Keegan Messing leads men’s competition at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

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OSHAWA, Ont. (January 13, 2023) – Keegan Messing capped Friday’s start to senior competition by placing first in the men’s short program at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

Messing, the defending champion, earned 94.40 points with Conrad Orzel of Toronto second at 86.16 and Matthew Newnham of Edmonton, 15th last year, standing third at 79.75.

A two-time Olympian, Messing has announced this is his last season. He is also dealing this week with the extra stress of his wife Lane due to deliver their second child any day now.

‘’This is my final competition on Canadian soil,’’ said Messing. ‘’To go out there today, to have the crowd right there behind me, I’m overjoyed. I’ve always tried to put on my best performance to entertain the crowd. There are no words.’’

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are on track for their first Canadian title standing first after the pairs short program with 73.20. Brooke McIntosh of Toronto and Benjamin Mimar of Terrebonne, Que., are second at 66.67 and Kelly Ann Laurin of Saint-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby , Que., are third at 65.61.

Stellato-Dudek has been battling flu-like systems for the past few weeks.

‘’It’s slowly getting better,’’ said Stellato-Dudek, a double medallist this season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. ‘’But it’s still not gone, and I feel it when I’m skating. It’s really annoying. But we’re feeling more confident and had better training under our belt heading into nationals than we did for the Grand Prix Final.’’

In ice dancing, Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal are first after the rhythm dance with 87.06. Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Saint-Hubert, Que., stand second at 84.91 and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., are third at 77.34.

Two-time defending champions and recently crowned ISU Grand Prix Final champs Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto withdrew earlier this week after Gilles underwent an appendectomy.

‘’Our goal since the beginning of the year was to win nationals whether Piper and Paul were here or not,’’ said Sorensen, a double medallist this season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit with his partner. ‘’We know that’s setting the bar high but we’ re trying to step it up and to do that we have to beat people we’ve never beaten before.’’

Defending champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., took the lead in the women’s event with 68.32 points in the short program. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., follows at 61.21 and Fiona Bombardier of Newmarket, Ont., is third at 60.52.

‘’There were parts I was happy with and parts I was less thrilled about,’’ said Schizas, 19, a 2022 Olympian. ‘’I sometimes struggle when I skate last because of the wait, but I managed it better here than at Skate Canada International (in October).’’

The synchronized skating portion of the competition concluded Friday with NEXXICE from Burlington, Ont., dethroning reigning world champions les Suprêmes from Saint-Léonard, Que. NEXXICE collected 230.39, Nova, from Saint-Hubert, Que., followed at 222.68 and les Suprêmes, first after the short program, were third at 222.18.

‘’Its really special and a dream come true,’’ said NEXXICE co-captain Tegan Orr. ‘’I grew up in synchro so having this happen for me and this group of girls is really special.’’

This was the first time the synchronized skating events were part of the National Skating Championships.

Competition ends Saturday with the senior free skates.

For full results click here.

NEXXICE Wins Junior Synchronized Skating Title at 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

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OSHAWA, ON. (January 12, 2023) – NEXXICE won the gold medal in the junior synchronized skating event on Thursday at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

The Burlington, Ont., team earned 192.24 points with defending champions Les Suprêmes from St-Léonard, Que., second at 186.01. Gold Ice from Brampton, Ont., was third at 156.39.

This is the first time the synchronized skating events are part of the National Skating Championships.

‘’It felt incredible to be part of these championships,’’ said NEXXICE co-captain Calie Williams. ‘’I grew up looking at all these skaters, ice dancers and pairs.. It’s really incredible to make it here.’’

The other co-captain Elaine Chan said the squad kept its focus for the free skate after ranking first in Wednesday’s short program. NEXXICE was runner-up at last year.

‘’We didn’t let that get to our heads,’’ she said. ‘’We went in with a fresh slate. We wanted to show our best work at this competition.’’

Les Suprêmes were fifth and Nexxice sixth at the world juniors last year.  The 2023 junior worlds are March 10-11 in Angers, France.

The short program was held for the senior synchronized skating. Les Suprêmes, the reigning world champions and seeking a third straight national title, are first at 78.34 with NEXXICE second at 77.55 and Nova from St-Hubert, Que., third at 74.53.

‘’Our short program went super well,’’ said Julia Bernardo, Les Suprêmes co-captain. ‘’It was fun and we replicated what we did in practice, We worked together and gave each other energy.’’

The free skate is on Friday. Also on Friday are the short programs in all four senior events: men’s, women’s, pairs and ice dancing.

For full results click here.

Brand Identity Launched for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2024

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is pleased to unveil the brand identity and logo for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2024. Canada is a country known for its raw, rustic, and natural landscapes. Nothing reflects this better than the incredible phenomenon of the aurora borealis, an energy charged event where solar winds, ions and natural gases come together, dispersing an incredible light show you will never forget.

Inspired by the aurora borealis, the brand identity for the championships reflects the natural beauty of Canada. The logo containing four blades is meant to signify the four skating events at the world championships: men, women, pair and ice dance. The four stars pay homage to the four seasons that each bring their own look, feel and diversity to the different regions and seasons of our country.

“Hosting the world championships is an honour for Skate Canada and an opportunity to showcase our great country. In Canada most of us experience four seasons of weather and though we at Skate Canada prefer when the ice is frozen, we were inspired by mother nature’s force and sought to channel that natural energy into the championships through the look and feel,” said Debra Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada.

“Canada is ready to host the world in Montreal come March 2024 and we are looking forward to welcoming the skating community to our beautiful country,” added Karen Butcher, President, Skate Canada.

The championships will take place in Montreal, Quebec at Centre Bell from March 18-24, 2024. All event tickets for the championships will go on sale in May 2023. To receive ticket information including pre-sale codes please sign up for the mailing list.

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 more than 200 world-class athletes from 50 countries.

For more information please visit: montreal2024.com.

Skate Canada mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Wilf Langevin

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Skate Canada was saddened to learn of the passing of Wilf Langevin. Langevin was the voice of Skate Canada at events across the country from 1966 to 1999. He passed on January 7, 2023 at 82 years of age at the Credit Valley Hospital.

Langevin was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2010 as a builder. As an announcer he was the first to script and announce competitions bilingually, he set the standard for many who followed in his footsteps, and took a keen interest in training new music technicians and announcers. His contribution to the sport of figure skating went far beyond his role as an announcer. He combined his interest in music, technology and announcing to create a legacy in the sport and raised the level of professionalism to world-class standards.

His longevity in announcing saw him take part in 32 Canadian Championships, 23 Skate Canada Internationals, six ISU World Figure Skating Championships, and the highlight of his career at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary.

A visitation and funeral mass are planned for later this month. For more details, please see the obituary.

Skate Canada offers its sincere sympathies to Langevin’s family and friends.

Bashynska and Beaumont continue dream season at 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

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OSHAWA, ON. (January 11, 2023) – After triumphing on the international stage in the first part of the 2022-23 season, Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., added the Canadian junior ice dance title to their resume on Wednesday at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

Bashynska and Beaumont, runners-up last year, totalled 183.97 points, a Canadian junior record. They ranked first in both the short program and free skate.

Sandrine Gauthier of St-Constant, Que., and Quentin Thieren of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., followed at 161.52 and Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., were third at 154.70.

Bashynska and Beaumont, world junior championship bronze medallists last March, won their three ISU Junior Grand Prix assignments this season including the Grand Prix Final in December.

‘’It’s been surreal to win every event so far,’’ said Beaumont. ‘’Considering it was a goal we threw out there at the beginning of the season. We’ve proven it’s been possible so far.’’

Three other junior free skates were also held Wednesday.

Edward Nicholas Vasii of Rivière-des Prairies, Que., upset two medallists from last year to win the gold medal in the men’s junior event.

Vasii ranked second in both Tuesday’s short program and Wednesday’s free skate but emerged as the victor with 191.00 points. Grayson Long of Toronto, first after short, took the silver with 178.93. Anthony Paradis of Boisbriand, Que., soared from 12th after the short to third spot with the best score in the free skate totaling 178.90.

Paradis and Long were 1-2 in the same event last year.

‘’I wasn’t expecting this,’’ said Vasii, in his national junior debut. ‘’I was impressed with myself to have such a great performance with all the stress. I gained some confidence in the short program and I just continued to skate for myself.’’

Hetty Shi of Mississauga, Ont., last year’s novice national champ, posted the best skates in both the short and free to win the women’s junior gold with 165.61. Rose Théroux of Sorel, Que., followed for silver with 159.13 and Quebec’s Aleksa Volkova took the bronze at 155.40.

‘’It’s a bit overwhelming,’’ said Shi. ‘’I learned how to better control my emotions this year and that was one of my goals.’’

In junior pairs, Chloe Panetta of Laval, Que., and Kieran Thrasher of Amherstburg, Ont., took the title with a personal best 147.84. Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov of Winnipeg were second at 127.52 and Martina Ariano Kent and Alexis Leduc of Montreal third at 119.41.

‘’This is what we’ve been working for all season,’’ said Panetta. ‘’There have been a lot of ups and downs and we came through when it mattered.’’

Competition continues Thursday with junior and senior synchronized skating.

For full results click here.

Top Canadian Talents to Compete in Oshawa at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON (January 3, 2023) – Hundreds of senior and junior athletes from coast to coast to coast will be converging at Oshawa’s Tribute Communities Centre from January 9-15 for the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The pre-eminent Canadian figure skating event will feature skaters in the men, women, pair, ice dance and synchronized skating disciplines. 

Several national champions will be competing throughout the week, including Beijing 2022 Olympians Madeline Schizas and Keegan Messing. This will mark Messing’s final national championships after a long and successful international career. In pair, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will be looking to earn their first title, while NHK Trophy winners Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will be vying for the top spot in ice dance. Reigning world champions Les Suprêmes will be some of the top contenders in synchronized skating and will be looking to capture a third consecutive title. 

Current ice dance Canadian champions and 2022 ISU Grand Prix Final winners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have withdrawn from the event due to Gilles recovering from an appendectomy. Olympian and 2018 national champion Gabrielle Daleman, as well as ice dancers Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer and pair team Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland will also be unable to compete on account of injuries. All athletes look forward to returning to competition in due course.  

In addition to competing for medals, skaters will be vying for spots on the Skate Canada National Team and the Canadian teams that will compete at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships® 2023, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships® 2023, the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2023, the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships® 2023, and the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships® 2023.   

Single-session tickets for the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships are currently on sale and begin at $25 (plus applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased at Tributecommunitiescentre.com.   

For more information including the schedule, entries and start orders, click here.