Triple gold for Canada at Skate Canada International

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REGINA – Canada won gold in three of the four events on Saturday at Skate Canada International.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir danced into the light once again with a golden performance and world record; Kaetlyn Osmond took the women’s title and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won pairs.

In ice dancing, Virtue and Moir totalled 199.86 surpassing their previous best of 198.62 set at the 2017 World Championships. They haven’t lost a competition since they launched their comeback a year ago.

‘’We had a couple of little bobbles but recovered really well,’’ said Virtue, from London, Ont. ‘’That’s a testament to our training. We were prepared for anything.’’

‘’We are really emotionally attached with our two programs,’’ added Moir, from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’We understand better now how important that is.’’

Andrew Poje and Kaitlyn Weaver of Waterloo, Ont., won silver with 190.01. Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue scored 189.43, for bronze.

It felt really good,’’ said Poje. ‘’We were happy nervous and excited because there was so little time to prepare but it’s nice to get it out there and know we’ve made the right decision.’’

They recently decided to revive their 2012 long program to the song ‘’Je Suis Malade’’.

‘’About 40 percent of the program is new and we’ve kept the essence of it,’’ said Weaver. ‘’It still feels how it was when we first made it.’’

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver were eighth.

In women’s competition, Osmond, from Marystown, N.L., overcame two falls in the free skate to take the gold. She won both the short and long programs for 212.91. Maria Sotskova of Russia took silver with 192.52, and American Ashley Wagner was third at 183.94.

‘’As a package I felt this program was a lot stronger,’’ said Osmond. ‘’I’m excited about the program even though parts of it didn’t go as well as I expected. The boards got in my way on the flip toe and I’m mad that happened.’’

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., and Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C., were 11th and 12th.

In pairs, Duhamel and Radford moved from second after the short for the win with 222.22. Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany were second at 215.66 and Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France remained third at 214.37.

‘’This is a truly emotional skate for Eric and I,’’ said Duhamel, from Lively, Ont. ‘’Last season I don’t think we even came close to 140 points (for the long) because we were struggling so much. This season we want to build and deliver.’’

Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were sixth and Sydney Kolodziej of Montreal and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., eighth.

Shoma Uno of Japan took the men’s gold with Jason Brown of the U.S. second and Alexander Samarin of Russia third.

Patrick Chan of Toronto took fourth at 245.70 less than five points from the podium. Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., climbed from ninth to seventh and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., was eighth.

‘’I didn’t feel 100 percent,’’ said Chan, who fell on his opening quad toe jump. ‘’My upper body was a little high in the jumps which means my timing was off. Sometimes you just have to have days like this.’’

Full results: 2017 Skate Canada International

World record for Virtue and Moir, top spot for Osmond after short programs

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REGINA –  Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir broke their short dance world record and Kaetlyn Osmond leads the women’s event as the Skate Canada International figure skating competition got underway Friday.

In ice dancing, Virtue and Moir earned a world record 82.68 points. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., are second with 77.47, while Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue are third at 76.08.

‘’It was a great short for us,’’ said Moir from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’We’ve been working hard on it technically. We felt we were both able to execute and get into the performance of the program.’’

Weaver and Poje were also solid.

‘’It was great to skate the short like we know we can,’’ said Weaver. ‘’Taking the ice after Tess and Scoot was a blessing in disguise because the energy was so high and we tried to feed off of that enthusiasm.’’

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are seventh.

In women’s competition, Osmond from Marystown, N.L., landed three triple jumps to win the short program with a personal-best score of 76.06 points. Anna Pogorilaya was second with 69.05, while Russian teammate Maria Sotskova scored 66.10 for third.

‘’It’s really exciting,’’ said Osmond. ‘’I’ve been working really hard on getting my short program focus on one element at a time and today I felt I did that really well.’’

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., and Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C., are 11th and 12th.

In the men’s short program, Shoma Uno of Japan tops the field with 103.64 with Patrick Chan of Toronto second at 94.43 and Jason Brown of the U.S. third at 90.71.

Chan landed his quad then touched a hand down on his triple Axel. His preparations this week were disrupted when his costumes got lost in travel. They arrived today.

‘’There were mistakes here and there but I pulled it out,’’ said Chan. ‘’Considering everything that happened I’m happy with it.’’

Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., is fifth and Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., ninth.

In pairs, Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany are first after the short program with 77.34. Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., are second at 73.53 and Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France third at 73.04.

‘’We love this short program and we felt really good out there,’’ said Duhamel.

Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto are fifth and Sydney Kolodziej of Montreal and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are eighth.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP 2017 Skate Canada International

Laval to host 2018 Skate Canada International

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LAVAL, QC: Skate Canada announced today that Laval, Que., will host the 2018 Skate Canada International. The event will take place at Place Bell, a new multi-purpose sports facility located in the heart of Laval, from October 25-28, 2018.

“We are very excited to be heading to Laval for Skate Canada International. This will be the first time that Skate Canada has held an event in the city and we are thrilled to be using the brand-new Place Bell,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Skate Canada International will host some of the best skaters in the world and we are confident that Laval will be a supportive host and help us create a memorable event.”

The inaugural Skate Canada International was held in 1973 in Calgary and the event was added to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in 1995, the year the series began. Laval will host the 45th installment of Skate Canada International and it will be their first time hosting a major skating event.

“Laval is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom on the sports front. Hosting a major event like the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix adds to the recent announcements that has positioned Laval as the destination of choice for several major sports events. We are very pleased to welcome the best skaters on the planet to Laval,” said Marc Demers, Mayor of Laval.

“Hosting this event at Place Bell is a crucial step in advance of hosting the 2020 World Championships and confirms the position of our city as a first-class destination for high-calibre sports events. It’s an exceptional opportunity to promote our city on an international scale, and we seize it with great enthusiasm,” stated Geneviève Roy, President and General Manager of Tourism Laval.

“We are very enthusiastic that Place Bell is hosting an important sports competition: Skate Canada International 2018. This event will allow elite athletes in figure skating and the Laval public to fully enjoy our amenities,” added Jacques Aubé, Chief Operating Officer of evenko. “This high-level competition fits perfectly in the development plan of Place Bell, which is to offer programming driven by quality and diversity to the citizens of Laval.”

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), Russia (Rostelecom Cup), France (Internationaux de France), China (Cup of China) and Japan (NHK Trophy).

Each skater/team can be assigned a maximum of two events. Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their events. The top six from each discipline (men, ladies, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Join our exclusive mailing list to receive event and ticket information for Skate Canada events.

Skate Canada to host 2018 ISU Grand Prix Final in Vancouver

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VANCOUVER, BC: Skate Canada has been awarded the 2018 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final by the International Skating Union (ISU). The event will take place in Vancouver, B.C., at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre from December 5-9, 2018. This is the fourth time Canada has hosted this event, having previously hosted in 2011 in Quebec City, Que., 2001 in Kitchener, Ont., and in Hamilton, Ont., in 1996.

“Skate Canada is honoured to be hosting the ISU Grand Prix Final for the fourth time. This championship is the pinnacle event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series and the most important event in the first half of the skating calendar,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Vancouver is a wonderful city with lots of skating history, and we are confident that they will be gracious hosts and produce an outstanding event.”

The ISU Grand Prix Final is the concluding event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit. The series hosts six stops: United States (Skate America), Canada (Skate Canada International), Russia (Rostelecom Cup), France (Internationaux de France), China (Cup of China), and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their assigned events and the top six in each of the four disciplines advance to the final.

“Vancouver is home to some of the best venues, amenities, resources, and volunteers and the whole city is ready to welcome the world during the ISU Grand Prix Final,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Thanks to our experience hosting events like the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, we’ll ensure every athlete, coach, and fan has an experience second to none.”

The event will also include the 2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. The world’s top junior skaters also collect points to qualify, through seven events which change location yearly. The top six in men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance, based on the results of the Junior Grand Prix series, advance to the Junior Final.

In total, there will be 48 entries and 72 skaters taking part in the event in both senior and junior.

“We are so pleased to be hosting the ISU Grand Prix Final in Vancouver next December as part of our year of ice events,” said Michelle Collens, Senior Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver. “In conjunction with the Canadian Tire National Championships in January, this long-term Skate Canada hosting partnership with benefit our community in many ways.”

