Canadian Synchro Team Aiming for Second Consecutive Podium at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON (March 27, 2023) – Canada will be represented by two solid teams at the 2023 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships taking place in Lake Placid, USA from March 31 to April 1, 2023.

Les Suprêmes will be looking to defend their title after winning gold at the 2022 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in front of a home crowd. The national bronze medalists have had much international success this season, placing first at the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup and third at the 2023 Leon Lurje Trophy.

2023 national champions NEXXICE, who placed fourth at last year’s world championships, will also be aiming for the podium after the team brought home a gold medal from the 2023 Mozart Cup and a bronze medal from the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup.

The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships kick off on Friday, March 31 with the short program, and end the following day with the free skate.

Team Canada

Team | Coaches | Training Location

Les Suprêmes | Marilyn Langlois, Pascal Denis & Amélie Brochu | St. Leonard, Que.

NEXXICE | Shelley Simonton Barnett & Anne Schelter | Burlington, Ont.

Team Leader – Dr. Shae Zukiwsky
Team Officials – Debra Armstrong & Karen Butcher
Judge – Andrew Bosco
Medical Team – Dr. Lydia Schultz & Paige Larson

For more information, please click here.

Canadian Ice Dancers Gilles and Poirier Win Bronze at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 25, 2023) – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier repeated as bronze medalists in ice dancing Saturday at the 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. won their first world title finishing with 226.01 points. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy followed for the silver at 219.85 and Gilles and Poirier earned 217.48 for Canada’s sole medal of the competition. This marked the first competition in three months for the Canadian Olympians after a wildly successful Grand Prix season, winning both their assignments as well as the Final in December.

‘’This is the best season we’ve ever had,’’ said Gilles. ‘’We medaled at every event we entered and that was really rewarding when we weren’t sure we would continue after last season.’’

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal, Que., produced the fourth best free skate but remained fifth at 214.04. They also had a fantastic season with two international medals including gold at the NHK Trophy Grand Prix in Japan last November.

‘’We couldn’t have asked for anything more,’’ said Soerensen. ‘’It’s really fun, you can have four minutes and 10 seconds where you can really feel you’re in the present the whole way. It’s such a rare excitement.’’

Shoma Uno of Japan repeated as world champion in men’s competition with 301.14. Junhwan Cha of South Korea took the silver with 296.03 and Ilia Malinin of the U.S. was third at 288.44. Canada’s Keegan Messing took seventh at 265.16 and received a rousing ovation from the Japanese crowd as he completed his fifth and final Worlds.

‘’I’m a little bummed about the two little mistakes I put out there but overall, I feel pretty damn good,’’ said Messing, whose best Worlds result was sixth in 2021. ‘’I’m skating for an experience, not a medal. I was able to recuperate after my two mistakes and felt I could really grasp the crowd again. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.’’

For full event results, click here.

Canadian Ice Dancers in Medal Hunt at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 24, 2023) – Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are in third place in the rhythm dance as they chase a world medal for the second time in their career, at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. lead with 91.94 points followed by European champions Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy at 88.21. Gilles, from Toronto, Ont., and Poirier, from Unionville, Ont., scored 87.34 in their first competition in three months. They have three international victories this season including the Grand Prix Final.

‘’We were a little nervous in some places,’’ said Gilles. ‘’We came into this event not to focus on the scores but make sure we put two solid performances down and not give anything away.’’

Also in the medal hunt are Canadian champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal, Que., who are fifth at 85.59. They have two international medals this season including gold at the NHK Trophy Grand Prix held in Japan last November.

‘’We would like to step on the podium for the first time at Worlds and I think we have a really good chance with the results we’ve had this year,’’ said Soerensen. ‘’But once we finish the program and have done the kind of performance we did today, that we were both happy with, then the job and the goal is accomplished and the rest is out of our control.’’

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan successfully defended her women’s world title with Haein Lee of South Korea second and Loena Hendrickx of Belgium third. Two-time Canadian champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., climbed from 16th after the short program to 13th with the 11th best free skate.

