Community Story Series – Episode 1: Kimberly Moon-Chong

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“For The Love of Skating”

Meet Kimberly Moon-Chong. When Kimberly was three and a half years old, she asked her mom if she could play hockey. Wanting her child to learn to skate, her mom enrolled her in a figure skating program at the West Toronto Figure Skating Club. It was here that Kimberly met her first coach, Donna Ijiima. As she started to train more in figure skating her desire to play hockey gradually shifted. She enjoyed the elegant movements and not having to lug around all the heavy equipment. Years went by and Kimberly continued to learn and master the basics with Donna at The West Toronto Skating Club.

At the age of 10, Kimberly changed clubs and began to skate at the York Region Figure Skating Academy with Greek National Champion Katerina Papafotiou. She continued to train here for the rest of her skating career. Training was a joy to Kimberly. She got a thrill out of her triple/triple combinations, triple lutzes and strived to always be her personal best. All of this culminated in a life-defining moment when she won the 2010 Novice Ladies National Championships. “Looking back on it now, I really felt like I was onto something big” Kimberly shared.

Then in the off-season of 2010, things began to shift. She had gotten new boots, that didn’t quite fit right. The leather felt ridged, and Kimberly struggled both in training and competition. “I struggled to get back into the same state of mind that I was in, coming off my National Title win.”

As the struggles continued, Kimberly started to move into a place of fear and doubt. She had lost the hunger for the podium she once so strongly craved. It did not help matters that her friends and previous teammates seemed to be moving onward and upward without her. This had a profound impact on Kimberly and on April 2, 2012, she decided to let go of competitive figure skating.

“I looked up at my mom in the viewing area and exited the session about 20 minutes in. That one glance I gave told her it was time for me to go. We had spent enough time trying to make it work, but I just was not able to fill the shoes of my own ghost from 2010.”

Since that day, Kimberly remained active and competed in a variety of other sports and activities, such as martial arts (boxing/ kickboxing/ taekwondo/muay thai), visual arts, skiing/snowboarding, and inline skating. Kimberly graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies and a Masters in Musicology.

“Keeping active was always a priority for me and I was constantly trying to find something that would bring me the joy that figure skating once did,” explained Kimberly.

In the winter of 2020, without even knowing it, Kimberly began her journey back to the ice. A former teammate called explaining that as a choreographer he was looking for someone to film short solos to upload to social media. Eventually, they became a dynamic duo, taking turns filming one another, growing their social media presence while doing what they love along that way. Before she knew it, with the pressure of strict training routines and competitions a thing of the past, Kimberly rediscovered the joy that skating once brought her. Her hope now is to share the artistry of the sport with others as she continues to lace up, hit the ice, share Instagram Reels and skate simply because she loves it.

Skate Canada’s Skate for Life programs support and encourage skating for wellbeing, health and enjoyment.  Information about our programs can be found at www.skatecanada.ca

You can find Kimberly Moon-Chong on Instagram @moonchongalong and on her website https://www.kimberlymoonchong.com/

The Skate Canada Community Story Series will cover exciting stories from our sections and community skaters. If you have a story from your club or section that you would like to share with us, we would love too here from you. Please contact Skate Canada at [email protected]

Competition continues for Canada’s NextGen Skater’s on the ISU Junior Grand Prix Circuit: Next Stop, Slovakia 

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 OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s junior skaters are packing their skates and heading to Kosice, Slovakia for the third stop on this year’s ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada’s skaters have been performing well so far, taking home two silver medals at the first Junior Grand Prix two weeks ago in Courchevel, France. As the circuit continues, Canada’s junior skaters vie for a spot in the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have five entries, for a total of eight skaters, competing at the event. There will be one entry in men, one entry in women, two entries in ice dance and one entry in pairs. This event is scheduled to take place from September 1 to 4, 2021.  

Corey Circelli, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the only Canadian in the men’s discipline. Circelli won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is regularly coached by Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson in Toronto, Ont.. Corey’s coach at this event will be Oula Jaaskelainen.
  

Justine Miclette, 15, Chambly, Que., is the only Canadian in the women’s discipline. This is Miclette’s first Junior Grand Prix. Justine is coached by Stéphanie Fiorito in Chambly, Que.  

