New and Experienced Skaters to Compete at Third ISU Junior Grand Prix in Istanbul

OTTAWA, ON (August 30, 2023) – A solid squad of 9 NextGen skaters, including one woman, two men, one pair team and two ice dance teams, will represent Canada at the third stop of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The event will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from September 6-9, 2023. 

New NextGen Team member and NextGen Competition bronze medalist Uliana Shiryaeva will be the sole Canadian to compete in the women’s event. She will be joined by David Bondar, 2022 Skate Canada Challenge silver medalist, as well as Terry Jin, who will both be taking part in the men’s competition.   

In the pair discipline, the newly formed team of Jazmine Desrochers and Kieran Thrasher will have their sights set on the podium. In 2022, Thrasher and his former partner, Chloe Panetta, won a bronze medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit and qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. 

Two promising ice dance teams will also be competing, with 2023 NextGen Competition silver medalists Dana Sabatini-Speciale and Nicholas Buelow and the newly formed team of Emma Goodstadt and Christian Bennett both looking to gain valuable international experience. 

Competition begins on Thursday with the women’s, pair, and men’s short programs, followed by the rhythm dance and the pair and women’s free programs the following day. The event concludes on Saturday with the men’s free program and the free dance.  

Team Canada  

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location  

Women 

Uliana Shiryaeva | 16 | Coquitlam, B.C. | Joanne McLeod | Burnaby, B.C.  

Men 

David Bondar | 16 | Richmond Hill, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont.
Terry Jin | 17 | Surrey, B.C. | Joey Russell | Toronto, Ont.  

Pair 
Jazmine Desrochers | 17 | Mississauga, Ont. & Kieran Thrasher | 19 | Amherstburg, Ont. | Bruno Marcotte | Oakville, Ont. 

Ice Dance 

Emma Goodstadt | 18 | Oakville, Ont. & Christian Bennett | 20 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Carol Lane | Scarborough, Ont.
Dana Sabatini-Speciale | 17 | Springwater, Ont. & Nicholas Buelow | 16 | Barrie, Ont. | Mitch Islam | Barrie, Ont. 

Team Leaders – Josée Bourdon & Michael Slipchuk
Medical Team – Shirley Kushner & Lydia Shultz
Officials – Jodi Abbott & Lynne Dey  

For the full competition schedule, entries and results, please visit www.isu.org.