‘’No matter where I placed I can be proud with how I skated,’’ she said. ‘’I had a tough year putting out skates I wasn’t super thrilled with so we decided to go back to a program I was comfortable with.’’

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s free skate and the free dance. The event is available for Canadian viewers on the CBC Sports website. For full results, click here.

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Continue Dream Season with Fourth at ISU World Figure Skating Championships®

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 23, 2023) – Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., continued a strong season Thursday placing fourth in pairs at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships®.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the gold medal with 222.16, edging out defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. who won the free skate but finished second overall with 217.48. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy were third at 208.08. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, in their second season together, remained fourth at 199.97, a personal best international score. The duo won four international medals this season including two gold as well as their first national title.

‘’It’s all learning,’’ said Deschamps. ‘’There were some nerves and it was our first time at Worlds as well. The whole season was the highlight for us.’’

First-year partners Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., produced the fourth best free skate but remained sixth overall with a personal best 193.00. Brooke McIntosh and Benjamin Mimar of Toronto, Ont., were 11th with 181.95. McIntosh and Mimar, world junior bronze medalists last year, also had personal bests right across the board.

In the men’s competition, Canada’s Keegan Messing is in the medal hunt after producing a clean skate and ranking fourth for his short program with a personal best international score 98.75. Defending champion Shoma Uno of Japan leads with 104.63, Ilia Malinin of the U.S. is second at 100.38 and Junhwan Cha of South Korea third at 99.64.

Messing, competing at his sixth worlds, has announced this is his final season.

‘’To pull out this performance on this stage is what I’ve been looking for all year,’’ said Messing, whose previous best at worlds is sixth in 2021. ‘’I was a little scared going in on how much I felt I did have this. I wasn’t feeling nervous, I was feeling free and everything was lining up. But I was able to reign myself in and keep myself at a constant level.’’

Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., ranked 26th and will not advance to the free skate.

Competition continues Friday with the rhythm dance and the women’s free skate. The event is available for Canadian viewers on the CBC Sports website. For full results, click here.

Three Canadian Pairs in Top-10 After Short Program at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 22, 2023) – Led by Canadian champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, all three Canadian entries are in the top-10 after Wednesday’s pair short program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Last year’s silver medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan are first with 80.72 points, defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. second at 74.64 and Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy stand third at 73.24. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., follow in fourth at 72.81. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., are sixth with a season best 65.31 and Brooke McIntosh and Benjamin Mimar of Toronto, Ont., stand 10th also with a SB 63.33.

‘’It wasn’t our strongest performance of the year, but it had some elements that were the best that we’ve done all year,’’ said Stellato-Dudek. ‘’We had sky-high nerves, jet lag, the ice was different so there was a lot of things reminding me of the key words I need to think of.’’

Pereira and Michaud are in their first season together and the Worlds are only their sixth competition as a pair.

‘’We are trying to take every competition as a new experience,’’ said Pereira. ‘’We’re learning and growing as a team, so we are really happy with the performance we put out today.’’

It is also a first Worlds for McIntosh and Mimar who are in their first year competing as seniors.

‘’I felt shaky a bit the first thirty seconds of the program but after it got better,’’ said Mimar. ‘’After nationals (in January) we tried to rebuild a bit and show that we can be very fast on the ice.’’

In the women’s short program, defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan stands first with Haein Lee of South Korea second and Mai Mihara of Japan third. Two-time Canadian champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., is 16th.

‘’I’m happy with the fight I showed after the fall but not super happy with the score,’’ said Schizas. ‘’I landed the triple-triple combo which is a make-or-break jump for me here, but I came here to get a top-10.’’

Competition continues Thursday with the pair free skate and the men’s short program. The event is available for Canadian viewers on the CBC Sports website. For full results, click here.

Three medals for Canada at Coupe du Printemps

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KOCKELSCHEUER, Luxemburg (March 19, 2023) – Matthew Newnham of St. Albert, Alta., William Chan of Vancouver,B.C. and Aleksa Volkova of Lac-Brôme, Que., all reached the podium this past weekend at the Coupe du Printemps figure skating competition.

