Tsuut’ina Nation Welcomes International Adult Skaters for International Competition

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OTTAWA, ON (September 16, 2024) – The 7 Chiefs Sportsplex & Chief Jim Starlight Centre, proudly owned by the Tsuut’ina Nation and located on the outskirts of Calgary, Alta., will play host to over 275 skaters from 14 countries at the 2024 North American International Adult Figure Skating Competition from September 18-21, 2024. 

At 228,000 square feet, the 7 Chiefs Sportsplex is the largest sporting and fitness facility in western Canada and will be the first facility on First Nations land to host an international figure skating competition in Canada.  

The competition, held annually in the fall, features adult skaters participating in free skating, artistic free skating, pair free skating, ice dance, and synchronized skating for skaters of all skill levels. Spectators are invited to attend the event free of charge throughout the week.  

Canada will have the largest contingent at the competition, fielding 170 competitors and three synchronized skating teams. The United States will have 46 athletes, while Mexico will have nine, and Australia will have seven. Other countries include Argentina, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Sweden. 

Please click here for more information on the event. 

Lessons Learned for Canadian NextGen Skaters at Bangkok Junior Grand Prix

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Bangkok, THA (September 14, 2024) – It was a week of learning for Canada’s NextGen figure skaters at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix Circuit in Bangkok, Thailand with Chloe Nguyen and Brendan Giang’s fourth-place finish in the ice dance competition as the top result for Canada.

Nguyen and Giang, both from Burnaby, B.C., had an uncharacteristic fall in their rhythm dance performance on Friday after Nguyen caught an edge, but they bounced back with a strong free dance Saturday to finish just off the podium with a total score of 146.78.

“I think that went pretty good for the most part. There were some little slip ups, but I think we’re overall pretty happy,” said Giang, who together with Nguyen finished sixth at last season’s Junior World Championships. “Our next competition is the Junior Grand Prix in China and I think we’re going to work on making things a lot bigger for the next competition to make our programs feel more full.”

Rachel Martins of Barrie, Ont., and Juel Kowalczyk of Toronto, Ont., made their Junior Grand Prix debut and finished eighth overall with a total score of 127.09. Noemi Mari Tali and Noah Lafornara of Italy won their second gold of the season after claiming top spot two weeks ago in Latvia (169.47). Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin of the USA took silver (160.12), and Elliana and Ethan Peal of the USA took bronze (152.55).

Fan favourite Grayson Long of Oakville, Ont., finished seventh overall in the men’s competition with a total score of 177.75.

“I’m quite tired, but I had quite a decent long program, so I’m happy with that. And really, after the short program, I was quite disappointed, and so coming into the long it kind of felt like I had nothing left to lose, which kind of really helped my mindset and allowed me to focus a little more for the program,” said Long who will compete next at the Junior Grand Prix in Slovenia.

Yanhao Li of New Zealand took home the gold with a total score of 230.09. Last year’s Junior Grand Prix final champion Rio Nakata of Japan took silver (218.71), while Tonghe Tian of China took bronze (210.39).

The women’s competition saw new senior national team member Hetty Shi of Northville, Michigan, USA take to the ice for the first time internationally this season. The senior women’s bronze medallist at last year’s Canadian National Championships had a tough time with falls in both programs and finished 10th overall.

“(This week) didn’t go as planned, it was very disappointing for me. I think I was a little too nervous. I felt the nerves take control of my body and then it wasn’t good from there. I’m going to do a lot more mental training before the next competition,” said Shi.

Yihan Wang of China dominated the women’s competition, taking home gold with a total score of 194.71. Yo Takagi of Japan took silver (188.54), while Mei Okada of Japan edged out last year’s World Junior Championships silver medallist Jia Shin of Korea for the bronze (175.96).

The fourth Junior Grand Prix of the season takes place next week in Ankara, Turkey from September 18-21, 2024 and will feature Canadian men’s, women’s pair, and ice dance teams. For full results please click here.

Canadian Skaters Striving for the Podium at ISU Junior Grand Prix #3 in Thailand

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OTTAWA, ON (September 9, 2024) – Six promising young skaters will be representing Canada at the third competition in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, taking place from September 11-13, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.  

Newly crowned 2024 Cranberry Cup bronze medalist Grayson Long will be competing in the men’s event, while 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships senior bronze medalist Hetty Shi will be competing in the women’s event. Both Long and Shi are coached by eight-time Canadian national men’s champion, Brian Orser.  

In ice dance, Chloe Nguyen and Brendan Giang are the team to watch after recently claiming the top step of the podium at Skate Canada’s NextGen Competition. They are joined in the ice dance event by Rachel Martins and Juel Kowalcyzk, who were recently named to Skate Canada’s NextGen Team and will be making their Grand Prix debut in Bangkok.  

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

Team Canada  
Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location    

 Men  
Grayson Long | 16 | Oakville, Ont. | Brian Orser | Toronto, Ont.  

Women 
Hetty Shi | 16 | Northville, Michigan | Brian Orser | Toronto, Ont.  

Ice Dance  
Chloe Nguyen | 19 | Burnaby, B.C. & Brendan Giang | 21 | Burnaby, B.C. | Aaron Lowe | Burnaby, B.C. 

Rachel Martins | 15 | Barrie, Ont. & Juel Kowalczyk | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Mitchell Islam | Barrie, Ont.  

 Team Leaders – Andre Bourgeois & Marie Bowness 
Officials – Susan Morriss & Hilary Quick  
Medical Team – Pat Stanziano 

Canadian Skaters Bring Home Two Bronze from Junior Grand Prix in Czechia

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Photo Credit: International Skating Union

Ostrava, CZE (September 7, 2024) – Canadian junior skaters Julia Quattrocchi and Simon Desmarais and Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys captured bronze medals in pairs and ice dance respectively this weekend at the second ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season in Ostrava, Czechia.

Pair skaters Quattrocchi of Laval, Que., and Desmarais of Carignan, Que., finished fourth in the short program on the first day of competition on Thursday and then laid down a brilliant free program that saw them place first with a score of 91.94 on Friday to finish third overall with a total score of 137.54.

“We felt really good on the ice. It was a little bit more stressful than the other competition, but I think we delivered what we know we could do, and we’re really happy about it,” said Quattrocchi who together with Desmarais made her Junior Grand Prix debut this weekend.

Xuanqi Zhang and Wenqiang Feng of China won gold (145.55), while Romane Telemaque and Lucas Coulon of France took silver (139.84).

In the ice dance competition, Veillon and Brandys, both of London, Ont., skated a beautiful free dance to place second overall in that portion of the competition with a new personal best score of 89.78. Combined with their rhythm dance score of 55.04, they came away with a total score of 144.82 to take home bronze and their best international result to date.

“We’re really proud to be able to come out here and get our first international medal,” said Veillon who together with Brandys are the reigning Canadian junior champions. “Obviously, it didn’t come without some issues, but we’re just proud we were able to come together today and skate to the best of our capabilities.”

Fellow Canadians Laurence Brière of Carignan, Que., and Julien Levesque of Boucherville, Que., who were making their Junior Grand Prix debut, finished 12th overall with a total score of 116.99.

Celina Fradji and Jean-Hans Fourneaux of France won gold (158.66), while Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski of the USA took silver (144.94).

David Bondar of Richmond Hill, Ont., had a very strong start to his season, laying down personal best scores for both his short program (68.35) and his free skate (120.73) to finish seventh overall in the men’s competition.

Minkyu Seo of Korea, the reigning junior world champion, won gold (224.78), while Patrick Blackwell of the USA took silver (221.56), and Adam Hagara of Slovakia, bronze medallist at last year’s Junior World Championships, took bronze (211.23).

Canada did not have any competitors in the women’s event.

The third Junior Grand Prix of the season takes place next weekend in Bangkok, Thailand from September 11-14, 2024 and will feature Canadian men’s, women’s, and ice dance teams.

For full results please click here.

Seven Canadian Athletes Make Their Way to Ostrava for ISU Junior Grand Prix #2

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OTTAWA, ON (September 3, 2024) – Seven up-and-coming athletes will be representing Canada at the second stop of the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, taking place from September 4-7, 2024 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The team will be comprised of several athletes who finished on the podium at Skate Canada’s NextGen Competition and who were recently named to Skate Canada’s 2024 NextGen Team.

Ice dancers Laurence Brière and Julien Lévesque will be making their Grand Prix debut after claiming titles at both the 2024 Novice Canadian Championships and the 2023-2024 Skate Canada Challenge – Pre-Novice/Novice last season. They will be joined by junior national champions and 2024 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships competitors Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys.

In pairs, the team of Julia Quattrochi and Simon Desmarais are already showing great promise after the duo placed second at the NextGen Competition and fourth at the 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships. They are coached by Stéphanie Valois, who notably works with national bronze medalists Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier. NextGen Competition silver medalist David Bondar will be completing the team.

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

Team Canada
Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location

Men
David Bondar | 17 | Richmond Hill, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont.

Pairs
Julia Quattrochi | 18 | Laval, Que. & Simon Desmarais | 20 | Carignan, Que. | Stéphanie Valois | Rosemère, Que.

Ice Dance
Laurence Brière | 16 | Carignan, Que. & Julien Lévesque | 18 | Boucherville, Que. | Mylène Girard | Chambly, Que.
Layla Veillon | 18 | London, Ont. & Alexander Brandys | 19 | London, Ont. | Cara Moir & Scott Moir

Team Leaders – Laurene Collin-Knoblauch & Mike Slipchuk
Officials – Patty Klein & Wei Shi
Medical Team – Olesia Markevych & Erik Torchia

Silver for Junior Pair Skaters at First Junior Grand Prix of the 2024/2025 Season

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Riga, LAT (August 31, 2024) – Canadian pair skaters Jazmine Desrochers and Kieran Thrasher started their 2024/2025 international season off with a silver-medal finish at the first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event of the season this weekend in Riga, Latvia.

Desrochers of Mississauga, Ont., and Thrasher of Amherstburg, Ont., had the top score after their short program on Thursday (55.41), but fell to second following their free skate (96.82) and finished with a total score of 152.23 to take the second step on the podium.

“This was a good first step for the season and felt really together which was nice,” said Desrochers, who together with Thrasher was a bronze medallist at the 2023 ISU Grand Prix final last season.

Trasher added: “Our expectations (for this competition) were more for ourselves and showing a good skate, and less about the placement. Getting second place is nice, but our main expectation was to skate for ourselves and do as well as we can.”

Jiaxuan Zhang and Yihang Huang of China won gold (159.76), while 2024 World Junior Championships silver medallists Olivia Flores and Luke Wang of the USA took bronze (139.51).

The women’s competition saw Lulu Lin of Mississauga, Ont., make her Junior Grand Prix debut and finish a very respectable fourth overall with a total score of 167.82. Lin set a new personal best score of 59.05 in her short program and scored a 108.77 for her free skate despite a little music mishap at the beginning of her performance.

“I feel really happy and really proud of myself because I skated a relatively good skate with one small mistake,” said Lin. “I’ve been working on my performance this year and I want to continue to work on that – as well as all of my jumps and having more speed coming out of them.”

Mao Shimada, the two-time reigning junior world champion, dominated the competition to win gold with a total score of 204.86. Elina Goidina of Estonia bounced back from a fourth-place finish in the short program to take silver with a total score of 182.23, while Nayeon Ko of Korea took bronze with a total score of 176.86.

In his first season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Sena Takahashi of Japan won gold in the men’s competition with a total score of 229.66. Jaekeun Lee of Korea took silver (220.26), while Shunsuke Nakamura of Japan came back from fifth after the short program to take bronze (212.73).

Anthony Paradis of Boisbriand, Que., who was named to the senior national team for this season after finishing third as a senior at the 2024 Canadian Championships, finished eighth overall with a total score of 184.28.

“I’m a bit disappointed with both my performances, I trained hard to get here. I think my efforts didn’t show so much, so I’m a bit disappointed, but I’m leaving with plenty of experience, and the will to come back stronger.”

The ice dance competition closed out the weekend and saw Sandrine Gauthier of Saint-Constant, Que., and Quentin Thieren of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., finishing fifth overall with a total score of 147.88. Auréa Cinçon-Debout of Montreal, Que., and Earl Jesse Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., finished just behind in sixth with a total score of 133.70.

Noemi Maria Tali and Noah Lafornara of Italy won gold (161.26) while Caroline and Brendan Mullen of the USA captured silver (156.42). 2024 World Junior Championships bronze medallists Darya Grimm and Michail Savitskiy of Germany took bronze (156.33).

The second Junior Grand Prix of the season takes place next weekend in Ostrava, Czechia from September 4-7, 2024 and will feature Canadian men’s, pair, and ice dance teams.=

For full results please click here.

