Canada qualifies four entries for ISU Junior Grand Prix Final

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OTTAWA, ON: Over the course of seven ISU Junior Grand Prix events in seven different counties Canada was able to capture nine medals (five gold, three silver, one bronze), to ultimately qualify four entries for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Spain from December 11-14, 2014.

Overall 333 skaters/teams (105 men, 142 women, 22 pair teams, 64 ice dance teams) from 57 International Skating Union (ISU) member federations participated in the seven-event series. Only the top six in each category advance to the Final.

Canada will be well represented by Roman Sadovsky, 15, Vaughan, Ont., in men’s, Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Que., in pair and two entries in dance, Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen, 20, Oshawa, Ont., and Madeline Edwards, 18, Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang, 19, Burnaby, B.C.

Roman Sadovsky, 15, Vaughan, Ont., kicked off his season with a gold medal win in Ostrava, Czech Republic, the third stop on the junior circuit. Sadovsky would go on to place fourth in Dresden, Germany, the sixth stop on the circuit. He is coached by Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski at the YSRA Winter Club.

In pair Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Que., captured gold at both of their assignments (Ostrava and Dresden) and go into the Final as the top ranked pair team. Representing CPA Longueuil and CPA Chambly they are coached by Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig.

Ice dancers Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen, 20, Oshawa, Ont., will enter the Final as the second ranked ice dance team. Bent and MacKeen won gold at stop number three in Ostrava, Czech Republic and silver at event number five in Tallinn, Estonia. They train at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite with coaches Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane.

Madeline Edwards, 18, Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are the second entry in ice dance for Canada. Their season began at the first ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Courchevel, France with a silver medal performance. Edwards and Pang would go on to improve on that result, winning gold in Aichi, Japan the fourth stop on the circuit.  The representatives of Burnaby FSC are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

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CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JUNIOR GRAND PRIX FINAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Roman Sadovsky 15 Vaughan, Ont. YRSA Winter Club Tracey Wainman / Gregor Filipowski
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 17/21 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig
Ice dance Mackenzie Bent / Garrett MacKeen 17/20 Uxbridge, Ont. / Oshawa, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Bowmanville FSC Juris Razgulajevs / Carol Lane
Ice dance Madeline Edwards / ZhaoKai Pang 18/19 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Inlet SC / Inlet SC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Duhamel and Radford, Daleman lead after short programs at Skate Canada Autumn International

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BARRIE, Ont – Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., grabbed the lead in pairs and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., tops the women standings after Wednesday’s short programs at the Skate Canada Autumn International figure skating competition.

The competition is the sixth stop on the new ISU Challenger Series.

In pairs, Duhamel and Radford lead with 68.92 points with Jessica Calalang and Zack Sidhue of the U.S. second at 59.02 and Natasha Purich of Sherwood Park, Alta., and Andrew Wolfe of Calgary third at 54.84.  Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are sixth and Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan of Toronto are eighth.

‘’We felt really comfortable out there and skated with freedom,’’ said Radford, the world championship bronze medallist with his partner the past two seasons.  ‘’Even though we are seasoned competitors, you’re somewhat looking for your bearings at the beginning of the season.’’

In women’s competition, Daleman leads after the short program with 59.38 points.  Angela Wang of the U.S. is second at 56.38 and Julianne Seguin of Longueuil, Que., third at 54.18.

‘’It felt fantastic to compete that short program for the first time,’’ said Daleman, 16, an Olympic and world championship team member last season.  ‘’It was great to see the how crowd enjoyed it.’’

Canada is also in the medal hunt in ice dancing and men’s competition.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are first after the short dance at 59.74, crowd favorites Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam of Barrie are second at 55.30 and Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz of Spain are third at 54.14 just ahead of Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., in fourth at 53.42.

‘’We are super happy with the performance we put out today,’’ said Islam.  ‘’It was our first competition of the season and we just wanted to get things out there although we probably got dinged hard by the judges for struggling with our lift at the end.’’

Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams of Okotoks, Alta., are sixth and Andréanne Poulin of Ile-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant of Vaudreuil, Que., are 10th.

After the men’s short program, Ross Miner of the U.S. is first at 80.24, Ronald Lam of Hong Kong second at 73.75 and Jeremy Ten of Vancouver is third at 69.22.

‘’I’m disappointed in missing my Axel because I had been landing it consistently in training, said Ten, 25. ‘’Still, I came back strong for the rest of the program.  That shows how much I’ve matured as a skater.’’

Nam Nguyen of Toronto is fifth, Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., seventh and Andrei Rogozine of Newmarket, Ont., 11th.

Competition ends Thursday with the free skates in all four event.

Full results: 2014 Autumn Classic International

Returning home, Alexandra Paul & Mitchell Islam to debut new programs in Barrie

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Finally. No pressure. No injuries. Clear road ahead.

Canadian bronze medalists Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam see their world opening up this season, having finally snared two Grand Prix events after their efforts at the world championships last March in Japan.

It’s hard to believe, but that world championship in Japan was only their first. They had shown such promise after they had been paired up back in 2009. Within less than a year, they had won the Canadian junior title and earned a silver medal at the world junior championships. Their rise seemed meteoric.

Their debut at the senior level – at a Skate Canada International – gave people goosebumps. Then, while they had other plans, life happened.  Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. They suffered crazy injuries that scuttled their Grand Prix assignments over the next two seasons. Third at their first crack at the senior national level in 2011, they sunk to fifth the next year and then to fourth after a fall in the free dance. Last year, they upped their game, finished third again at nationals and earned their way to the Olympics. Sochi was an experience they will never forget. As many did, they photographed themselves standing within the giant Olympic rings at the venue.

The big triumph this season already is that they have earned two Grand Prix assignments. During the 2012-13 season, they got no Grand Prix at all, and last season, they got only the home Grand Prix, Skate Canada International. It’s been a long struggle uphill for a team that had so much early promise.

Their career has been stop and start. They were on a high to finish third at the Canadian championships, but their 18th place finish in Sochi wasn’t all they had hoped for. Later, Islam said they were distracted by all things Olympic – and they skated with too much caution. In the next few weeks, they redoubled their efforts to finish 10th at the world championships in Japan.

That 10th place finish at the world championships gave them a high-enough placing internationally that they earned two Grand Prix this season: Cup of China and Trophée Eric Bompard in Bordeaux, France.

They had lost confidence for a time. Now they have it. “Last season was so long,” Paul said. “It was good to have downtime after worlds.” They took time off in April and May, skipped summer competitions, spent time with their families and are returning refreshed.

“We’re in a different spot now,” Islam said. “We feel good now. It’s been nice. We enjoyed the summer. How we are training with confidence. If you are confident, you carry it into your training. Every day we prove to ourselves that we belong on top. “Attitude is everything.

Sure, they had a tough couple of years, he said, but they are “a lot more settled,” Islam said. “The confidence is way higher.”

With that in mind, Paul says they would like to win medals at both of their Grand Prix events. “It will be tough,” she said. “But it’s tough at all Grand Prix.”

How tough? At Cup of China, they are in against world champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy, the new team of Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin of Russia (She was fourth with her previous partner and he was seventh with his previous partner at worlds last year); and Americans Maia and Alex Shibutani (sixth last year).

In France, Paul and Islam will take on Cappellini and Lanotte again, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia (world bronze medalists a couple of years ago) and countrymen Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, eighth at worlds.

“We don’t see ourselves being out of place with bronze at both events,” Islam said.

They come equipped with two great programs. Their coaches Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova did the choreography for their short dance in June: it’s a Paso flamenco, and the music – “Nocturno” by Luciani and “Farruca y Rhumba” by Pepe Romero is exactly what they used when they won the silver medal at the world junior championships in 2009-2010. “Now we’re in a different part of our career and we are different skaters,” Islam said. They had found the music on iTunes.

Then they headed off to Montreal later that month to have Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon create their free dance, using a Frank Sinatra-Gloria Estefan duet. It was a heady experience: Paul and Islam say Dubreuil and Lauzon are their idols – and they had gone to them once before, with great results. Dubreuil and Lauzon designed their free dance that created such a furore at their senior international debut at Skate Canada International in Kingston, Ontario in 2011.

They had skated to lyrical music, “As Time Goes By,” which allowed them to show off their ease of movement, and effortless freedom. They earned a standing ovation for it, and actually finished second, (fourth overall) ahead of Sinead and John Kerr, who had been ranked fifth in the world at the time. It was only Paul and Islam’s second season together.

Now they have gone back to the same well, and they will skate to something new: “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”

“We knew what we wanted to do,” Paul said. “We wanted something romantic. We wanted to add another layer and the jazzy blues is a difference in style for us.”

It took them four days to choreograph it. “We had so much fun,” Islam said.