The Coupe du Printemps is targeted towards single novice, junior and senior athletes and Canada was represented in all three categories. 

In men’s senior competition, Newnham was fourth after the short program and delivered the second best free skate on Sunday to get the bronze with 213.79. Jimmy Ma of the U.S. won the gold with 222.73 and Koshiro Shimada of Japan was second at 214.98.

Chan posted Canada’s best result with the silver in novice boys, also on Sunday. The 14-year-old won the free skate and moved within three points of the gold finishing with 108.52. Zachary Lopinto of the U.S. took the gold with 111.80 and Sandro de Angelo of Switzerland was third at 99.06.

The top Canadian in novice girls was Lucille Yang of Ottawa in fifth, just three points from the podium, with Mély-Anne Gagner of Sherbrooke, Que., seventh.

In junior competition Saturday, Aleksa Volkova of Lac-Brôme, Que., took the bronze in the women’s event with 157.30 just ahead of Reese Rose of Gananoque, Ont., in fourth at 156.78. Megan Woodley of Oro Station, Ont., was 16th.

Ami Nakai led Japan to a 1-2 finish with 198.23 followed by Yo Takagi at 179.78.

On the men’s junior side,  David Howes of Winnipeg and Vladimir Furman of St-Hubert, Que., were fifth and 10th.

Full results: https://coupeduprintemps.com/CDP2023/CDP/index.htm

Nine Promising Skaters to Compete at Coupe du Printemps This Weekend

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OTTAWA, ON (March 15, 2023) – A team of nine Canadian skaters will be competing at the Coupe du Printemps competition set to take place in Luxembourg from March 17 – 19, 2023. The Coupe du Printemps is an international figure skating competition targeted towards single novice, junior and senior athletes and Canada will be represented in all three categories.  

2023 Junior/Senior Skate Canada Challenge winner Matthew Newnham will be the sole Canadian to compete in the senior category after 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships bronze medalist Fiona Bombardier had to withdraw due to an injury.  

In the junior events, David Howes, who won both the 2023 Novice Canadian Championships and the 2023 Novice Skate Canada Challenge, will be a strong contender, as well as Vladimir Furman, who finished second at the same two events. In the women’s field, 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships junior bronze medalist Aleksa Volkova will be leading the team. She will be joined by Reese Rose and Megan Woodley.  

Lucille Yang, winner of the 2023 Novice Canadian Championships, will be competing in the advanced novice girls category alongside bronze medalist Mely-Anne Gagner. 2023 Novice Skate Canada Challenge bronze medalist William Chan will be competing in the men’s events. 

The competition begins on Friday, March 17 with the short programs for senior men, junior women and junior men. The following day, advanced novice girls and boys will perform their short programs, while the junior categories will complete their free programs. The competition wraps up on Sunday, March 19 with the free programs for advanced novice boys and girls, as well as senior men. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Advanced Novice Girls

Mély-Anne Gagner | 15 | Sherbrooke, Que. | Amelie Fortin | Sherbrooke, Que.
Lucille Yang | 13 | Ottawa, Ont. | Darlene Joseph | Ottawa, Ont. 

Advanced Novice Boys

William Chan | 14 | Vancouver, B.C. | Eileen Murphy | Richmond, B.C. 

Junior Women

Reese Rose | 14 | Gananoque, Ont. | Darlene Joseph | Ottawa, Ont.
Megan Woodley | 14 | Oro Station, Ont. | Paul Parkinson | Mississauga, Ont.
Aleksa Volkova | 14 | Lac Brome, Que. | Martine Dagenais | Boucherville, Que. 

Junior Men

Vladimir Furman | 15 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Marc-André Craig | Saint-Hubert, Que.
David Howes | 16 | Winnipeg, Man. | Kevin Dawe | Winnipeg, Man. 

Senior men

Matthew Newnham | 20 | St Albert, Alta. | Jessica Gosse | Edmonton, Alta. 

