Chicken Farmers of Canada become the official meat protein of Skate Canada

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OTTAWA, ON (April 18, 2023) – Chicken Farmers of Canada and Skate Canada are proud to announce a new partnership. Beginning this year, Canadian chicken will be the official meat protein of Skate Canada.

This partnership will support both Skate Canada’s recreational and competitive programing through the CanSkate program and assistance for high performance athletes. CanSkate is Skate Canada’s flagship learn-to-skate program that teaches millions of Canadians to reach their recreational and competitive goals on the ice in communities across Canada. Skate Canada’s high-performance teams compete nationally for Canadian titles and for international medals on the world stage.

“Our shared vision for the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle will make for an incredibly successful partnership between Chicken Farmers of Canada and Skate Canada,” said Tim Klompmaker, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada. “Chicken Farmers of Canada believes that good nutrition is the fuel needed for both mental and physical performance of Canadian athletes.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Chicken Farmers of Canada. To perform at sport, athletes need to fuel their body with healthy choices to succeed on the ice,” said Debra Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada. “We are looking forward to collaborating with Chicken Farmers of Canada to promote healthy living through both eating and exercise.”

Chicken Farmers of Canada and Skate Canada both have strong Canadian roots and values around healthy lifestyles. Chicken Farmers of Canada represents Canada’s 2,800 chicken farmers, raising Canada’s number one meat protein safely, and to the highest standards of care. Skate Canada is the largest learn-to-skate teaching organization in Canada and is dedicated to creating a nation of skaters both recreationally and competitively.

For more information, please contact:
Lauren Kennedy, Director of Public Affairs and Communications
[email protected]
613-566-5928

All-Event Tickets: 2023 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: All-event tickets for the 2023 Skate Canada International will be available for pre-sale on Monday, April 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET, and on sale to the public on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET. The 2023 Skate Canada International will be taking place at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, in Vancouver, B.C., from October 27-29, 2023. 

All-event tickets will be priced at P1: $350, P2: $300, P3: $275, P4: $225. All prices are in Canadian dollars, plus applicable taxes, and fees. 

All-event ticket packages will include all competitions, Thursday practices, and the Exhibition Gala. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca. A maximum of eight tickets can be purchased per individual. 

EVENT INFO 

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating® Series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), France (Grand Prix de France), China (Cup of China), Finland (Grand Prix Espoo), and Japan (NHK Trophy). 

Each skater/team can be assigned to 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®. 

Join our exclusive mailing list to receive early access to event and ticket information for Skate Canada events! 

ISU World Team Trophy a Unifying Experience for Team Canada

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TOKYO, Japan (April 15, 2023) – Team Canada left it all on the ice at the ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Japan. Wrapping up the 2022-2023 season, eight Canadian skaters competed across the three-day team competition, finishing in 6th place with a total of 68 points. Team USA secured the gold medal with 120 points followed by Team Republic of Korea with silver and Team Japan with bronze.

World Team Trophy is a biennial event where team points are awarded by placement in each segment. Individual scores are then added together to calculate an overall team score.

Team Canada could be seen cheering each other on throughout the competition and decked out in Canadian attire. Team captains, ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, ranked 3rd in both their rhythm dance and free dance collecting a total of 20 points.

“This was our first time doing Team Trophy. We got a taste of it at the Games, doing the team event, and I think in a lot of ways the team spirit feeling was really similar,” said Paul Poirier. “We just felt so together, so connected, and the whole experience this week was just a lot of fun. We really got to celebrate skating.”

“We were also rookies with so many other teammates so I think having that experience just makes us that much more united and we just had a bonding experience that we’ll never forget,” said Piper Gilles. “We’re proud of the team and we were proud to represent them here in Tokyo again.”

In eight trips to the World Team Trophy, Canada has finished on the podium three times, winning silver in 2009 and 2013, and bronze in 2012.

