grand Prix, Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal skated strong in the rhythm dance with a score of 53.21, coming in fourth just after their teammates. Nearly every element earned positive GOEs. In their free dance, set to the Halo soundtrack, they completed a Level 4 rotational lift with positive GOEs, earning 81.29 points. Their total score was 134.50, and they placed just off the podium in fourth place.
 
Joining Pham and Rogers on the podium were gold medalists Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of Korea (161.96) and silver medalists Celina Fradji and Jean-Hans Fourneaux of France (147.66).  
 
In the women's event, 2022 U.S. junior champion Clare Seo was fifth in both the short program and long program, earning her a fifth place finish overall. Her serene short program to "Simple Gifts" and "Appalachian Spring" was marked with beautiful transitions and mostly positive GOEs. In the free skate, she scored 168.34 total points.
 
Teammate Sarah Everhardt came to France after winning the junior title at the 2022 Philadelphia Summer International, and placed eighth in the short program and 10th in the free skate to earn 10th overall. Her free skate to music from Modigliani included a Level 4 flying sit spin, and she earned three personal bests at this event, including a personal best total score of 144.13 points.   
 
Japan's Hana Yoshida stood atop the women's podium with a score of 203.52 points. Japan and Korea rounded out the rest of the podium, with Ayumi Shibayama second (188.39) and Yujae Kim third (185.67).
 
Both Team USA men's competitors made their JGP debut at this event.
 
Michael Xie placed fifth overall after a fourth-place finish in the short program and a sixth in the free skate, earning 180.95 total points. In his short program to "Never Enough," Xie earned positive GOEs on most of his elements. His free skate opened with a strong triple Axel.
 
Teammate Lucius Kazanecki skated confidently in both his short and free skate programs. His short set to Michael Bublé boasted elements that earned positive GOEs in all but one. The free skate set to "To Build a Home" included a Level 4 combination spin. He placed eighth with a score of 167.85.
 
The men's podium consisted of Shunsuke Nakamura of Japan (219.65), Younghyun Cha of Korea (196.15), and Ryoga Morimoto of Japan (188.66).
 
The Junior Grand Prix Series continues next weekend in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Find full results and schedules on U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone's Competition Central.