Team Leaders – Andre Bourgeois & Marie Bowness
Medical Team – Shirley Kushner
Judge – Debbie Islam 

For more information about Coupe du Printemps, click here. 

Canadian Athletes Ready to Shine in Japan at 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships®

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OTTAWA, ON (February 13, 2023) – Thirteen Canadian athletes are gearing up for the biggest competition of the year after a standout season that saw senior skaters win 35 medals on the international stage. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships®, scheduled to take place from March 20-26, 2023, in Saitama, Japan, will feature one woman, two men, two ice dance teams and three pair teams. 

Two-time national champion and Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist Madeline Schizas will be competing in the event for the third time and will be the sole skater to represent Canada in the women’s category.  

The competition will mark the end of an era for two-time Olympian Keegan Messing who will be competing at his final World Championships after a long and illustrious career. The 2023 national champion recently scored a career-best at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®, earning his first silver medal at the event. He will be joined by National Team member and Canadian Tire National Skating Championships silver medalist Conrad Orzel. 

In the pair discipline, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will have their sights set on the podium following another breakthrough performance at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 2022 NHK Trophy bronze medalists Brooke McIntosh & Benjamin Mimar will be competing alongside them, as well as the newly formed team of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud who placed third at nationals and fourth at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 

Canadian ice dance teams are returning in full force, with Grand Prix Final gold medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier leading the way. The duo will be competing for the first time since overcoming an injury earlier this year. They will be among the favourites after winning both of their Grand Prix assignments this season. 2023 national champions and Grand Prix finalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will also be top contenders in this category. 

The competition kicks off on Wednesday, March 22, with the pair and women’s short programs, followed by the pair free program and men’s short program the following day. On Friday, ice dancers will tackle the rhythm dance, while the women’s medals will be awarded. The event concludes on Saturday, March 25 with the free dance and men’s free program. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women 

Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.   

Men 

Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA 

Conrad Orzel | 22 | Toronto, Ont. | Ravi Walia | Edmonton, Alta. 

Pair 

Brooke McIntosh | 18 | Toronto, Ont. & Benjamin Mimar | 22 | Terrebonne, Que. | Andrew Evans & Alexander Sheldrick | Toronto, Ont. 

Lia Pereira | 18 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 26 | Trenton, Ont. | Alison Purkiss & Nancy Lemaire| Milton, Ont.   

Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 39 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 31 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.    

Ice Dance 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry | 30 | Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen | 33 | Montreal, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.     

Piper Gilles | 30 | Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier | 30 | Unionville, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont. 

Team Leaders – Mike Slipchuk & Shae Zukiwsky 

Medical Team – Sylvia Ciurysek & Erika Persson 

Judges & Officials – Leanna Caron, Laurene Collin-Knoblauch & Beth Crane  

For more information, please click here.  

Canada returns to the podium with silver at the 2023 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships

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ANGERS, France – Team NEXXICE, from Burlington, Ont.,  made an impressive rise in the standings with a strong free program on Saturday to win the silver medal at the 2023 World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.

It was Canada’s first medal at the world juniors since 2015.

Fintastic from Finland also made a comeback moving from third after Friday’s short program to win the gold medal with 191.72 points. NEXXICE was fourth after the short but produced the second best free skate to win the silver with 188.65. Skyliners from the U.S. was third at 186.63.

Les Suprêmes, from St-Léonard, Que., were fifth out of 23 entries.

The medal caps a great season for NEXXICE.  They were crowned national champions in January and won gold at the Hevelius Cup 2023 in Gdansk, Poland and a bronze at the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy.

Les Suprêmes Junior, the previous Canadian medallists with bronze in 2015, also wrapped a successful season with silver medals at the 2023 Leon Lurje Trophy in Gothenburg, Sweden, the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup and at nationals.

For full results, click here.

Canadian Teams Aiming for Podium at the 2023 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON (March 6, 2023) – Two of Canada’s top synchronized skating teams will be competing at the 2023 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships from March 10 to March 11, 2023, in Angers, France. 

NEXXICE Junior is heading into the competition following a strong season, capturing first place at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships held in Oshawa, Ontario. The team also took home a gold medal at the Hevelius Cup 2023 in Gdansk, Poland and a bronze at the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy. 

Les Suprêmes Junior are also aiming for the podium after claiming silver at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are wrapping up a successful season, including a silver at the 2023 Leon Lurje Trophy in Gothenburg, Sweden and a silver at the 2023 Challenger Series Spring Cup.  

The ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships competition kicks off with the short programs on Friday, March 10, and the free skate on Saturday, March 11.  

Team Canada  

Team | Coaches | Training Location 

Les Suprêmes | Pascal Denis & Marilyn Langlois | St. Leonard, Que.
NEXXICE | Trish Purdue Mills |Burlington, Ont. 

Team Leader – Shae Zukiwsky 

Team officials – Karen Butcher & Mary Ellen McDonald
Medical – Delphine Boury-Simoes & Shirley Kushner
Judge – Cheryl Goldie   

For more information, please click here. 

Bashynska and Beaumont Win the Bronze in Ice Dancing at World Juniors

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CALGARY, ALTA. (March 4, 2023) – Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., capped a successful season with the bronze medal in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Bashynska and Beaumont moved from fourth after the rhythm dance to win the bronze with the third best free dance. They totaled 169.13 points and matched their result at last year’s world juniors.

The results also capped a great season for the pair, their last as juniors, as they won the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final with victories at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments.

‘’We performed with our whole hearts and left everything we had,’’ said Bashynska. ‘’We really supported each other after a subpar rhythm dance and that made all the difference today. We were very satisfied.’’

Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of Czechia won the gold medal with 177.36 and Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of South Korea took the silver with 174.39. Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren of Montreal also moved up a spot to seventh with a season best 156.65 and Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., remained 14th.

‘’We were very well prepared for this event,’’ said Thieren. ‘’We showed our abilities and displayed a progression in our skating.’’

Kao Miura of Japan took the men’s crown with 264.74, while Naoki Rossi of Switzerland was second at 220.68 and Nozomu Yoshioka of Japan third at 217.79. Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., was second after the short program, but ranked eighth for his free skate and dropped to fifth overall at 213.88.

‘’It was a tough day,’’ said Chiu, 17. ‘’It had been going really well in training and physically I know I can do it. Those two errors really stung a lot and I’ll learn from it.’’

Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., was 13th.

For full competition results, click here.

Bashynska and Beaumont Less Than One Point from Podium After Rhythm Dance

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CALGARY, ALTA. (March 3, 2023) – Canadian skaters will be in contention for two medals on Saturday after Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont posted the fourth best rhythm dance on Friday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

The women’s competition concluded later Friday as Mao Shimada of Japan won the gold medal with 224.54 points. Jia Shin of South Korea took the silver with 201.90 and Ami Nakai of Japan was third at 197.40. Kaiya Ruiter, 16, of Calgary gained a position with her free skate and placed 10th with 169.65.

‘’It was really special to perform here in front of friends and family,’’ said Ruiter. ‘’It was so much fun and a really cool experience.’’

In ice dancing, Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of Czechia lead after the rhythm dance with 71.19. Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of South Korea are second at 71.08 and Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez of Great Britain are third at 68.89. Bashynska and Beaumont, the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final champions this season, notched 68.00. The Ajax, Ont., couple look to improve on their bronze medal performance at last season’s world juniors.

‘’This isn’t a setback,’’ said Bashynska, born in Kyiv, Ukraine. ‘’Perhaps it might be a little benefit for us. It will put less pressure on us for the free dance which is our stronger performance. We plan to come back tomorrow (Saturday).’’

Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren of Montreal are eighth at 63.09 and Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., 14th. The top-20 of the 30 entries advanced to the free dance.

‘’We are really proud of what we did today,’’ said Thieren. ‘’It’s our first year doing international competitions so it’s all about getting experience for us.’’

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s free skate and the free dance. In the men’s event, Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., is second after Thursday’s short program.

For full competition results, click here.