Canadian skaters headlining the field at inaugural Skate Canada Autumn Classic International in Barrie

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 14 entries, for a total of 22 skaters to the inaugural 2014 Skate Canada Autumn Classic International (#ACI14), a senior international competition. It is the sixth event this season on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) new Challenger Series. The event runs from October 14-17, 2014, in Barrie, Ont., at the Allandale Recreation Centre. Canada will have four entries per category in men’s, pair, and ice dance, and two entries in ladies.

Olympic silver medallists (team) and two-time world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel, 28, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 29, Balmertown, Ont., will lead the way for the Canadian team in pair. Last season, the representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard placed seventh at the Olympic Winter Games in pair, and won silver in the team event. Duhamel and Radford also won their second straight world bronze medal and won the Canadian title for the third year in a row. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Brittany Jones, 18, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 24, Dallas, TX, USA, – Toronto, Ont., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be their second event on the ISU Challenger series, having placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic earlier this season. Last season, they placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Jones and Reagan are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Natasha Purich, 19, Sherwood Park, Alta., and Drew Wolfe, 19, Calgary, Alta., are the third Canadian entry in pair. The duo, representing CPA Saint-Léonard and the Glencoe Club, will be making their international debut, having teamed up in the offseason. They train at CPA Saint-Léonard and are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte.

Vanessa Grenier, 22, Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 22, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will also represent Canada in pair. The 2014 Canadian junior pair champions from CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil will be making their second stop on the ISU Challenger Series, having placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this season. Grenier and Deschamps are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint- Léonard.

Olympic silver medallist (team) Kevin Reynolds, 24, Coquitlam, B.C., is the first of four Canadian entries in the men’s discipline. Last season, the 2013 ISU Four Continents champion and Vancouver SC representative placed 15th (men’s) at the Olympic Winter Games, 11th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, and won his third consecutive Canadian silver medal. He is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre in Burnaby, B.C.

Nam Nguyen, 16, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men’s. The 2014 Junior World Champion also placed 12th at the 2014 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Nguyen is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Jeremy Ten, 25, Vancouver, B.C., will also represent Canada in men’s. Last season, he won bronze at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, placed sixth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, and ninth at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. The representative of Grandview SC is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., will round out the Canadian entries in men’s. This will be his second stop of the ISU Challenger Series, having placed sixth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic earlier this year. Last season, the representative of Richmond Hill FSC placed eighth at Skate Canada International and seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Tom Zakrajsek and trains in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Gabrielle Daleman, 16, Newmarket, Ont., is the first of two Canadian entries in ladies. Last season, she placed 17th at the Winter Olympic Games and 13th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Representing Richmond Hill FSC, Daleman also won her second consecutive Canadian silver medal. She is coached by Andrei Berezintsev and Inga Zusev and trains at the Richmond Training Centre in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., is the second Canadian entry in ladies. Last season, she placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Mexico and ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Representing CPA Longueuil, Séguin also placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Julianne is coached by Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig and trains in Chambly, Que.

Alexandra Paul, 23, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 24, Barrie, Ont., are one of four Canadian entries in the ice dance category. Last season, they placed 18th at the Olympic Winter Games and 10th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Representing Barrie SC, Paul and Islam also won bronze at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They train at the Detroit Skating Club with coaches Pasquale Camerlengo, Angelika Krylova, and Natalia Deller.

Piper Gilles, 22, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 22, Unionville, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Last season, the representatives of Scarboro FSC won silver at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, placed eighth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and placed fourth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Nicole Orford, 21, Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams, 23, Okotoks, Alta., are the third Canadian entry in ice dance. The representatives of Inlet SC and Calalta Community FSC, will be making their second stop on the ISU Challenger series, having won the silver medal at the 2014 U.S. International Skating Classic. Last season, they placed fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and fifth at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Orford and Williams are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Andréanne Poulin, 19, L’Île-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant, 23, Vaudreuil, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment since winning two bronze medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in 2012 in the U.S.A. and in Slovenia. The representatives of Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives are coached by Shawn Winter at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe 4 Glaces.

Louis Stong of Etobicoke, Ont., and Terra Findlay of Echo Bay, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders onsite. Lorna Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., Sylvain Guibord of Brossard, Que., Elizabeth Clark of Ottawa, Ont., and Lynne Dey of Edmonton, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For more information and full entries please visit the Skate Canada website.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2014 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL