The Nation’s Top Skaters in Ottawa for the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

OTTAWA, ON: Canadian figure skaters will kick-off Ottawa’s year-long celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday with the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The event will take place in Ottawa, Ontario at The Arena at TD Place from January 16-22, 2017. The pre-eminent all-Canadian sporting event will feature approximately 250 skaters in the men, women, pairs, and ice dance disciplines, competing in three levels: senior, junior, and novice.

“We are thrilled to be back in Ottawa for the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The championships will kick off the yearlong celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday and we are proud to be the first major sporting event to take place in Ottawa in 2017,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Fans in Ottawa will get to see the best skating our great nation has to offer and we hope the community will be inspired to embrace the joy of skating this winter.”

Ottawa hosted the very first National Skating Championships in 1914 as well as in 1922, 1925, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2006 and 2014. The 2017 event will be 15th time that Ottawa will have hosted the largest gathering of Canadian skating talent.

“At Canadian Tire, we believe in the power of sport to unite families, communities and the nation,” said Allan MacDonald, President, Canadian Tire Retail. “We are proud to return to Ottawa as title sponsor of the National Skating Championships and to support Canada’s top skaters as they help inspire the next generation of young skating hopefuls.”

The week long competition will begin with the novice ice dance on Monday, January 16 and the senior events will begin on Friday, January 20. Athletes will vie for spots on the Skate Canada National Team and the Canadian teams that will compete at the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, 2017 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and 2017 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Three-time world champion Patrick Chan will lead the excitement in the men’s category as he looks to claim his ninth Canadian title, which will see him tie the all-time record with Montgomery Wilson.

In the pair discipline, two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford will look to capture their sixth consecutive Canadian title, while facing off against the youthful team of Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau who saw success on the international circuit this season.

In women’s, Alaine Chartrand will defend her 2016 Canadian title in front of a hometown crowd. She will be up against previous Canadian champions Gabrielle Daleman and Kaetlyn Osmond, who will both be looking to recapture the title.

In ice dance,  Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the Canadian favourites, return to competition after a two season hiatus. They look to capture their seventh national title, but will face tough competition from two-time defending Canadian champions Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.

Fans will get to see emerging talent in the junior and novice categories earlier in the week as they look to make their mark on the national stage. For full entries and the event start orders please click here. In addition to the competing skaters, Kurt Browning, one of the most popular and charismatic figure skaters in Canadian history, is back with Skate Canada as the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships’ Athlete Ambassador. During the week of the championships, Browning will handle speaking engagements, media interviews, make appearances on behalf of the competing athletes, and of course, make time for his fans.

The Skate Canada School Program will add some extra enthusiasm to the rink. Approximately 800 Ottawa area kids from grades three to five will have the opportunity to participate in a free session to watch and learn about the sport during the senior practices on Thursday, January 19. This initiative is part of Skate Canada’s vision to help youth develop a love for skating and encourage them to get active at their local skating club.

A special ceremony to honour coach Richard Gauthier, one of the most respected pair coaches in the world for more than three decades, will take place on Sunday, January 22, in conjunction with the Gala. Gauthier will take his place in the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in the professional discipline.

TICKETS Single event ticket prices for the senior short programs are priced at $25, $35 and $45. Prices for the senior free programs and gala are priced at $30, $40 and $50. All tickets are subject to applicable surcharges.

Tickets can be purchased online at TDPlace.ca, by phone at 1-877-489-2849 or 613-232-6767, or in person at The Box Office at TD Place.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook Skate Canada / Patinage Canada

Twitter @SkateCanada

Instagram skate_canada

YouTube SkateCanada PatinageCanada 

EVENT HASHTAGS

#CTNSC17 (English)

#CNPCT17 (French)

Media who have not already applied for accreditation are asked to contact Emma Bowie, Communications Manager. She will be the onsite media contact at the event and can be reached at 613-914-2607 or at [email protected].

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