IT FELT LIKE WINNING THE OLYMPICS!

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Written by Paul Dore

Are you a member of the Skate Canada community and thinking about applying for the David Dore Mentorship Fund? Perhaps you are a judge, coach or a club administrator and a friend or colleague suggested you look into it? Maybe the application seems a bit daunting and you’re on the fence as to whether this is right for you?

We talked to Val Masek and asked him to reflect on his experiences as the 2018 David Dore Mentorship Fund recipient. The Fund is open to a wide range of Skate Canada members – skaters, coaches, volunteers, administrators – and the purpose is to provide an opportunity to an individual in order to develop leadership skills with the goal of enhancing Skate Canada’s leadership depth.

The recipient is someone who recognizes how instrumental my father was in building the sport of figure skating in Canada and understands that this legacy was built on hard work, risk-taking, commitment, passion, and dedication. Through many different positions, my father deeply appreciated the important roles that volunteers such as Val have in our sport.

Val’s application reminded me of the way my father might have written one: methodical, attention to detail, forward-thinking. He is the President of the Prince of Wales Skating Club in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and has been involved with the sport for years.

A major part of being a David Dore Mentorship Fund recipient is attending the Skate Canada Ice Summit, where you’ll have the opportunity to help facilitate a workshop, shadow a Skate Canada leader, and participate in many events over the course of the weekend.

Heading into last year’s Summit, Val was excited to share his experiences from the most eastern part of Canada and being welcomed into the larger Skate Canada family. “The opportunity from the David Dore Mentorship Fund magnified this exceptional experience beyond words,” Val said. “At the Summit, Skate Canada’s movement towards better engagement, more efficient governance, and overall excellency in our work as volunteers was truly exceptional.”

The opportunity of attending the Skate Canada Summit is one that has a huge impact on the recipient and their local skating community. It’s not just the individual that benefits from the vast institutional knowledge on hand at the Summit. In addition, they can pay it forward to their own local skating community. “My experiences left a deep impression about the strong community of Skate Canada,” Val said. “The Fund’s goals intertwined with the spirit of David Dore’s historical work were on display at the Summit. It felt like winning the Olympics itself!”

In addition to attending the Summit, the recipient is matched up with mentors who have specific expertise related to their goals. The recipient’s time at the Summit is maximized in order to provide the most amount of learning opportunities. “I had the privilege to meet with a number of great mentors and learn from their experiences,” Val said. “I also could share some of our often unique situations from the Newfoundland and Labrador section. Being a club leader of 1200 members requires a huge time sacrifice and challenge for any volunteer. Through my mentor, I was delighted to be encouraged in my attitude towards the introduction of new technologies to improve our training methods and club operations.”

To me, one of the best ways to learn is through storytelling and connecting with others through personal experiences. One of the presentations especially resonated with Val: “Dr. William Bridel delivered an emotionally powerful speech aimed at the wider inclusion and support of LGBTQI2S members in our programs. In such spirit, I invited Eric Radford and his partner Luis Fenero to conduct a skater development seminar with our kids.”

Val had some final thoughts about the benefits of the Fund and a message to those out there thinking of applying: “The Fund opened a door for our club to become recognized within the larger Skate Canada community. It allowed us to tap into the knowledge and broad experiences of Canada’s most successful clubs, volunteer leadership, and top athletes. I see my work as a piece of a larger picture guided by Mr. Dore’s principles of hard work, commitment, and dedication to community service. I am truly humbled and honoured to be a part of Mr. Dore’s legacy and I strongly recommend applying for the Fund.”

After reading Val’s inspiring words, apply today for the David Dore Mentorship Fund.

Weaver and Poje earn Canada’s best result at 2019 ISU World Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan – Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje produced Canada’s best result at the 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday with a fifth place finish in the ice dancing event.

All three Canadian ice dance teams cracked the top-10.

Gabrielle Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France earned a fourth world crown in five years with 222.65 points. Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia were second at 211.76 and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. were third at 210.40.

Weaver and Poje, from Waterloo, Ont., remained fifth at 205.62. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto moved from eighth to seventh with 200.92 and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal stayed in 10th at 188.10.

Weaver and Poje skated to a piece from the Quebec rock opera Starmania in honor of the late Dennis Ten of Kazakhstan. The 2014 Olympic bronze medallist was killed in a car jacking last year.

