Gilles and Poirier Take the Road to Gold at Skate Canada International

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VANCOUVER – The long and winding road led to gold for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier as they won the ice dance competition on Saturday at Skate Canada International, the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

Skating to the Beatles classic, the Toronto duo enthralled the crowd at UBC totalling 210.97 points less than four points off their personal best set in a bronze medal performance at the world championships in March. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were second at 200.05 and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain third at 192.83.

‘’The free dance was a little more shaky than our short program,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We have some nerves to work through, but this is really a big step forward moving through the rest of the Grand Prix season.’’

Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., were sixth and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C. 10th.

‘’We didn’t get the score we wanted but that ovation from the crowd at the end that for me was really awesome,’’ said Lajoie.

In pairs, Canadians Vanessa James and Eric Radford came within less than two points from the podium finishing fourth with 187.92 points.

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold with 224.05, Daria Pavliuchenko and Denis Khodykin of Russia were second at 193.08 and Ashley Cain -Gribble and Timothy Leduc of the U.S. climbed from sixth after the short to third with 189.90.

First year partners James and Radford were less than three points off their best score set earlier this month at the Finlandia Trophy.

‘’Aspects of our program grew and improved, aspects of certain elements that we focused on after Finlandia improved but certain other elements need improvement,’’ said Radford.

‘’This is a step up,’’ added James. ‘’A lot of the transition elements are better, but we are still working on getting that clean program.’’

Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were sixth and Lori-Anne Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., were seventh.

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. was the only skater in the top group to deliver a clean program and he won the gold outright landing four quads and totalling 307.18 points. Jason Brown of the U.S. was second at 259.55 and Evgeni Semenenko of Russia moved from fifth to third with 256.01.

Canada’s Keegan Messing struggled in his free skate and dropped from third to fifth overall with 238.34. Conrad Orzel of Woodstock, Ont., couldn’t gain ground with the sixth best free skate and remained ninth and Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., was 12th.

‘’I was pretty disappointed I wasn’t able to give the performance I wanted to today,’’ said Messing, sixth at the world championships this past March. ‘’After my fall I felt a bit shaky but I tried to forget about it. I’m just going to put my best foot forward towards the next competition.’’

Orzel was determined to bounce back after a subpar short.

‘’I was disappointed about my short program, so it was great to come back in the long and do two quad toes in the free skate,’’ said Orzel, 21, in his season debut. ‘’Although there were some mistakes, I was happy with the general performance.’’

Russia swept the medals in women’s competition with Kamila Valieva first, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva second and Alena Kostornaia third.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was eighth, Emily Bausback of Vancouver 11th and Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., 12th.

‘’I was really happy with my free program today,’’ said Schizas, 18, 13th at the 2021 worlds. ‘’My coaching team and I made a lot of changes since my last competition to make the second half of the program more successful and that reflected in my performance today.’’

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpcan2021/

Gilles and Poirier First After Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International

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VANCOUVER – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in first place after Friday’s rhythm dance at Skate Canada International, the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

Skating to music by Elton John, Gilles and Poirier notched a personal best international score of 85.65 bettering the 83.92 set at the ISU Four Continents in early 2020. In their bright orange suits they wowed the crowd with a smooth program and were awarded level four marks for their sequential twizzles and rotational lift.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy are second at 78.82 and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain third at 76.97.

‘’We haven’t really been conscious of having a target on our back,’’ said Poirier, third with his partner at last spring’s world championships. ‘’Our focus is on the Olympics and getting a medal there. We are very aware of all the places we need to improve – we need to focus on the work we need to do on ourselves.’’

Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., are sixth and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C. are 10th.

The Americans are 1-2 in men’s competition after the short. World champion Nathan Chen stands first with 106.72 and Jason Brown is second at 94.00. Canada’s Keegan Messing is third ahead of two Russians at 93.28.

Messing nailed his his quad toe triple toe combo to open his program, turned slightly on his triple Axel landing and executed a solid triple Lutz.

‘’It’s great to be back on the circuit but I forgot the pressure that comes with it,’’ said Messing, sixth at the world championships. ‘’I was very thankful to go out there and put down a clean skate.’’

Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., is ninth and Roman Sadovsky of Vaughn, Ont., is 10th.

In pairs, Canadians are within striking distance of the podium after the short program.

Two-time Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., are fourth at 66.43 just ahead of the new pairs team of Vanessa James of Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., in fifth at 65.02. Lori-Anne Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., are seventh at 57.25.

