Golden skate in Kelowna for Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje

/by

KELOWNA, B.C. – Hard to believe, but Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje had never won Grand Prix gold before.

They have been fractions of points away from so many major achievements: making an Olympic team, winning a national title, and most recently, winning a world title last spring (missing out by .02 points). They’ve had a wild, long string of seconds and thirds at Grand Prix events in recent years.

This time they left nothing to chance, steering to victory at the Skate Canada International by almost 20 points with a light touch, skating to Max Richter’s version of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” With it came a standing ovation.

“Between this and Nebelhorn Trophy, we’ve never won so many gold medals,” Weaver said. “It’s kind of cool now.”

Poje intends to do it again.

“I think it has been our goal now, and it feels attainable and it doesn’t take a miracle to get us here,” Weaver said.

It wasn’t as easy as it looked. There was the pressure of being the top-ranked team coming into the event, with no Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in the dressing room. And the pressure of making so many changes, more than they thought, to their free dance, to a lift, to a spin, to transitions, to many little nuances that mean so much since the Nebelhorn Trophy. It felt like they were putting out a new program, but best to make the changes now than later.

“Their not being there made us realize that we need to step into the spotlight with confidence in putting out our programs and everything that we have trained in the off-season,” Poje said. Conquering the pressure this week will be a confidence booster for the future, Weaver said.

“Now success feels attainable”, she added. “It doesn’t take a miracle to get us here.”

Weaver and Poje are the head of a powerful Canadian dance team. Proof of that came with Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier bounding up two places after a mistake in the short program, into winning a silver medal at Skate Canada International.

Elisabeth Paradis and Francois-Xavier Ouellette came from nowhere to look like a threat as well. Although they finished seventh of eight at Skate Canada, Virtue and Moir are impressed with their work from the school of Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. (Virtue and Moir want to try out their choreography, too.)

“It’s an amazing thing,” Weaver said. “Success breeds success.”

The bronze medal was taken by Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who had been second after the short.

There were other standing ovations, too. Tiny 16-year-old Satoko Miyahara skated to “Miss Saigon” and had the crowd on its feet. She took the bronze medal in the women’s event with 181.75 points and a couple of under-rotations.

American Ashley Wagner got one too, for Moulin Rouge routine (and some under-rotations of her own) and she ended with the silver medal and 186.00 points.

The gold medalist was 16-year-old Russian Anna Pogorilaya, who had no under-rotations and earned 191.81 points. She looked shocked. Last year, she had surprised everybody to win Cup of China.

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford win short program in Kelowna

/by

KELOWNA, B.C. – It didn’t take long. As soon as Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford took their final pose, the crowd stood up, cheering, weaving Canadian flags.

Duhamel and Radford won the short program at the Skate Canada International with a season’s best of 72.70 points, about 7 ½ points more than Chinese skaters Sui Wenjing and Han (Mr. Personality) Cong.

(A note to put things in perspective: some elements this year – the lift and the death spiral – are worth less than they were last year.  Duhamel and Radford’s previous best score from last year was in the 76-point range so their effort here puts them in the range of that previous lofty score at the end of last season.)

The Canadians skated to “Un peu plus haut” and the wave of feeling that they created in the rink was the real triumph. Their goal, they said, was to feel happy with the way the skated, and hang the score. Mission accomplished.

In third place is the young Russian team of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov with 64.14 points and a triple twist that defied gravity.

Radford admitted he’d never felt so calm going into a competition. Last year, their first event of the year was Skate Canada. It was indescribably tense. “Last year it felt like a big deal,” he said. “We knew we had to be good. We knew we had to make a splash with our first competition. But this time, it felt more like we want to give a good performance, like with Stars on Ice. When we concentrate on that, our focus is more on ourselves and not what it all means.”

It works.

Still, they didn’t take for granted their competition. The Chinese team had finished ahead of them last year. “They are there to give us our push to make sure we give our best,” Duhamel said “At the same time, we had our focus primarily on ourselves.”

On landing the triple Lutz jump, Duhamel almost struck the wall, but it didn’t faze her. Without Patrick Chan and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir around to take most of the focus at the Skate Canada events, Duhamel and Radford have now stepped forward in prominence. They are taking full responsibility for that position.

“For the last four years, we were always the ones with the outside chance of having a bronze medal somewhere,” Radford said. “And now I think we’ve done a good job of stepping into that limelight, especially with that quad. It’s exciting for us to have a little bit more focus on us and especially on pairs in Canada. “

Speaking of other pairs, there were two other Canadian teams, trying to show off new partnerships with varying success. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro were making their first appearance in a competition and finished sixth of eight, failing to receive any points for a death spiral.  Marinaro said he bobbled when he put his toe pick for the rotation. It was a pity, because they say, it’s their strongest element.

They’ve been together about five months. Moore-Towers’ face fell when she saw their mark: 53.79.

Their training mates, Brittany Jones and Josh Reagan are in seventh place with 49.80 points and say they were pleased with what they did.

In the men’s event, Javier Fernandez of Spain is leading with 86.18 after he doubled a triple Axel, but his Black Betty routine was a crowd pleaser and well received. Takahito Mura of Japan intended to do a quad-triple, but didn’t land the quad strongly enough to tack it onto the end. He had the presence of mind to put the triple toe loop on the end of a triple Lutz and finished with 82.57 points in second.

In third place is Konstantin Menshov, the oldest competitor at age 31. He landed two quads, but doubled his triple Axel for 81.70 points.

Andrei Rogozine heard only last Monday that he had the assignment for Skate Canada. It pumped him up. He took out a quad attempt, juggled his elements around, landed them all and finished ninth with 70.95 points. Canadian bronze medalist Liam Firus fell on a triple Axel and is 10th of 11 with 64.94 points.

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje lead after short dance at Skate Canada International

/by

KELOWNA, B.C. – Halloween night at Skate Canada International. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje came dressed to the nines, in full splendid costume, and won the short dance by almost nine points.

There was no trick or treat about it. For almost every element they received bonuses of +2 and regrettably, lost a point for an extended lift. But their Paso Doble otherwise took flight, along with some healthy component marks as Weaver embodied a vermillion cape, and Poje the decorated toreador, sported jewel-encrusted epaulets and colourful embroidery up the yang yang. A work of art those costumes were.

They’ve come to the table with elements that are almost all new. “This is a time to push the boundaries and push ourselves and come up with new stuff,” Poje said. “And we’ve done that.”

They’ve renovated lifts. As Poje says: “We’ve put a backsplash on it.”

They’ve coming into this season battle-tested and ready for anything. “We’ve been through everything it seems,” Weaver said. “But that just makes us more confident in our partnership, in that we can rely on each other when we need to. What really matters is that the injury taught us so much about efficiency and really enjoying ourselves.”

The best part: there is still room for Weaver and Poje to maximize their levels. They fell short of a world title last March by only .02 points.

The 2011 world junior champions Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin of Russia are in second place while Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue are in third, with only six solid weeks of training behind them. Hubbell underwent surgery for a torn labrum that hampered her last season, but complications ensued. They did not put out the programs on Friday that they had hoped, but it’s a start.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, eighth in the world last year, let slip a chance to finish in the top three when Poirier fumbled a twizzle that featured an outstretched leg. Close to the boards, he couldn’t pull the leg in front of him and it went awry. They got only a level one for that.

The charming Elisabeth Paradis and Francois-Xavier Ouellette, fourth at their first Grand Prix, Skate America, last week, are sitting in eighth place, with a miscue on a twizzle.

Russian women finished first and third in the women’s short program, with 16-year-old Anna Pogorilaya winning the event (with mistakes) and a revived Alena Leonova, 23, finishing third with an endearing version of Charlie Chaplin. She wanted to do it, she said, because men and pair skaters had done such things – but no women. It was a delight.

Ashley Wagner, a two-time U.S. champion is in second place, skating to “Spartacus.”

Pogorilaya chalked up technical points as if they were going out of style with her triple Lutz – triple toe loop, although she stumbled out of a double Axel. Wagner had higher component marks, about 3 ½ points more of them and with 63.86 points, was only 1.42 points behind Pogorilaya.

Leonova is third with 62.54. She, too, had higher component marks than Pogorilaya.

Leonova says she pays no attention to the multitudes of talented Russian skaters much younger than she is. She continues to skate, she says, because she loves it. It was tough for her to miss the Sochi Olympics, but she vows to continue to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

SCI 2014 OUR ATHLETE AMBASSADOR: CRAIG BUNTIN

/by

By Debbi Wilkes

Craig Buntin, Skate Canada International’s Athlete Ambassador, was 10 years old and had never been on a pair of skates when his family moved from Vancouver to Kelowna.

He soon discovered that skating was BIG in Kelowna. The entire community and particularly all his classmates seemed to live and breathe hockey. Of course, like every child, he wanted to belong and suddenly, learning to skate went to the top of his priority list. He’d never stepped on the ice but he was hungry to discover what made skating so great in the eyes of his new friends.

His Mom joined him up at the local Memorial Arena where the Kelowna Figure Skating Club operated.

Next he needed hockey skates. Off to Canadian Tire.

That first CanSkate lesson showed Craig that he was different. First of all he was several years older than everyone else, older and bigger, but he recognized that he was also keener and more motivated. If he was going to learn to skate, he had to do it fast. And by the end of the first week he was already skating backwards and doing simple jumps to test his daring despite being in hockey skates.

He realizes now that he fell in love with skating the second his blades hit the ice.

Part of this was due to the attitude of his first coach, Karen Bond, a patient and caring teacher whose love for the sport was contagious. (To this day if Craig is in Kelowna, he’ll make a trip to the rink to visit with Karen.)

As a result, Craig soon recognized that it was figure skating rather than hockey that was so exciting. That meant another trip to Canadian Tire to select figure skates … but they were all white! That necessitated visits to every shoemaker in town to see if those white skates could be dyed black. Everybody said, “No!” probably because his skates were likely made of plastic rather than leather. No dye would take. Finally one shoemaker agreed to see what he could do.

“I think he used black spray paint” says Craig, “but I didn’t care, my skates looked great.”

With his new black figure skates, Craig was on his way. The adjustment to those new skates, however, wasn’t as easy as he thought and he found himself tripping over his toe picks a lot, something that he admits now taught him quickly how to balance and control his speed and edges. It was either learn to balance or end up face first on the ice.

It wasn’t long before the first coaching bill arrived too, the moment when both Craig and his Mom realized that skating was an expensive sport. As a single parent, Craig’s Mom knew this could be a disappointing moment for her enthusiastic son and sat Craig down for a family meeting to discuss what this meant for the future of his involvement in the sport.

Deep down she wanted him to continue with skating recognizing that the sport teaches great skills beyond the athletics, building character and teaching determination.

At 10 years of age and after just one week of lessons, Craig already knew what he wanted to do and immediately announced to his Mom, “I’m going to the Olympics.”

If the Olympics were really his goal, his Mom agreed to support him … on one condition. He had to work hard. This was a defining moment in young Craig’s life.

The rest, they say, is history. Craig’s mother never had to remind him about their deal.

The hard work she described did indeed take him to the Olympic Games in 2006 in Turino, Italy. It also took him to the top of the national podium where he and his partner, Valerie Marcoux, won three consecutive Canadian Pair titles from 2004 to 2006; to four World Championships with Val and to two with partner Meagan Duhamel.

Craig was proud of his Kelowna roots and continued to represent the Kelowna Skating Club all the way to the national championships. Even after he changed his affiliation, the club was always there for support offering words of encouragement and inspiration.

Looking back on his career, Craig identifies sport as a guiding light in his life. It was skating that taught him all the important lessons and helped in developing all aspects of his personality, teaching him about winning and losing gracefully, setting goals, and supporting everyone involved, even your competitors. It also released his creativity to the point where he now believes there is a sense of artistry in everything.

Craig was 18 when Skate Canada International was held in Kamloops in 1998. He remembers sitting in the stands watching the event, wanting to be out there on the ice and being inspired by the competition. He also remembers thinking back to when he was starting out, 10 years old, an age in skating considered too old to realistically make the Olympic Games.

But like all great champions, he refused to let anyone else write his story, believing that wherever you’re competing, you’re closer to your dream than you think.

Gilles Twins Skating a Frozen Path to Success

/by

By: Amy Rosewater

Piper Gilles recalls many childhood moments with her mother, Bonnie, dressing up her and her twin sister, Alexe, in princess costumes and toting them to Disney on ice shows.

Not surprisingly, the Gilles twins, now 22, went on to become skaters.

Alexe indeed has become a skating princess, and Piper, is a competitive ice dancer, and their mom couldn’t be more proud.

This weekend, Piper will be competing as an ice dancer in Skate Canada International with Paul Poirier, while Alexe, a former competitive singles skater, will be skating in the role of Disney’s trendiest princess, Elsa, from the hit movie, “Frozen.”

“My mom used to dress us up all the time,” Piper said with a laugh. “I think she had the most fun at the shows. Now it’s so fun to be in the stands and watch my sister in the show. It is so cute to see all these girls dressed up to see her skate.”

Piper got a chance to see Alexe perform in the “Disney on Ice’ Princesses and Heroes Tour,” earlier this month. Piper had just skated to a silver medal at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic in Barrie, Ont. Then she and her mother and Alex Johnson, a skater who is a longtime friend of Piper’s and Alexe’s, hopped in the car and drove about four hours to Detroit.

“We wanted to see her perform in her opening show,” Piper said. “It was great. When we got there everyone was in the spirit. You got cotton candy and you would see crowns and Elsa braids. Everyone was singing the songs.”

They ended up going to the show two nights, and Piper left with an added appreciation of what he sister is doing. Yes, the show is fun and the kids are enjoying seeing their favorite princess come to life on the ice, but life on the tour is not easy.

Alexe is performing difficult routines, some include double Axels and triple toe loops, and they do them while wearing heavy costumes and elaborate wigs. Alexe said her braid is attached to her dress with a magnet. Often the skaters perform in multiple shows a day and are in and out of cities.

“It’s fun though to see a different side of skating,” Piper said. “It’s very character-based and it’s fun to see some of the skaters skating and lip-synching and things like that.”

Alexe said her role as Elsa is “pretty magical,” and loves meeting with children who are starry-eyed when they see her in full Disney regalia.

“Competitive skating is so much more stressful,” Alexe said. “This is more of a personal reward … hearing little kids in awe of you instead of being judged.”

Alexe, who won the 2008 U.S. junior title and later competed as a singles skater for Canada, had been coaching in Colorado Springs when she heard about tryouts for the Disney tour.

She began rehearsing with the tour in Florida in July and started touring with “Frozen on Ice.” Then Disney made a separate segment with “Frozen” numbers in its “Princesses and Heroes Tour” and Alexe was traveling back and forth for a while between the two shows.

This weekend, Alexe is in Cincinnati and will be checking online to find out results from her sister’s performances at Skate Canada in Kelowna, British Columbia.

As twins, the two have always been close, so the great distances between them lately has been difficult. Bonnie Gilles has been traveling quite a bit to see both of her daughters skate. She was in Atlanta for several Disney shows and then at Piper’s competitions. She is in Kelowna this weekend.

“I love watching the Disney shows,” Bonnie said. “And Elsa is the role of a lifetime. She wanted the role and was lucky to get it.”

“I think my mom went to the show like seven times in Atlanta,” Piper said with a laugh. “She knows all the songs, when the fireworks come. I had to tell her not to tell me anything so there would be some surprise.”

Before Piper had teamed up with Poirier in 2011, she, too, had considered performing in shows such as Disney on Ice.

“I had quit (competitive) skating for a year and was looking at show skating but I wasn’t ready to be done,” Piper said.

She is glad to be still competing. Although an ankle injury disrupted his training last season and she and Poirier finished fourth at Canadian nationals — one spot shy of making the Olympic team in Sochi — they placed eighth at the worlds championships and have high hopes for this season. This weekend, Piper will be focused on the Paso Doble for her short dance and are skating to a free dance with big-band music.

The two likely won’t be able to see each other over the holidays because of their travel and training schedules. But they will be thinking of each other and rooting for each other.

“It will be the first time we won’t be together for Christmas and won’t feel like Christmas without her,” Piper said. “Maybe we will just put Frozen on repeat all throughout the holiday.”

 

Kelowna is alive with skating as Skate Canada International comes to Prospera Place

/by

KELOWNA, B.C. – In Kelowna, where the Skate Canada International Grand Prix is being held this week, the hills are alive with music.

The setting is stunning, with purple hills and citrine yellow trees. It all just makes you want to sing, right?

Well, for the first time at Skate Canada, the audience at the Prospera Place will hear vocals although the jury is still out on the effectiveness of them. But for Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who are trying to win their first Grand Prix gold medal, the vocals they use this year are appropriate and to them, inspiring.

“I think both of our programs do a really good job of using the lyrics to our benefit, as opposed to us skating to the song,” said Radford, who knows of what he speaks: he is a music composer. “When you have lyrics, sometimes the lyrics become the centre piece. And then you’re skating to them, as opposed to them supporting the skating. It’s kind of risky and there are a lot of teams that are trying it in the world, and there has been mixed response to it.”

However, when he and Duhamel skate to “Un peu plus haut,” by Ginette Reno and to rock band Muse, Radford says he feels lifted by the music. “I don’t feel like Ginette ever drowns out our skating,” he said. And Reno is a powerful vocalist.

Duhamel, who admits that she’s not naturally the most musically gifted skater on the face of the planet, feels it too. “I love the music,” she said. “When the music starts, I just feel so moved because we are more relaxed. With both of our music’s, I feel them in my soul. I feel very connected to our programs this year.”

There are funny moments, things that evoke a smile. When Duhamel takes off for the throw quad Salchow, Reno belts out: “Pas tombe!” (Do not fall.)

“I sometimes think of it,” Duhamel said. “I get distracted sometimes when I’m going in: It’s going to look so stupid if I fall right now.” Actually, the quad Salchow is quite consistent.

And during the twist? Reno sings: “A little higher.” And this year, their twist is a little higher.

And no, they don’t sing in practice. Sometimes the tune gets stuck in Duhamel’s head. It’s sung in French, not their mother tongue. “I don’t even know half the words,” Duhamel said. “There is one word that we think sounds like tiramisu.”

Sometimes, as Radford skates, he hears people singing along with the music: “C’est bon! C’est bon!”

Duhamel and Radford will lead the Canadian team this week as well as the arresting ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who have made some changes to their free dance (to a spin and a lift) after the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany earlier this season, but are bolstered by positive feedback.  Having lost a world gold medal by only .02 points last March, their aims are high this season. They are ready to take up where 2010 Olympic champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have left off.

The pair event will also feature new Canadian team Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Molinaro, who skipped the Autumn Classic because Moore-Towers said she was suffering from a stress fracture in a foot.

Top Canadian male skater Kevin Reynolds has withdrawn with foot and boot problems and the popular Elladj Balde is out with a concussion. Two-time European champion Javier Fernandez, 2011 world silver medalist Takahiko Kozuka, European bronze medalist Konstantin Menshov and Americans Max Aaron and Adam Rippon will keep it interesting.

All of the short programs will be held Friday, while all of the longs go Saturday. Competing are 55 skaters from 12 countries for total prize money of $180,000 (U.S.).

CanSkate gets a boost in Ontario from the provincial government

/by

Winter isn’t dreary in Canada any more, not with the new CanSkate program.

In a frosty rink in Toronto, toddlers in jelly-bean coloured snowsuits and tiny skates zip around brightly hued pylons and cones, arms out to the side, eyes bright. It’s a hub of activity. They are like little bees zooming about the hive. No piece of the ice surface goes unused. They are intent, yet they’re having fun. They are learning to skate, the new way.

It’s part of a revolution in the way Canadians learn to skate, and last week, the Skate Canada program came to Skate Ontario, where 75,000 folks are learning skills that may take them to an Olympic podium in various ice sports. Or for most, it may be the launching pad for thousands to have a skill for life, stroking away on a Saturday afternoon at an arena, hearts pumping, faces glowing.

The new program is set up to become the best learn-to-skate plan in the country, so that speed skaters and hockey players can also hone their abilities to move across the ice efficiently. The skills aren’t tied specifically to figure skating skills, but on skating skills in general.

The program became mandatory at all 1,200 figure skating clubs in Canada in September, and in Ontario, it’s getting a boost from a Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport financing, and from Canadian Tire, which for the past couple of years has allied itself to Olympic and grassroots sport and which has become Skate Canada’s most important title sponsor. Skate Canada chief executive officer Dan Thompson refers to CanSkate as the “engine room of Skate Canada.”

The CanSkate blueprint came to life because of a Sport Canada directive to set out specific long-term athlete development programs. To make it happen, Skate Ontario is tapping into an Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund, with a budget of close to $3-million meant to get people moving at the community level. Skate Ontario gets $197,220 to help pay for 360 kits filled with props (small cones, pylons, rhythmic ribbons, Frisbees, bean bags, plungers (who knew?), plastic polka-dotted balls and an enormous “parachute.” Canadian Tire provides the enormous equipment bags to carry it all.

The side-effects of this idea?  It could maximize social and economic benefits. (Ontario spends $4-billion on recreation, sport and fitness.)  And it could bring health costs down. “We know that an investment into healthy lifestyles is an investment into spending less in health care in the long run for sure,” said Micheal Coteau, who was just named as minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport last June.

Coteau had never seen the CanSkate program in action before, and he paused to watch all of the youngsters on the ice hoist an enormous red and white “parachute” and make it flutter up and down like a giant stingray.

Coteau knows the value of the CanSkate concept first-hand. His children both go to skating programs. “I’ve noticed that the more engaged they are with fun and the more the teacher uses different types of tools, the more interested they become in skating,” he said. “The truth is, a lot of sports, it they’re not done properly in the beginning, they’ll shy away. If you can capture them at the beginning by engaging them at a completely different level where they are intrigued by the fun of it, you can leverage that to get them to increase their level of skill.”

It’s worked for his children, aged four and eight, he said. They are skating, swimming and into music programs. For the first two years that his daughter took a skating program, she found it frustrating, he said. When she got to the point where she could skate well, she began to enjoy it. The CanSkate program will change all of that, offering up basics in balance, control, and agility in six stages. Students learn stronger skills and learn them faster under this program.

Skate Canada also knows that the golden years of learning are between ages seven and 11, when neural pathways are most easily formed.

Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Manley began to toddle onto the ice at age 2 ½ and she took her first learn-to-skate lesson at age five. Her first pair of skates came from Canadian Tire. She’s now a coach, teaching CanSkate.

Kim Saunders, associate vice-president of sport partnerships for Canadian Tire, also followed Manley’s path, taking the old learn-to-skate program as a child and picking up all the skills – the hard way. Figure skating is near and dear to her heart – and to that of Canadian Tire, which began sponsorship of Skate Canada in 2013. The Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston, Ont., in January will be the company’s third tour as title sponsor of that event.

At about the same time, Canadian Tire made a general investment in Olympic and Paralympic sport – and other sport associations, too. But Skate Canada is special.

“We’ve been selling skates for 90 years,” Saunders said. “It’s just part of our heritage. We were looking for a way to support amateur sport in this country is a bigger way and Skate Canada was just a natural fit. It’s a fit for us from a business point of view. It’s a fit for us from a philosophy point of view too, to what skating can do for a child. It’s a great passion for us.”

“We are all part of the Canadian canopy,” she said. “We have to talk about spirit, with that notion that strong healthy kids make strong nations. They also make great athletes.”

Kelowna, B.C. set to host 2014 Skate Canada International

/by

OTTAWA, ON: Many of the top figure skaters in the world will join Canada’s best for the 2014 Skate Canada International this week in Kelowna, B.C.  The event takes place October 30-November 2, 2014, at Prospera Place. Canada will send an 18-member team, led by world medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje in ice dance and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford in pair.

Skate Canada International is the second of six competitions on the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit, which qualifies skaters for the ISU Grand Prix Final, taking place December 11-14 in Barcelona, Spain.

“The local fans, volunteers, businesses and the city of Kelowna have provided terrific support to stage the event here. Hosting this event across the country allows fans from different cities the opportunity to see many of our best skaters compete against a strong international field,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada. “We are so glad that everyone who loves to skate, especially young people who may just be learning, will be inspired to participate in skating because this event is being held in their community.”

“Congratulations to everyone at Skate Canada for bringing this exciting, prestigious competition to British Columbia,” said Premier Christy Clark, MLA for Westside-Kelowna. “In the heart of B.C.’s beautiful Okanagan, Kelowna will be a great host, welcoming many of the best figure skaters in the world and cheering Canada’s best. The Government of British Columbia is proud to provide $100,000 to help support 2014 Skate Canada International.”

Olympic silver medallists (team) and two-time world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel, 28, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 29, Balmertown, Ont., will lead the way for Canada in pair. The representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard have previously won silver at this event in 2012 and bronze in 2011 and 2013. Earlier this season, the three-time Canadian champions won gold at the inaugural Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Duhamel and Radford are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 22, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 22, Sarnia, Ont., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be the first international assignment for the representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC since teaming up in the off-season. Moore-Towers and Marinaro are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Brittany Jones, 18, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 24, Dallas, TX, USA, – Toronto, Ont., will be the third Canadian entry in pair. This will be their first event together on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. Jones and Reagan placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and seventh at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International this season on the ISU Challenger Series. They are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

World silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 25, Waterloo, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 27, Waterloo, Ont., lead the Canadian entries in ice dance. They have previously won silver at this event in 2013 and 2011, and bronze in 2009. Earlier this season, the seven-time Canadian medallists won gold at the Nebelhorn trophy. Representing Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC, Weaver and Poje are coached by Pasquale Camerlengo and Angelika Krylova in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Piper Gilles, 22, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 22, Unionville, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. They have previously placed fourth at this event in 2012. This season, the representatives of Scarboro FSC won silver at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Élisabeth Paradis, 22, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 22, Laval, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their third international assignment of the season, having placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, and fourth at Skate America. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Liam Firus, 22, North Vancouver, B.C., is one of three Canadian entries in men’s. The representative of Vancouver SC placed 10th at this event in 2012. Earlier this season, the 2014 Olympian placed ninth at the Nebelhorn trophy. Firus is coached by Christy Krall in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Elladj Baldé, 23, Pierrefonds, Que., is the second Canadian in the men’s category. Baldé has previously competed at this event placing 10th in 2011, and placing seventh in 2012 and 2013. Earlier this season, he placed fifth at the Nebelhorn trophy. Representing CPA Anjou Kinsmen, Baldé trains at the Detroit Skating Club with coaches Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen.

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., will round out the Canadian entries in men’s. Rogozine has previously competed at this event, placing seventh in 2011 and eighth in 2013. This will be the third international assignment of the season for the representative of Richmond Hill FSC, having placed sixth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and ninth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. He is coached by Tom Zakrajsek and trains in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Véronik Mallet, 20, Sept-Îles, Que., is one of three Canadian entries in ladies. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed eighth at this event. Earlier this season, she placed seventh at the Nebelhorn Trophy. She is coached by Annie Barabé and Maximin Coïa at CTC Contrecoeur.

Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont., will also represent Canada in the ladies category. This will be her first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand Prix circuit. Chartrand placed fourth earlier this season at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. She is coached by Michelle Leigh and Leonid Birinberg, and trains at the Nepean Skating Club.

Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., is the third Canadian entry in ladies. This will also be her first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand Prix circuit. Representing CPA Longueuil, Séguin won the bronze medal at her first event of the season, the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Julianne is coached by Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig and trains in Chambly, Que.

Cynthia Ullmark, of Canmore, Alta., and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Marni Wesner of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff.  Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results please visit 2014 Skate Canada International.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2014 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 28/29 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 21/22 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kris Wirtz / Kristy Wirtz
Pairs Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 18/24 Toronto, Ont. / Dallas, TX, USA – Toronto, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kris Wirtz / Kristy Wirtz
Ice dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 25/27 Waterloo, Ont. – Houston, TX / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Pasquale Camerlengo / Angelika Krylova
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 22/22 Toronto, Ont. – Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Elisabeth Paradis / Francois Xavier Ouellette 22/22 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Men’s Liam Firus 22 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Christy Krall
Mens Elladj Baldé 23 Pierrefonds, Que. CPA Anjou Kinsmen Yuka Sato / Jason Dungjen
Mens Andrei Rogozine 21 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Tom Zakrajsek
Ladies Véronik Mallet 20 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 18 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Leonid Birinberg
Ladies Julianne Séguin 17 Longueuil, Que. CPA Longueil Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig

Canadian pair sixth at Skate America

/by

CHICAGO – Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Loretteville, Que., produced a satisfying sixth place finish in pairs on Sunday in their senior Grand Prix debut at Skate America.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia won the gold medal, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. were second and Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang of China third.

Grenier and Deschamps, in their second season together, also ranked sixth in both their short and long programs.

‘’We each made an error in our free program but we feel we made a good impression this weekend,’’ said Grenier, 22.  ‘’We were able to manage our stress level and we know what we need to work on.’’

The pair were fifth at their previous two outings this season – the Nebelhorn Trophy and Skate Canada’s Autumn International – both part of the ISU’s new Challenger Series.

‘’We’ve increased the difficulty levels of both our short and long programs for this year,’’ added Deschamps, also 22.  ‘’So far our season is going well but I think today we made sure we really enjoyed our performance as well.’’

On Saturday night, 16-year-old world junior champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto won the bronze medal in comeback fashion in men’s singles.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpusa2014/index.htm

Kevin Reynolds withdraws from Skate Canada International

/by

OTTAWA, ON:  Injury has forced Coquitlam, B.C. native Kevin Reynolds, 24, to withdraw from the upcoming Skate Canada International event in his home province. The event takes place October 30 – November 2 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

Reynolds has struggled with injury and equipment issues for the past several months, and made the difficult decision to withdraw today.  “As an athlete who takes pride in representing Canada on the world stage, I want to be able to show my best and compete at the highest level. My decision to withdraw only comes after I have given my everything in training to prepare for this event – pushing though pain and injury.”

The problems will also force Reynolds to withdraw from his other ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment, NHK Trophy in Japan in late November. Reynolds hopes to be ready for the upcoming Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston in January. “It is my intention to recover, and find a solution that will allow me to skate without pain, and compete at the national championships in Kingston. I would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult chapter in my career.”

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., has been named to replace Reynolds in the event.

Canada’s Nam Nguyen wins bronze medal at Skate America

/by

Nam-Bronze-ChicagoCHICAGO – World junior champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto landed a quadruple Salchow and two triple Axels to post a personal best score and win the bronze medal in men’s competition on Saturday night at Skate America.

The competition is the opening stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Tatsuki Machida of Japan took the gold medal with 269.09 points, Jason Brown of the U.S. was second at 234.17 and Nguyen followed at 232.24 in his senior Grand Prix debut.

Nguyen, 16, roared into his program to music from La Strada packing in the quad and two triple Axels –including one in combination, in the first minute. He added five more triples including a beautiful Lutz to cap the program.

The medal was a bit of a surprise for Nguyen who was seventh after the short program on Friday.

‘’I didn’t have a great week of training so it’s nice to finish like this with a satisfying performance,’’ said Nguyen who is coached by Brian Orser. ‘’The start of my program is important but I know I still have the rest of the program to focus on.’’

Nguyen landed the quad Salchow for the first time last week in a silver medal performance at Skate Canada’s Autumn International in Barrie, Ont.

‘’I felt today’s jump had a lot more power in it and I’m looking forward to doing it again at my next competition.’’

The Americans were 1-2 in ice dancing. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the gold medal with 171.03 points and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani were second at 160.33. Russians Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin were third at 143.87.

Élisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette of Laval, Que., climbed from eighth after the short dance to fourth at 137.30 in their senior Grand Prix debut. Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams of Okotoks, Alta., were eighth.

In pairs after the short program, Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are sixth.

Canada has no entries in women’s competition.

The pairs and women’s free skates are on Sunday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpusa2014/index.htm

Ontario Government Supports Youth Skating in the Province

/by

OTTAWA, ON: The Ontario Government along with Skate Canada, Skate Ontario, and Canadian Tire activated an Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund grant today in Toronto, Ontario.

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, has provided Skate Ontario with a $197,220 Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund. This grant will produce CanSkate kits filled with props that will enhance the visual aspect of the program. The kits were put together with the funds from the grant, with help from Canadian Tire, the presenting partner of CanSkate. The kits will be distributed to 360 Ontario skating clubs this season.

“Having different groups come together today to celebrate CanSkate is an exciting time. The Ontario Government has made an extensive contribution by providing our Ontario clubs with the tools to make CanSkate even more exciting for our youth,” said Dan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada. “We hope with the help of partners like the Ontario Government and Canadian Tire we can encourage all Canadians to embrace the joy of skating.”

Over 30 CanSkaters participated in a CanSkate demonstration today at Leaside Gardens. Skaters used every inch of the ice surface, while learning the basics of skating through a complete series of balance, control and agility skills taught in six stages. CanSkate uses tested and proven new curriculum and delivery methods that guarantee a skater’s success in developing stronger basic skills and developing them faster.

“I’m proud of the work our government is doing to promote active lifestyles and grow participation in sport right here in Ontario by partnering with organizations like Skate Canada,” said the Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Skating is such an important part of our winter culture and it’s great to see CanSkate give all Canadians, young and old, the opportunity to get on the ice.”

“Ontario clubs are thrilled with this program and are excited to have a colourful, professional set of props to make CanSkate even more fun and interesting. The kit comes complete with a large equipment bag provided generously by Canadian Tire,” said Wendy St. Denis, President, Skate Ontario. “We are so thrilled to have the patronage of the Ontario Government and thank them for supporting youth to stay active with skating.”

CanSkate: Only The Best Can Bring Out Their Best
Action, movement and fun! Lessons are given in a group format with a coach-to-student ratio of a maximum 1:10. Skaters progress at their own rate and coaches make sessions active using teaching aids, upbeat music and a wide variety of activities that create a motivational environment and promote learning.  Badges, ribbons and other incentives are used to benchmark skaters’ progress and reward effort and participation.

Skate Ontario
Skate Ontario is a unique body which was incorporated in 1982 as the sole Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) recognized by the Ontario Government for figure skating in the Province of Ontario. Through the four Ontario Skate Canada member Sections we provide developmental and competitive opportunities for approximately 75,000 members including competitive, recreational and Special Olympic skaters as well as coaches and officials.