Tag Archive for: 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Sky is the limit for newly-crowned world junior champion Nam Nguyen

As far as fleeting moments go, Nam Nguyen’s first – and to date, only – encounter with three-time world champion Patrick Chan was about as brief as they come.

Two years have passed since Nguyen, then a pint-sized 13-year-old competing as a senior for the first time at the national championships in Moncton, N.B., had a chance encounter with Chan in a hallway following practice.

“He asked me where the clock was,” the newly-crowned world junior men’s champion told reporters this week.

Cue the laughter.

“It was around the corner.”

With a world junior title now in his back pocket, thanks to a pair of dazzling programs in Sofia, Bulgaria, the skating prodigy – also the youngest Canadian to win national titles at the juvenile, pre-novice, novice and junior levels – is creating headlines of his own these days. There are even some inevitable whispers, as premature as they may be, that Nguyen could one day be Chan’s heir apparent.

“Some people say I might be the next Patrick Chan, and I think that’s a huge honour,” he adds with a wide smile.

“He’s the three-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist. That’s amazing.”

“When I saw the score, it was unbelievable, that’s the highest score I’ve ever (had) internationally,” said Nam, referring to the 217.06 total score he posted last weekend.

“When I sat down, there were so many things going on in my head. I saw the score and thought, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it.’”

Less than a week after claiming the world junior title in Bulgaria, Nguyen will be back on a plane Saturday when he makes the trek across the Pacific for next week’s ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo. Making the trip with him will be Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, the gold medallist from the Sochi Winter Olympics, and world bronze medallist Javier Fernandez of Spain. Nguyen trains with Hanyu and Fernandez at the Toronto Cricket Club under two-time Olympic silver medallist and 1987 world champion Brian Orser.

If recent history is any indication, Orser is becoming the coach with the Midas touch. Not only does he have Hanyu, Fernandez and Nam in his stable, but Orser also coached Yuna Kim to women’s gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.

Orser’s been around long enough to know with the Sochi Games now in the rear-view mirror, it will likely signal a changing of the guard in men’s skating.

“This is going to be the new guard,” said Orser, referring to the top finishers last weekend in Bulgaria. “The top four or five – these are the guys we’re going to see down the road.

“There is a change now happening and it’s happening sooner than anybody thought.”

In Sofia, Nguyen skated a near-flawless free program punctuated with a pair of double Axels, but when he makes the jump to seniors –whenever that may be – Orser and Nguyen know they will have to up the ante. In the coming months, they plan on working on the quad before rolling it out next season.

But Nguyen’s handlers insist he isn’t on any sort of fast track.

“Winning a junior world title is not the end – it’s the start,” reasons Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk.

“I think this is a big building block for Nam.”

Stealing the show seems to be in the kid’s DNA. Four years later, and people are still talking about Nguyen’s memorable cameo in the gala at the Vancouver Olympics. At recent national championships, Nguyen has won over the crowd with his ear-to-ear grin and infectious enthusiasm.

But Orser says that persona needed a makeover to introduce a big-boy image, and not only because Nguyen has grown almost a foot, give or take, in the past year and a half.

“I told him ‘OK, enough of the cute factor’,” reasons Orser.

“It was fun and it was cute, and everybody was like, ‘Oh my god, he’s so cute.’ But now you’ve got to be a big boy and you’ve got to skate like that. There has to be maturity.’”

Nguyen says Orser helps keep his feet planted firmly on the ground, and that isn’t going to change with the world junior title.

But 15-year-olds are allowed to dream, and this kid isn’t any different.

“I want to be the Olympic champion, 2018,” he says, eyes lighting up. “I want to be the first Canadian men’s champion for the Olympics.

“That would be cool.”
Marty Henwood

Alaine Chartrand climbs to fifth at ISU World Junior Figure skating Championships

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., climbed from seventh to fifth spot in women’s competition Sunday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Elena Radionova led a Russian medal sweep with Serafima Sakhanovich second and Evgenia Medvedeva third.

Chartrand, seventh after Friday’s short program, took charge in the free skate to finish with 164.35 points. She placed eighth at this event last season. The 17-year-old was fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and most recently, seventh at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

“This was a great result for Alaine in a very strong field,” said Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director, Skate Canada. “‎Overall it was a tremendous week for our skaters with many stand out performances.”

Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C., was 16th in her world juniors debut.  The 15-year-old finished eighth at her first international assignment on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Estonia earlier this season. The 2013 Canadian junior champion also earned a 10th place finish at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, competing in the senior category.

Canada ends the world juniors with two medals.  Nam Nguyen of Toronto won the gold medal Saturday in men’s competition and Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., took bronze in ice dancing on Friday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2014/index.htm

Louis Daignault

Canada’s Nam Nguyen wins world junior figure skating title

SOFIA, Bulgaria -Nam Nguyen of Toronto landed two triple Axels and won the gold medal Saturday in men’s competition at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Nguyen posted the top score in both the short and free programs to finish with 217.06 points.

“That was the best free skate I have ever had,” said Nguyen. “It was the first time I’ve ever done two triple axels in one program and I hope to continue to do that.”

Adian Pitkeev of Russia was second at 212.51 and Nathan Chen of the U.S., third at 212.03.

Performing to music by Bach, Nguyen produced a triple Axel-double toe, another triple Axel as well as six more triples including a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination. The 15-year-old collected a level four for the footwork and the three spins and with 144.19 points improved his seasons best by almost eight points.

“I just told myself to take one element at a time,” said Nguyen about his approach to Saturday’s free skate. “Just before I went into my starting position I told myself just to have fun. This was my third junior worlds so I really didn’t have anything to lose. I enjoyed it very much.”

Nguyen is coached by two-time Canadian Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser.

“Nam really skated for it,” said Orser.  “Doing Four Continents (in January) was one of the best things for him. That was his first senior international competition and first time competing against the senior men. He stepped it up getting ready for that event. ”

Nguyen, 12th at last year’s world juniors, now heads to Japan for the senior worlds later this month.

Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., was 13th.

Nguyen’s win was Canada’s second medal of the competition. On Friday Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., won the bronze in ice dancing.

Competition ends Sunday with the women’s free skate.

Full results at: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2014/index.htm

Comeback bronze for Edwards and Pang at world junior championships

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., won the bronze medal in ice dancing Friday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean- Luc Baker of the U.S., took the gold with 157.12 points.  They edged Russians
Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov in second at 155.16.

Edwards and Pang, fifth after the short program, earned the third best free dance score to climb into the medals with 139.65.

“It was a really emotional free dance,” said Pang. “We didn’t leave anything out. We put it all on the ice and we were really happy with the way we skated.  We were gassed at the end.”

Edwards and Pang were 12th last year at junior worlds

“We could not be more excited with our placement,” said Edwards. “Last year I remember watching the podium at junior worlds and just thinking that we want our flag to be up there and how cool would that be to be on the podium.  And to see that come true was just amazing.”

Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., were 12th.

In women’s competition Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., eighth at the world juniors last year, is seventh after the short program.  Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C., the 2013 Canadian junior champion, is 18th.

Russia stands 1-2-3 led by Elena Radionova.

Competition continues Saturday with the men’s free skate.  Nam Nguyen of Toronto is first after Thursday’s short program.

Louis Daignault

Canada’s Nam Nguyen first after short program at world juniors

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Nam Nguyen of Toronto is in first place in men’s competition after Thursday’s short program at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Nguyen, 15, earned 72.87 points with Jin Boyang of China second at 71.51 and Uno Shoma of Japan third at 70.67.

“The short program felt awesome,” said Nguyen, who is coached by Brian Orser.  “I was feeling very relaxed throughout the whole program. I took one element at a time and that really paid off.”

The highlight was landing the triple Axel.

“The triple Axel felt really big,” he said. “I think it was one of the best ones I’ve ever done, especially in competition. So it was really good that I was able to deliver it out here.”

Nguyen won’t change a thing for the free skate.

“I’m looking forward to delivering the same performance and to just keep doing what I do in practice,” he said.

Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., had a personal best short program and sits 14th.

In pairs, Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin of China won the gold medal.

Mary Orr of Brantford, Ont., and Phelan Simpson of Lunenburg, Sask., were sixth and Tara Hancherow Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing of Woodstock, Ont., seventh.

In Wednesday’s short dance, Madeline Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., and ZhaoKai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., are fifth less than a point from third.

Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., are ninth.

Competition continues Friday with the free dance and the women’s short program.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wjc2014/index.htm

 

Junior ice dancers Edwards and Pang ready for the challenge in Bulgaria

There was a time when Sofia, Bulgaria tried to bid for the 2014 Olympics. It wasn’t accepted as a candidate. If it had, it would have been decidedly wintry.

But from March 10 to 16, it will stage the world junior figure skating championships instead. And there will be no less drama than in Sochi.

The Canadian team includes eight entries, 12 skaters in all, starting on their paths to future world championships and Olympics. Just because the word “junior” is attached to the front of this world event, doesn’t mean it’s easy to win.

Palm trees aside, the event in Sofia will be an Olympics of sorts for Madeline Edwards and ZhaoKai Pang, a fetching young Canadian dance team that has sent goosebumps up the sleeves of Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Virtue and Moir won the 2006 world junior championship, then the next year, finished sixth at the world (senior) championship, an impressive debut. Both Edwards and Pang look up to Virtue and Moir.

And well they might. They have a little something. Like Virtue and Moir, they are expressive. They dance for each other. They have a lightness that comes from their knees. They have miles to go, but it’s there.

Back in 2007, the B.C. section of Skate Canada hired ice dancers Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe to become high performance directors for the dance program. They headed off in search of talent at little regional competitions around the province.  At one of them, Lowe spotted “Maddie,” a bright-faced girl, skating singles. Edwards won a little award for being the most expressive skater. When Lowe talked to her parents, he found out that they were transferring from small-town Rossland, B.C. to Vancouver. “Has she ever done dance?” he asked them. Well, yes, she had taken some tests. So into Wing and Lowe’s dance program she went. And so Wing and Lowe started to build their little dynasty on the west coast.

They found her partner, Pang, a singles skater in Joanne McLeod’s program. Edwards and Pang clicked right away. They were together only a year when they skated in the gala at the 2009 Four Continents championship in Vancouver, a test event for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

They were probably only 11 and 12 years old when they got together – not as young as Virtue and Moir had been – but they rose quickly through the ranks, winning juvenile after being together only a few months, pre-novice in 2010, novice in 2011, and in 2012, they won the junior silver medal. Last year they were junior champions. “I think they were better skaters than Virtue and Moir when they started,” Lowe said boldly. “Just because they had been singles so long. They were decent skaters already, but then they had to learn how to become good dancers.”

Pang had been one of the best pre-novice men in B.C, and competed at the B.C. Winter Games as a singles skater. And he had a personality that boded well for being a dancer. “He was a very expressive little kid,” Lowe said. He loves to perform. And the twosome complement each other very well. They have a great relationship as friends. They are on the same page.

Internationally, Edwards and Pang competed as juniors, finishing second and third at their Junior Grand Prix events this season, but nationally, they competed as seniors for the first time. However, disaster struck in October, after the junior events: Edwards developed an overuse injury on her Achilles tendon, caused by stitching on the back of her boot that dug into the soft tissue. Lowe referred to it as “massive.”

There were days when Edwards could skate only 20 minutes. They worried that they would miss the national championships – where they would be under no pressure, but they could learn and watch skaters trying to get the three Olympic spots, amid all the tension. They missed sectionals and Challenge. They fought hard, with doctors and physiotherapists to get to Ottawa and finally defeated the injury.

In Ottawa, they finished seventh, but had the fifth highest technical mark, ahead of a couple of senior-level teams, not bad for a couple of newbies. It was enough to earn them their second trip to the world junior championships, but more than that: they were chosen as alternates for the senior world championships. Some teams ranked ahead of them hadn’t achieved minimum scores in both portions of the event, as required by the ISU. The youngsters, not yet into their twenties, had the scores.

Edwards and Pang still have one more year of junior eligibility left, and they will take advantage of it next season, to build world standing points that would allow them eventually to get some good senior competitions. They are eyeing the 2018 Olympics, which is only four years away. Lowe doesn’t think it’s a pipe dream. It’s a realistic thought that bears proper planning, he says.

And Sofia is a good step.

And others on the team will, too. Nam Nguyen, only 15, will compete in the men’s event in Sofia, but he’s also been named to the world senior team in Japan. He’ll be travelling with his buddy, Roman Sadovsky, only 14, and a precocious whiz kid on blades. They’ll be up against Jin Boyang of China, 16, who won the Junior Grand Prix Final, and 19-year-old Keiji Tanaka of Japan, who swept his Junior Grand Prix events this year.

Alaine Chartrand, 17, of Prescott, Ont., and Larkyn Austman, 15, Coquitlam, B.C., will compete in the women’s event against a host of Russian women who dominated the Junior Grand Prix Final.

In pairs the teams of Tara Hancherow, 18, Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing, 20, Woodstock, Ont., and Mary Orr, 17, Brantford, Ont., and Phelan Simpson, 18, Lunenburg, N.S., will attended their first junior world’s event together. The pairs event is dominated by Russians, but a Chinese team, Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin, defeated them all at the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Beverley Smith

Canadians prepared to compete at 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships®

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send eight entries for a total of 12 skaters to the 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships® in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 10-16, 2014. Canada will have two entries in each category: men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance.

Nam Nguyen, 15, Toronto, Ont., leads the Canadian entries in men’s. This will be his third time competing at this event, having placed 12th in 2013, and 13th in 2012. This season, Nguyen earned a fifth place finish at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships in the senior category. Most recently, he placed 10th at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. He is coached by Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

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

Alaine Chartrand, 17, Prescott, Ont., is the first of two Canadian entries in the ladies category. Chartrand placed eighth at this event last season. This season, the 2013 Canadian bronze medallist placed fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and most recently, seventh at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Chartrand is coached by Michelle Leigh and Leonid Birinberg, and trains at the Nepean Skating Club.

Larkyn Austman, 15, Coquitlam, B.C., will also represent Canada in the ladies division. Austman finished eighth at her first international assignment on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Estonia earlier this season. The 2013 Canadian junior champion also earned a 10th place finish at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, competing in the senior category. She is coached by Heather Austman and Eileen Murphy at the Connaught Skating Club in B.C.

Tara Hancherow, 18, Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing, 20, Woodstock, Ont., are one of two pairs representing Canada. This season, Hancherow and Killing earned a fifth place finish in Slovakia and a sixth place finish in Estonia at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignments. Hancherow and Killing also placed eighth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. They are coached by Annie Barabé and Maximin Coïa at CTC Contrecoeur in Quebec.

Mary Orr, 17, Brantford, Ont., and Phelan Simpson, 18, Lunenburg, N.S., also represent Canada in the pair category. In their first season competing together, they earned a seventh place finish at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Latvia, and were junior bronze medallists at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Madeline Edwards, 17, Port Moody, B.C. and ZhaoKai Pang, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two teams representing Canada in ice dance. Last season, they placed 12th at this event. This season, Edwards and Kai Pang won silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Mexico, and bronze at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. The 2013 Canadian junior champions also placed seventh at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior category. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the BC Centre of Excellence.

Canadian junior champions Mackenzie Bent, 16, Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen, 19, Oshawa, Ont., will be the second entry in ice dance. Last year, Bent and MacKeen placed fifth at this event. This season, they won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Latvia, and placed sixth in Slovakia. Bent and MacKeen train at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite with coaches Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane.

Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont., and Cody Hay, of Edmonton, Alta. are the team leaders for this event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the medical staff onsite. The Canadian officials at the event are Janice Hunter of West Vancouver, B.C., Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont., and Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C.

Skate Canada announces ISU World Figure Skating Championship teams

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian roster for the 2014 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan from March 24-30, 2014 was released today. Canada will send 17 athletes for a total of 11 entries. Canada will have three entries in men’s, pair and ice dance and two entries in women’s.

Senior Men’s
Kevin Reynolds, 23, Coquitlam, B.C.
Elladj Baldé, 23, Pierrefonds, Que.
Nam Nguyen, 15, Toronto, Ont.

Senior Women’s
Kaetlyn Osmond, 18, Marystown, Nfld. & Sherwood Park, Alta.
Gabrielle Daleman, 16, Newmarket, Ont.

Senior Pair
Meagan Duhamel, 28, Lively, Ont. & Eric Radford, 29, Balmertown, Ont.
Kirsten Moore-Towers, 21, St. Catharines, Ont. & Dylan Moscovitch, 29, Toronto, Ont.
Paige Lawrence, 24, Kennedy, Sask. & Rudi Swiegers, 26, Kipling, Sask.

Senior Ice Dance
Kaitlyn Weaver, 24, Waterloo, Ont. & Andrew Poje, 27, Waterloo, Ont.
Alexandra Paul, 22, Midhurst, Ont. & Mitchell Islam, 24, Barrie, Ont.
Piper Gilles, 22, Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier, 22, Unionville, Ont.

The Canadian team for the 2014 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships was also announced. Canada will have 9 entries for a total of 14 skaters, two in men’s, two in women’s, three in pair and two in ice dance. The event will take place from March 10-16, 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Junior Men’s
Nam Nguyen, 15, Toronto, Ont.
Roman Sadovsky, 14, Vaughan, Ont.

Junior Women’s
Alaine Chartrand, 17, Prescott, Ont.
Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que.

Junior Pair
Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que. &  Charlie Bilodeau, 20, Trois-Pistoles, Que.
Tara Hancherow, 18, Tisdale, Sask. & Wesley Killing, 21, Woodstock, Ont.
Mary Orr, 17, Brantford, Ont. & Phelan Simpson, 18, Lunenburg, N.S.

Junior Ice Dance
Madeline Edwards, 17, Port Moody, B.C. & ZhaoKai Pang, 18, Burnaby, B.C.
Mackenzie Bent, 16, Uxbridge, Ont. & Garrett MacKeen, 19, Oshawa, Ont.