Canadian Skaters Gear Up for September Challenger Series Events

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OTTAWA, ON (August 29, 2024) – Canadian figure skaters across all four disciplines are set to start their 2024-2025 competitive season this September at two ISU Challenger Series events.  

The pairs team of Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier, bronze medallists at the 2024 Canadian Championships, will begin their season at the John Nicks International Pairs Competition from September 3-4, 2024 in New York, USA. 

The Nebelhorn Trophy which will take place in Oberstdorf, Germany from September 19-21, 2024 will see reigning pairs World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps debut their new programs alongside Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud who won gold at the Grand Prix de France in 2023. 

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, who finished a strong fifth at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, will be Canada’s lone entries in ice dance. The men’s competition will feature reigning Canadian champion Wesley Chiu, as well as Stephen Gogolev and Roman Sadovsky, while the women’s competition will see two-time Canadian Champion Madeline Schizas take to the ice along with Sara-Maude Dupuis. 

The Challenger Series is an International Figure Skating Series designed to give skaters adequate opportunities to compete at the international senior level and to earn precious World Standing Points. For full competition schedules, entries and results for Challenger Series events, please click here. 

Team Canada 
Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location    

JOHN NICKS INTERNATIONAL PAIRS COMPETITION 

Pairs 
Kelly Ann Laurin | 18 | St-Jérôme, Que. & Loucas Éthier | 24 | St-Alphonse, Que. | Yvan Desjardins | Rosemère, Que.    
Official – Cynthia Benson 

NEBELHORN TROPHY  

Women 
Sara-Maude Dupuis | 19 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars | Boucherville, Que. 
Madeline Schizas | 21 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire | Milton, Ont.  

Men 
Wesley Chiu | 19 | Vancouver, B.C. | Keegan Murphy | Richmond, B.C. 
Stephen Gogolev | 19 | Toronto, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont. 
Roman Sadovsky | 25 | Vaughan, Ont. | Tracey Wainman | Richmond Hill, Ont. 

Pairs
Lia Pereira | 20 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 28 | Brantford, Ont. | Alison Purkiss | Brantford, Ont.      
Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 41 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 32 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. 

Ice Dance 
Marjorie Lajoie | 23 | Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha | 25 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Romain Haguenauer | Montreal, Que.  

Team Leader – Mike Slipchuk 
Medical Team – Mireille Landy  
Officials – Jodi Abbott & Veronique Gosselin  

Eight NextGen Skaters Set to Compete at First Junior ISU Grand Prix of the 2024-2025 Season in Latvia

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OTTAWA, ON (August 26, 2024) – Eight NextGen athletes will kick off their international competition season at the first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is scheduled to take place in Riga, Latvia from August 28-31, 2024. Canada will count one entry in men, women and pairs, as well as two ice dance teams.   

The team will be led by ice dance veterans and 2023 junior national silver medalists Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren who are returning to the junior ranks after competing as seniors last season. 2023 Grand Prix Final bronze medalists Jazmine Desrochers and Kieran Thrasher will also have their sights set on the podium after the team finished third at both of their Grand Prix assignments last year.  

In singles, Anthony Paradis will be looking to showcase a new short program which earned him a gold medal at the 2024 NextGen Competition hosted by Skate Canada. Paradis had a breakthrough season last year, placing third at his first senior national championships despite struggling with equipment issues during his program. Junior national champion Lulu Lin will be competing in the women’s event.  

Rounding out the team will be ice dancers Auréa Cinçon-Debout and Earl Jesse Celestino who recently placed fourth at the 2024 NextGen Competition. For the full competition schedule, entries and results, please visit www.isu.org.  

 Team Canada  

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location    

Women  
Lulu Lin | 14 | Oakville, Ont. | Paul Parkinson | Toronto, Ont.  

Men  
Anthony Paradis | 17 | Boisbriand, Que. | Yvan Desjardins | Rosemère, Que.  

Pairs 
Jazmine Desrochers | 18 | Mississauga, Ont. & Kieran Thrasher | 20 | Amherstburg, Ont. | Jeff Langdon | Oakville, Ont.  

 Ice Dance  
Auréa Cinçon-Debout | 17 | Quebec City, Que. & Earl Jesse Celestino | 18 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. | Benjamin Brisebois | Montreal, Que.  
Sandrine Gauthier | 20 | Saint-Constant, Que. & Quentin Thieren | 20 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. | Benjamin Brisebois | Montreal, Que.  

