Canadian skaters headed to Italy for final stop on Junior Grand Prix circuit

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters at the last stop of the 2019-2020 Junior Grand Prix circuit. Team Canada’s entries include one entry in men, one entry in women and two entries in ice dance. The event will take place from October 2-5, 2019 in Egna, Italy.

Wesley Chiu, 15, Richmond, B.C., will be the lone Canadian entry in men. Last season, Chiu won gold at the 2019 Skate Canada Challenge in novice and then went on to win the novice title at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Keegan and Eileen Murphy in Richmond, B.C.

Kaiya Ruiter, 13, Calgary, Alta., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. At her first JGP event, Ruiter finished 11th. She is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.

Natalie D’Alessandro, 15, Toronto, Ont., and Bruce Waddell, 17, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. This season, the team just missed the podium at Latvia, finishing fourth. They are coached by Tracy Wilson, Andrew Hallam and Joey Russell in Toronto, Ont.

Olivia McIsaac, 17, Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli, 16, Toronto, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. The duo placed ninth at Courchevel earlier this season. They are coached by Andrew Hallam in Toronto, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada Next Gen Director and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., and Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., and Janice Hunter of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian judges attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #7 – EGNA, ITALY

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Wesley Chiu 15 Richmond, B.C. Connaught SC Keegan Murphy / Eileen Murphy
Women Kaiya Ruiter 13 Calgary, Alta. Glencoe Club Scott Davis / Jeff Langdon
Ice Dance Natalie D’Alessandro / Bruce Waddell 15 / 17 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Tracy Wilson / Andrew Hallam / Joey Russell
Ice Dance Olivia McIsaac / Corey Circelli 17 / 16 Burlington, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Andrew Hallam

Canadian ice dancers win first ISU Junior Grand Prix medal

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal stepped on the podium for the second time on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday placing third in ice dancing at this season’s sixth stop.

Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya of Georgia won the gold medal with 169.22 points, Sofya Tyutyunina and Alexander Shustitskiy of Russia were second at 154.39 and Bronsard and Bouaraguia took third at 149.97. They also ranked second for their free dance after placing third Friday in the rhythm dance.

‘’We felt we could have skated better both programs but it’s a big step to get that medal,’’ said Bronsard. ‘’What I liked was our ability to correct mistakes on the ice in a smooth fashion that wasn’t too noticeable.’’

Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., gained a spot in the standings placing fourth right behind their compatriots at 147.07.

In women’s competition, Haein Lee of South Korea placed ahead of two Russians for the win. Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., improved from eighth to seventh overall.

At the season opening event last month, Schumacher was 18th.

‘’I’m really pleased with the improvements I’ve made,’’ she said. ‘’The consistency in practices and warm-ups has really paid off.’’

The next stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Egna, Italy.

Fournier-Beaudry and Sorensen ice dance champions at Nebelhorn Trophy

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OBERTSDORF, Germany – Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal earned their first international victory on Saturday winning the ice dance event at the Nebelhorn Trophy figure skating competition.

The event is the fifth stop on the ISU Challenger Series, a set of competitions which serves as a tune-up for the upcoming Grand Prix season.

Fournier-Beaudry and Sorensen bettered their previous international best by almost 12 points with a 201.00 score. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the U.S. were second at 192.47 and their compatriots Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko third at 190.35.

‘’This really shows that when you commit to something you can make great things happen,’’ said Sorensen. ‘’Not everything was perfect but we are so happy we were able to go out there and give two really good programs.’’

Earlier this month, they took silver at the Lombardia Trophy in Italy and two seasons ago won bronze at the Finlandia Trophy. The veteran couple were 10th at the world championships this past spring.

‘’Having all our teammates in the crowd cheering us one because we were the last event was really special,’’ added Fournier-Beaudry. ‘’It makes us even more humble and happy to be part of this family.

Haley Sales of Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., remained 11th.

It was Canada’s second gold of the competition. On Friday, Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., won the pairs event.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro win gold in Grand Prix tune-up event

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OBERTSDORF, Germany – Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro launched their international season with a gold medal performance Friday in pairs at the Nebelhorn Trophy figure skating competition.

The event is the fifth stop on the ISU Challenger Series, a set of competitions which serves as a tune-up for the upcoming Grand Prix season.

The Canadians, seventh at the world championships last spring, earned 210.35 points as they neared their international best 211.05. Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim of the U.S. were second Friday at 202.41 and Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim of North Korea were third at 183.02.

“We’re definitely happy for a September competition,” said Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont. “We know the areas where we can grow. We’re still learning in our program which spots need to be adjusted. We want to be competitive with the big guns this year and this was a good starting point.”

In men’s competition, Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto delivered the second best free skate to climb from ninth to fourth place overall.

Maka Ignatove of Russia also made a spectacular comeback surging from seventh to first for the gold with 220.51 points. Koshiro Shamada of Japan took the silver at 214.98 and Alexey Bichenko of Israel was third at 214.70.

Nguyen quickly forgot about  his struggles in Thursday’s short program and finished at 209.84.

“I felt better physically and mentally today,” said Nguyen about his free skate. “I was able to take charge of myself and do what I was suppose to. Considering how bad the short went, I’m pretty happy with how I pulled through for the long.”

Ice dancers Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal are in first place after Friday’s rhythm dance.

Fournier-Beaudry and Sorensen earned 81.16 points with Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the U.S. second at 76.99 and Olivia Smart of Adrian Diaz of Spain third at 75.80.

Haley Sales of Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of  Langley, B.C., are 11th.
Competition ends Saturday with the free dance.

Full results: Nebelhorn Trophy 2019

Stephen Gogolev places fifth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Stephen Gogolev of Toronto took fifth spot in men’s competition at the Crotian Cup on Friday, the sixth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Russia won gold and silver with Andrei Mozalev first at 236.44 and Artur Danielian second at 223.82. Shun Sato of Japan was third at 219.69.

The 14-year-old Gogolev, last year’s junior Grand Prix Final champion, was sixth after Thursday’s short program and produced the fifth best free skate to move up one spot overall.

Skating to a Peter Gabriel medley, he had a great start and strong end to his free skate landing a triple Axel, quad Salchow and triple flip-triple toe combo.  It was at that point he experienced difficulties singling two jumps before finishing with two successful combinations.

Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., was 12th. Both Gogolev and Rakic placed second in their earlier Grand Prix assignments this season.

In pairs, Iuliia Artemeva and Mikhail Nazarychev led Russia to a 1-2 finish.

Chloe Panetta of Laval, Que., and Benjamin Mimar of Terrebonne, Que., were eighth and Patricia Andrew of London, Ont., and Zachary Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., 10th.

Canada’s medal hopes likely lie in the ice dancing competition with two couples in the medal hunt after Friday’s rhythm dance.

Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya of Georgia are first at 65.97, Sofya Tyutyunina and Alexander Shustitskiy of Russia are second at 64.34 while Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal follow after a personal best 59.63.

Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., are right behind in fifth at 58.41.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., stands eighth after Thursday’s women’s short program.

The women’s free skate and free dance are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU JGP Croatia Cup 2019

Canadian skaters in Germany for Nebelhorn Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of seven skaters at the 2019 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. Canada will have one entry in men, one entry in pair and two entries in ice dance at the fifth event on the 2019 ISU Challenger Series, which takes place from September 25-28, 2019.

Canadian national champion, Nam Nguyen, 21, Ajax, Ont., will be the lone Canadian men entry at the event. Last season, he took home a gold medal at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. He is finished fifth at the 2019 ISU World Team Trophy (team) and 16th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Nguyen is coached by Robert Burk at Richmond Hill Training Centre.

Canadian national champions, Kirsten Moore-Towers, 27, St. Catharines, Ont., Michael Marinaro, 27, Sarnia, Ont., 27, will be the pair team representing Canada at the event. Last season, the two finished third at Skate Canada International and second at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. The team also finished seventh at the 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Bruno Marcotte in Oakville, Ont.

Laurence Fournier-Beaudry, 27, Lasalle, Que., and Nikolaj Sorensen, 30, Copenhagen, DEN., will be the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. This season, the two took home a silver medal at the 2019 Lombardia Trophy. The 2019 national bronze medallists placed sixth at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and 10th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships last season. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Haley Sales, 22, Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 22, Langley, B.C. will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, the team finished fourth at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and ninth at Skate Canada International. At the 2019 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships, they finished fourth. The two are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director will be the team leader at the event. Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence, will be the team official at the event. Physiotherapist Scott Fraser of Kingston, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2019 NEBELHORN TROPHY – OBERSTDORF, GERMANY

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Nam Nguyen 21 Ajax, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Robert Burk
Pair Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 27 / 27 St.Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. St. Catharines SC / Point Edward SC Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Sorensen 27 / 30 Lasalle, Que. / Copenhagen, DEN Town of Mount Royal FSC / Town of Mount Royal FSC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Haley Sales / Nikolas Wamsteeker 22 / 22 Kelowna, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Kelowna SC / Champs International Skating Centre of BC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Day tickets for the 2020 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Day tickets for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020 will go on sale this Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The championships will take place next year from March 16-22, 2020 at Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://montreal2020.com/tickets/ , by phone at 1-877-668-8269 or in person at the Centre Bell Box Office.