“We felt so free and calm and that’s exactly the place we wanted to perform this program in,” said Weaver. “This program is more than about the levels and the score.”

Still the Canadians were less than five points from the podium.

“We’ve been in the top-five for a long time,” said Poje. “And it feels like just finding those little details, those little extra special things that make you unique and try and bring those out in the performances.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier

Gilles and Poirier performed their international admired program to Don McLean’s hit song Vincent (Starry, Starry Night).

“It wasn’t our best performance of the season,” said Gilles. “We put pressure on ourselves because we wanted to move up in the standings. Still we’re going to miss this program but we need to keep progressing going towards the next Olympics.”

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen

For Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen, their first worlds were a success.

“It was amazing to skate this program,” said Sorensen. “We felt good. Everything we’ve been working on came together quite well and it’s nice to do a clean skate you can be proud of.”

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. successfully defended his title with 323.42 points. Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was second at 300.97 and Vincent Zhou of the U.S. was third at 281.16.

Keegan Messing

Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., was 15th and Nam Nguyen of Toronto 16th.

“I lost my head out there,” said Messing. “The mistakes came from not thinking properly. That’s why it hurts a little bit.”

Nam Nguyen

Nguyen also struggled.

“The Axels kind of got away from me,” he said. “It was kind of weird because they had been solid for me in practice. But other than that I felt good about the performance.”

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wc2019/

Personal triumph for Gabrielle Daleman at ISU World Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan – Gabrielle Daleman finished 11th in the women’s event Friday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships but for the two-time Olympian it may have been one of the most important competitions of her career.

The 21-year-old Daleman, from Newmarket, Ont., has battled with mental healthy issues over the past two years and was proud to show that she is fighting back hard from the darkest moments in her life.

“The most important thing that I learned this season is that no matter what life throws at me I always rise at the end,” she said. “That’s exactly what I’m proving here. I had the worst two years of my life and to be here and get a top-12 finish means the world to me.”

Daleman won the bronze medal at the 2017 worlds. She is hopeful she is on track to return to her previous form.

“I view this free skate as such a success,” said Daleman. “Yes the last half wasn’t the best for me. Still, I’m very excited with how I carried the program.”

“I’m so happy to be back.”

Olympic champion Alina Zagitova of Russia won the gold medal with Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan second and two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia third.

Alaine Chartrand

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 23rd.

The standings are very close in ice dancing after the rhythm dance with less than four points separating positions two to eighth.

Defending champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are first at 88.42, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia second at 83.94 and their compatriots Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin third at 83.10.

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., are fifth at 82.84, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto eighth at 80.44 while Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal are 10th at 74.76.

“It was a magical experience out there but not perfect,” said Weaver. “We had great focus. The only person in my line of sight was Andrew and it took until our second bow to realize the audience was standing.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier

Gilles and Poirier made adjustments to their routine for the worlds.

“The changes absolutely paid off,” said Gilles. “We received higher levels on the aspects we were working on and that was an accomplishment for us.”

Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen had a wardrobe malfunction when the button that holds the strap to Sorensen’s pants to his skates broke.

“That’s why we train,” said Sorensen. “We’ve done this dance so many times that even with a little thing like that you may not be in the moment as much as you would like to be, but we still did a decent program so we’re very happy.”

Competition ends Saturday with the free dance and the men’s free skate. The event is streamed live at CBC.ca starting at 11:30 p.m. (EDT) Friday evening. (12:30 p.m. Saturday in Japan)

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wc2019/

Moore-Towers and Marinaro seventh at world championships

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SAITAMA, Japan – Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro placed seventh in pairs on Thursday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China won the gold medal with 234.84 points. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia were second at 228.47 and their compatriots Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert third at 217.98.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro, skating to a Pink Floyd medley, tabulated 200.02. It was clear at the end of their skate they were not pleased.

“It wasn’t our day, I suppose, we’re not really sure,” said Moore-Towers, from St. Catharines, Ont. “We were so prepared. Our mindset was perfect all week. We were so ready and excited. Our warm-up was perfect. Unfortunately it didn’t work out.”

Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., completed their worlds debut in 12th with 174.40, a season’s best score.

