Canada wins two bronze at Skate America

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MILWAUKEE – Pairs skaters Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., and ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto won bronze medals on Saturday at Skate America.

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

In pairs, Séguin and Bilodeau were the only entry to skate clean in the final flight and produced a personal best 189.49 points. It was their first international medal at the senior level.  Last winter they took silver at the world juniors.

‘’We didn’t expect to win a medal so early in our senior careers,’’ said Bilodeau, 22, fifth with his partner at the Nebelhorn Trophy last month in Germany. ’’But I think we realized after Germany we had to be more solid in order to compete at this level.’’

Their program was highlighted by remarkable lifts.

‘’We’ve put a lot of focus on improving our lifts,’’ said Séguin, 18. ‘’We’ve worked at making them more challenging and original as well.’’

In ice dancing, Gilles and Poirier notched a second international medal this month earning 157.58.  Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. took the gold at 173.22 and Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia were second at 162.21.

‘’Our goal this year is to make the Grand Prix Final so that result will make it more difficult for us,’’ said Gilles. ‘’Still we were very happy with the performance and we felt it was a step-up from Slovakia.’’

Three weeks ago, Gilles and Poirier won gold at an international event in Bratislava.

‘’It’s a big boost for us to see our scores higher than at this point last season,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We’ve been really consistent so far and we’ve got two programs that really work us.’’

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold at 202.00 and Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of the U.S., who each fell in the free skate, were second at 191.91.

In women’s competition, world junior champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia won the gold medal with Gracie Gold of the U.S. second and Satoko Miyahara of Japan third. Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 12th.

The next stop on the circuit is Skate Canada International this Friday and Saturday in Lethbridge, Alta.

Full results: ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America

Gilles and Poirier stand third after short dance

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MILWAUKEE – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in third place after the short dance at Skate America, the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World championship silver medallists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. stand first at 70.56, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia second at 62.76 and Gilles and Poirier follow at 61.33.  Earlier this month the Canadians won gold at an international event in Slovakia.

‘’It was important for us to come into this season competition ready,’’ said Poirier. ‘’So far we’ve shown that this season. I was pleased with how we made the necessary adjustments with the event in a smaller rink and it worked out really well.’’

In pairs, world junior silver medallists Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., are in the medal mix.  They produced clean short program standing fourth with 64.85 points which bettered their score from the world juniors.

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of the U.S. lead at 69.69, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are second at 68.28 and their compatriots Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang third at 64.95.

Séguin and Bilodeau opened their senior level international career at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany last month placing fifth.

‘’We showed what we can achieve at this level today,’’ said Séguin, 18. ‘’Over the past three weeks we’ve worked really hard in training and have regained our confidence. We did really well and we are very pleased.’’

Bilodeau says entering the senior circuit has forced them to elevate their game.

‘’It’s super exciting to compete at this level,’’ he said. ‘’Definitely we’ve increased the difficulty of our two programs in put a lot more detail into our choreography as well.’’

In women’s competition, Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., stands sixth after a clean short program. Evgenia Nedvedeva of Russia leads with Gracie Gold of the U.S. second and Satoko Miyahara of Japan third.

‘’It didn’t go exactly the way I wanted,’’ said Chartrand, 19. ‘’I thought my combination jump in particular could have been better. Still it’s a good start to the Grand Prix season and I want to show more improvement in the long.’’

Canada is not entered in men’s singles.  All four free skates are on Saturday. Live streaming is available at cbc.ca starting at 2:20 p.m.(EDT)

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/gpusa2015/index.htm

Canadian skaters kick off ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Season at Skate America

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send three entries, for a total of five skaters to the first event on this season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, Skate America. Canada will have one entry per category in ladies, pair and ice dance. The competition is the first of six ISU Senior Grand Prix stops, and will take place from October 23-25, 2015, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Centre in Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Canadian silver medallist Alaine Chartrand, 19, Prescott, Ont., will be Canada’s entry in the ladies category. This will be her first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, she placed fourth at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, she placed seventh at Skate Canada International and won bronze at the Rostelecom Cup. She also placed tenth at the 2015 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and 11th at the 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Chartrand is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser and represents the Nepean Skating Club.

Canadian bronze medallists Julianne Séguin, 18, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 22, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian pair entry at the event. This will be their first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand prix circuit. Earlier this season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy on the ISU Challenger Series. Last season, they won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, silver at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and placed eighth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 23, Unionville, Ont., will represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, they won gold at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Last season, they won silver at Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard, placed fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Final, fourth at the Four Continents Championships and sixth at the World Championships. The representatives of Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., and Lynne Dey of Edmonton, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 SKATE AMERICA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 19 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 18/22 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 23/23 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Duhamel and Radford open season with gold at Autumn Classic International

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BARRIE, Ont. – World champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., won the gold medal in pairs on Thursday at the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition.

Duhamel and Radford earned 202.61 points in their season opener. Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran of the U.S. took the silver at 177.86 and their compatriots Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan were third at 149.25.

Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan of Toronto were fourth at 144.55 and Hayleigh Bell of Acton, Ont., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., were fifth at 135.43.

Meagan Duhame / Eric Radford - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Castelli / Tran - 2015 Autumn Classic International

It was a 1-2 Canadian finish in ice dancing with Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C. and Asher Hill of Pickering, Ont., a new partnership this season, winning the gold with 146.65.  Andréanne Poulin of Ile-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant of Vaudreuil, Que., surged from fourth after the short dance to the silver at 132.35.

‘’Our programs are coming together really well,’’ said Orford. ‘’So well, that sometimes we forget we are a new team. We are both perfectionists because our previous partnerships were so successful so we need to remind ourselves we’ve only skated for three months.’’

Nicole Orford / Asher Hill - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Adreanne Poulin / Marc Andre Servant - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Karina Manta / Joseph Johnson - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the gold medal in men’s singles with 277.19 points. Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto took the silver at 241.10 and Sean Rabbitt of the U.S. was third at 201.70.

Bennet Toman of St. Lazare, Que., was sixth and Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver 10th.

Men - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Yuzuru Hanyu - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Nam Nguyen - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Sean Rabbit - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Bennet Toman - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Mitchell Gordon - 2015 Autumn Classic International

In women’s competition, Roxanne Rhéault of Victoriaville, Que., was fifth. Elizabet Tursynbayeva of Kazakhstan won the gold.

Roxanne Rheault - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Elizabet Tursynbayeva - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Haruka Imai - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Angela Wang - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Canadian junior women win two medals

In junior women’s singles, Amanda Stan of Romania finished ahead of three Canadians for the gold with 130.46.  Alicia Pineault of Montreal was mere 0.01 points from victory for the silver at 130.45.  McKenna Colthorp of Fort St. James, B.C. took the bronze at 129.25 and Alexis Dion of Ottawa fourth at 127.65.

Alicia Pineault - 2015 Autumn Classic International
McKenna Colthorp - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Full results: 2015 Autumn Classic International

World champions Duhamel and Radford first after short program

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BARRIE, Ont. – World champions Meaghan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., are in first place in pairs after Wednesday’s short program at the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition.

Unbeaten last season in international competition, Duhamel and Radford earned 68.97 points for their short program skated to Elton John’s Your Song. Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran are second at 62.07 and Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan of Toronto third at 52.74.

Hayleigh Bell of Acton, Ont., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., are fifth at 48.19.

Canada also leads in ice dancing after the short dance with Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C. and Asher Hill of Pickering, Ont., a new partnership this season, first at 54.58 followed by two American couples.  Andréanne Poulin of Ile-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant of Vaudreuil, Que., are fourth at 50.02.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto landed a quad toe as well as a triple Axel and stands second after the short program in men’s competition.  Bennet Toman of St-Lazare, Que., third.

‘’I skated well,’’ said Nguyen, 17, fifth at the world championships last season. ‘’The quad was one of the best ones I ever executed. It is the first time I’ve inserted it in my short program which is a big step up.”

Toman was also pleased with his first foray against senior international competition.

‘’I showed I belonged here,’’ said Toman. ‘’I executed my triple toe and triple Lutz in the second half the program and I was able to land everything.’’

In women’s competition after the short dance, Roxanne Rhéault of Victoriaville, Que., is fourth less than two points behind leader Angela Wang of the U.S.

Canadian wins silver in junior competition

Joseph Phan

Joseph Phan – 2015 Autumn Classic International

Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., made an impressive international debut winning the silver medal in men’s junior competition. Jun Hwan Cha of South Korea was the winner at 198.44 followed by the 14-year-old Canadian at 167.85. Hugh Brabyn-Jones of Britain was third and Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., fourth.

‘’It was fun,’’ said Phan. ‘’It was a great experience for me. I was really happy with how I skated. I was especially proud of my long program. I just want to build on this for the rest of the season.’’

In junior women’s singles after the short, Alicia Pineault of Montreal is first with Alexis Dion of second and McKenna Colthorp of Fort St. James, B.C., fourth.

The free skates for the junior women and all four senior events are on Thursday at the  Allandale Recreation Centre.