In the men’s event, Canada’s Keegan Messing ranked 9th in the short program, and 7th in the free program, and Stephen Gogolev, Toronto, Ont. ranked 12th and 11th.

In the women’s event, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont. finished 4th after a strong short program with a score of 69.76 and a new personal best, and  finished 9th in the free program. Sara-Maude Dupuis from Montréal, Que. finished 11th after the short program and 12th after the free program.

Canada was represented by Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. in the pairs event. The dynamic duo continued a power season and ranked 3rd in the short program and 4th in the free program ending their incredible season with new personal best score of 129.73.

This competition brings the 2022-2023 competition season to a close. Canadian athletes will return home and eventually begin preparations for the 2023-2024 season.

For full results, click here.

Skate Canada saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Bernard Ford

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Skate Canada was saddened to learn of the passing of Bernard ‘Bernie’ Ford. Ford was an ice dance coach, choreographer, judge, consultant, and technical instructor. He passed away on April 6, 2023, in Calgary, Alberta.

Instrumental in restructuring the Canadian Ice Dance Test system, Ford established the National Ice Dance Centre of Canada and various skating clubs and summer schools. He was a much sought after coach and trained numerous ice dance teams from around the world to national and international titles. Included amongst his Canadian students were Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall who, under his tutelage from 1982-86, claimed the 1986 world bronze medal.

Ford was a successful choreographer and his influence has been felt in all skating disciplines. A technical master, he assisted the ISU Ice Dance Technical Committee in several areas, passed on his knowledge conducting seminars, and was a co-creator of the Cha-Cha Congelado.

The contributions made by this exceptional builder have truly left their mark on the sport of ice dancing in Canada, and around the world. Ford was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2007.

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

For more details, please see the obituary.

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier to Lead Team Canada at 2023 ISU World Team Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON (April 6, 2023) – Eight skaters across all four disciplines will represent Canada at the 2023 ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Japan from April 13 to 16, 2023. The event, which will mark the last competition of the 2022-2023 figure skating season, is reserved for the top six nations who compete in a team format with points awarded based on skaters’ placement. 

Team Canada will be led by 2023 world bronze medalists and 2022 Grand Prix Final winners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who will be looking for a fourth consecutive podium finish this season. They will be joined by pair national champions and Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who are coming off a 4th place finish at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.  

In the singles events, two-time Olympian and 2023 national champion Keegan Messing will be competing in the last competition of his illustrious career. Stephen Gogolev, 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and 4th at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, will also be representing Canada in the men’s event. The women’s field will feature two-time national champion and Olympian Madeline Schizas, as well as 2023 Skate Canada Challenge bronze medalist Sara-Maude Dupuis.  

The competition starts on Thursday, April 13, with rhythm dance and the men’s and women’s short programs. Friday will feature the pair short program, the free dance, and the women’s free program. Competition ends on Saturday, April 15, with the pair and men’s free programs. The Gala Exhibition will take place on Sunday. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Men 

Stephen Gogolev | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Rafael Arutyunyan & Lee Barkell | Irvine, USA
Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA 

Women 

Sara-Maude Dupuis | 17 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars & Françoise Parisé | Boucherville, Que.
Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.    

Pair 

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

Ice Dance 

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

For more information about the event, click here.  

Canada’s Les Suprêmes repeat as Synchronized Skating World Champions

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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Les Suprêmes, from St-Léonard, Que., successfully defended its title on Saturday at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships while Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., took fourth spot.

There were no changes in the top-four after Friday’s short program, with Les Suprêmes taking top spot with a season best 240.98 points which was four points more than last year’s winning performance. The national bronze medalists entered the worlds with two international medals this season including a victory.

The Helsinki Rockettes from Finland won the silver with 239.56 and their compatriots Team Unique was third with 237.68.

Canada’s Nexxice was fourth for the second straight year with 228.08. Nexxice, the national champions, also collected two international podiums prior to worlds including a gold medal.

There were 23 entries in total at the championships.

Full results: ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2023

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