Canadian ice dancers in medal hunt at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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AICHI, Japan – Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., are once again in the medal hunt at an international figure skating competition after placing second in Saturday’s short dance at the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit.

Rachel Parsons and Michael Parson of the U.S., are in first place with 55.71 points slightly ahead of Edwards and Pang at 55.33. Alla Loboda and Pavel Drodz of Russia are third at 52.25.

Edwards and Pang were third at the world junior championships last season and opened the 2014-15 campaign with a silver at the first stop on Junior Grand Prix circuit last month in France.

Lauren Collins of Minesing, Ont., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are sixth at 42.52 as they made their international debut as a team.

Two 13-year-olds skated for Canada in the women’s competition which concluded Saturday. Grace Lin of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., was 12th and Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., 14th. Serafima Sakhanovich of Russia won the gold medal.

‘’I was impressed with how super professional this event was,’’ said Lin. ‘’The atmosphere was great. I was happy with how I skated but I know I can do a lot better.’’

Tamura was also delighted with her experience.

‘’I know what I need to work on for the next time,’’ she said. ‘’I wasn’t pleased with how I skated but I fought through everything. My goal for this year is to successfully land all my jumps in the program.’’

In Friday’s men’s short program, Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., was 10th.

The free dance and men’s free skate are on Sunday.

Videos of routines available on the ISU YouTube channel

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpjpn2014/index.htm

 

Skaters step up and show their wares at High Performance Camp

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The post-Olympic Skate Canada High Performance Camp, held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga last week, was most unusual.

Firstly, Canada’s Olympic dance stars, Tessa Virtue and a tanned Scott Moir, strode into the rink without skates and sat in the stands, watching. For the past half-dozen years, they’d been honing their skills, finding their strengths at these camps, and for now, they were looking on, sitting in a brutally cold rink on the hottest day of the summer.

They and three-time world champion Patrick Chan are still on the national team, not giving any signals that they intend to retire. Skate Canada issued them all invitations to come for a look, but Chan’s dance card was full.

Current world silver medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje – ready to step up and fill their shoes – were pleased to see Virtue and Moir at the camp. “I think they know everything there is to know about technique, artistry and connection, and for either of them to see the programs and give us a little feedback would be extremely valuable,” Weaver said. “We would be very grateful.”

It’s a time for handing over of torches. Michael Slipchuk says he’s never seen such a transitional year as this one, since he took over the job as director of high performance for Skate Canada in 2007. “We have a lot of new faces in all disciplines,” he said. “We’ve had people there who had never been to a national team training camp – and coaches that hadn’t been either.”

For example, Marie-France Dubreuil attended as a coach for the first time. When Slipchuk started in his position, Dubreuil was there as a competitor. This was her first time back to the camp since she and partner Patrice Lauzon retired from competition in 2007, leaving behind a string of memorable performances.

Dubreuil brought with her some new faces, Elisabeth Paradis and Francois-Xavier Ouellette, who aren’t exactly members of the national team, and never even saw a Junior Grand Prix, but at age 22, have finally impressed.

Their scores at Cup of Nice last season placed them in the top 75 of Grand Prix selection criteria. So Skate Canada has given them a starting berth at the Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C. in October. “We put them on a top level really quick,” Slipchuk said. “We like to see that….Junior is not the end of the line. It’s just a stop along the way.” Judging from the past quadrennial, young skaters can push themselves up quickly in the next four, Slipchuk said. Skate Canada will have a better idea of who will make up the 2018 Olympic team two years out, but for now, it’s time to spread wings and look at all possibilities.

At the training camp, Paradis and Ouellette got invaluable advice, prepping them timely for their Skate Canada International date. “The super young ones were eager and excited,” Slipchuk said.

Despite the newness of the crew, Slipchuk saw the camp as a strong one that gave Skate Canada lots of valuable information, too. “It was a good opportunity to see that most came very ready,” he said. “We saw a lot of good stuff….A lot were ready to go.”