 Team Leaders – Andre Bourgeois & Danielle Williams 
Officials – Genevieve Rosa & Erica Topolski 
Medical Team – Lydia Schultz & Meaghan Shewchuk 

Over 55 Athletes Named to Skate Canada’s 2024-2025 NextGen Team

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OTTAWA, ON (August 14, 2024) – Skate Canada is excited to announce the 59 talented athletes that will make up its NextGen Team for the 2024-2025 competition season. The team will be comprised of eleven men, fourteen women, six pair teams and eleven ice dance teams.

Skate Canada’s NextGen program is designed to support the operations of Skate Canada’s high performance development system with the purpose of ensuring athletes and coaches reach their maximum potential through various development and training opportunities.

The program is delivered in partnership with the Skate Canada Sections (PSO), Own The Podium, and Canadian Sport Institutes across the country. Selected skaters and their respective coaches are provided essential support to further their athletic goals, while identifying and supporting the development of the skills necessary to be competitive at a national and international level.

2024-2025 NextGen Team

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach

MEN 
David Bondar | 17 | Richmond Hill, Ont. | Lee Barkell & Jeffrey Buttle
William Chan | 15 | Vancouver, B.C. | Eileen Murphy & Keegan Murphy
Jake Ellis | 18 | Essex, Ont. | Lori Lafferty-Vilneff & Melinda Keller
Parker Heiderich | 17 | Calgary, Alb. | Scott Davis
David Howes | 17 | Winnipeg, Man. | Eileen Murphy & Keegan Murphy
John Kim | 18 | Mississauga, Ont. | Myke Gillman
David Li | 17 | Richmond, B.C. | Eileen Murphy & Keegan Murphy
Grayson Long | 16 | Oakville, Ont. | Brian Orser & Karen Preston
Edward Nicholas Vasii | 18 | Rosemère, Que. | Yvan Desjardins
Anthony Paradis | 17 | Boisbriand, Que. | Yvan Desjardins
David Shteyngart | 18 | Ottawa, Ont. | Darlene Joseph

WOMEN 
Stavrina Aranitis | 16 | Montreal, Que. | Yvan Desjardins & Violaine Émard
Sandrine Blais | 14 | Sherbrooke, Que. | Marc-André Craig & Amélie Fortin
Lia Cho | 11 | Calgary, Alb. | Scott Davis
Mély-Ann Gagner | 16 | Sherbrooke, Que. | Marc-André Craig
Natasha Hewitt | 16 | Toronto, Ont. | Karen Preston & Tracy Wilson
Ksenia Krouzkevitch | 13 | Oakville, Ont. | Andrew Evans & Laurisa Wyant
Michelle Lee | 17 | Hamilton, Ont. | Bryce Davidson & Jen Jackson
Lulu Lin | 14 | Mississauga, Ont. | Andrew Evans & Paul Parkinson
Reese Rose | 15 | Gananoque, Ont. | Darlene Joseph & Adrian Matei
Hetty Shi | 16 | Northville, Michigan | Rafael Arutyunyan & Brian Orser
Aleksa Volkova | 15 | Lac-Brôme, Que. | Martine Dagenais & Stephane Yvars
Megan Woodley | 15 | Oro-Medonte, Ont. | Andrew Evans & Paul Parkinson
Lucille Yang | 15 | Dunrobin, Ont. | Lee Barkell
Kara Yun | 15 | Burnaby, B.C. | Lee Barkell

PAIR
Martina Ariano Kent | 17 | Mount Royal, Que. & Charly Laliberté Laurent | 19 | Boucherville, Que. | Marc-André Craig & David-Alexandre Paradis
Siyul (Bella) Back | 14 | Innisfil, Ont. & Gavin Mahoney | 18 | Innisfil, Ont. | Ryan Arnold & Janice Morgan
Jazmine Desrochers | 18 | Mississauga, Ont. & Kieran Thrasher | 20 | Amherstburg, Ont. | Bruno Marcotte
Ava Kemp | 16 | Winnipeg, Man. & Yohnatan Elizarov | 20 | Winnipeg, Man. | Lee Barkell & Kevin Dawe
Julia Quattrocchi | 18 | Laval, Que. & Simon Desmarais | 20 | Carignan, Que. | Yvan Desjardins & Stéphanie Valois
Noémie Rolland | 16 | Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que. & Étienne Lacasse | 19 | Quebec City, Que. | Yvan Desjardins & Stephanie Valois

ICE DANCE 
Laurence Brière | 16 | Carignan, Que. & Julien Lévesque | 18 | Boucherville, Que. | Mylène Girard
Victoria Carandiuc | 16 | Saint-Constant, Que. & Andrei Carandiuc | 17 | Saint-Constant, Que. | Mylène Girard
Auréa Cinçon-Debout | 17 | Montreal, Que. & Earl Jesse Celestino | 18 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. | Benjamin Brisebois & Ariane Émard-Lauzon
Audra Gans | 16 | Prévost, Que. & Gabriel Liu | 17 | Montreal, Que. | Benjamin Brisebois & Ariane Émard-Lauzon
Sandrine Gauthier | 20 | Saint-Constant, Que. & Quentin Thieren | 20 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. | Benjamin Brisebois & Patrice Lauzon
Sophia Gover | 19 | Minesing, Ont. & Billy Wilson-French | 21 | Scarborough, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs
Summer Homick | 17 | Tillsonburg, Ont. & Nicholas Buelow | 17 | Barrie, Ont. | David Islam & Mitchell Islam
Alyson Lacombe | 15 | Saint-Césaire, Que. & Morgan Laliberté Laurent | 17 | Boucherville, Que. | Mylène Girard & Amélie Fortin
Rachel Martins | 15 | Barrie, Ont. & Juel Kowalczyk | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | David Islam & Mitchell Islam
Chloe Nguyen | 19 | Burnaby, B.C. & Brendan Giang | 21 | Burnaby, B.C. | Aaron Lowe & Megan Wing
Layla Veillon | 18 | London, Ont. & Alexander Brandys | 19 | London, Ont. | Cara Moir & Scott Moir

Skate Canada Statement on the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) Decision

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Skate Canada respects the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the allocation of medals for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games Figure Skating Team Competition. While we are disappointed that the ruling does not award Canada the bronze medal, we stand by the efforts and performances of our athletes. Their dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout this entire process exemplify the spirit of Canadian figure skating.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the gold and silver medalists, the United States and Japan. Their exceptional performances are truly commendable, and we celebrate their achievements alongside the global skating community.

As we move forward, Skate Canada will continue to focus on athlete development, clean sport, and promoting the values of excellence, respect, and fairness within the sport of figure skating.

Skate Canada Names 25 Athletes & Three Synchronized Skating Teams to 2024-2025 National Team

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OTTAWA, ON (July 3, 2024) – Skate Canada is excited to announce the athletes and synchronized skating teams that will make up its national team for the 2024-2025 season. The team includes five men, four women, three pair teams, five ice dance teams, and three synchronized skating teams. 

2024 Pair World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, and 2024 Ice Dance World Championship silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are both back for another season as are Canadian senior men’s champion Wesley Chiu and senior women’s champion Kaiya Ruiter. New faces added to the team are Aleksa Rakic and Anthony Paradis to the men’s team, and Hetty Shi to the women’s team. 

To be named to the national team, skaters must have finished in the top three in the senior men, women, pair or ice dance disciplines at the 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships and/or be assigned to a 2024 ISU Grand Prix event at the ISU Grand Prix Selection meeting and must be competing during the 2024-2025 season.   

The synchronized skating team is comprised of the synchronized skating teams that finished in the top three in the senior discipline at the 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships.   

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location    

MEN 

Wesley Chiu | 19 | Vancouver, B.C. | Keegan Murphy & Eileen Murphy | Richmond, B.C.
Stephen Gogolev | 19 | Toronto, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont.
Anthony Paradis | 17 | Boisbriand, Que. | Yvan Desjardins & Violaine Émard | Rosemère, Que.
Aleksa Rakic | 19 | Burnaby, B.C. | Joanne McLeod | Burnaby, B.C.
Roman Sadovsky | 25 | Vaughan, Ont. | Tracey Wainman & Grzegorz Filipowski | Richmond Hill, Ont.  

WOMEN

Sara-Maude Dupuis | 19 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars & Françoise Parisé | Boucherville, Que.
Kaiya Ruiter | 18 | Calgary, Alta. | Scott Davis | Calgary, Alta.
Madeline Schizas | 21 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.
Hetty Shi | 15 | Northville, USA | Rafael Arutyunyan & Brian Orser | Irvine, USA & Toronto, Ont. 