‘’We were so excited to skate in front of a crowd,’’ said Moore-Towers. ‘’But we may have gotten a little bit too excited, and we got a little bit ahead of ourselves in parts of the program.’’

James and Radford, in their first season together, bring a lot of experience to the table but there is still an important adaptation period.

‘’We still need mileage and time in competition,’’ said James, who joined forces with Radford in April. ‘’Our practices are going very, very well. We’re learning a lot about how the other reacts in competition and what changes a little bit when we are under stress.’’

Olympic silver medallist Wenjing Sui and Cong Hang of China are first at 78.94, Daria Pavliuchenko and Denis Khodykin of Russia are second at 69.46 and Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert of Germany third at 67.93.

Russia stands 1-2-3 in women’s competition after the short. Kamila Valieva is first, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva second and Alena Kostornaia third.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., is ninth, Emily Bausback of Vancouver 10th and Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., 11th.

‘’I’m very happy with my skate today it was one of my better ones,’’ said Bausback, 19, the reigning Canadian champion, who set a season’s best 59.53. ‘’Getting the energy from the crowd really helped me perform and I felt I made a connection with them.’’

Competition ends Saturday with the four free skates.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpcan2021/

Single Day Tickets: On Sale Today

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OTTAWA, ON: We have exciting news to share today. Single Day tickets for the 2021 Skate Canada International go on sale today at 1pm ET. With recent provincial restrictions being lifted, Skate Canada and the City of Vancouver were able to accommodate selling single day tickets to the event. We reiterate that there are still limited tickets for sale.

Friday: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11005B4ED42D2F15

Saturday: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11005B4ED43F2F1B

Sunday: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11005B4ED44E2F23

The 2021 Skate Canada International will take place in Vancouver, B.C., at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre from October 29-31, 2021. Please note, the city of Vancouver requires proof of double vaccination against COVID-19 at least two weeks in advance to enter public venues, including the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

The line-up in Vancouver features Canadian favourites including Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, Keegan Messing, and Madeline Schizas. They will be joined by various current and former world medallists including Nathan Chen of the United States, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia. A full list of entries can be found on the ISU website.

Single session tickets range from $90 to $150 CAD depending on the competition day and section (plus applicable fees and taxes) and $55 to $90 CAD (plus applicable fees and taxes) for the exhibition gala on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000. Please note, a maximum of eight tickets can be purchased per individual.

This event will not have a Super Fan Section, but we do look forward to bringing this back to future events.

To get advance notice on ticketing information, subscribe to our fan mailing list.

EVENT INFO

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figuring Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), Italy (Gran Premio d’Italia), Japan (NHK Trophy), France (Internationaux de France), and Russia (Rostelecom Cup).

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, pairs and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

This will be Vancouver’s second time hosting Skate Canada International, they previously hosted in 1978. Additionally, Vancouver has been a longtime partner of figure skating, hosting world renowned events such as the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2001 and 1960, and the 2018 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Skate Canada Invites You to Join the New Live Stream Broadcast

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The 2021-2022 figure skating season has started with a bang! So far this season, our fantastic skaters have garnered 11 medals.  We look forward to watching them continue to achieve excellence this year and we want you all to join us in witnessing a fantastic season as our athletes are on the road to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Skate Canada is pleased to announce the start of a new production for Skate Canada hosted events which will be streamed live on CBC.ca and the CBC Gem App. We know our communities across Canada have greatly missed watching figure skating, which is why this enhanced production aims at providing positive analysis of our sport and a supportive approach to help skaters on their individual journeys to achieve excellence.

Skate Canada has put together an extraordinary team of former high performance athletes that will bring a fresh approach to skating coverage. We welcome Kevin Reynolds (Men), Kaetlyn Osmond (Women), Kaitlyn Weaver (Ice Dance), Meagan Duhamel (Pairs), Elladj Balde (Art of Performance), and Patrick Chan (Art of Skating) with host Ted Barton to provide us with excellent, honest, and compassionate coverage of performances.

We invite our community to join us with the launch of this new broadcast this week at Skate Canada International. Join us and engage with our broadcast team by asking questions to the commentators about the event, sport, and their own journeys. Send in your questions through email to [email protected] or text 1-604-418-3157.

For more information on Skate Canada International, please visit our website.

ISU Grand Prix is heading to Vancouver, B.C for the Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 12 entries for a total of 18 skaters to the 2021 Skate Canada International (#SCI21) in Vancouver, B.C. Skate Canada will have three entries in men, women, pairs and ice dance. The 2021 Skate Canada International is the second event in the 2021/2022 ISU Grand Prix of figure skating Series. The ISU Grand Prix Series allows senior skaters to compete at an international level. 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 to be held in Osaka, Japan on December 9-12, 2021.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU GRAND PRIX SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL – VANCOUVER, B.C 

DISICIPLINE  NAME  AGE  HOMETOWN  CLUB  COACH 
Men  Keegan Messing  29  Girdwood, Alaska, USA  Ice Palace FSC  Ralph Burghart 
Men  Roman Sadovsky   22  Vaughan, Ont.   York Region Skating Centre  Tracey Wainman, Grzegorz Filipowski 
Men  Conrad Orzel  21  Woodbridge, Ont.   Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club  Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson 
Women  Madeline Schizas  18  Oakville, Ont.  Milton Skating Club   Nancy Lemaire, Derek Schmid 
Women  Emily Bausback  19  Vancouver, B.C  Champs International Skating Centre of BC  Joanne McLeod, Neil Wilson 
Women  Alison Schumacher  18  Tecumseh, Ont.   Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club  Joey Russell, Tracy Wilson, Ghislain Briand 
Pairs  Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro  29/29  St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont.   Skate Oakville  Bruno Marcotte, Alison Purkiss, Brian Shales 
Pairs  Vanessa James / Eric Radford  34/36  Scarborough, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont.   EPJM / C.P.A Saint Leonard  Julie Marcotte 
Pairs  Lori-Ann Matte / Thierry Ferland  22/25  Levis, Que. / Levis, Que.   CPA St. Romuald / St. Jean Levis  Ian Connolly  
Ice Dance  Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier  29/30  Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont.   Ice Dance Elite-Scarboro FSC  Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane 
Ice Dance  Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha  19/19  Boucherville, Que. / Saint-Hubert, Que.   CPA Boucherville / CPA Saint-Lambert  Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer 
Ice Dance  Haley Sales / Nikolas Wamsteeker  24/25  Kelowna, B.C / Langley, B.C  Kelowna SC / Champs International Skating Centre of BC  Scott Moir 

Manon Perron, Skate Canada High Performance Advisor and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Tatiana Jevremovic of London, Ont., and Physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff on site. Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Glenn Fortin of Aurora, Ont., Nicole LeBlanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., and Andrea Derby of Uxbridge, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.  

For More Information www.isu.org

Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen Hang on to bronze at Skate America

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LAS VEGAS – Ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Montreal earned their third career bronze medal on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Sunday as they held on to third spot at Skate America.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue collected gold for the fourth straight Skate America event with 209.54 points. Their compatriots Madison Chock and Evan Bates were second at 208.23 and Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen followed at 190.13, just under 11 points off their personal best.

The Canadians ranked fourth for the free dance but held on to third by a mere 0.44 points over Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain in fourth.

‘’It was so great to be back in international competition with an audience,’’ said Sørensen, eighth with his partner at the world championships this past March. ‘’We really felt them with us in both programs and it gave us the energy to produce two clean skates.’’

Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen also won bronze in 2019 at Skate America and the Cup of China.

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver moved from eighth after the rhythm dance to seventh overall.

‘’It was an awesome experience,’’ said Firus ranked third with Soucisse in Canada. ‘’We are really happy with our performances, we don’t feel at this point in the season we could have done much better. We had some objectives for this meet and we achieved them.’’

On Saturday night, Nam Nguyen of Ajax, Ont., was eighth in men’s competition and Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., were eighth in pairs. There were no Canadians in the women’s event.

The next stop on the circuit is Skate Canada International this upcoming Friday and Saturday in Vancouver.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpusa2021/

Canadian Ice Dancers in Medal Hunt at Season Opening ISU Grand Prix

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LAS VEGAS – Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal stand in third place after Saturday’s rhythm dance at Skate America, the opening stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The U.S. is 1-2 with three-time defending champion Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donahue first with 83.58 points and Madison Chock and Evan Bates second at 82.55. Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen, eighth at the 2021 worlds, follow at 75.33.

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

Medals were handed out in two events Saturday evening and both Canadians entries placed eighth.

In men’s competition, Vincent Zhou of the U.S. collected a third international victory this season as he took the gold with 295.56. Shoma Uno of Japan was second at 270.68 and three-time world champion Nathan Chen of the U.S. third at 269.37.

Nam Nguyen of Ajax, Ont., dropped from seventh after the short program on Friday to eighth. He opened with a strong quad Salchow in his free skate but singled his triple Axel which proved costly.

‘’I’m really proud of the fight and perseverance I put in through in both programs,’’ said Nguyen. ‘’It’s a good start for me and I’m looking forward to just improving for the rest of the season.’’

In pairs, the Russian team of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov took the gold with 222.50 points. It marks their first Grand Prix victory in three seasons; they were fourth at worlds this past March.

Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were second (208.20) for their first career Grand Prix medal while 2021 world bronze medalists Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia slipped from second to third at 205.53.

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., remained in eighth.

‘’We’re disappointed with both skates we put out,’’ said Walsh. ‘’It was our first event of the season so there’s still a lot of room to grow.’’

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance. There are no Canadian entries in the women’s event.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpusa2021/

All-Event Tickets on Sale Now: 2021 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: All-event tickets for the 2021 Skate Canada International are on sale now. There will be a limited number of all-event tickets. Skate Canada thanks you for the continuous support during the pandemic and we cannot wait to see some of you in person later this month.  

The 2021 Skate Canada International will take place in Vancouver, B.C., at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre from October 29-31, 2021. Please note, the city of Vancouver requires proof of double vaccination against COVID-19 at least two weeks in advance to enter public venues, including the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. 

The line-up in Vancouver features Canadian favourites including Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, Keegan Messing, and Madeline Schizas. They will be joined by various current and former world medallists including Nathan Chen of the United States, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia. A full list of entries can be found on the ISU website.  

All-Event ticket packages will include all competitions, the exhibition gala. Practices are closed to the general public. Fans will be able to choose from seats in the lower portion of the bowl for $300 CAD and in the higher portion of the bowl for $250 CAD plus applicable fees and taxes. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000. Please note, a maximum of eight tickets can be purchased per individual. 

This event will not have a Super Fan Section, but we do look forward to bringing this back to future events.  

To get advance notice on ticketing information, subscribe to our fan mailing list.  

EVENT INFO 

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figuring Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), Italy (Gran Premio d’Italia), Japan (NHK Trophy), France (Internationaux de France), and Russia (Rostelecom Cup). 

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, pairs and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. 

This will be Vancouver’s second time hosting Skate Canada International, they previously hosted in 1978. Additionally, Vancouver has been a longtime partner of figure skating, hosting world renowned events such as the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2001 and 1960, and the 2018 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. 

Seven Canadians Kick Off ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Las Vegas

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries for a total of seven skaters competing at Skate America 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Canada will have one entry in men, one entry in pairs and two entries in ice dance. This is the first event in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the event takes place from October 22 to 24, 2021.    

Nam Nguyen, 23, Ajax, Ont., will be the lone Canadian entry in men. Nguyen finished second at the 2021 Skate Canada Challenge and finished sixth at the 2020 ISU Four Continents Championships. He is coached by Robert Burk, Danielle Rose and Ken Rose in Richmond Hill, Ont.   

Evelyn Walsh, 20, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 25, Trenton, Ont., will be the only Canadian entry in pairs. Last season, Walsh and Michaud placed twelfth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.  They are coached by Alison Purkiss, Andrew Evans and Paul Macintosh in Brantford, Ont.   

Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 29, Montreal, Que., and Nikolaj Sørensen, 32, Montreal, Que., are the first Canadian entry in ice dance. They finished second at the 2021 Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy and placed eighth at the 2021 ISU World Figure Skating Championships They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que. 

Carolane Soucisse, 26, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 27, North Vancouver, BC., are the second entry in ice dance. This season they finished eleventh at the 2021 Finlandia Trophy and fifth at the 2021 Autum Classic International. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Toronto, Ont.  

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Cynthia Ullmark, of Canmore, Alta., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Lynne Dey, Edmonton, Alta., and Erica Topolski, Fredericton, N.B., will be the team officials at the event.   

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING
 SKATE AMERICA – LAS VEGAS, USA 

MEN
Nam Nguyen (23) / Ajax, Ont. / Richmond Hill Training Centre / Coached by Robert Burk, Danielle Rose, and Ken Rose 

PAIRS
Evelyn Walsh (20) and Trennt Michaud (25) / London, Ont., and Trenton, Ont. / Brantford Skating Club and Trenton Skating Club / Coached by Alison Purkiss, Andrew Evans and Paul Macintosh 

ICE DANCE
Laurence Fournier Beaudry (29) and Nikolaj Sørensen (32) / Montreal, Que. / Town of Mount Royal FSC / Coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain and Haguenauer  

Carolane Soucisse (26) and Shane Firus (27) / Châteauguay, Que. and North Vancouver, BC. / CPA Repentigny / Coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs 

Lajoie and Lagha Seventh Against Stellar Field at Finlandia Trophy

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ESPOO, Finland – Canadian ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha maintained their seventh-place position after Sunday’s free dance to conclude the Finlandia Trophy figure skating competition, the fourth stop on the ISU Challenger Series.

Four-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France took the gold with 217.54 points. Defending champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. followed at 208.31 and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain were third at 190.39.

Lajoie and Lagha, the 2019 world junior champions, ranked seventh in both programs this week finishing with 181.03. They were fourth in their season debut at the Autumn Classic International last month in Pierrefonds, Que.

‘’We were really nervous,’’ said Lagha, 22, from St-Hubert, Que. ‘’It was a good accomplishment to get through a performance like that.’’

The couple had firm objectives for this event.

‘’Every little element there was a stress for us,’’ added Lajoie, 20, from Boucherville, Que. ‘’We wanted to make sure we successfully check marked each of the sections in our program.  In the end we were quite happy about it.’’

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver climbed three spots after the rhythm dance to place 11th.

‘’We are super happy with free dance, it went as planned,’’ said Soucisse. ‘’We were confident going in. There’s some work to do on the rhythm dance but the programs are taking form and trending in the right direction.’’

The couple was delighted to perform before spectators.

‘’It was great to be in front of a crowd again and they really carried us through our free dance,’’ said Firus, fifth with his partner at the Autumn Classic International. 

In women’s competition, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., brought a huge cheer from the crowd with her eighth-ranked free skate to jump from 12th after the short program to ninth overall. The 18-year-old produced a clean program which opened with a triple Lutz-triple toe and included two other combos as well as the double Axel.

Russia was 1-2-3 with Kamila Valieva, the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final champion earning the gold.

‘’I was really happy with my performance today,’’ said Schizas, 13th at the world championships this past March. ‘’I came here to put out my tech content some of which is new for this season.’’

Full results: http://www.figureskatingresults.fi/results/2122/CSFIN2021/index.htm

Canadian Ice Dancers Win Bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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LINZ, Austria – Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., won their second career medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday earning the bronze in the ice dance competition.

Sofya Tyutyunina and Alexander Shustikskiy of Russia won the gold with 162.28 points and Oona Brown and Gage Brown of the U.S. were second at 152.74. Bashynska and Beaumont were fourth after Thursday’s rhythm dance but climbed one spot with a solid free dance to reach the podium with 152.06.

‘’We are really satisfied with our skating and very happy to make it to the podium,’’ said Bashynska, 17, born in Kiev, The Ukraine.

Bashynska and Beaumont were fourth at their previous Junior Grand Prix assignment this season. In 2019 they also posted third and fourth place finishes on the circuit.

‘’We had the mindset that we’ve moved up in the standings before and we can do it again,’’ said the British-born Beaumont, 20. ‘’We had a great free skate at our previous event and took that confidence and composure to get the medal.’’

Emma Goodstadt of Oakville, Ont., and Michael Barsoum of Toronto remained 13th.

In women’s competition, Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal took 10th place in her international debut. The top-three remained unchanged with Sofia Muravieva of Russia, Isabeau Levito of the U.S. and Anastasia Zinina finishing 1-2-3.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpaut2021/

Canada’s Matthew Newnham eighth in international debut at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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LINZ, Austria – Matthew Newnham of St. Albert, Alta., climbed two spots after Friday’s men’s free skate to finish eighth at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Ilia Malinin of the U.S. took the gold medal with 245.35 points to win his two junior Grand Prix assignments. He was followed by Russian skaters Artem Kovalev in second at 221.51 and Kirill Sarnovskiy in third at 216.70.

Newnham, 18, was 10th after Thursday’s short program.

In women’s competition after the short program, Sofia Muravieva of Russia is first with 73.28, Isabeau Levito of the U.S. second at 71.32 and Anastasia Zinina of Russia third at 69.77.

Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal stands seventh out of 35 entries with 53.40 in her international debut.

In Thursday’s rhythm dance, Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., are in the medal hunt standing fourth with 60.34 less than seven points from top spot and 1.41 points out of third. They were fourth in their Junior Grand Prix event last month.

Emma Goodstadt of Oakville, Ont., and Michael Barsoum of Toronto are 13th.

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

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpaut2021/