In 2018, Vancouver will host the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships for the sixth time. The city has also hosted several international figure skating events: the 2009 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2001 & 1960 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and the 1978 Skate Canada International.

The ISU Grand Prix Final began in 1995 and the first three editions of the competition were titled the Champions Series Final. During the 1998-99 season the name changed to the current title.

Join our exclusive mailing list to receive event and ticket information for the 2018 ISU Grand Prix Final.

Regina ready to welcome skaters from around the world for 2017 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: Top Canadian and international figure skaters are headed to Regina, Sask., for the 2017 Skate Canada International, taking place from October 26-29, 2017. The event which takes place at the Brandt Centre will feature 12 Canadian entries (three entries per discipline in men, ladies, pairs and ice dance) for a total of 18 skaters.

Skate Canada International is the second of six events on the 2017 International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit, in which skaters compete to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, taking place December 7-10, 2017, in Nagoya, Japan.

Olympic silver medallist and three-time world champion Patrick Chan, 26, Toronto, Ont., is the first of three Canadian men entries. This will be his ninth time competing at this event, having won on six occasions. Last season, Chan placed fifth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The nine-time Canadian champion is coached by Marina Zoueva and Oleg Epstein in Canton, MI, USA.

Keegan Messing, 25, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, is the second Canadian men’s entry. He previously competed at this event in 2015, where he placed 11th. Messing began this season winning the bronze medal at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, USA.

Nicolas Nadeau, 20, Boisbriand, Que., rounds out Canada’s men’s entries. This will be his first senior ISU Grand Prix assignment. Nadeau placed sixth at his first event this season, the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. He trains in Rosemère, Que., and is coached by Yvan Desjardins.

World silver medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, 21, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., is the first of three Canadians in the ladies category. Osmond won gold at this event in 2012 and silver last year. This season, she won gold at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Canadian bronze medallist Alaine Chartrand, 21, Prescott, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in ladies. She placed fifth at this event last season, and started this season with a fifth-place finish at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. Chartrand is coached by Michelle Leigh and Christy Krall.

Larkyn Austman, 19, Coquitlam, B.C., will also represent Canada in ladies. This will be her first senior ISU Grand Prix assignment. Austman placed 12th at her first event this season, the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. She is coached by Zdenek Pazdirek and Liz Putnam in Coquitlam, B.C.

Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel, 31, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 32, Balmertown, Ont., will be one of three Canadian entries in pairs. They are the defending champions at this event for the third year in a row. Duhamel and Radford won the silver medal at the 2017 Autumn Classic International to start this season. The six-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Lubov Ilyushechkina, 25, Toronto, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch, 33, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian pairs entry. The team won the bronze medal at this event last year, and placed fourth at their first event this season, the Finlandia Trophy. They are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Sydney Kolodziej, 24, Montreal, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 25, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will represent Canada in pairs at their first ISU Grand Prix assignment together. They began this season placing seventh at the 2017 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Kolodziej and Deschamps are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Olympic champions and three-time world champions Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont., will be the first of three Canadian entries in ice dance. They are the defending champions at this event and have won it in six of seven appearances. Virtue and Moir began this season winning the gold medal at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. The seven-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 28, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 30, Waterloo, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. They have previously competed at this event six times, medalling on five occasions and winning in 2014 and 2015. They also began this season at the 2017 Autumn Classic International, where they won silver. The 2017 Canadian silver medallists are coached by Nikolai Morozov and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.

Carolane Soucisse, 22, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C., will be the third Canadian ice dance entry. This will be their first ISU Grand Prix assignment. This season, Soucisse and Firus placed fifth at the 2017 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and fourth at the 2017 Finlandia Trophy. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Carolyn Allwright of Waterloo, Ont., and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont., Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Beth Crane of Burnaby, B.C., and Nicole LeBlanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

Practices will be streamed live on the Skate Canada Dailymotion page.

For results and full entries please visit www.skatecanada.ca.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Patrick Chan 26 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Marina Zoueva / Oleg Epstein
Men Keegan Messing 25 Girdwood, Alaska, USA Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Men Nicolas Nadeau 20 Boisbriand, Que. CPA Boisbriand Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 21 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 21 Prescott, Ont. Prescott FSC Michelle Leigh / Christy Krall
Ladies Larkyn Austman 19 Coquitlam, B.C. Coquitlam SC Zdenek Pazdirek / Liz Putnam
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 31/32 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 25/33 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Pairs Sydney Kolodziej / Maxime Deschamps 24/25 Montreal, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA St. Léonard / CPAR Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir 28/30 London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. Montreal International Skating School / Montreal International Skating School Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 28/30 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Nikolai Morozov
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus 22/23 Châteauguay, Que. / North Vancouver, B.C. CPA Repentigny / CPA Repentigny Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon

2017 Breaking the Ice: Olympic Edition

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Recognizing devoted supporters & celebrating our skaters!

By Paul Dore

Last year, Pj Kwong and I had the privilege to host the first Breaking the Ice event during the National Team High Performance Camp. The question presented to us: what kind of event can we create to show Skate Canada’s appreciation to donors, celebrate the athletes and have some fun? The answer we came up with was the very first live late night talk show all about figure skating.

When asked to help re-create the magic again, Pj and I jumped at the chance.

Being an Olympic year, we wanted to build the show around the athletes that have given us those memories that only exist every four years. The theme of the show was looking at the past to understand the possibilities of the future.

As hosts, Pj and I bring a unique perspective. We’re both former skaters and coaches and so understand the sport from the inside. As everyone knows, Pj has been covering figure skating at the CBC and through her own blog, podcast and YouTube Channel for years. The skaters all know and trust her to represent them in a respectful way. I have worked behind-the-scenes in television, including directing for the Olympic Broadcasting Service in Sochi.

We all watch Skate Canada athletes compete on the world stage. Our goal with Breaking the Ice was to show off the personalities of these skaters, to connect them in a deeper way with their fans and those in the live audience who have given their generous support.

And what a roaster of guests! For each skater, we had a short interview segment and got down to the fun stuff.

Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch talked to us about training for an Olympic season and who inspired them in their skating. We then showed Lubov and Dylan photographs of throws in mid-air and they would have to guess what kind of throw. Sure, a bit of a trick question, but they got all three right!

Next up was Nexxice Captain Courtney McNaughton and Nam Nguyen. Both shared stories of their skating pasts and went head-to-head in a game we called ‘Tweet This’ – we’ll leave what it was about to your imagination.

We had the privilege to have together on stage Debi Wilkes and Petra Burka. They both won their Olympic medals at the 1964 Games. Debi and Petra – and the audience – had a great time sharing and hearing humorous stories about their time in Innsbruck all those years ago.

One of our favourite guests from last year’s show was Gabrielle Daleman. In an emotional interview, she told us about the incredible support she receives from her family. This year, she didn’t disappoint and talked about what it felt like to stand on the World podium in Helsinki.

Last up was World Champion Jeffrey Buttle. Who doesn’t love Jeff? He charmed the crowd with his stories as an athlete and talked about his work as a choreographer. We showed him photographs where he had to tell us what he was thinking. We guessed at our own captions and to provide a hint, most of them involved Jeff needing to get a new hairstylist.

Pj and I put together a final eight minute video celebrating Canadian Olympic medalists of the past and looking towards Pyeongchang in 2018. We were happy to have Olympic alumni such as Donald Jackson, Tracy Wilson, Brian Orser and Elvis Stojko in the audience and believe in the importance of recognizing the individuals that have been a part of the history of our sport.

With my involvement in the David Dore Leadership Fund, I’ve been able to see first hand the impact of the Skate Canada Fund. Yes, we had fun with the athletes. The real joy that Breaking the Ice brought to Pj and I was the smiling faces of the donors who made up our audience. We hoped to create a special evening where we put on display the appreciation of their support, while encouraging them to continue with their involvement. After all, the Skate Canada Fund is successful because of their generous and giving spirit.

To explore the Skate Canada Fund and it’s various funding pillars, please visit: Skate Canada Fund

Gilles and Poirier place fourth at season-opening Grand Prix

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MOSCOW – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto placed fourth in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the Rostelecom Cup – the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. won the gold medal with 189.24 points. Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia were second at 184.74 and their compatriots Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin third at 179.35.

Gilles and Poirier followed at 172.29.

“We did what we needed to do here,” said Gilles. “It’s a good start for us.”