PAIRS 

Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 41 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 32 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Sainte-Julie, Que. 
Kelly Ann Laurin | 18 | St-Jérôme, Que. & Loucas Éthier | 24 | Deux-Montagnes, Que. | Stéphanie Valois | Rosemère, Que.  
Lia Pereira | 19 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 27 | Trenton, Ont. | Alison Purkiss & Nancy Lemaire | Brantford, Ont.      

ICE DANCE 

Alicia Fabbri | 21 | Terrebonne, Que. & Paul Ayer | 26 | Brossard, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry | 31 | Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen | 35 | Montreal, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.
Piper Gilles | 32 | Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier | 32 | Unionville, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont. 
Marjorie Lajoie | 23 | Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha | 25 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Romain Haguenauer & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.
Marie-Jade Lauriault | 27 | Ste-Anne-Des-Plaines, Que. & Romain Le Gac | 29 | Laval, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.   

Team | Coaches | Training Location    

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING  

Les Suprêmes | Pascal Denis & Marilyn Langlois | Saint-Léonard, Que.
NEXXICE | Jennifer Beauchamp-Chrichton & Shelley Simonton Barnett | Burlington, Ont.
Nova | Dominic Barthe & Nadine Tougas | Brossard, Que. & St-Hubert, Que. 

For more information about the National Team, click here. 

WORLD CHAMPIONS HEADLINE 2024 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

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OTTAWA, ON (June 13, 2024) – Canadian crowds will be in for a treat at the 2024 Skate Canada International competition with three out of four 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Champions taking to the ice at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S. from October 24-27, 2024.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who thrilled the crowds in Montreal this spring when they claimed the pair World Championship title for Canada, will also be joined by three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan who will highlight the women’s competition, and the men’s World Champion and current World Record Holder Ilia Malinin of the USA.

A total of 16 Canadian skaters will showcase their skills at the event including 2024 World Championship ice dance silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. They will be joined by current national champion Kaiya Ruiter and two-time Canadian Champion Madeline Schizas in the women’s competition, and 2023 Grand Prix medallists Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha in ice dance.

This year marks the 50th edition of Skate Canada International – the second competition on the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Other events on the circuit take place in the United States (Skate America), France (Grand Prix de France), Japan (NHK Trophy), Finland (Finlandia Trophy), and China (Cup of China).

All-event tickets for 2024 Skate Canada International are now on sale and will give fans full access to all competitions running from Friday to Sunday as well as Thursday practices. Please note there is no Exhibition Gala this year.

2024 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES 

MEN
Vladimir Litvintsev (AZE)
Stephen Gogolev (CAN)
Aleksa Rakic (CAN)
Roman Sadovsky (CAN)
Luc Economides (FRA)
Mark Gorodnitsky (ISR)
Gabriele Frangipani (ITA)
Shun Sato (JPN)
Sota Yamamoto (JPN)
Junhwan Cha (KOR)
Jason Brown (USA)
Ilia Malinin (USA)

WOMEN
Sara-Maude Dupuis (CAN)
Kaiya Ruiter (CAN)
Madeline Schizas (CAN)
Rino Matsuike (JPN)
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN)
Hana Yoshida (JPN)
Yelim Kim (KOR)
Seoyeong Wi (KOR)
Ekaterina Kurakova (POL)
Kimmy Repond (SUI)
Alysa Liu (USA)
Ava Marie Ziegler (USA)

PAIR
Anastasia Golubeva & Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (AUS)
Kelly Ann Laurin & Loucas Éthier (CAN)
Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps (CAN)
Third Canadian team TBC
Annika Hocke & Robert Kunkel (GER)
Lucrezia Beccari & Matteo Guarise (ITA)
Daria Danilova & Michel Tsiba (NED)
Emily Chan & Spencer Akira Howe (USA)

ICE DANCE
Alicia Fabbri & Paul Ayer (CAN)
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN)
Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha (CAN)
Natalie Taschlerova & Filip Taschler (CZE)
Evgeniia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA)
Darya Grimm & Michail Savitskiy (GER)
Hannah Lim & Ye Quan (KOR)
Emily Bratti & Ian Somerville (USA)
Oona Brown & Gage Brown (USA)
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik (USA)

For more information about the event, click here.