Slipchuk’s highlight of the two-day camp was to witness the clean throw quadruple Salchow landed by veterans (and oldest members of the team) Meagan Duhamel (28) and Eric Radford (29) – during their simulated run-through. “To get it done that day was good for the team,” Slipchuk said. Doing it in a simulated competition, with judges and technical officials looking on bodes well for future competitions.

The optimism at this training camp stems from top efforts by the current guard at the world championships last March, when Duhamel and Radford won their second bronze medal, and Weaver and Poje came within .2 points of winning the world title outright. Aside from that, three Canadian dance teams finished in the top 10 for the first time in years, and there were a lot of top 12 finishes by others. Nam Nguyen, the youngest at the camp at age 16, along with Gabby Daleman, flourished at the end of last season with a junior world title and a top 12 finish at the world championships in his first year in senior international competition.

At the camp, Slipchuk could see that Nguyen was even better and stronger this season already. “Brian has a good plan for Nam,” Slipchuk said.

Indeed, the camp is a good measure of the readiness of the team. If the athletes are behind, it’s a sign that it’s time to get them up to speed for the coming competitive season. Not only did Skate Canada bring in its top internationally-accredited officials but if also brought in others for worldly feedback: Simon Briggs, a coach and technical specialist from Britain (he was the tech specialist for pairs at the Vancouver Olympics) and David Kirby, a technical guru from the United States but who has ties to Canada.

The camp was also an important checkpoint for new teams, such as Kirsten Moore-Towers and Mike Marinaro, and Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan, who are both newish teams. “This is probably their first time in front of judges and technical people and Skate Canada supporters, to do a program,” Slipchuk said. “It’s a good simulation for them. And Brittany and Joshua have never been out internationally. We like to see how they perform in that environment. We look at the camps as a learning opportunity.”

The camp was time for all of them to step up and show their wares. And many of them did.

Single Event Tickets on Sale Today for 2014 Skate Canada International in Kelowna

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OTTAWA, ON: Single event tickets for the 2014 Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C., on sale Friday, September 12, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. (PT). The event will take place from October 30 – November 2, 2014 at Prospera Place.

TICKETS

The single event ticket prices range from $15-$60, plus applicable surcharges. Children under 12 are free on Thursday for practice sessions. Tickets may be purchased online at www.selectyourtickets.com, by phone at 250.762.5050 or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

WHO TO WATCH

Headlining the field in Kelowna are five members of the Canadian 2014 Olympic silver medal team: Kaetlyn Osmond; Kevin Reynolds; Meagan Duhamel; Eric Radford; and Kirsten Moore-Towers.

Joining them will be Canada’s reigning world silver medalists in ice dance, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, along with a number of world-class skaters including Spain’s Javier Fernandez, USA’s Ashley Wagner, Japan’s Takahiko Kozuka and many other Olympic and world competitors.

EVENT INFO

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating® series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements in the series’ events.

At the conclusion of all the events, the top-six men and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Barcelona, Spain from December 11-13, 2014.

The full competition schedule can be viewed on the Skate Canada website. Media wishing to cover the event are asked to apply for media accreditation online.

Canadian Junior skaters continue to bring home the hardware on the ISU Grand Prix circuit

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Canadian skaters have never dominated a Junior Grand Prix event the way they did in Ostrava, Czech Republic last week.

The youth of Canada proved so compelling that the senior skaters attending the national team training camp in Mississauga, Ontario gathered en masse around a couple of laptops, watching magnificence unfold in Europe.

The youngsters won gold in three of the four events, a first for the land of the maple leaf. In most seasons since the Junior Grand Prix circuit started 18 years ago, Canada has done well to win as many as four gold medals during the entire string of seven or eight qualifying events. (This year there are seven.)

In only five of those 18 years, Canada has won four gold medals during the entire season. Last year, Canadian skaters won two gold medals over eight events, and none qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

It’s not something that Canadian officials worry about too much. The Junior Grand Prix circuit is an important step, meant chiefly to develop future champions. “You see such a wide range of abilities on the circuit,” said Michael Slipchuk, director of high performance for Skate Canada. “Especially in singles and pairs, there’s always a clear break between the top skaters and the next group. Our guys are definitely pushing to be up there, but we’re more looking at our skaters to go out, learning to compete in that environment under those conditions, and skate at that level, and just continue in their development. So finally when they come to the Canadian championships, they are strong, and when they get to junior worlds, we can field a strong team.”

Witness Nam Nguyen, who stumbled his way through the Junior Grand Prix season last year as he went through a growth spurt. “I don’t think many people would have given him a shot to win junior worlds last year,” Slipchuk said. “But at Canadians, we knew he was moving in the right direction, and he won junior worlds. I think it’s a testament that if you keep progressing and doing things your way, things will work out. We leave it to our coaches to build a plan for their skaters and they know what’s best, and we’ll give the best support we can to get there.”

So far, Canada has won a total of five medals already: three gold and two silver in the first three Junior Grand Prix events. “We felt coming into this year that we had a strong group of dancers coming out,” Slipchuk said. Pair skating is another strength. Skate Canada is also looking to Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau to have a strong season, too. Seguin and Bilodeau, making their first Junior Grand Prix start of the season won gold with a dynamic routine to Peter Gabriel by almost 15 points over a Russian team in Ostrava.

Canada had already started off with two silver medals in dance in the first two events: Madeline Edwards and ZhaoKai Pang got off to a fast start in Courcheval, France the first week, and Brianna Delmaestro and Timothy Lum charmed their way to a silver in Ljubljana, Slovenia the next week.

In Ostrava, Canada’s junior champions Mackenzie Bent and Garrett MacKeen won gold in their fourth Junior Grand Prix season, blasting their previous personal best for their free skate by 7 ½ points, finishing up with 82.42 for a routine that looks more mature than last year.

And 15-year-old Roman Sadovsky won gold in the men’s event, also decimating his personal best with a “Les Miserables” program. His free skate score of 124.57 was almost seven points better than his previous best and although he was third in the free skate, his component score was the highest. And he has room to grow. He fell on a triple loop as he dealt with a new experience: being first after the short program in an international competition.

There are four events left: Nagoya, Japan this week, Tallinn, Estonia from September 24 -28; Dresden, Germany from October 1-5 and Zagreb, Croatia from October 8-12. Not all events feature pair events. Seguin and Bilodeau are out again at Dresden. So are Sadovsky and Delmaestro and Lum.

The Junior Grand Prix will feature Canadians that haven’t been out in the world before: a couple of 13-year-olds (Grace Lin from Yvan Desjardins’ stable in Montreal and Sarah Tamura who skates with Joanne MacLeod in British Columbia) will compete in Japan this week, where there will be no pair competition. Edwards and Pang will show their wares again in dance.

As the season wears on, Slipchuk says it will be interesting to see how Sadovsky, still young, fares. “He just keeps improving,” Slipchuk said. “I think he’ll be in the mix in the men.” He also looks to a new Canadian on the scene, Selena Zhao, who has a triple flip – triple toe loop (“It’s what the junior ladies are doing now,” Slipchuk said) in her arsenal, as a skater with the skills to be in the top half.

“We would like to see a fair amount of our skaters get into the top 10 or top eight,” Slipchuk said. “I think a few of them have a chance, given the event and the field. Some could be in the top five.”

Currently the Russians and Japanese are dominating the Junior Grand Prix circuit. Last year the Russians swept all four gold medals at the Junior Grand Prix Final and they also took over the entire pairs podium. The United States has always been a strong contender in the past. Canada has hovered between third and fifth place in the standings over the years. “We always look at longevity,” Slipchuk said. “We’ve never been a country that has been dominant on the circuit, but we transition well to senior and I’ve always felt that it is something that we don’t want to lose sight of. We want our skaters to keep improving.”

Canadian Skaters ready to compete in Salt Lake City for the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send eight skaters, for a total of five entries to the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, a senior international competition which is the first event on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) new Challenger Series. The event runs from September 10-14, 2014, in Salt Lake City, UT. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s, ladies, and pair, and two entries in ice dance.

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., will represent Canada in men’s. Last year, he placed seventh at this event, and eighth at Skate Canada International. Representing Richmond Hill Figure Skating Club, Rogozine also placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Tom Zakrajsek and trains in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in the ladies category. Last season, she placed seventh at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and fifth at the 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Chartrand also placed fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Michelle Leigh and Leonid Birinberg, and trains at the Nepean Skating Club.

In the pair category, Brittany Jones, 18, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 24, Dallas, TX, USA, – Toronto, Ont., will represent Canada. Both skaters have competed internationally with past partners, but this will be their first international assignment together since teaming up in October 2013. Last season, they placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Jones and Reagan are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Nicole Orford, 21, Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams, 23, Okotoks, Alta., are one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Representing Inlet SC and Calalta Community FSC, they won the bronze medal at this event last year. Orford and Williams also placed fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and fifth at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships last season. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Mariève Cyr, 19, Île Bizard, Que., and Benjamin Brisebois-Gaudreau, 22, Montreal, Que., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, they placed ninth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be the second international assignment of their career, having placed seventh at the 2012 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Chemnitz, Germany.  They train in Pierrefonds, Que., with coaches Élise Hamel and Shawn Winter.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be travelling with the team as team leader, and Siobhan Karam of Ottawa, Ont., will be the team physiotherapist. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., and Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For more information and full entries please visit www.usfigureskatingclassic.com or www.isu.org.

Canada will also host an event on the ISU’s Challenger Series, the inaugural 2014 Skate Canada Autumn Classic International in Barrie, Ontario, from October 14-17, 2014 at the Allandale Recreation Centre.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2014 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Andrei Rogozine 21 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Tom Zakrajsek
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 18 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Leonid Birinberg
Pair Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 18/24 Toronto, Ont. / Dallas, TX, USA – Toronto, Ont Kitchener-Waterloo SC/ Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kristy Wirtz / Kris Wirtz
Ice Dance Nicole Orford / Thomas Williams 21/22 Burnaby, B.C. / Okotoks, Alta. Inlet SC / Calalta Community FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice dance Mariève Cyr / Benjamin Brisebois-Gaudreau 19/22 Île Bizard, Que. / Montreal, Que. CPA des Deux-Rives / CPA Ahuntsic Élise Hamel/ Shawn Winter

Canadian Skaters En Route to ISU Junior Grand Prix Japan

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send five entries, for a total of seven skaters to the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Aichi, Japan, from September 10-14, 2014. Canada will have one entry in men’s, two entries in ladies, and two entries in ice dance. There will be no pair competition at the event.

World junior bronze medalists Madeline Edwards, 18, Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang, 19, Burnaby, B.C., will lead the way for Canada in ice dance. Edwards and Pang won silver at the first ISU Junior Grand Prix this season in Courchevel, France. Last season, they placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior category. The representatives of Burnaby FSC are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Lauren Collins, 18, Minesing, Ont., and Shane Firus, 20, North Vancouver, B.C., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Both Collins and Firus have previously competed for Canada on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, but the representatives of Barrie SC and Vancouver SC will be making their international debut together, having teamed up in early 2014. They are coached by David Islam and Kelly Johnson at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.

Nicolas Nadeau, 16, Boisbriand, Que., will be the sole Canadian entry in the men’s division, making his ISU Junior Grand Prix debut. Last season, the representative of CPA Boisbriand placed fourth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. He is coached by Yvan Desjardins at the École Excellence Rosemère.

Sarah Tamura, 13, Burnaby, B.C., is one of two Canadian entries in ladies. This will be her first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Representing Burnaby FSC, she is the 2014 Canadian novice women’s champion. Tamura is coached by Joanne McLeod, Jill-Marie Harvey, and Neil Wilson at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Grace Lin, 13, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que., will also represent Canada in ladies, and will also be competing at her first international assignment. Last season, representing Dollard FSC, she placed 12th at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the novice category. She is coached by Yvan Desjardins and Violaine Emard in Rosmere, Que.

Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the Canadian team leader and physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Glenn Fortin of Aurora, Ont., and Sylvain Guibord of Brossard, Que., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #4 – Aichi, Japan

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nicolas Nadeau 16 Boisbriand, Que. CPA Boisbriand Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Sarah Tamura 13 Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby FSC Joanne McLeod / Jill-Marie Harvey / Neil Wilson
Ladies Grace Lin 13 Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que. Dollard FSC Yvan Desjardins / Violaine Emard
Ice Dance Madeline Edwards / ZhaoKai Pang 18/19 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Inlet SC / Inlet SC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice dance Lauren Collins / Shane Firus 18/20 Minesing, Ont./ North Vancouver, B.C. Barrie SC/ Vancouver SC David Islam / Kelly Johnson

“Les Miserables” performance brings gold to Canada’s Roman Sadovsky

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., earned Canada’s third gold medal at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday winning the men’s singles competition.

Sadovsky interpreted his long program to music from Les Miserables to finish atop the standings with 192.08 points. Alexander Samarin of Russia was second at 188.69 and Sei Kawahara of Japan third at 184.69.

For Sadovsky it was his first gold and second career medal on the circuit. He led after a superb short program Friday and his long skate scored third best but was still enough to keep him first overall.

“It’s amazing to get the victory,” said Sadovsky, 15. “It was a real nerve-wracking experience. I had never gone into a long at this level standing in first place. The mistakes I did make I was able to quickly put them behind me.”

Sadovsky executed seven triple jumps and demonstrated amazing flexibility in his free skate. His only mishap was not hanging on to a triple toe-loop jump in the middle of his program.

“My goal for this year is to eventually have a solid triple Axel in the long program,” he said. “The speed and flow of the routine are also improving. I’m not sure what happened with the toe-loop today. It’s usually a sure jump for me.”

In women’s competition, Kim DeGuise-Léveillée of Sorel-Tracy, Que., delivered two clean programs in her international debut, including Saturday’s free skate, to place eighth overall. She ranked sixth for the long to climb from 10th spot after the short.

The 16-year-old also landed a triple Lutz in competition for the first time in her career.

“I skated very well,” she said. “The hard work paid off. Landing the Lutz was one of my big objectives at this event. I also felt strong at the end of the program and improved the artistic aspects of my skating.”

Canada ends the competition with three gold. On Friday, victories were earned by Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., in ice dancing and Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., in pairs.

The fourth stop on the circuit is Thursday to Saturday (September 11-13) in Aichi, Japan.

Videos of routines available on the ISU YouTube channel

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpcze2014/index.htm

 

Two golden skates for Canada at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Canada won the gold medal in pairs and ice dancing on Friday at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The winners were Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., in ice dancing and Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., in pairs.

In ice dancing, Bent and MacKeen collected their second career junior Grand Prix win and fourth podium overall with a 138.17 score. The overall and free program scores were international bests for the Canadians. Betina Popova and Yuri Vlasenko of Russia were second at 131.42 and Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter of the U.S., third at 130.79.

‘’We delivered what we’d been doing in training and that’s very pleasing,’’ said Bent, 17. ‘’It wasn’t a perfect skate but we headed into this competition confident with both programs.’’

Last year, the couple saw a super season end on a sour note with a 12th place finish at the junior world championships.

‘’Obviously it was important for us to get off on the right track this season,’’ said MacKeen, 20. ‘’We’ve come in this season with some changes including two different programs and so far it’s really worked out.’’

Danielle Wu and Spencer Soo of Burnaby, B.C., were sixth.

In pairs, Séguin and Bilodeau delivered a near-flawless performance to music from Peter Gabriel to win the gold with 159.40 points.  Lina Fedorova and Maxim Miroshkin of Russia were second at 144.62 and their compatriots Kamilla Gainetdinova and Sergei Alexeev third at 134.43.

‘’We worked really hard for this so we are not totally surprised,’’ said Séguin, 17. ‘’We knew we had improved a lot from last season. We felt in control of our program and landing the side-by-side jump early in the program gave us a lot of confidence.’’

The pair joined forces last season and produced two top-five finishes in the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit and were second at junior nationals. This season they want to start making noise at the senior level nationally.

‘’We want to skate like a senior pair team this year,’’ said Bilodeau, 21. ‘’Last year, we focused on developing chemistry on the ice. Now we’ve expanded to display emotion and maturity as well, and this program helps us do that.’’

Canada has another medal contender in men’s competition as Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., grabbed the lead after an excellent short program on Friday earning 67.51 points. Alexander Samarin of Russia is second at 62.42 and Sei Kawahara of Japan stands third at 60.55.

In women’s competition after Thursday’s short program, Kim DeGuise-Léveillée of Sorel-Tracy, Que., is 10th.

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s and women’s free skates.

Videos of routines available on the ISU YouTube channel

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpcze2014/index.htm

Skate Canada launches revitalized CanSkate program

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OTTAWA, ON: In rinks all across the country this fall, Canadians will experience the revitalized CanSkate program. Using every inch of the ice surface, skaters will learn 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 skater success in developing stronger basic skills and developing them faster.

Skate Canada clubs and skating schools will implement the new CanSkate program beginning September 1, 2014. The trademark learn-to-skate program was updated to reflect the principles in Sport Canada’s long-term athlete development plan (LTAD).

“For decades CanSkate has been teaching the best skaters in Canada how to skate. The program which has produced such great skaters as Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and also hockey players like Jeff Skinner and Nathan MacKinnon has a proven track record of success,” said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada Chief Executive Officer. “The new CanSkate program will continue to offer all the components to create great skaters with fundamental skating skills that will transfer to all ice sports.”

The new program includes specific skills that pertain to hockey, ringette, speed skating and figure skating.  The result is a dynamic new program that prepares any skater for every ice sport. CanSkate is also modeled for the recreational skater to learn an active lifestyle activity.

Along with the new curriculum, other features include a fresh new look, new awards and great tools for coaches. Skate Canada is proud to have all its programs taught by professional coaches who are specially trained and certified through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).

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 Canada clubs from across Canada are excited as they prepare to deliver the new CanSkate and welcome all Canadians to learn the joy of skating. Please visit the Skate Canada website to find a club in your area.

ISU Junior Grand Prix Circuit Continues as Canadian Team Heads to Czech Republic

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send eight skaters, for a total of five entries to Ostrava, Czech Republic, from September 3-7, 2014, for the third ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating of the season. Canada will have one entry per category in men’s, ladies, and pair, and two entries in ice dance.

Roman Sadovsky, 15, Vaughan, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in the men’s division. Last season, Sadovsky placed 14th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga, Latvia, eighth in Minsk, Belarus, and 13th at the 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. He also placed eighth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior category. He is coached by Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski at the YSRA Winter Club.

Kim DeGuise-Léveillée, 16, Sorel-Tracy, Que., will represent Canada in ladies. This will be her first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Representing CPA Sorel-Tracy, she is the 2014 Canadian junior champion. DeGuise-Léveillée is coached by Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig in Chambly, Que.

Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian entry in the pair. Last season, they placed fourth at this event, and fifth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Minsk, Belarus. Séguin and Bilodeau, representatives of CPA Longueuil and CPA De Drummondville Inc., are the 2014 Canadian junior pair silver medallists. They are coached by Josée Picard and Patrice Archetto in Chambly, Que.

Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen, 20, Oshawa, Ont., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Last season, they won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Riga, Latvia, placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Kosice, Slovakia, and placed 12th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.Representing Uxbridge SC and Bowmanville FSC,Bent and MacKeen are the 2014 Canadian junior ice dance champions. They train at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite with coaches Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane.

Danielle Wu, 16, Burnaby, B.C., and Spencer Soo, 17, Burnaby, B.C., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Last season, they placed fifth at this event, and fourth in junior ice dance at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Wu and Soo are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the BC Centre of Excellence.

Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical team onsite. Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Jacqueline Wickett Warren of Ottawa, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #3 – Ostrava, Czech Republic

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men’s Roman Sadovsky 15 Vaughan, Ont. YRSA Winter Club Tracey Wainman / Gregor Filipowski
Ladies Kim DeGuise-Léveillée 16 Sorel-Tracy, Que. CPA Sorel-Tracy Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 17/21 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA De Drummondville Inc. Josée Picard / Patrice Archetto
Ice Dance Mackenzie Bent / Garrett MacKeen 17/20 Uxbridge, Ont. / Oshawa, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Bowmanville FSC Juris Razgulajevs / Carol Lane
Ice dance Danielle Wu / Spencer Soo 16/17 Burnaby, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby FSC / Burnaby FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Silver Saturday for Canadian ice dancers at Junior Grand Prix

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Ice dancers Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., earned their first career medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday placing second overall.

Daria Morozova and Mikhail Zhirmov of Russia won the gold medal with 131.54 points just ahead of the Canadians at 131.30, a personal best score. Holly Moore and Daniel Klaber of the U.S., took third at 129.26.

‘’It was the presentation that really got us the medal,’’ said Lum, 19. ‘’We showed strong technical skills but it was the performance that made the difference. It feels great and now we can start thinking about potentially going to the Junior Grand Prix final and world juniors.’’

The couple have only been together for just over a year.

‘’We are both committed to the partnership and the programs and those are our strengths,’’ said Delmaestro, 18. ‘’Today we knew that a medal was a possibility if we skated our best.’’

Valerie Taillefer and Jason Chan of Montreal were ninth.

In women’s competition, Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., took 10th spot overall in her international debut with Julianne Delaurier of Kelowna, B.C., 17th. Serafima Sakhanovich of Russia won the gold medal.

‘’I was O.K. with the performance but I had to fight through everything,’’ said Zhao, 16, seventh after the short program. ‘’I was happy that I didn’t give up. There are a lot of points that have the ability to go out there and get. My goal is to have two solid programs by the end of the season.’’

In Friday’s men’s competition, Anthony Kan of Richmond Hill, Ont., was sixth and Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver seventh.

Kan was third after the short program on Thursday and was hoping to fare better in the final.

‘’The long program didn’t start the way I started and I had a mental blockage from there on in particularly with the jumps,’’ said Kan, 19. ‘’I need to work on improving and refining my presentation and by the end of the season I would like to have a consistent triple Axel and quad toe.’’

Gordon roared from 13th place after the short.

‘’I’m not as comfortable with the short program as the long right now,’’ said Gordon. ‘’It was nice to come back in the long and I really stick with the plan from start to finish. Still, I need to get my triple Axel back working and work harder on that short program.’’

The next stop on the circuit is September 5-6 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpslo2014/index.htm

 

Anthony Kan takes sixth place at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Anthony Kan of Richmond Hill, Ont., showed great improvement over his previous ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating result but was probably hoping to fare better than sixth in men’s singles on Friday at the season’s second stop.

Boyang Jin of China took the men’s gold with 220.77 points, Alexander Petrov of Russia was second at 216.33 and his compatriot Dmitri Aliev was third at 185.84.

Kan, in only his second career Junior Grand Prix, was third after Thursday’s short program, but dropped to sixth with the 10th best free skate at 162.52. He delivered an inconsistent performance particularly in the second half of the program. Kan was 12th at his only other Junior Grand Prix appearance in 2012.

Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver did the complete opposite climbing from 13th after the short to seventh overall at 161.85 with an uplifting number to Irish music. It was the fifth best long program and he landed six of his seven triple jumps.

In ice dancing, Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., are in second spot after the short dance at 49.14. Daria Morozova and Mikhail Zhirnov of Russia are slightly ahead at 49.80.

Canadian novice champions Valerie Taillefer and Jason Chan of Montreal, in their international debut, are ninth.

In women’s competition after Thursday’s short program, Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., is seventh and Julianne Delaurier of Kelowna, B.C., 13th.

The free dance and women’s free skate are on Saturday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpslo2014/index.htm