“This is the start of a marathon,” added Poirier, about this Olympic season. “We want to make sure we are peaking at the right time.”

Russians swept the podium in pairs led by Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov with the gold. Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., remained fifth.

“We left a lot of points of the table,” said Séguin. “Still it’s a good start. We had a solid short program and our long just needs some tweaking and more performance mileage.”

The pair made mistakes on both side-by-side jumps.

“There was some nervousness,” said Bilodeau. “We had some issues in training this week and that can affect your confidence.”

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. reeled off four quads en route to the gold medal with 293.79.  He upset Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan in second at 290.77 while Mikhail Kolyada of Russia was third at 271.06.

Nam Nguyen of Toronto produced the sixth best free skate but remained seventh overall at 238.45. Skating to An American in Paris, he opened with a perfect quad-toe but fell on his following quad-Salchow. The rest of the skate was clean including two triple Axels (one in combination).

“I’m disappointed,’’ said Nguyen. “I was hoping to put in a really good performance. I need to go back and work out the kinks and come back feeling 100 percent confident.”

The next stop on the circuit is Skate Canada International this Friday and Saturday (October 27-28) in Regina.

Full results: ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2017

Canadians keep medals in sight at ISU Grand Prix

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MOSCOW – Canada’s three entries at the season opening ISU Grand Prix event – the Rostelecom Cup – will need strong free skates to get on the podium following Friday’s short program performances.

In ice dancing, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. are first after the short dance with 77.30. Two Russian couples followed with Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev second at 76.33 and Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin third at 71.32.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in the medal hunt standing fourth with 69.67.

“This first half of the season we want to improve our performance levels,” said Poirier. “And I feel that is getting better despite some glitches today.”

“We definitely got some fire in our belly for the free skate,” added Gilles. “Lots can change.”

Russians are 1-2 in pairs. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov are first at 76.88, Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov second at 71.39. Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek of Italy stand third at 68.48.

Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., skated a clean program for fifth at 67.06, less than two points from third.

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. landed two quads and leads after the short program with 100.54. Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is second at 94.85 and Dmitri Aliev of Russia third at 88.77.

Nam Nguyen of Toronto stands seventh but at 80.74 he is still in striking distance of the podium. He opened with a successful quad-triple combination and also landed his triple Axel. However he fell on his quad-toe attempt.

“I didn’t have a very good warm-up so I’m happy with how I recovered from that,” said Nguyen, 19, ranked third in Canada. “Obviously the performance could have been better but I’m excited about my free skate which has been going well in practice.”

The free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2017

Canadian team headed to Russia for first stop on 2017 ISU Grand Prix circuit

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have three entries, for a total of five skaters, competing at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Russia, from October 20-22, 2017. The competition is the first event on the 2017 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating (with subsequent stops in Canada, China, Japan, France, and U.S.A.). Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s, pairs and ice dance at the event.

Canadian bronze medallist Nam Nguyen, 19, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian men’s entry. This will be his third time competing at this event; in 2014 he won the bronze medal. This season, he placed fifth at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. Nguyen is coached by Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Julianne Séguin, 20, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will represent Canada in pairs. They are the defending champions at this event and 2015 bronze medallists. The pair started this season at the 2017 Autumn Classic International where they won bronze. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Canadian bronze medallists Piper Gilles, 25, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 25, Unionville, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They previously competed at this event in 2015, winning bronze. This season, they won the bronze medal at the 2017 Autumn Classic International. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

Terra Findlay of Echo Bay, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Dr. Sari Kraft of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Lynne Dey of Edmonton, Alta., and Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org. For photos of Canadian entries, please contact [email protected].

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 ROSTELECOM CUP

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Nam Nguyen 19 Toronto, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Tracey Wainman / Gregor Filipowski
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 20/24 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 25/25 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Top-12 finishes for Canada at Junior Grand Prix

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BOLZANO, Italy – Alison Schumacher of Toronto and Eric Liu of Edmonton both improved on earlier results this season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday.

Russians were 1-2 in women’s competition. Sofia Samodurova was fist, Alena Kostornaia second while Rika Kihira of Japan was third.

Schumacher was eighth improving on her ninth place earlier this season at the Grand Prix stop in Latvia.