Competition tickets begin at $129 ($110 + $19 venue fee) and prices range by day.

Montreal is one of the world’s most vibrant cities, giving fans the opportunity to experience the world’s best of everything and Joie de Vivre of both the world championships and the city of Montreal!

TICKET INFO
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020 will offer six different levels of day ticket packages located in the 100 and 200 levels at Centre Bell. To view a venue map please click here.

The Bell Centre ticket system offers two ways to purchase tickets:

  • “best available” in which the system selects what it deems to the best available ticket.
  • “choose a section” in which the system will offer the best available seat in the specified section (if available).

Each day ticket includes access to the daily competition and daily early practice (excluding Sunday’s closed Gala practice).

*All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Fans may add a Super Fan Bag to their ticket order. Super Fan Bags include a souvenir program, commemorative championship pin, premium branded blanket and stylish tote for $110 ($100 ticket + $10 venue fee). Super Fan bags are available for pre-order until November 1, 2019.

EVENT INFO
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.

Canadian skaters headed to Croatia for Junior Grand Prix #6

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters at the sixth stop on the 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Zagreb, Croatia. Canada’s entries will include two entries in men, one entry in women, two entries in pair and two entries in ice dance. The event will take place from September 25-28, 2019.

Stephen Gogolev, 14, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in men. This season, Stephen finished second at Lake Placid. Last season, Gogolev won gold at Bratislava and at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final. He is coached by Rafael Arutyunan and Lee Barkell in Irvine, USA.

Aleksa Rakic, 14, Burnaby, B.C., will be the second Canadian entry in men. Rakic brought home a silver medal this season at Courchevel.  Last season, he placed eighth at Bratislava and sixth at Ostrava. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Alison Schumacher, 16, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. This season, Schumacher finished 18th in Courchevel. Last season, she placed ninth at JGP Bratislava and 12th at JGP Canada. She is coached by Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson and Joey Russell in Toronto, Ont.

Patricia Andrew, 14, London, Ont., and Zachary Daleman, 19, Newmarket, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian entries in pairs. This season, the team finished eighth at Russia. The two are coached by Alison Purkiss and Bryce Davison in Brantford, Ont.

Chloe Panetta, 16, Laval, Que., and Benjamin Mimar, 18, Terrebonne, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in pairs. Last season, the two finished ninth at JGP Canada and fourth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Emmy Bronsard, 14, Montreal, Que., and Aissa Bouaraguia, 18, Montreal, Que., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. This season, they finished fourth at Courchevel. Last season on the JGP circuit, the two finished fourth at Ostrava and sixth at Yerevan. They are coached by Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Pascal Denis and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Nadiia Bashynska, 15, Ajax, Ont., and Peter Beaumont, 18, Ajax, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. The two brought home a bronze medal at JGP Russia this season. Last season, they finished ninth at Bratislava and first at Lake Placid Ice Dance International. They are coached by Carol and Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Marc-André Servant in Scarboro, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Marie Bowness of Chester, N.S., will be the team leaders at the event. Dr. Edward Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Meghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT JGP #6 – ZAGREB, CROATIA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Stephen Gogolev 14 Toronto, Ont. Great Parks Ice & Five Points Arena Rafael Arutyunan / Lee Barkell
Men Aleksa Rakic 14 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Women Alison Schumacher 16 Tecumseh, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser / Tracy Wilson / Joey Russell
Pair Patricia Andrew / Zachary Daleman 14 / 19 London, Ont. / Newmarket, Ont. Brantford Competitive Skating Centre Alison Purkiss / Bryce Davison
Pair Chloe Panetta / Benjamin Mimar 16 / 18 Laval, Que. / Terrebonne, Que. CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier
Ice Dance Emmy Bronsard / Aissa Bouaraguia 14 / 18 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Montreal International Skating School Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Nadiia Bashynska / Peter Beaumont 15 / 18 Ajax, Ont. / Ajax, Ont. Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Marc-André Servant

Soucisse and Firus grab bronze at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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SALT LAKE CITY – This time there were no mishaps in the free dance for Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver as they won the bronze medal Saturday in ice dancing at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

The competition was the third stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2019 Challenger Series.

The U.S. was 1-2 as Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the gold with 202.40 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were second at 188.47. Soucisse and Firus, also third after the rhythm dance Friday, followed at 181.39.

