(October 17, 2006)

Canadian pairs and ice dance teams captured first prize at the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Campbell’s Cup, held October 15 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In this team competition, each country entered two dance teams and two pair teams. Among the two dance teams, one did the original dance and the other one did the free dance. As for the two pair teams, one did a short program, while the other did a free skate. Dance and pairs titles were worth US$40,000 each, while the teams who finished in second place got US$20,000.

Performing the original dance for Canada was Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who finished second with 55.47 points behind the American duo Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (60.99 points). Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon dominated the free dance event for Canada scoring 100.10 points against Melissa Gregory Denis Petukhov (79 points) from the USA. Canadian dance teams beat the American teams 155.57 points against 139.99.

In the pairs’ event, national champions Valérie Marcoux and Craig Buntin won the short program with 62.30 points ahead of the American pair Rena Inoue and John Baldwin (59.06 points). Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sébastien Fecteau skated the free skate for Canada and finished first with 108.89 points in front of American skaters Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris (91.70 points). Canada won the pairs’ title with a total score of 171.19 points against 150.76 points for the USA.