In men’s competition, Matteo Rizzo of Italy won the gold with Vladimir Samoilov of Russia second and Tomoki Hiwatashi of the U.S. third.

Liu climbed a spot to 12th place for his best career result on the circuit in three appearances.

The top skaters from this season’s seven-stops on the Junior Grand Prix will compete at the Grand Prix Final in December.

Full results: ISU JGP Egna/Neumarkt 2017

Canadian ice dancers take bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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BOLZANO, Italy – Ice dancers Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Claudio Pietrantonio of Laval, Que., reached new heights on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Friday winning the bronze medal.

Russian couples were 1-2 with Arina Ushakova and Maxim Nekrasov  first with 149.01 points and Sofia Polischuk and Alexander Vakhnov second at 146.78.

Fabbri and Pietrantonio followed at 136.01 for their best career result on the circuit in four appearances. They were just ahead of Ellie Fisher of Lower Coverdale, N.B., and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette of Laval in fourth at 133.38.

‘’We gave everything we got,’’ said Fabbri. ‘’We are so pleased to get our first medal. After our first Grand Prix this year we really worked on the areas that we needed to improve.’’

After struggling earlier in the week in practice, Pietrantonio said the skating improved.

“We just got better everyday and when the competition started we were ready,’’ he said. ‘’Third place never felt like a win before. We’re proud of this one.’’

Fisher and Malette-Paquette improved their overall score by 11 points and gained a spot in the standings on their performance earlier this season in Croatia.

“We trained hard and saw the improvement,’’ said Fisher. ‘’We were more confident and skated a lot better element-wise.’’

Being close to a medal heading into the free dance didn’t change their approach.

‘’We kept our game plan,’’ said Malette-Paquette. ‘’We wanted to be aggressive and perform like we know we can.’’

Meanwhile Alison Shumacher of Toronto is eight after the women’s short program and Eric Liu of Edmonton is 13th after the men’s short.

The men’s and women’s free skates are Saturday.

Full results: ISU JGP Egna/Neumarkt 2017

Jamie Salé and David Pelletier to serve as Athlete Ambassadors for 2017 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: Olympic Champions Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, one of the most decorated pair teams in Canadian figure skating history will serve as Athlete Ambassadors during the 2017 Skate Canada International. The event will take place in Regina, Saskatchewan, from October 26-29, 2017, at the Brandt Centre.

“I am thrilled to be co-ambassador with my partner David Pelletier for this years’ Skate Canada! I look forward to being a part of the skating family again and seeing some wonderful competition,” expressed Salé.

“We are very honoured to be back at Skate Canada International as athlete ambassadors. It is a competition we grew up watching and has a great history of fantastic skating. It is also where Jamie and I debuted as a team on the international circuit. We are very excited to be watching the best skaters in the world getting ready for their Olympic journey,” added Pelletier.

In their role of Athlete Ambassadors, Salé and Pelletier will handle speaking engagements and media interviews, conduct appearances on behalf of the competing athletes and, of course, make time for their legion of fans.

“We are thrilled to have Jamie and David back at a Skate Canada event and thank them for making time to represent the athletes during this important season. They know firsthand the pressures of competition, and by using their experiences they will help us create an exciting event for all participants,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada.

Salé and Pelletier’s outstanding career was highlighted by their gold-medal performance at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The pair officially started competing together in 1998, placing third at Skate Canada International before going on to win the event in 2000 and 2001. In 2001 they claimed their first and only world championship in Vancouver. Salé and Pelletier were officially inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame the following year.

Salé and Pelletier will act as the Athlete Ambassadors over the course of the four-day event in Regina.

TICKETS
Single session tickets begin at $25 (plus applicable taxes and surcharges) and prices range by session. Tickets for the Thursday practices are only $10. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca, or by phone at 1-855-985-5000 or in person at Brandt Centre Box Office. Groups of nine or more can purchase by calling the box office directly 1-306-781-9300.

EVENT INFO
This will be Regina’s second time hosting this event; they last hosted in 1986. Most recently, the city hosted Skate Canada Challenge, a qualifying event for the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

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), Russia (Rostelecom Cup), France (Internationaux de France), China (Cup of China) and Japan (NHK Trophy).

Each skater/team can be assigned a maximum of two events. Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their events. The top six from each discipline (men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.