Natalie D’Alessandro, 17, Toronto, Ont. and Bruce Waddell, 19, Toronto, Ont., are one of two teams representing Canada in the ice dance discipline. Natalie and Bruce won bronze at The Bavarian Open in 2020. They also won a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Egna-Bolanza, Italy in 2019. They are coached by Andrew Hallam, Joey Russell and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.  
Chloe Nguyen, 16, Edmonton, Atla., and Alec Roueche, 19, Surrey, B.C, are the second team representing Canada in ice dance. This is their first Junior Grand Prix. Nguyen and Roueche are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Burnaby, B.C. 

Meghan Fredette, 19, Gatineau, Que. and William St-Louis, 20, Shawinigan, Que. are the only pairs team representing Canada at this event. This pair won a bronze medal at Skate Canada Challenge 2021. They are coached by Marc-Andre Craig.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Manon Perron, Skate Canada High Performance Advisor of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Albert Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont. and Physiotherapist Meaghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Véronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que, and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the team officials at the event.  

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #3 – KOSICE, SLOVKIA

Men
Corey Circelli (18) / Toronto, Ont. / Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club/ Coached by Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson

Women
Justine Miclette (15) / Chambly, Que. / CPA Chambly / Coached by Stéphanie Fiorito

Ice Dance
Natalie D’Alessandro (17) and Bruce Waddell / Toronto, Ont. and Toronto, Ont. / Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club and Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club / Coached by: Andrew Hallam, Joey Russel and Tracey Wilson

Chloe Nguyen (16) and Alec Roueche (19) / Edmonton, Atla. And Surrey, B.C. / Ice Palace FSC and Champs International Skating Centre of British Columbia / Coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing

Pairs
Meghan Fredette (19) and William St-Louis (20) / Gatineau, Que. And Shawnigan, Que. / CPA Buckingham and CPA Ook Pic de Grand-Mèr / Coached by Marc-Andre Craig

Wesley Chiu of Canada Scores a Gold Medal at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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COURCHEVEL, France – An exciting final day of competition for Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., as the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit comes to a close. Chiu captured a gold medal in the men’s discipline on Saturday with a score of 199.89 points. This is Canada’s second medal of the competition. Friday, Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta won a bronze medal in the women’s event.  

This is Chiu’s first Junior Grand Prix win. When asked about how it felt, Chiu claimed, “This feels amazing.” Coming in 13 points ahead after his short program, Wesley said, his approach was to “block off what happened in the short program and just focus on the long program ahead.”  

In the men’s discipline, Arlet Levandi of Estonia took home the silver medal, rising from 3rd to 2nd place after the long program, for a total combined score of 196.93. Capturing the bronze medal is Edward Appleby of Great Britian with a total score of 182.41.  

It was a 1-2 finish for the Americans in ice dance. Oona Brown and Gage Brown of the U.S. won the gold medal with a score of 94.46, followed by Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski, with a score of 92.51. Taking home the bronze medal is Solene Mazingue and Marko Jevgeni of Estonia with a score of 84.00. 

The Canadian ice dance team, Chaima Ben Khaflia of Laval, Que. and Everst Zhu of Contestogo, Ont.,held strong in eighth with a score 72.84. Canada’s second ice dance entry, Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C. and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C, withdrew from the competition.   

The next ISU Junior Grand Prix will take place in Kosice, Slovakia from September 1 to 4, 2021.  

www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra22021/ 

Canada’s Kaiya Ruiter wins a Bronze Medal and Captures A Second Junior Grand Prix Medal

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COURCHEVEL, France – It’s two weeks in a row that Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta, Junior Canadian Champion has captured a medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Ruiter was ranked third overall after her short program on Thursday. After a solid free skate on Friday, Ruiter has won a bronze medal with a total of 179.92 points, at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. This is Ruiter’s second Junior Grand Prix medal this season. Kaiya captured a silver medal at last weekend’s Junior Grand Prix, also in Courchevel, France.

“I’m so proud of myself.” said Ruiter. “Just getting to practice and compete with some incredible skaters has been just incredible and I feel really excited about that.“

Isabeau Levito of the U.S. took gold with 202.35 points, followed by Chaeyeon Kim of Korea, capturing silver with 191.46 points.

In Ice Dance, Canada’s Chaima Ben Khelifa of Laval, Que. and Everest Zhu, of Contestogo, Ont. are currently ranked eight after their rhythm dance with 48.30 points. Currently sitting in first place is, Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski of the U.S. with 60.56 points. They are followed by another U.S. team, Oona Brown and Gage Brown with 59.79 points and Eva Bernarda and Tom Jochum of France are currently in third with 55.03 points.