Last week at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ont., the Canadians were second after the rhythm dance but Firus fell in the free dropping the couple to fifth overall.

“We did what we’ve been doing in practice and we are happy about that,” said Firus about Saturday’s performance. “Our scores are getting better.”

Molly Lanaghan and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., remained fourth at 154.13.

In women’s competition, Satoko Miyahara of Japan won the gold with Young You of South Korea second and Amber Glenn of the U.S. third.

Hannah Dawson of Vankleek Hill, Ont., and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., were sixth and seventh.

Full results: 2019 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian ice dancers fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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GDANSK, Poland – Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver improved their score and equaled their result from their last appearance on the ISU Junior Grand Prix placing fourth in ice dancing Saturday at the fifth stop on the circuit.

Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik of the U.S.won the gold medal with 174.68, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France were second at 162.70 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia were third at 162.19.

Makita and Gunara totalled 154.11 which bettered the 149.63 they skated three weeks ago at the second stop in Lake Placid where they also placed fourth.

“We needed to skate our best to get in the top-four again,” said Gunara. “It’s nice to see that only in our second international competition we improved.”

Jessica Li of Brossard, Que., and Jacob Richmond of Toronto were ninth.

In men’s competition, Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., was all smiles after a much improved free skate to finish fifth overall with 207.70 points. Daniil Samsonov of Russia won the gold with 250.51, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan was second at 245.35 and Daniel Grassl of Italy third at 228.64.

Phan ranked fourth for his free skate. Skating to Beetoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto he opened with a quad toe triple toe combo followed by a triple Axel and triple flip. Two weeks ago in Riga he fell on his triple Axel and the program unravelled from there.

Corey Circelli of Toronto was 10th with a personal best 172.72 and four ranks higher than in his international debut in Riga.

“I need to push myself more when I’m out there and really go for it,” said Circelli. “I didn’t show enough confidence or speed in my programs. There were seven skaters that earned over 200 points so it was definitely the strongest event I’ve ever been involved in.”

The sixth stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Zagreb, Croatia.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/jgppol2019/

Soucisse and Firus third after rhythm dance at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are in third spot after Friday’s rhythm dance at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

The competition is the third stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2019 Challenger Series.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. grabbed the lead in the ice dance at 80.18 and their compatriots Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are second at 77.18. Soucisse and Firus, fifth last week at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, follow at 71.33.

Molly Lanaghan and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., are fourth at 58.26.

After the short program in women’s competition, Hannah Dawson of Vankleek Hill, Ont., is fifth and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., seventh.

The pairs competition concluded with Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc of the U.S. taking the gold.

Camille Ruest of Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe of Calgary were seventh, Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., eighth and Nadine Wang and Francis Boudreau-Audet of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., ninth.

“We felt we had our better showing than at our last appearance here,” said Wolfe. “Our short program was incredible, it was a bit tougher in the long with some mistakes here and there but overall we took a step forward in our season.”

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

Full results: 2019 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian novice champs sixth in international debut

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GDANSK, Poland – Canadian novice champions Kelly Ann Laurin of Saint-Jerôme, Que., and Loucas Ethier of St-Eustache, Que., placed sixth in pairs to conclude their international debut Friday at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov of Russia won the gold medal ahead of Kate Finster and Balazs Nagy of the U.S. in second and Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel of Germany in third.

Laurin and Ethier were seventh after Thursday’s short program and ranked sixth for the free skate.

“For us it was really about the experience,” said Ethier. “It was a thrill to see the competitors from other countries and we felt that we did our performances very well.”

Camille Perrault of Orford, Que., and William St-Louis of Shawinigan were ninth.

“It was a new world for us to compete at this level,” said St-Louis. “I thought we skated well despite a very different setting.”

Alysa Liu of the U.S. took the women’s gold with Viktoria Vasilieva of Russia second and her compatriot Anastasia Tarakanova third. Amelia Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., was 14th.

“I’m really happy with the way I skated,” said Orzell, also in her Junior Grand Prix debut. “It was an amazing experience and I had so much support and I’m grateful to be here.”

In ice dancing, Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver are in fourth spot less than two points from a podium position with 62.25. Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik of the U.S. are first at 69.20, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France second at 65.82 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia are third at 64.23.

Jessica Li of Brossard, Que., and Jacob Richmond of Toronto are seventh at 56.48.

After Thursday’s men’s short program, Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., is sixth and Corey Circelli of Toronto ninth.

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

Full results: ISU JGP Baltic Cup 2019