Big time for young skaters JUVENILE, INTERMEDIATE COMPETITORS A PART OF U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS WEEK


by KELLY VOGTNER Skating dreams begin at a young age. So


imagine being able to watch Ashley Wagner, Jer- emy Abbott or Meryl Davis and Charlie White practice right before your very eyes. Tis motiva- tion will become a reality for juvenile and inter- mediate skaters competing at the 2013 Pruden- tial U.S. Figure Skating Championships. For the first time, all five competitive levels


– from juvenile to senior – will compete at the U.S. Championships. And while the juvenile and intermediate skaters will practice and compete at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and Conven- tion Center, they are encouraged to walk to the nearby CenturyLink Arena to watch today’s stars practice. It’s all part of the plan to help keep young


skaters motivated and moving forward. Known as “building blocks for the future,”


juvenile and intermediate levels play an import- ant role in the competitive structure of U.S. Fig- ure Skating. Te juvenile level gives skaters ages 13 years


old and younger the opportunity to participate in the qualifying competition structure and real-


ly learn what it is like to be a competitive figure skater. Intermediate builds upon that, demanding


more skills, a longer program, and for singles, the introduction of a two event segment competi- tion.


Tese levels are not the final destination, but


rather very important parts of the journey. Over the past two seasons, several U.S. Figure


Skating committees, led by Athlete Development and Competitions, studied this event and these levels with specific goals in mind. Te primary goal was to better prepare juvenile and interme- diate athletes for the competitive environment they will face when they move up to novice. At the same time, the duration, cost and mid-December timing of the U.S. Junior Championships had be- come a burden on many families. Now, all levels of figure skating will follow


the same advancement path right from the begin- ning. Younger skaters will not have to adjust to the “regional-sectional-national” path when they move up to novice, and they will have the benefit of skating at the same competitions as the best athletes in the country.


HOW DID WE GET HERE? While the “regional-sectional-national” model for novice, junior and senior has been in place longer than most participants in the sport can remember, the advancement structure for juvenile and intermediate has undergone several changes over the past 20 years. The changes were implemented to ensure that the sport’s youngest competitive athletes get the best experience possible to prepare them for success at the higher levels. Here is a look at how national level competition for juvenile and intermediate athletes has evolved.


Before 1991 Juvenile athletes competed only at regional championships. Intermediate athletes competed at regional championships with the top four advancing to sectional championships. But it stopped there.


1991 “Juvenile-Intermediate Nationals” was born. The event was held in mid-April. For the juvenile events, 18 skaters/teams qualified by placing in the top two at the regional champion- ships. In intermediate, 12 skaters/teams qualified by placing in the top four at the sectional championships. At this competi- tion, the figures and freeskating events were combined events for singles skaters.


1995 The event name was changed to the “U.S. Junior Olympic Fig- ure Skating Championships.” Figures and free skating became separate events for the juvenile and intermediate singles skat- ers. The event was still held in April, and the qualification pro- cess remained the same.


1998 The event name was changed to the “U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships,” and the event was moved to March. The qual- ification process remained the same.


30 JANUARY 2013 1999 The figures event was eliminated from the competition.


2000 The rules were changed to eliminate intermediate competitors from the sectional championships, and advance skaters direct- ly to the U.S. Junior Championships. This increased the number of intermediate competitors from 12 to 36 per discipline. In the juvenile events, the number advancing from each region was increased from 2 to 4, doubling the entries to 36. However, U.S. Figure Skating rules only allowed a maximum of 18 skaters in one group, so qualifying rounds were added.


2001 The event was moved from March to December, as many coaches and competitors felt that young skaters changed too much in the six months (October to March) between regionals and the U.S. Junior Championships.


2005 After a failed effort to redistrict the U.S. Figure Skating map and adjust the regions, the “percentage plan” was adopted to allow additional skaters in larger regions to attend, now allowing up to 42 skaters per event. By 2005, the U.S. Junior Championships had doubled from the original three-day competition into a six-day competition.


2008 Pairs and ice dancing events were moved from regionals to start at sectionals, with participation optional. This allowed any pairs or ice dancing team open entry to the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships.


2009 Pairs and ice dancing were required to attend sectionals, with the top eight advancing from each section for a maximum of 24 teams in each pairs or dance event.


2013 For the first time in U.S. Figure Skating history, juvenile and in- termediate athletes in singles, pairs and dance will compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.


Andrew Torgashev, 11, of the Panthers FSC is the 2012 juvenile boys champion and will compete at the 2013 U.S. Championships as an intermediate. He is the 2013 Eastern intermediate men’s champion.


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