“We’re very pleased we delivered our best,” said Walsh. “It’s been a long season and we wanted to peak at the right time. Everything for us this year was a first and we just wanted to soak it all in.”

The Americans are 1-2 after the men’s short program. Defending champion Nathan Chen leads with 107.40 and Jason Brown is second at 96.81. Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is third at 94.87.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto is 13th and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., is 14th.

“The way I’ve been training the short program all year has been consistent and strong,” Nguyen said. “There were a couple of shaky elements but overall I’m proud I was able to put out a decent performance.”

Messing fell on his opening quad toe.

“The quad has been a very consistent element for me all year,” said Messing. “I guess it wasn’t on today so I left it behind me and proceeded to fight for every element afterwards.”

Competition continues Friday with the rhythm dance and the women’s free skate. The event is streamed live at CBC.ca starting at 11 p.m. (EDT) Thursday evening. (12 p.m. Friday in Japan)

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wc2019/

Moore-Towers and Marinaro within striking distance of medal at worlds

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SAITAMA CITY, Japan – Canada’s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro are within striking distance of the podium after Wednesday’s pairs short progam which opened the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Moore-Towers, from St. Catharines, Ont., and Marinaro, from Sarnia, Ont., are in fifth place with 73.08 points. The only blip on the skate was Marinaro touching his hand down on the side-by-side triple toe.

“There were some good points but overall we are a little bit disappointed,” said Moore-Towers, sixth with her partner at last year’s worlds. “We had been training elements a lot better than we executed them today. Still the score is solid and that’s a testament to the way we’ve been training.”

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia are first at 81.21. Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China follow at 79.24 and their compatriots Cheng Peng and Yang Jin are third at 75.15.

Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont. made their worlds debut and are 12th.

“As we expected we were tight and nervous,” said Walsh. “We fought for a lot of things so it was definitely one for the books.”

In the women’s short program, Alina Zagitova of Russia is first, Kaori Sakamoto of Japan second and Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan third.

Two-time Olympian Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., skated a clean program and is 11th.

“It felt so great to do that program,” said Daleman, third at the 2017 worlds, who missed the Grand Prix season this past fall. “I’ve been working extremely hard in training and coming here was so emotional for me. It gives me a lot of confidence for the free program.”

Canadian champion Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., is 22nd and Aurora Cotop of Thornhill, Ont., placed 35th and miss the cut for the free skate. The top-24 advanced.

“Even though I had mistakes I kept the other elements together,” said Chartrand. “The free skate is the strongest of my two programs and I look forward to performing it.”

Competition continues Thursday with the pairs free skate and the men’s short program. The event is streamed live at CBC.ca starting at 9:30 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday evening. (10:30 a.m. Thursday in Japan)

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wc2019/

Les Suprêmes climb to sixth at ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships

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NEUCHATEL, Switzerland – Les Suprêmes, from St-Léonard, Que., climbed to sixth place on Saturday to conclude the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.

Russian teams were 1-2 with Junost winning the gold with 200.74 and Crystal Ice the silver at 199.99. Skyliners fom the U.S. won bronze at 193.42.

Les Suprêmes, ranked seventh in both in the short and long program but their consistency paid off as they ranked sixth overall at 172.91.  Nexxice, from Burlington, Ont., posted the sixth best free skate but remained eighth overall at 171.11.

The skaters for les Suprêmes were: Alessia Hart-Lewis, Amelia Asparian, Solène Aymard, Émilie Beaucage, Olivia Ronca, Frédérique Hébert-Mondragon, Thea Iulia Dimbu, Charlotte Grütter, Astrid Kumpulainen, Joséphine Kawa, Jade Deschênes,   Lynnson Ceneston, Alona Chabalin-Zea,  Natasha Gligorijevic, Julia Caponi, Anne-Laurence Trudeau, Alice Cormier, Victoria Gligorijevic, Lauren Santori, Loriana Cocca, Morgane Launay-Boireau.

‘’Our long skate went really well,’’ said Suprêmes co-captain Hart-Lewis. ‘’We felt like we attacked it as much as we could. There were little mistakes but we reached our objectives and we are proud of our team and what we accomplished.’’

The skaters for Nexxice were Christina Sze Wai Au, Ashley Sophie Bona, Savana Bosco, Avery Nasha Clark, Abbey Elaine Ana Glumpak, Lauren Elizabeth Hatfield, Amanda Talia Kauffman, Vasiliki Victoria Kiriakou, Natalie Leung, Nellie Charlotte Meijer, Victoria, Maria Morgado, Mya Isabelle Napier, Madeleine Margaret North, Desiree Melissa Perry, Lauren Samantha Pollack, Meghan Marguerite Tiplady, Sophia Tong, Emily Kristine Van Berkel and Milja Amilda Wilamo.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wjcsys2019/

Canadian teams in top-10 at ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships

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NEUCHATEL, Switzerland – Les Suprêmes, from St-Léonard, Que., and Nexxice, from Burlington, Ont., stand seventh and eighth after Friday’s short program at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.

Russian teams are 1-2 with Crystal Ice first with 79.44 points and Junost second at 76.46. Skyliners from the U.S. are third at 75.79.

Les Suprêmes totalled 63.50 while Nexxice earned 60.30. There are 23 entries.

The skaters for les Suprêmes are: Alessia Hart-Lewis, Amelia Asparian, Solène Aymard, Émilie Beaucage, Olivia Ronca, Frédérique Hébert-Mondragon, Thea Iulia Dimbu, Charlotte Grütter, Astrid Kumpulainen, Joséphine Kawa, Jade Deschênes,   Lynnson Ceneston, Alona Chabalin-Zea,  Natasha Gligorijevic, Julia Caponi, Anne-Laurence Trudeau, Alice Cormier, Victoria Gligorijevic, Lauren Santori, Loriana Cocca, Morgane Launay-Boireau

“We are very happy with our performance,” said Hart-Lewis. “Our goals for this competition were to perform and make the crowd feel our program more than just see it. I think we have accomplished that as a team.”

The skaters for Nexxice are Christina Sze Wai Au, Ashley Sophie Bona, Savana Bosco, Avery Nasha Clark, Abbey Elaine Ana Glumpak, Lauren Elizabeth Hatfield, Amanda Talia Kauffman, Vasiliki Victoria Kiriakou, Natalie Leung, Nellie Charlotte Meijer, Victoria, Maria Morgado, Mya Isabelle Napier, Madeleine Margaret North, Desiree Melissa Perry, Lauren Samantha Pollack, Meghan Marguerite Tiplady, Sophia Tong, Emily Kristine Van Berkel and Milja Amilda Wilamo.

“Although it wasn’t the performance we hoped for, we have a lot to be proud of,” said Kauffman. “We attacked our skate and we were aggressive. We put out everything out there and made some mistakes. But we prefer that strategy than to be passive and safe.”

Competition ends Saturday with the free skate.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wjcsys2019/

One year until Montreal hosts the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020

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OTTAWA, ON: With just one year to go until Montreal, Que., hosts the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020, Skate Canada is proud to unveil the theme and logo for the event. The championships will take place next year from March 16-22, 2020 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The theme of the championships is Joie de Vivre given the charm of the host city of Montreal and the hospitality and warmth of Montrealers. The event is more than just a sporting event with the best figure skaters in the world, it’s the opportunity for fans from everywhere to sample a unique cultural experience, as the city offers some of the best cuisine, art, and culture that Canada has to offer.

The logo transmits a youthful energy and movement of skaters, ‘M’ for Montreal and monde are clearly visible. The fun and charismatic nature of the logo also reflects the joie de vivre of the host city. Together the theme and logo for the event will be the key visual ambassadors for the championships.

“We are excited that in just one-year we will have the honour of welcoming the world to Canada and Montreal specifically, for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020. We are thrilled to unveil the joie de vivre theme, synonymous to anyone who has experienced the charm and sophistication of Montreal, and the innovative branding for these championships. We believe that both the theme and logo will resonate with both the skaters who will compete in this event and also the public who adores the athleticism and artistry of figure skating,” said Leanna Caron, President, Skate Canada.

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event that moves around the globe, attracting more than 300 million television viewers worldwide and showcasing the 200 best athletes from 50 countries in four disciplines: men, women, pair and ice dance. An event of this magnitude could not take place without the contribution of the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and Montreal Tourism.

The 2020 world championships will mark Canada’s 11th time hosting, and a second for Montreal. Montreal last hosted the championships in 1932, the very first time Canada hosted the event. Canada last hosted the event in London, Ontario, in 2013.

TICKET INFORMATION
Montreal is one of the world’s most vibrant cities, where fans can enjoy a city that truly offers all the finest experiences. Buying a ticket and coming to this exceptional event will offer fans an opportunity to experience the world’s best of everything!

Ticket information for the championships will be available on April 25, 2019 with a target on-sale date for all-event tickets taking place in May 2019.

Canadians en route to Japan for 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 10 entries, for a total of 15 skaters to the  2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The event will take place from March 18-24, 2019, in Saitama City, Japan. Canada will have three entries in women and ice dance, and two entries in men and pair.

Canadian gold medallist Nam Nguyen, 20, Ajax, Ont., is the first of two Canadian entries in the men’s category. This will be his fifth time competing at this event; he earned his best result in 2015, finishing fifth. Most recently, he finished 10th at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The four-time Canadian medallist is coached by Robert Burk in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Canadian bronze medallist Keegan Messing, 27, Sherwood Park, Alta./Brantford, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men’s. This will be his second time competing at this event, having finished 8th in 2018. Messing placed fourth at the ISU Four Continents Championships in February. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, Ak, USA.

Canadian gold medallist Alaine Chartrand, 22, Prescott, Ont., is the first of three Canadian women competing at the event. Chartrand recently finished 16th at the ISU Four Continents Championships. This will be her third time competing at this event. She is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski at York Region Skating Club.

Canadian silver medallist Aurora Cotop, 16, Thornhill, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in the women’s discipline. This will be her first time competing at this event. Most recently, she finished third at the 2019 Bavarian Open. Cotop is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton Alta.

Gabrielle Daleman, 21, Newmarket, Ont., will be the final Canadian entry in women’s. She finished fifth at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in January. This will be her sixth time competing at this event, having finished 7th in 2018 and winning bronze in 2017. She is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian gold medallists Kirsten Moore-Towers, 26, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 27, Sarnia, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian entries in pair. The two are coming off a silver medal finish at the ISU Four Continents Championships. This will be their third time competing at this event, having finished sixth in 2018. They are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier and Sylvie Fullum in Saint-Leonard, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Evelyn Walsh, 17, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 22, Trenton, Ont., will be the second pair representing Canada. They finished 7th at the ISU Four Continents Championships in February. This will be their first time competing at this event. The two are coached by Alison Purkiss in Brantford, Ont.

Canadian champions Kaitlyn Weaver, 29, Toronto, Ont. and Andrew Poje, 32, Waterloo, Ont., will be the first of three entries in ice dance. The two finished second at the 2019 ISU Four Continents Championships. This will be their 11th time competing at this event; last season they won their third world medal with a bronze medal performance. The three-time world medallists are coached by Nikolai Morozov, Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo in Hackensack, New Jersey/Novi, Michigan, USA.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 27, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 27, Unionville, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. The two won a bronze medal at the ISU Four Continents Championships in February. This will be their seventh time competing at this event, having finished in the top ten the past five consecutive years. They are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Jon Lane in Scarborough, Ont.

Canadian bronze medallists Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 26, Montreal, Que., and Nikolaj Sorensen, 30, Montreal, Que., will be the third Canadian entry in ice dance. At their first international event representing Canada, the two finished sixth at the ISU Four Continents Championship. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the team leaders at the event. Dr. Lee Schofield of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and André-Marc Allain of Ottawa, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

Emma Bowie, Skate Canada Communications Manager, will be the media attaché at the event. She can be reached onsite at [email protected].

For results and full entries, please visit isu.org or wfc2019.jp.

Canadian Entries at 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Nam Nguyen 20 Ajax, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Robert Burk
Men Keegan Messing 27 Sherwood Park, Alta. / Brantford, Ont. Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Women Alaine Chartrand 22 Prescott, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Tracey Wainman, Grzegorz Filipowski
Women Aurora Cotop 16 Thornhill, Ont. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Women Gabrielle Daleman 21 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Curling and Skating Club Lee Barkell, Brian Orser
Pairs Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 26/27 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. St. Catharines SC/Point Edward SC Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum
Pairs Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud 17/22 London, Ont. / Trenton, Ont. London SC / Trenton SC Alison Purkiss
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 29/32 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Granite SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Nikolai Morozov, Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 27/27 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane
Ice Dance Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Sorensen 26/30 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Town of Mount Royal FSC/Town of Mount Royal FSC Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer

Junior synchronized skating teams in Switzerland for 2019 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have two junior synchronized skating teams competing at the 2019 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, from March 15-16, 2019. Nexxice junior and Les Suprêmes junior will represent Canada at the event. Neuchâtel will host 23 of the top junior synchronized skating teams from 18 countries.

