Tag Archive for: 2013 Skate America

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch win silver at Skate America

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DETROIT – Canada’s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch set a personal best score en route to the silver medal in pairs on Sunday at Skate America, the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187.35.  It was the same top-three order after Saturday’s short program.

“This is the kind of start we definitely wanted in an Olympic year,” said Moscovitch, from Toronto.  “It’s a confirmation that we are doing the right thing with our programs.  And we know there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch’s previous best overall score was 199.50 set in a fourth place finish at the world championships last season.

“It’s really been a combination of factors that’s helped us achieve these scores this early in the season,” said Moore-Towers from St. Catharines, Ont.  “Our programs are a lot more consistent and we are a lot better at telling a story when we perform.”

Margaret Purdy of Strathroy, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont.,  were eighth.

The next stop on the circuit is Skate Canada International October 25-27 in St. John, N.B.

Louis Daignault

Canadians Begin ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in U.S.A.

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OTTAWA, ON: The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating begins this weekend with Skate America, taking place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Canada will be sending two pair teams to the event, which will run from October 18-20, 2013. Skate America is the first of six ISU Senior Grand Prix stops.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 21, St. Catharines, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch, 29, Toronto, Ont., are the first of two Canadian pair entries. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have competed at this event twice previously, winning silver in 2010 and bronze in 2011. They also started this season in the United States, defending their title at the 2013 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Last season, they placed fourth at the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch train with Kris Wirtz and Kristy Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Margaret Purdy, 18, Strathroy, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 21, Sarnia, Ont., will be the second entry for Canada in pair. This will be their first senior international event. Last season, Purdy and Marinaro won silver at the 2013 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and placed fifth at the 2013 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior category. They are coached by Scott Rachuk and Alison Purkiss at the Competitive Skating Centre of Strathroy.

Skate Canada Director High Performance, Mike Slipchuk, will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian team physiotherapist and Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., will be the Canadian official at the event.