They’ve also been stepping up their lifts. They worked with an acrobat in Montreal.

They’re proud of themselves for the big jump they made in the standings between Olympics and worlds, when they were able to turn things around. They also would like to be within the top eight at worlds in Shanghai this year. They will take that first step by returning home to their former training ground in Barrie, Ontario to compete at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International this week.

Local Area Children Selected as Flower Retrievers for Skate Canada International in Kelowna

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OTTAWA, ON: In September Skate Canada hosted flower retriever auditions for the 2014 Skate Canada International event taking place in Kelowna, B.C., at Prospera Place from October 30 – November 2, 2014.

Twenty-four children aged 9-13 took to the ice for a live audition and were evaluated on skating skills and suitability through a series of on-ice activities by Skate Canada guest judges.

The role of the flower retriever is extremely important to the event. The flower retrievers must quickly collect all items that are thrown onto the ice after a performance and deliver these items to the skaters. Their role impacts the timing of the event that is critical to live television.

All of the selected skaters have learned to skate through their local club and are all members of the Skate Canada British Columbia/Yukon section.

Skate Canada is pleased to announce the 12 young skaters from the Kelowna region who have been selected to be flower retrievers for the event at the end of the month.

2014 Skate Canada International Flower Retrievers
Daria Carr, 10, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Mckenna Colthorp, 13, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Kaitlin Crerar, 13, Vernon, B.C. (Armstrong/Enderby SC)
Alyssa Dobbs, 12, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Taylor Fleming , 11, West Kelowna, B.C. (Mt. Boucherie SC)
Madeline Foley, 11, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Olivia Gran, 11, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Shaya Jeffery, 13, Fort St. John, B.C. (Fort St. John FSC)
Jordana McEachern, 11, Penticton, B.C. (Glengarry FSC)
Summer Peitsch, 11, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)
Tianna Potts, 11, West Kelowna, B.C. (Mt. Boucherie SC)
Ashley  Sales, 10, Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna FSC)

TICKETS

Tickets are on sale now! They can be purchased online at www.selectyourtickets.com, by phone at 250.762.5050 or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

EVENT

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating® series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements in the series’ events.

At the conclusion of all the events, the top-six men and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Barcelona, Spain from December 11-13, 2014.

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

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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

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men’s Kevin Reynolds 24 Coquitlam, B.C. Vancouver SC Joanne McLeod
Men’s Nam Nguyen 16 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Men’s Jeremy Ten 25 Vancouver, B.C. Grandview SC Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Men’s Andrei Rogozine 21 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Tom Zakrajsek
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 16 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Andrei Berezintsev / Inga Zusev
Ladies Julianne Séguin 17 Longueuil, Que. CPA Longueil Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 28/29 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 18/24 Toronto, Ont. / Dallas, TX, USA – Toronto, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC/ Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kris Wirtz / Kristy Wirtz
Pairs Natasha Purich / Drew Wolfe 19/19 Sherwood Park, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. CPA Saint-Léonard / Glencoe Club Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Vanessa Grenier / Maxime Deschamps 22/22 Sherbrooke, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA Sherbrooke / CPA Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice dance Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam 23/24 Midhurst, Ont. / Barrie, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC Pasquale Camerlengo / Angelika Krylova / Natalia Deller
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 22/22 Toronto, Ont. – Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Nicole Orford / Thomas Williams 21/23 Burnaby, B.C. / Okotoks, Alta. Inlet SC / Calalta Community FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Andréanne Poulin / Marc-André Servant 19/23 L’Île-Bizard, Que. / Vaudreuil, Que. Club De Patinage Des Deux-Rives / Club De Patinage Des Deux-Rives Shawn Winter

Canadian ice dancers maintain sixth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve of Montreal and Jeff Hough of Russell, Ont., earned Canada’s best result at the last stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit placing sixth in ice dancing on Saturday.

Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov of Russia won the gold medal with Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. second and Carolina Moscheni and Adam Lukacs of Hungary third.

Croteau-Villeneuve and Hough were seventh at their previous Junior Grand Prix assignment last month in Estonia.

‘’We made a few little technical errors that added up,’’ said Hough, 18. ‘’Still we performed well and had a very good connection on the ice.’’

Prior to Friday’s short dance, Croteau-Villeneuve injured her ankle in practice.

‘’It made it difficult especially when we were trying to reach the levels we wanted,’’ she said. ‘’Otherwise it wasn’t issue. All I need to do right now is rest the ankle.’’

Hannah Whitley of Creemore, Ont., and Elliott Graham of Angus, Ont., were 10th in their international debut.

In women’s competition, Maria Sotskova of Russia was the winner with Karen Chen of the U.S. second and Alexandra Proklova of Russia third.

Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., rocketed from 22nd after the short program to 13th overall with eighth best free skate of the day. Grace Lin of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., climbed from 18th to 16th. Both Canadians are only 13.

‘’I was proud with how I came back from such a difficult short program,’’ said Tamura. ‘’It was a great experience and I’m really excited about the rest of the season.’’

This weekend’s event capped a superb season by Canadians juniors on the circuit with four entries advancing to the Grand Prix Finals December 11-14 in Barcelona. Last year Canada had two junior entries.

Canadians qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix final are Julianne Seguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., in pairs, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., in men’s singles, and the ice dance teams of Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., as well as Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpger2014/index.htm

Two seventh place finishes for Canada at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Anthony Kan of Richmond Hill, Ont., and the pairs team of Mary Orr of Brantford, Ont., and Phelan Simpson of Lunenburg, N.S., were seventh on Friday at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit.

In pairs, Maria Vigalova and Egor Zakroev led Russia to a 1-2 finish with Daria Beklemisheva and Maxim Bobrov second and Renata Oganseian and Mark Babei of Ukraine third.

Orr  and Simpson placed seventh with 125.98 points and Keele Gingrich and Davin Portz of Calgary, the Canadian novice champions, were 11th in their international debut.

At their previous junior Grand Prix stop last month in Estonia, Orr and Simpson were sixth but bettered their score here by nearly six points.

‘’After Estonia we really worked on our components and skating skills,’’ said Orr, 18.  ‘’We could really see the difference here.’’

Since joining forces three years ago, Gingrich and Portz have steadily improved with each outing.

‘’Being at an international competition was a whole new ball game for us,’’ said Portz, 18.  ‘’It was a great learning experience and it is really going to help us move forward.  It was amazing to see the throws and lifts and the variety of elements the top teams possess.’’

In men’s competition, Shoma Uno of Japan took gold with Nathan Chen of the U.S. second and June Hyoung Lee of South Korea third.

Kan totalled a personal best 170.64.

‘’It felt really good,’’ said Kan, 19, about his performance.  ‘’My goal was to deliver a clean program but I was OK with just landing everything.  I’m happy where I’m at for this point in the season.’’

Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., was 10th.

After the short dance, Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve of Montreal and Jeff Hough of Russell, Ont., are sixth and Hannah Whitley of Creemore, Ont., and Elliott Graham of Angus, Ont., are 10th.

On Thursday in the women’s short dance, Grace Lin of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., and Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., both 13, are 18th and 22nd.

Competition ends Saturday with the free dance and women’s free skate.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpcro2014/

Lethbridge, Alberta to host 2015 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: The city of Lethbridge, Alberta will celebrate a silver anniversary with Skate Canada in 2015. The southern Alberta city has been chosen as the site of the 2015 Skate Canada International (SCI), and it last held the same event in 1990. The competition will be held at ENMAX Centre from October 30 – November 1, 2015.

The announcement was made at a press conference today in Lethbridge via a video message from the 1990 Skate Canada International men’s champion, Kurt Browning. The four-time world champion reminisced on competing in his home province, and remarked “that the best skaters in the world are going to be coming to Lethbridge where the best audiences are waiting to receive them.”

“We are thrilled that Skate Canada has chosen our city as the location for this world-class competition,” said Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman. “We look forward to welcoming the competitors, coaches, officials, support staff and spectators. They will have an excellent experience in Lethbridge.”

More than 200 volunteers will be asked to help out before and during the four-day event, which is estimated to have a $5.5 million local economic impact. “Sports events such as Skate Canada International help inspire young athletes – they can meet people who share their passion, and they can be involved as volunteers, right here in their own community,” said Spearman.

“We had a tremendous amount of community interest in hosting the Skate Canada International event in Lethbridge during the bid process,” said Susan Eymann, Executive Director, Lethbridge Sport Council. “That commitment now turns into action as we work with Lethbridge and area skating clubs, our colleagues at the ENMAX Centre, the City of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Lodging Association to provide an excellent experience for our visitors.”

Eymann said the Lethbridge Sport Council will be working with a number of organizations to support volunteer recruitment and other activities that add value and fun to the spectacular community event.  “We’ve got an enthusiastic team assembled and they are ready to work with Skate Canada to make this a memorable event for everyone.”

“We like to stage this event in various locations across the country to help inspire all Canadians to embrace the joy of skating. Skate Canada is pleased to bring this highly renowned international sporting event to Lethbridge. The competition will be strong, as it occurs almost halfway between the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada. “We are excited about engaging with the local business community in Lethbridge because of the enthusiasm already evident in the city. Combined with the dedicated team of volunteers from Skate Canada Alberta/Nunavut/NWT and throughout the region, everyone involved will receive a warm Alberta welcome and the event will be a definite success.”

The top figure skaters in the world will be featured in head-to-head competition in four disciplines, men, ladies, pair and ice dance. Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating® series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements in the series’ events. The top-six men and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December 2015.

Competitors for Skate Canada International, and all of the ISU Grand Prix events, will be announced following the ISU Grand Prix Commission meetings in the spring of 2015.

All-event tickets will go on sale Friday, November 7 at 10:00 a.m. (MST). Tickets may be purchased online at www.enmaxcentre.ca, by phone at 403.329.7328 or in person at the ENMAX Centre box office. Single-event tickets are expected to go on sale in the fall of 2015.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier use Olympic champion Christopher Dean to channel the Paso Doble

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With the ominous notes of their Hitchcock free dance in their rear view mirrors, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier wanted a more traditional theme for their short dance this season.

Traditional theme, yes. Traditional choreographer, no.

Imagine the kick of having 1984 Olympic champion Christopher Dean design your short dance – to the Paso Doble rhythm. Gilles and Poirier headed to Colorado Springs in May to do just that.

Perhaps it doesn’t need saying, but Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean performed the iconic Paso Doble routine during the 1984 season, and although they seem to be most remembered for their “Bolero” free dance, there were some who felt just as many – if not more – goosebumps while witnessing their Paso Doble. They did get six marks of 6.0 for it at the European championships, where they probably performed it the best.  Not quite sure what that 6.0 meant? Perfection.

On the cover of their 1984 biography, done by The Times reporter John Hennessy, is a photograph of Torvill and Dean in Paso Doble dress, and what a costume. It wasn’t red as most expected for a Paso. They wore white, black and gold. And Torvill’s dress with the flowing cape, with white folds hanging deliciously down from her outstretched arms – would anybody ever see the like again?

To begin with, Dean wasn’t so sure he wanted to attempt to choreograph a short dance because he hadn’t done one before. The short dance didn’t exist in his day. His Paso Doble, to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov”s Capriccio Espanol, was a set pattern dance, with their novel pattern repeated three times. This new short program combines the old short dance with the compulsory dance, with some new rule changes added this year.

“Let’s play around,” he said.

“We just got on the ice and started doing stuff,” he said. “Yeah, let’s connect this,” Poirier said. “And we left with a program.”

Strangely enough, Dean was “adamant” that they use his old Paso from Capriccio Espanol, Gilles said.

“It was kind of a little bit of an honour for him to want us to use that piece,” Gilles said. “We looked for other pieces, but this one seemed to fit.”

The Capriccio Espanol music comprises the second half of their routine. “We really have to do it justice,” Gilles said.

And the costume? It’s well reminiscent of Torvill and Dean’s marvelous threads from 1984. But Gilles wears a black cape, rather than a white one, and it falls lower below the arms. “He originally wanted to do the cape exactly like Jayne’s,” Gilles said. “But we wanted to do something a little bit different from that, just because we’re a different team.”

They liked the black and white concept, but added dashes of pink.

By wearing such a cape, even though it differs from Torvill’s, Gilles truly walked in her shoes. In the early days of Torvill and Dean’s training of their Paso Doble, Torvill wore a practice outfit much like her competitive costume, to become accustomed to the billowing fabric and the difficulties of doing handholds with it. However, in a public rink, Torvill doffed the prototype and wore a traditional skating dress to create an element of surprise at competition time.

It wreaked havoc on their performance. Obviously, her outstretched arms didn’t have the same effect. Nervous, Dean fiddled with the choreography until British world champion Courtney Jones (who had designed their costumes) stepped in and helped them get back to the original.

Like Torvill, Gilles has had to learn how to skate with flying fabric.  “It took a little bit of adjusting [to skate with the costume],” Gilles said. “I wear the cape every single day when I do it, so you get used to it after a while. So now it doesn’t bug me. Even when it goes over my head, it doesn’t faze me. There’s something flying around at all times.”

Gilles said they’ve played with the costume a few times, even put it around her neck “when we’re messing around. I feel more like Dracula. It’s the black cape.” Poirier jokes that they’re playing super hero.

Working with Dean was not a new experience for either of them. They have both worked with him with previous partners. “He knew both of us well enough to work with both of us together,” Poirier said.

Dean choreographed a free dance for them the first season they teamed up, helping them win the national bronze medal.  He’s also done an exhibition number for them. (Here’s guessing it wasn’t the one in which Poirier skates with shiny gold boxers.)

Gilles admitted it was fun to work with Dean, but it was an exhausting sort of fun. “He’s a perfectionist,” she said. “Because I’m the girl, I get thrown around a lot, so I would be sore. But Paul was sore, too. He works you really, really hard – which is good.”

“We need to be pushing ourselves,” Poirier said. “Now is the time, when we can really grow and push ourselves and go out of our comfort zone a bit, which is what we really need.”

Gilles and Poirier will show off their new wares at the 2014 Autumn Classic International in Barrie, Ont., in October. They have also been assigned to Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C., and Trophée Eric Bompard in Bordeaux, France. “We have both wine countries,” Poirier said with a grin.

Jeremy Ten brings Hallelujah to the ice for a powerful and emotional last season

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When he bustles through his final competitive season in the coming months, Jeremy Ten will stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on his tongue but Hallelujah.

Music matters to Ten. And his musical choice for the long program this season is epic; it’s Leonard Cohen’s heart-clutching Hallelujah, music that gets under your skin.

His final season was born of a difficult decision. After two national bronze medals, and nary a trip to the Olympics, Ten had to ponder his future very carefully. He missed the Vancouver Olympics when he was off ice for months because of a bone impingement problem. Then he suffered a spiral fracture of his left tibia in a freak fall. He gathered his forces last year for the run-up to Sochi, and had a wonderful run, with his first international medal (bronze at Nebelhorn), two clean short programs on international ice, and some personal bests. It had taken him two years to get to that heady point. But he finished sixth at the Canadian championships and missed the Russia pilgrimage.  What was a 25-year-old guy to do?

At a meeting last summer with Ted Barton, the head of the British Columbia/Yukon Skate Canada section – before Ten even began to train again – was the clincher. “When you look into the future, do you feel that skating one more time in front of a Canadian audience at the national championships is worth it to you – to have the adrenalin, to have that feeling, knowing that as you age, you’ve never going to have that again?” Barton asked him.

That was enough to convince Ten that he felt it was worth it, that he wanted that one last performance. It won’t matter if he doesn’t have a great skate at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston, Ont., come January. All that matters, Ten said, was to enjoy the moment. “All those nationals leading up to this have been about trying to go to an Olympics, or trying to go to worlds, and the pressure to be the top three in Canada,” Ten said. “But for me, this time, I just get to go and enjoy it.”

Ten was asked: “What if you were to win nationals this year and get to go to worlds? What do you do then?” Ten said nothing will change. This is his last season.

His goal this season, he says, is not about placement, but to be the best he can be. He’ll do it for himself. It’s not going to be a timid swan song. He wants to land a quad. He’s never done it before, but he quipped: “An old dog can learn new tricks.” This past summer, he’s been landing quad after quad. Once – and it’s on video – he landed a quad toe loop – triple toe loop. “It feels like such a great jump,” he said. Gone is the worry about risking injury. He finds the jump feels natural – more so than the triple Axel, which he has been doing for years. He started landing them three days after he started to work on them this summer.

Ten had a late start, getting back to training. He’s using his short program music from last season: Dance With Me Wallis, a melancholic piece by Abel Zorzeniowski. It’s a calming piece of music for Ten, who did some of the choreography himself.

The long program choice was terribly important, as his final note to the world. Coach Joanne McLeod recommended K.D. Lang’s version of Hallelujah. Who doesn’t remember Lang in her white suit, singing the song at the Vancouver Olympic closing ceremonies? Ten wasn’t there live, but he’d seen it. And he felt the music’s immensity. At first, he didn’t want to do it. “I thought, oh my gosh, this is such an iconic piece that resonates with so many people, especially in Canada,” Ten said. “For a while, I sat on it, and thought there is no way I can pull this off. It’s so big.”

A friend changed his perspective. “Think of it this way,” the friend said. “‘Titanic’ is an iconic piece. ‘Carmen’ is an iconic piece.” Why should ‘Hallelujah’ be any different?”

So Hallelujah it was. Guaranteed, nobody else has ever skated to it, especially a version with vocals, new this year.

But Jeremy Ten being Jeremy Ten, searched out the music he would use. One day in July, he tweeted a question: your favourite version of the Cohen song? By the end of the day, the top three were K.D. Lang, the late Jeff Buckley and Jason Castro, a charming, dreadlocked contestant on American Idol.

Ten found the beautiful version by Buckley and knew it was right for him. Buckley’s interpretation of it was more introspective and quieter than that of K.D. Lang. After all, he’s been called one of the best songsters of his generation: “a pure drop in an ocean of noise,” Bono once said.

For starters, the Buckley version starts with a breath or a sigh. Beautiful. Then it goes into an instrumental arrangement that Ten uses to get his triple Axel and quad out of the way without distraction. Then the words come (When K.D. Lang was introduced on stage at the Olympics, the emcee called it a song of peace, but it is anything but). The instrumental version returns for Ten’s footwork and then the piece ends with two beautiful, powerful Hallelujahs. It will be memorable, and it’s a clever used of instrumental intertwined with vocals.

“It’s quite something,” Ten said.

Into the rink, Ten will trail the essence of Buckley, whose voice is touched by melancholy. He was the son of renowned U.S. folk singer Tim Buckley, who separated from his mother early on: Buckley died of a drug overdose at age 28, within months of having met his son as a 7-year-old. Jeff and his mother weren’t invited to the funeral. Jeff Buckley released only one album, and was just preparing another when he drowned at age 31 in 1997.

This season, Ten will unleash this gem at the 2014 Autumn Classic International in Barrie, Ontario in October and at Cup of Russia. Getting that Grand Prix assignment was epic, too. “It was a shock,” Ten said.

Ten was visiting friends Asher Hill and Kharis Ralph, the threesome strolling down a street in Toronto, when Ten was alerted by a tweet: “Congratulations on getting Cup of Russia.” Ten stopped dead in his tracks as his friends kept walking. “I got Cup of Russia!” Ten yelled. The three of them started screaming in the street. “It was this great feeling that all the hard work I had done last season really translated into this season,” he said. “the fact that I got a Grand Prix on my own – and didn’t have to go through Skate Canada to get it, was a nice feeling.”

It feels like it’s the right thing to do, Ten concludes about his final-season journey. “It feels like it’s my time,” he said. “I’ve just been enjoying skating, good or bad. I’m just out on the ice, loving it.”

Juniors headed to Croatia

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send eight entries, for a total of 12 skaters to Zagreb, Croatia, from October 8-12, 2014, for the seventh and final stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have two entries per category in men’s, ladies, pair, and ice dance.

Anthony Kan, 19, Richmond Hill, Ont., is one of two entries for Canada in the men’s category. Earlier this season, he placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Last season, the representative of York Region Skating Academy placed 14th at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, competing in the senior men’s category. He is coached by Heather Austman and Keegan Murphy and trains out of the Connaught Figure Skating Club in Richmond, B.C.

Nicolas Nadeau, 17, Boisbriand, Que., will also represent Canada in the men’s division. Earlier this season, the representative of CPA Boisbriand placed fifth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Aichi, Japan. Last season, Nadeau placed fourth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. He is coached by Yvan Desjardins at the École Excellence Rosemère.

Sarah Tamura, 13, Burnaby, B.C., is one of two Canadian entries in ladies. Tamura placed 14th at her first ISU Junior Grand Prix this season in Aichi, Japan. Representing Burnaby FSC, she is the 2014 Canadian novice women’s champion. Tamura is coached by Joanne McLeod, Jill-Marie Harvey, and Neil Wilson at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Grace Lin, 13, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que., will also represent Canada in ladies. Lin finished 12th at her first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment earlier this season in Aichi, Japan. Last season, representing Dollard FSC, she placed 12th at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the novice category. She is coached by Yvan Desjardins and Violaine Emard in Rosmere, Que.

Mary Orr, 18, Brantford, Ont., and Phelan Simpson, 18, Lunenburg, N.S., are one of two Canadian pair entries. Orr and Simpson placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia earlier this season. Last season, they earned a seventh place finish at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga, Latvia, and placed sixth at the 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The 2014 Canadian junior pair bronze medallists train at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club with coaches Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz.

Keelee Gingrich, 15, Calgary, Alta., and Davin Portz, 18, Calgary, Alta., are the second Canadian pair entry. The 2014 Canadian Novice Pair Champions will be competing at their first international assignment. The representatives of Glencoe Club and Calalta FSC are coached by Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay at Calalta FSC.

Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve, 17, Montreal, Que., and Jeff Hough, 19, Russell, Ont., are the first of two Canadian teams in ice dance. Representing the Town of Mt. Royal FSC and Minto Skating Club, the duo placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia earlier this season. They are coached by Darryl VanLuven at the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa, Ont.

Hannah Whitley, 14, Creemore, Ont., and Elliott Graham, 16, Angus, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. The 2014 Canadian novice ice dance silver medallists will be competing at their first international assignment. Whitley and Graham are coached by David Islam and Kelly Johnson at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Dr. Cole Beavis of Saskatoon, Sask., and physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., and André-Marc Allain of Gatineau, Que., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #7 – Zagreb, Croatia

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men’s Anthony Kan 19 Richmond Hill, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Heather Austman / Keegan Murphy
Men’s Nicolas Nadeau 17 Boisbriand, Que. CPA Boisbriand Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Sarah Tamura 13 Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby FSC Joanne McLeod / Jill-Marie Harvey / Neil Wilson
Ladies Grace Lin 13 Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que. Dollard FSC Yvan Desjardins / Violaine Emard
Pairs Mary Orr / Phelan Simpson 18/18 Brantford, Ont. / Lunenburg, N.S. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kristy Wirtz / Kris Wirtz
Pairs Keelee Gingrich / Davin Portz 15/18 Calgary, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. Glencoe Club / Calalta FSC Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay
Ice dance Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve / Jeff Hough 17/19 Montreal, Que. / Russell, Ont. Town of Mt. Royal FSC / Minto SC Darryl VanLuven
Ice Dance Hannah Whitley / Elliott Graham 14/16 Creemore, Ont. / Angus, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC David Islam / Kelly Johnson

Séguin & Bilodeau golden in Dresden

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DRESDEN, Germany– Julianne Seguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., delivered a flawless free skate on Saturday to win the gold medal in pairs at the sixth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

SeguinBilodeau Dresden GoldThe second-year Canadian pair collected gold at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and have qualified for the Junior Grand Prix final set for December 11-14 in Barcelona.

Séguin and Bilodeau scored a personal best and Canadian junior record 174.10 points with Lina Fedorova and Maxim Miroshkin of Russia second at 162.12 and Chelsea Liu and Brian Johnson of the U.S. third at 132.15.

‘’We approached this season ready to work very hard and that’s allowed us to have this success,’’ said Séguin, 17.  ‘’One of our goals this season was to reach the final so this is a big step in our career.’’

The pair showed their expressive and athletic skills to music by Peter Gabriel (In Your Eyes).  In particular their endurance was impressive as they landed back-to-back side-by-side jumps and two throws and lifts in the second half of the program.

‘’We’re known for our chemistry on the ice and we always try to put the emphasis on that in our performances,’’ said Bilodeau, 21.  ‘’Today we were in the zone and the program felt very natural.  It’s a more elaborate program than last year and we’ve shown we’ve done our homework.’’

Not too be discounted was a fine performance for Hope McLean of Glencoe, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont. The new pair produced the fourth best free skate of the day to climb from seventh to fifth overall to conclude an impressive international debut.

In men’s competition, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., scored the second best free skate of the day to climb from eighth to fourth overall with 192.44 points to remain in contention for a spot in the Grand Prix Final.   Andrei Lazikin of Russia took the gold at 202.68, He Zhang of China was second at 196.20 and Yaroslav Paniot of Ukraine third at 194.60.

The 15-year-old Sadovsky, a gold medallist last month,  executed a clean program that showcased his incredible flexibility.  He scored a personal best 132.54 for the free skate.

‘’It was a big challenge to come back from the short program,’’ said Sadovsky, who fell on his triple Lutz in the short then landed it twice in the free skate.  ‘’I knew there there was no room for error.  I liked everything about my performance today.  It was the best I’ve ever done it.’’

Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver was 10th.

The last stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit before the final is October 9-11 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpger2014/