Canadian junior silver medalists, Nexxice, qualified for this event by winning gold at the 2019 Winterfest. Last season, Nexxice finished eighth at the 2018 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. This season, the representatives of Burlington Skating Centre finished fourth at Mozart Cup. They are coached by Trish Perdue-Mills.

Canadian junior champions, Les Suprêmes, qualified for this event by finishing second at the 2019 Winterfest. Last year, the team finished fourth at this event. This season, the representatives of CPA Saint-Leonard won the gold medal at Lumiere Cup. Les Suprêmes junior are coached by Marilyn Langlois, Pascal Denis, Cathy Dalton and Amélie Brochu.

Joanne Shaw, of Guelph, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Dr. Sari Kraft of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Jennifer Betts of Bragg Creek, Alta., will be the Canadian official at the event. Mary Ellen McDonald, Skate Canada Senior Director, Operations, will also be travelling with the team.

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.

The beat goes on for Canada in ice dancing: Lajoie and Lagha win world junior gold

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha won the gold medal in ice dancing on Saturday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Lajoie and Lagha, in their fourth appearance at the world juniors, scored an international personal best of 176.10 placing first in both the rhythm dance on Thursday and the free dance.

“It was our best performance of the year,” said Lagha, 19, from Greenfield Park, Que. “We had to stay focused and not worry about the result and that’s what we did.”

It is second time Canada has won world junior gold in ice dancing. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took the crown in 2006.

“It was pretty stressful to skate last against such a strong field,” said Lajoie, 18, from Boucherville, Que. “Still it went super well.”

Russian couples completed the podium with Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Nikita Nazarov second at 171.22 and Sofia Shevchenko and Igor Eremenko third at 170.43.

It was only back in December, that Lajoie and Lagha placed fourth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.

“The world juniors are tough to win and they were rewarded for their hard work,” said Lajoie and Lagha’s coach Romain Haguenauer. “They showed mastery and maturity, they never panicked.

They were clearly the best team and that’s how you win championships.”

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., climbed from 13th to ninth.

“We were very pleased with that performance,” said Fabbri. “After nationals we intensified our training and focused on the details more. It really paid off in the end.”

It was a 1-2 Russian finish in women’s competition. Alexandra Trusova won the gold, Anna Shcherbakova was second and Ting Cui of the U.S. third.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., soared from 16th after the short program to 10th.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wjc2019/

Gogolev takes fifth in gutsy performance at ISU World Juniors

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Toronto’s Stephen Gogolev recovered from a painful fall in his men’s free skate Friday and soared from 10th to fifth overall in his debut at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Tomoki Hiwatashi of the U.S. won the gold medal with 230.32 points, Roman Savosin of Russia was second at 229.28 and Daniel Grassl of Italy third at 224.67.

The 14-year-old Gogolev, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final Champion in December, scored the third best free skate to place fifth at 220.66. After singling his opening quad Lutz, he recovered brilliantly with a solid quad toe and quad Salchow-triple toe combo.

However about two minutes in his free skate, he fell awkwardly on his triple Axel attempt and needed a few seconds to make sure his leg was flexible. He appeared to slam his right knee on the ice in his fall. Still he soldiered on to complete his program cleanly capped by a dizzying spin.

Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., made mistakes on his first two jump attempts and dropped from seventh after the short to 12th overall.

“I’m disappointed,” said the 17-year-old Phan, fourth last year. “I took off too fast on my first jump and my feet didn’t follow. I’ve never made a mistake like that in my life in a competition. My quad toe is usually more consistent but I’m pleased with how I came back to land the triple Axel.”

Russia is 1-2 after the women’s short program led by Anna Shcherbakova in first.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., is 16th.

Competition ends Saturday with the women’s free skate and free dance. A reminder that Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha were first after Thursday’s rhythm dance.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wjc2019/