Kaiya Ruiter shows big improvement in second ISU Junior Grand Prix appearance

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EGNA, Italy – Thirteen-year-old Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary made an impressive leap in the standings in her second career ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating competition finishing sixth on Saturday in women’s competition.

Russians were 1-2 with Kseniia Sinitsyna taking the gold with 215.58 points and Anna Frolova holding onto second at 176.21. Alessia Tornaghi of Italy surged from seventh after Friday’s short program to third at 175.93.

Ruiter, fifth and still within striking distance of the podium after the short, finished with 159.07 which was eight points better than her score in an 11th place result last month in her international debut at the Junior Grand Prix stop in Latvia.

In men’s competition, Daniel Grassl of Italy took the gold medal ahead of Peter Gumennik of Russia in second and Ivan Shmuratko of Ukraine.

Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., climbed from 14th to 13th overall.

On Friday, Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Toronto won the silver medal in ice dancing.

Full results: ISU JGP Egna / Neumarkt 2019

D’Alessandro and Waddell earn silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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EGNA, Italy – Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Toronto won the silver medal in ice dancing on Friday at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Andrey Filatov of Russia won the gold medal with 164.92 points. D’Alessandro and Waddell improved on their fourth place from earlier this season at the Junior Grand Prix stop in Latvia to take the silver at 152.76 and Angelina Lazareva and Maksim Profokiev of Russia were third at 148.71.

“We had more attack and speed in our elements but there are still some technical things we need to work on,” said D’Alessandro. “The only way to go from here is go on up and get better and better as the season progresses.”

The couple said they were more confident this week.

“We were excited to get back to training after Latvia,” said Waddell, who is recovering from a back injury this summer. “We were able to really push the run throughs and we felt a lot more comfortable out there.”

Olivia McIsaac of Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli of Toronto were 12th.

In women’s competition, thirteen-year-old Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary is in the medal hunt as well She stands fifth after the short program with 58.28 points and is headed for a vast improvement on her 11th place finish in Latvia.

Kseniia Sinitsyna leads at 74.65, her compatriot Anna Frolova is second at 61.43 and Eva Lotta Kibus of Estonia is third at 59.78. Only three points separate seventh from third.

After Thursday’s short program in the men’s event, Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., is 14th.

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s and women’s free skates.

Full results: ISU JGP Egna / Neumarkt 2019

Kevin Reynolds to act as Athlete Ambassador for Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is pleased to announce that six-time national medallist and 2013 Four Continents champion Kevin Reynolds, 29, will serve as the official Athlete Ambassador during the 2019 Skate Canada International. The event will take place in Kelowna, BC, from October 25-27, 2019 at Prospera Place.

“It is truly an honour to be named Athlete Ambassador for Skate Canada International,” says Reynolds. “Having this wonderful event in my home province makes it even more special. I have always had a unique connection with my fellow athletes and the amazing fans of our sport, and I am thrilled to represent Skate Canada and all athletes competing at Skate Canada International.”

Reynolds is an eight-time national team member and has represented Canada at the world championships six times. In addition to his win at the 2013 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, he was also a member of the Canadian silver medal winning squad in the team event at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and was the bronze medallist at the 2010 Four Continents.

In his role as Athlete Ambassador, Reynolds will handle speaking engagements and media interviews, conduct appearances on behalf of competing athletes and, of course, interact with fans throughout the week.

“We are thrilled to have Kevin involved with Skate Canada International. He knows exactly the pressures that the athletes will face during the competition and will be able to convey those experiences to media and fans over the course of the week,” said Debra Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada.

Reynolds helped to move the sport forward with his advanced jumping skills. In 2010, he was the first skater to land two quad jumps in a short program. He was also the first skater to land five quad jumps in competition at the 2013 ISU Four Continents Championships, with two quads in the short program and three in the free program.

Reynolds is working towards completion of his degree at the University of British Columbia. He is expected to graduate in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with a minor in Japanese Language and Culture. He is also a full-time coach at the Champs International Skating Centre of B.C.

TICKETS
Single session tickets begin at $31.50 (including applicable taxes and surcharges) and prices range by session. Tickets for the Thursday practices are only $14.00 (including taxes and surcharges).

Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 1-866-514-5050 toll free or 250-762-5050 locally, or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

EVENT INFO
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. Kelowna will be the 46th installment of Skate Canada International. This is their second time hosting the event, they previously hosted in 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), China (Cup of China), Japan (NHK Trophy), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and France (Internationaux de France).

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, women, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final which will take place in Torino, Italy from December 5-8, 2019.