Full results: 2015 Autumn Classic International

Canadian ice dancers headed to France for Cup of Nice

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OTTAWA, ON: Ice dancers Carolane Soucisse and Simon Tanguay will represent Canada at the 20th annual Cup of Nice, a senior international competition. The event runs from October 14-18, 2015 at the Patinoire Jean Bouin in Nice, France.

Carolane Soucisse, 20, Chateauguay, Que., and Simon Tanguay, 22, Montreal, Que., will be the sole Canadian entry at the event, competing in ice dance. Earlier this season, Soucisse and Tanguay won bronze at their first senior international competition, the 2015 Lake Placid Ice Dance International. Last season, the representatives of CPA Terrebonne and CPA Ahuntsic placed ninth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Soucisse and Tanguay are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Pascal Denis at the Centre Sportif Gadbois.

CANADIAN ENTRY AT 20th CUP OF NICE

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Simon Tanguay 20/22 Chateauguay, Que. / Montreal, Que. CPA Terrebonne Inc. / CPA Ahuntsic Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Pascal Denis

Another productive weekend for Canadian figure skaters in Europe

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OTTAWA, ON – Canadian figure skaters collected gold and silver this past weekend at European stops on the ISU Challenger Series and ISU Junior Grand Prix.

In Espoo, Finland at the third stop on the Challenger series, ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., picked-up where they left off last season with a gold medal performance in their season debut on Saturday.  Weaver and Poje, who won five gold medals last season in international competition, totalled 161.67 points placing first in both the short dance and free skate.

“We had two great programs although there were some mistakes,” said Weaver, third with her partner at the world championships this past March. “But these events are an opportunity to see the areas we need to improve and get some important feedback.”

The next event for Weaver and Poje is Skate Canada International October 30 to November 1 in Lethbridge, Alta.

Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., were seventh.

In men’s competition on Sunday, Liam Firus of North Vancouver produced the fifth best free skate to climb from ninth to seventh overall. Konstantin Menshov of Russia edged Adam Rippon of the U.S. by six points for the gold.

Meanwhile in Zagreb, Croatia at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit which concluded Saturday, Nicolas Nadeau of Blainville, Que., was the Canadian star with a silver medal in men’s singles.  Nadeau bettered his personal best by nearly 50 points.

“My success was because I finally put together and strong short program and strong free program,” said Nadeau, 18. “Usually one or the other I tend to struggle with. I came into this competition with no hope of making the Grand Prix Final so I just wanted a strong international performance and impress the judges.”

Kim Decelles of Baie-Comeau Que., finished ninth in women’s singles and ice dancers Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve of Montreal and Jeff Hough of Russell, Ont., were also ninth.

The Grand Prix Final for the junior and seniors is December 10-13 in Barcelona.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/jgpcro2015/index.htm and http://www.figureskatingresults.fi/results/1516/CSFIN2015/index.htm

Canada’s Nicolas Nadeau wins silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Canadian junior champion Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., won the silver medal in a very close men’s competition on Friday at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Alexander Samarin of Russia was the winner with 223.84 points edging the 18-year-old Nadeau who totalled 223.46. Tomoki Hiwatashi of Japan was third at 197.62.

Nadeau smashed his previous best international score by almost 50 points. He landed two triple Axels including one in combination with a triple toe to open the program.  He made an attempt at a quad toe but rushed it and stepped out in mid-flight.

In women’s competition, Wakaba Higuchi of Japan leads after the short program with Diana Pervushkina of Russia second and Marin Honda of Japan third.

Kim Decelles of Baie-Comeau, Que., is fifth less than six points behind Honda at 52.27.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve of Montreal and Jeff Hough of Russell, Ont., are ninth.

There is no pairs competition at this stop.

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

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/jgpcro2015/index.htm

Weaver and Poje dance to gold at Challenger Series

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Weaver and Poje

ESPOO, Finland – Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., opened their international season on Saturday with a gold medal performance at the Finlandia Trophy figure skating competition, the fourth stop on the ISU Challenger Series circuit.

Weaver and Poje, who won five gold medals last season in international competition, totalled 161.67 points placing first in both the short dance and free skate. Isabella Tobias and Ilia Tkachenko of Israel were second at 150.89 and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark were third at 147.65.

“We had two great programs although there were some mistakes,” said Weaver, third with her partner at the world championships this past March. “But these events are an opportunity to see the areas we need to improve and get some important feedback.”

The next event for Weaver and Poje is Skate Canada International October 30 to November 1 in Lethbridge, Alta.
Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., were seventh.

In men’s competition, Liam Firus of North Vancouver is ninth after the short program. The men’s free skate is on Sunday.
Canada has no entries in women’s competition and there is no pairs event.

