Canadian junior skaters prepared for fifth event of ISU Junior Grand Prix

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 12 skaters at the fifth event of the 2017 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have one entry per discipline in ladies and men, three entries in pairs and two entries in ice dance at the competition taking place from September 27-30, 2017.

Joseph Phan, 16, Laval, Que., will represent Canada in men’s. Phan placed fourth at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix this season, in Australia. He is coached by Yvan Desjadrins in Rosemère, Que.

Canadian junior silver medallist Emily Bausback, 15, Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, she placed 10^th in Japan and 13^th in Estonia. Bausback is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Canadian junior champions Evelyn Walsh, 16, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 21, Strathroy, Ont., are one of three Canadian junior pairs competing at this event. This season, they won the bronze medal in Latvia at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Walsh and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss and Margaret Purdy, and train in London, Ont.

Chloe Choinard, 15, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 20, Granby, Que., will also represent Canada in pairs. Earlier this season they placed seventh at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix, which took place in Latvia. Choinard and Ostiguy are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum and Cynthia Lemaire in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Canadian junior bronze medallists Olivia Boys-Eddy, 14, Brampton, Ont., and Mackenzie Boys-Eddy, 19, Brampton, Ont., round out the Canadian pairs entries at the event. This will be their first international assignment. They are coached by Ashley Greenhalgh in Brampton, Ont.

Canadian junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, 16, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 18, Greenfield Park, Que., are the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. Lajoie and Lagha won the silver medal at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season, in Australia. They train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Ellie Fisher, 16, Lower Coverdale, N.B., and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette, 19, Laval, Que., will be the second Canadian ice dance entry at the event. This will be their first international assignment. Fisher and Malette-Paquette are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Scott Fraser of Kingston, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Véronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be 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 JUNIOR GRAND PRIX #5 – ZAGREB, CROATIA