Canadian Ice Dance team Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C. and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C, withdrew from the competition.

In medal contention is Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C. Wesley is currently in first place after the men’s short program. Chiu has a strong 13.03 point lead. Edward Appleby of Great Britain is currently in second with 63.23 pts and in third position is Arlet Levandi of Estonia with 61.73 points.

Competition ends Saturday with the free skates for men and ice dancing.
Full results: www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra22021/

 

 

Canada’s NextGen Skaters Return to Courchevel, France as  Junior Grand Prix Continues 

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s junior skaters are heading back to Courchevel, France for the second stop on this year’s Junior Grand Prix circuit. As the circuit continues, Canada’s top junior skaters will compete against the world for a coveted spot at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the event. There will be one entry in men, one entry in women, and two entries in ice dance. This event is scheduled to take place from August 25-28, 2021.  

Wesley Chiu, 16, Richmond, B.C., is the only Canadian in the men’s discipline. Chiu won silver in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Wesley is coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy in Richmond, B.C.  

Kaiya Ruiter, 15, Calgary, Alta., is the only Canadian in the women’s discipline. Ruiter recently brought home a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. Ruiter also won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She also won gold in junior at the 2020 Bavarian Open. She is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.  

Miku Makita, 18, Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada at this event. This team recently brought home a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. The team finished fifth at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Burnaby, B.C. 

Chaima Ben Khelifa, 16, Laval, Que., and Everest Zhu, 18, Contestogo, Ont., are the second entry in the ice dance discipline at this event. This is their first Junior Grand Prix event. They are coached by Shawn Winter and Elise Hamel in Pierrefonds, Que.  

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Danielle Williams of Langley, B.C., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Lorna Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Limin Jao of Toronto, Ont., will be the team officials at the event.  

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

 CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE 

Men 

Wesley Chiu (16) / Richmond,B.C. / Connaught FSC Richmond / Coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy 

Women 

Kaiya Ruiter (15) / Calgary, Alta. / The Glencoe Club / Coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon 

Ice Dance 

Miku Makita (18) and Tyler Gunara (19) / Anmore, B.C. and Burnaby, B.C. / Inlet Skate Club of Port Moody / Coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing 

Chaima Ben Khelifa (16) and Everest Zhu (18) / Laval QC. and  Contestogo,Ont. / CPA Laval and Club de Patinage Des-Deux-Rives / Coached by Shawn Winter and Elise Hame

Canadian ice dancers snare silver to conclude first ISU Junior Grand Prix

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COURCHEVEL, France – Miku Makita of Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C. won the silver medal in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the first stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

It was a first Junior Grand Prix medal in four appearances for the Canadian couple which joined forces in 2016. It was also Canada’s second silver of the competition. On Friday Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary took silver in the women’s event.

In ice dancing, Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen of the U.S. took the gold with 165.01 points followed by Makita and Gunara in second at 149.39. Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of South Korea were third at 144.27.

‘’We came back here in the long and did what we wanted to do,’’ said Makita. ‘’We trained really hard to be well prepared to deal with the altitude here.’’

Makita and Gunara, fifth at the Youth Olympics and eighth at the world juniors in early 2020, earned level fours in their Tango for their combination spin, straight line lift and rotational lift.

‘’It was weird competing again after a year and half and having judges on the panel and people watching you,’’ said Gunara.

Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., climbed to eighth from ninth with their free skate.

‘’We just wanted to think back to our training and be as confident as we could,’’ said Giang. ‘’I wish we would have felt this normal as we did in our free dance, in the rhythm dance but overall it was pretty good for the first time this season.’’

It was a 1-2 American finish in men’s competition. Ilia Malinin took the gold with 214.64, Lucas Broussard was second at 192.31 and François Pitot of France third at 182.26.

Pitot edged Canadian junior champion Corey Circelli of Toronto in fourth by a mere 0.09 points. Circelli fell on his opening triple Axel and struggled in his skate after an impressive short program to stand second on Thursday.

‘’It was definitely a tough one today,’’ admitted Circelli. ‘’I’m still trying to process what happened. I think all the management around the competition I need to get use to again.’’

Courchevel will also be the second stop on the circuit this upcoming Thursday to Saturday.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra2021/

Canada’s Kaiya Ruiter wins silver medal at season opening ISU Junior Grand Prix

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COURCHEVEL, France – Canadian junior champion Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary produced a flawless performance in the women’s free skate Friday to win the silver medal as the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating season kicked off in the French Alps.