Full results: http://www.figureskatingresults.fi/results/1516/CSFIN2015/index.htm

Ninth place finishes for Canadians at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Kim Decelles of Baie-Comeau Que., finished ninth in women’s singles while ice dancers Audrey Croteau-Villeneuve of Montreal and Jeff Hough of Russell, Ont., produced the same result at the seventh stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

In women’s competition, Japan was 1-2 with Marin Honda and Wakaba Higuchi taking gold and silver. Diana Pervushkina of Russia was third.
Decelles was fifth after the short program on Friday but was unable to duplicate that strong performance in Saturday’s long.

In ice dancing, Rachael Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. were the winners with Anastasia Skoptova and Kirill Aleshin of Russia second and their compatriots Sofia Shevchenko and Igor Eremenko third.

Croteau-Villeneuve and Hough, sixth at their previous assignment last month, were ninth after the short dance.

Nadeau excited about silver

Nicolas Nadeau was still excited about his silver medal performance on Friday where he smashed his previous personal best by almost 50 points.  He scored 223.46 and was less than half a point from gold. On Saturday, Nadeau said he just wanted a solid Grand Prix result on his resume.

“My success was because I finally put together and strong short program and strong free program,” said Nadeau, 18, the reigning Canadian junior champion. “Usually one or the other I tend to struggle with. I came into this competition with no hope of making the Grand Prix Final so I just wanted a strong international performance and impress the judges.”

The Grand Prix Final for the junior and seniors is December 10-13 in Barcelona.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/jgpcro2015/index.htm

Canadian skaters preparing for second annual Skate Canada Autumn Classic International

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 14 entries, for a total of 21 skaters to the second annual Skate Canada Autumn Classic International (#ACI15). Canada will have 9 entries at the senior level including three in men’s, one in ladies, three in pair and two in ice dance. The junior category of the event will feature five Canadian entries including two in men’s and three in ladies. The event runs from October 12-15, 2015, at the Allandale Recreation Centre in Barrie, Ont.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen, 17, Toronto, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in men’s. Last year, Nguyen won silver at this event. He also won bronze at Skate America, placed fourth at the Cup of China, 11th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and fifth at the World Championships. Nguyen is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Mitchell Gordon, 19, Vancouver, B.C., is the second entry in men’s for Canada. This will be his first international assignment at the senior level. Last season, Gordon placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovenia and 10th in Germany. He also placed eighth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gordon is coached by Eileen Murphy and Keegan Murphy at the Connaught Skating Club in Richmond, B.C.

Bennet Toman, 18, St. Lazare, Que., is the third Canadian entry in men’s. This will also be his first international assignment at the senior level. Last season, he placed 12th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in France and 10th in Estonia. Representing CPAR Vaudreuil, Toman placed 13th at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Robert O’Toole at the Canadian Ice Academy in Mississauga, Ont.

Roxanne Rheault, 20, Victoriaville, Que., is the Canadian entry in ladies. Earlier this season she won the bronze medal at the 2015 Philadelphia Summer International. Last season, the representative of CPA Élites Sur Glace Drummond–Saint-Cyrille placed fourth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Rheault is coached by Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard and Yvan Desjardins.

World champions and Olympic silver medallists (team) Meagan Duhamel, 29, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 30, Balmertown, Ont., lead the Canadian team in pair. The four-time Canadian champions won at the inaugural Skate Canada Autumn Classic last season and went on to win gold at all of their events throughout the season including Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships, and World Championships. The representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, and Sylvie Fullum at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Hayleigh Bell, 19, Acton, Ont., and Rudi Swiegers, 28, Kipling, Sask., will be Canada’s second entry in the pair category. This will be their first competition since teaming up this summer. Representing Skate Regina, the pair train in Calgary, Alta., with coaches Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay.

Brittany Jones, 19, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 25, Dallas, TX, USA, – Toronto, Ont., will be the third Canadian entry in pair. Last season, Jones and Reagan placed seventh at this event. They also placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, seventh at Skate Canada International and seventh at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Jones and Reagan are coached by Bryce Davison at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Nicole Orford, 22, Burnaby, B.C., and Asher Hill, 24, Pickering, Ont., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This will be their first competition since teaming up this offseason. The representatives of Inlet SC and Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Andréanne Poulin, 20, L’Île-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant, 24, Vaudreuil, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Last season, they placed eighth at this event. The representatives of Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives also placed eighth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Poulin and Servant are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs.

Canadian junior bronze medallist Edrian Paul Celestino, 17, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., will represent Canada in the junior men’s category. Earlier this season, he placed 13th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Austria. Last season, the representative of Saint Laurent FSC placed 11th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Tallinn. He is coached by Daniel Beland at the Dollard Civic Centre.

Joseph Phan, 14, Laval, Que., will also represent Canada in the junior men’s category. This will be his first international assignment. Last season, he placed fifth in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Representing CPA Laval, Phan is coached by Yvan Desjardins.

Alexis Dion, 16, Ottawa, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in the junior ladies category. This will be the first international assignment for the representative of Minto SC. Last season, Dion placed 14th in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Shelley Kettles and Derek Schmidt at the Minto Skating Club.

Alicia Pineault, 16, Montreal, Que., will also represent Canada in the junior ladies category. This will be her first international assignment. Representing CPA Varennes, she won the silver medal in the novice category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Pineault is coached by Stéphane Yvars and François Parisé in Boucherville, Que.

McKenna Colthorp, 14, Fort St. James, B.C., will be the final Canadian entry in the junior ladies category. This will be the first international assignment for the representative of Kelowna FSC. Last season, she placed fourth in the novice category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Karen Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Holly Henderson of Lethbridge, Alta., and Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader onsite. Physiotherapist Glenn Wark of Collingwood, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Veronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., Beth Crane of Burnaby, B.C., and Jacqueline Wickett Warren of Ottawa, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

CANADIAN SENIOR ENTRIES AT 2015 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 17 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Mens Mitchell Gordon 19 Vancouver, B.C. Connaught Skating Club Eileen Murphy / Keegan Murphy
Mens Bennet Toman 18 St. Lazare, Que. CPA Vaudreuil Robert O’Toole
Ladies Roxanne Rheault 20 Longueuil, Que. CPA Élites Sur Glace Drummond – Saint-Cyrille Annie Barabé / Sophie Richard / Yvan Desjardins
Pair Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 29/30 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte / Sylvie Fullum
Pair Hayleigh Bell / Rudi Swiegers 19/28 Acton, Ont. / Kipling, Sask. Skate Regina / Skate Regina Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay
Pair Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 19/25 Toronto, Ont. / Dallas, TX, USA – Toronto, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Bryce Davison
Ice Dance Nicole Orford / Asher Hill 22/24 Burnaby, B.C. / Pickering, Ont. Inlet SC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Andréanne Poulin / Marc-André Servant 20/24 L’Île-Bizard, Que. / Vaudreuil, Que. Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives / Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

CANADIAN JUNIOR ENTRIES AT 2015 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Edrian Paul Celestino 17 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Saint Laurent FSC Daniel Beland
Mens Joseph Phan 14 Laval, Que. CPA Laval Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Alexis Dion 16 Ottawa, Ont. Minto SC Shelley Kettles / Derek Schmidt
Ladies Alicia Pineault 16 Montreal, Que. Richmond Hill FSC Andrei Berezintsev / Inga Zusev
Ladies McKenna Colthorp 14 Fort St. James, B.C. Kelowna FSC Karen Mongrain

ISU Challenger Series continues as Canada sends three entries to Finlandia Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send three entries, for a total of five skaters to the 20th annual Finlandia Trophy, the fourth event on the 2015 ISU Challenger Series. The competition runs from October 8-11, 2015 at the Barona Arena in Espoo, Finland. Canada will have one entry in men’s and two entries in ice dance.

Two-time Canadian bronze medallist Liam Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian entry in men’s. This will be his first time competing at this event. Last season, the representative of Vancouver SC placed ninth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, 11th at Skate Canada International and 15th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Firus is coached by Christy Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Canadian champions and two time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 28, Waterloo, Ont., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This will also be their first time competing at this event. Last season, they won gold at each of their events (Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships) and won the bronze medal the World Championships. Representing Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC, they are coached by Angelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo and Shae-Lynn Bourne in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Canadian junior champions Brianna Delmaestro, 19, Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum, 20, Burnaby, B.C., are the second entry in ice dance for Canada. Earlier this season they placed sixth in their first international assignment at the senior level, the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Last season, the representatives of Coquitlam SC and Burnaby FSC won the silver medal at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in Slovenia and the bronze medal in Germany. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre of B.C.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will travel with the team as Canadian team leader. Physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org or the official event website.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 20th Annual Finlandia Trophy

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Liam Firus 23 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Christy Krall / Damon Allen
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 26/28 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Angelika Krylova / Pasquale Camerlengo / Shae-Lynn Bourne
Ice Dance Brianna Delmaestro / Timothy Lum 19/20 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Coquitlam SC / Burnaby FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe