GRAND PRIX SERIE S PREVIEW
‘EVERY COMPETITION IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY’
Edmunds excited for her return to Russia by TROY SCHWINDT
Polina Edmunds will return to Russia for the first time since competing at the 2014 Olympic
Winter Games in Sochi when she performs at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow in late November. “I’m looking forward to having the support of my relatives and friends in Russia, who can come and watch me,” said Edmunds, who is coached by her mother, Nina Edmunds, a former figure skater in Russia. Polina, who won the Four Continents title last season and placed in the top 10 at the World Championships, will also compete at Skate Canada International in late October. “Coming off of a successful last season, I am confident in performing well, and every com-
petition is a new opportunity for me to show who I am,” said Edmunds, the 2014 U.S. silver medalist who trains and attends public high school in San Jose, California. “My new programs are by Rudy Galindo and I hope that everyone will like them.” Edmunds and the rest of Team USA received their assignments for the 21st edition of the
Grand Prix Series in mid-June. Te series combines six prestigious, international competitions that award prize money to eligible skaters. Te top six point earners in the Grand Prix Series in each of the four disciplines qualify for the Grand Prix Final, which will be held in December in Barcelona, Spain.
U.S. champion Ashley Wagner, who has won a medal at the last three Grand Prix Finals, will Polina Edmunds 2015–16 U.S.
QUALIFYING EVENTS North Atlantic Regional Championships: Oct. 3–6, Lake Placid, New York
Southwestern Regional Championships: Oct. 3–6, Parkville, Kansas
Central Pacific Regional Championships: Oct. 3–6, San Jose, California
Northwest Pacific Regional Championships: Oct. 10–13, Mountlake Terrace, Washington
Upper Great Lakes Regional Champion- ships: Oct. 10–13, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Southwest Pacific Regional Champion- ships: Oct. 10–13, West Covina, California
South Atlantic Regional Championships: Oct. 17–20, Aston, Pennsylvania
New England Regional Championships: Oct. 17–20, Acton, Massachusetts
Eastern Great Lakes Regional Champion- ships: Oct. 17–20, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Eastern Sectional Championships: Nov. 17–21, Simsbury, Connecticut
Midwestern Sectional Championships: Nov. 17–21, Cleveland
Pacific Coast Sectional Championships: Nov. 17–21, Los Angeles
U.S. Championships: Jan. 16–24, Saint Paul, Minnesota
12 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
showcase her talents at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy. U.S. silver medalist Gracie Gold, who qualified for the Grand Prix Final last year but had to withdraw prior to the event because of a foot injury, will perform at Skate America and Trophée Bompard in Paris. U.S. bronze medalist Karen Chen will make her Grand Prix debut at Cup of China. Qualifiers last year for the Grand Prix Final, U.S. ice dance silver medalists Maia Shibutani
and Alex Shibutani will compete at the NHK Trophy for the fifth time, while making their debut at Skate Canada. “It’s our goal to return to Barcelona for the Grand Prix Final,” Maia said. “We’ve been work-
ing extremely hard with our choreographers and coaches since Worlds and we’re very proud of the programs we are creating.” U.S. ice dance champions Evan Bates and Madison Chock return to Skate America, where they will attempt to defend their crown. Tey’ll also skate at Cup of China. Last year, they won the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final. U.S. bronze medalists Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, winners of two Grand Prix
bronze medals last year, will vie at Trophée Bompard and NHK Trophy. In pairs, U.S. bronze medalists Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea will make their Grand Prix
Series debuts at Skate America and Rostelecom Cup. Last year, the Florida-based duo was forced to miss the Grand Prix season because of a hip injury and surgery to Kayne. “Tough it was a little bit of a disappointment last year to have to withdraw from both of
our Grand Prix in our debut season, we believe that our results show that it was definitely the correct decision for the longevity of our team,” O’Shea said. “We allowed Tarah’s healing process to take the correct course and grew together as a team. We are excited to have been assigned Skate America and Rostelecom Cup. It is always an honor to skate in your home country. Getting the chance to skate in Russia, which has such a rich skating history, especially in pairs, will be a great experience, too.”
Kayne is still a few months away from complete recovery, O’Shea said, but the team’s new programs and elements are progressing well.
U.S. champions Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim return to Skate America, where
they placed fourth last year. Tey’ll also compete at NHK Trophy. For the men, 2011 U.S. silver medalist Richard Dornbush will look to duplicate his success
from a year ago at Cup of China, where he earned the bronze medal. Te California skater, who carries a 3.9 grade point average as a college junior, will also compete at NHK Trophy. “What I wanted most was at least two weeks down time in between events, which I haven’t
had until this year,” Dornbush said. “Tis will be my fourth time competing in Beijing, so it’s practically a second home. “I’m feeling really good about my skating going into the series this year. I’m really working on my planning this year. Last year I had a really good base of summer training but with the introduction of full-time school and my move down to San Diego, things sort of overwhelmed me. So this time around I’m really proud of the planning I’ve put down so that things don’t get too crazy for me in the fall.” U.S. champion Jason Brown, the silver medalist at Skate America in 2014, returns to the
Grand Prix Series kickoff event in Milwaukee. He’ll also compete at NHK Trophy. U.S. silver medalist Adam Rippon will vie at Skate Canada and Rostelecom Cup.
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