‘’I’m so excited,’’ said Ruiter. ‘’Just to come here to Courchevel and perform in front of a live crowd was really special.’’

Lindsay Thorngren of the U.S. took the gold with 181.45 points followed by the 15-year-old Canadian in second at 177.60. Clare Seo of the U.S., the leader after Thursday’s short program was third at 174.80.

Ruiter was third after her short. In the free skate to music from Mulan, she landed all her seven jumps including one triple combination and two double combos. There were 22 entries.

‘’The program is about strength and determination. I just wanted to go out there and skate a personal best and give everything I have,’’ she said. ‘’I enjoyed the whole thing, from the second I got on the ice to the second I got off.’’

In ice dancing, Miku Makita of Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C. are in second spot after the rhythm dance with 57.41 points. Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen of the U.S. have built a solid lead with 64.75 while Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of the Czech Republic are third at 57.04.

The Canadians, together since 2016, are chasing their first medal in four ISU Junior Grand Prix appearances. They were fifth at the Youth Olympics and eighth at the world junior championships in early 2020.

Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., are ninth at 44.84.

Canada is also in medal contention in men’s competition. Canadian junior champion Corey Circelli of Toronto stands second after Thursday’s short program with 76.63. Ilia Malinin of the U.S. leads at 80.07 and Lucas Broussard of the U.S. is third at 62.65.

Competition ends Saturday with the free skates for men and ice dancing.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra2021/

Media Accreditation: 2021 Autumn Classic International

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OTTAWA, ON: The media accreditation application for the 2021 Autumn Classic International is now open. The 2021 Autumn Classic International will be held in person, but due to the pandemic and health regulations, without spectators or media on site. Skate Canada looks forward to hosting media in a virtual setting for this year’s event. The event will take place from September 16-18, 2021, in Pierrefonds, Que.

All media must apply for virtual media accreditation through Skate Canada’s online form. The deadline to apply for accreditation is September 10, 2021.

Skate Canada will continue to monitor the provincial and federal health guidelines and determine on a per event basis whether media will be held in a virtual setting. We encourage our media partners to access the media accreditation form to apply for accreditation for the 2021-2022 season.

Accreditation will be granted to professional media personnel only. Freelance media must provide a letter from the editor of the media outlet they are representing during the time of application. All applications are evaluated on an event-by-event basis and are subject to Skate Canada’s media accreditation guidelines.

Please visit the event page for further event updates.

Canada’s NextGen Skaters Head to France to kick off 2021-2022 ISU Junior Grand Prix 

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s junior skaters are excited to get back to competition, kicking off the 2021–2022 skating season with the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series. The first stop of seven, on this year’s circuit will be in Courchevel, France. Along the way, Canada’s top junior skaters will compete against the world for a coveted spot at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the event. There will be one entry in men, one entry in women, and two entries in ice dance at the competition. This event is scheduled to take place from August 18-21, 2021.  

Corey Circelli, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the only Canadian in the men’s discipline. Circelli won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson in Toronto, Ont..  

Kaiya Ruiter, 15, Calgary, Alta., is the only Canadian in the women’s discipline. Ruiter won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She also won gold in junior at the 2020 Bavarian Open. She is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.  

Miku Makita, 18, Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada at this event. The team finished fifth at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Burnaby, B.C.  

Hailey Yu, 16, Burnaby, B.C., and Brendan Giang, 18, Burnaby, B.C., will also represent Canada in the ice dance discipline. This ice dance team won a bronze medal in the novice division at the Bavarian Open in 2020. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing in Burnaby, B.C.  

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Carolyn Allwright of Waterloo, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Meaghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C, and Erica Topolski of Fredericton, N.B., will be the team officials at the event.  

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #1 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE 

DISCIPLINE  NAME  AGE  HOMETOWN  CLUB  COACH 
 

Men 

  

Corey Circelli 

  

18 

  

Toronto, Ont. 

 Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club   

Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson 
 

Women 

 Kaiya Ruiter   

15 

  

Calgary, Alta. 

 

 The Glencoe Club   

Scott Davis and 

Jeff Langdon 
 

Ice Dance 

 Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara   

18/19 

  

Annemore, B.C. /  Burnaby, B.C. 

  

Inlet Skate Club of Port Moody 

  

Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing 
 

Ice Dance 

 Hailey Yu / Brendan Giang   

16/18 

  

Burnaby, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C.  

 Inlet SC / Champs International Skating Centre of B.C. 

 

 Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing