Tag Archive for: 2022 ISU Grand Prix

Gilles and Poirier Earn Second Grand Prix Win This Season

/by

ESPOO, Finland (November 26, 2022) – Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier posted their best-ever international score and won the gold medal Saturday at the season’s last stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The Toronto skaters were victors in their two Grand Prix assignments this season which assures them a berth in the Grand Prix Final December 8-11 in Torino, Italy. Gilles and Poirier totaled 219.49 points to eclipse the 215.70 they skated in their win at Skate Canada International last month.

‘’What worked well this week is how much we trusted our training and trusted each other,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We didn’t force anything and really let the skating happen by itself like we know how to do. We are really proud of our performance today.’’

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the U.S. took the silver with 202.46 and Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis of Finland were third at 191.79. Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver were sixth at 175.63.

In women’s competition, Mai Mihara of Japan collected her second win on the circuit with 204.14 points. She edged Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, the leader after the short, second with 203.91. Mana Kawabe of Japan was third at 197.41. Olympian and national champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., remained in fifth spot totaling 187.84, two spots better than her performance at Skate Canada International.

Ilia Malinin of the U.S. took the men’s title with 278.39. Shun Sato of Japan was second at 262.21 and Kevin Aymoz of France was third at 255.69. Two-time Canadian Olympian Keegan Messing was eighth with 205.02.

For full results, click here.

Six Canadian Skaters Head to Final Grand Prix of the Season

/by

OTTAWA, ON (November 21, 2022) – Six experienced athletes are set to compete for Canada at the final Grand Prix of the season in Espoo, Finland, which will mark the last qualifying event before the ISU Grand Prix Final in Torino, Italy. Team Canada will be comprised of two entries in ice dance as well as one entry in both women and men at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Espoo, scheduled to take place from November 25-27, 2022.  

National champion Madeline Schizas will be the sole Canadian entry in the women’s competition. Schizas has been building on her breakthrough Olympic year by finishing 5th at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy and 7th at Skate Canada International.  

Olympian Keegan Messing will be looking to clinch a spot on the podium in the men’s event. Messing has had a strong start to the season, winning a gold medal at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy and putting on an entertaining performance that earned him a 4th place at the 2022 Skate Canada International.   

Ice dance stars Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will be one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Gilles and Poirier are the current Skate Canada International champions, as well as the national ice dance champions. Shane Firus and Carolane Soucisse, who won bronze at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy, will be completing the team. 

The competition starts Friday, November 25 with every discipline performing their short program/rhythm dance. Medals will be awarded on Saturday, November 26 as all disciplines will perform their free program/free dance. The event concludes on Sunday with the exhibition gala.   

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women 
Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.   

Men 
Keegan Messing | 30 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA  

Ice Dance
Piper Gilles | 30 | Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier | 31 | Unionville, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont.
Carolane Soucisse | 27 | Châteauguay, Que. & Shane Firus | 28 | North Vancouver, B.C. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont.    

Team Leader – Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Marianne Chabot & Scott Fraser
Officials – Laura Carr & Erica Toplski  

Canada’s Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen win first Grand Prix gold

/by

SAPPORO, Japan – Canadian ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen earned their first career gold on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday at the NHK Trophy.

The Montreal skaters totalled 210.41 points, a career high at the international level.

It was one of two medals on the day for Canada. In pairs, Brooke McIntosh of Toronto and Benjamin Mimar of Terrebonne, Que., collected a bronze medal for their first Grand Prix podium finish.

In ice dancing, the Canadians edged world championship bronze medallists Madison Chock and Eva Bates of the U.S. second at 209.13. Another American couple Caroline Green and Michael Parsons was third at 191.10.

“There are a lot of emotions and a lot of thoughts,’’ said Soerensen. ‘’We were just extremely proud of being able to deliver these two performances that brought us to the top of the podium.’’

The Canadian Olympians also won silver at their other Grand Prix assignment two weeks ago in France and will advance to the ISU Grand Prix Final next month for the first time in their careers.

In pairs, McIntosh and Mimar overcame a fall in their program to post an international best 175.65.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the gold with 216.16 and Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe of the U.S. were second at 187.49.

“We are very happy about our first Grand Prix medal, and I am proud of my partner,” Mimar said. “Even with fall she fought to the end.”

Japanese skaters were 1-2 in men’s competition with world champion Shoma Uno taking the gold and Sota Yamamoto the silver. Junhwan Cha of South Korea was third.

Stephen Gogolev of Toronto was eighth and Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., 10th.

The sixth stop on the circuit is this upcoming Friday and Saturday in Espoo, Finland.

Full results: ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy

Nine Canadians Make the Trip Across the Pond for the MK John Wilson Trophy

/by

OTTAWA, ON (November 8, 2022) – After a successful start to the season that saw Canadians win six medals, the ISU Grand Prix now heads to Sheffield, Great Britain from November 11-13, 2022 for the MK John Wilson Trophy. Team Canada will be comprised of nine skaters, including one entry in women, two entries in men and three entries in ice dance. 

2018 Olympian and 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships bronze medallist Gabrielle Daleman will be the sole Canadian entry in the women’s discipline. Daleman kicked off her season a few weeks ago at Skate Canada International, where she placed second in the short program and finished 10th overall.  

Beijing 2022 Olympian Roman Sadovsky will be competing in his second Grand Prix of the season after putting in a solid performance at Skate America that earned him a 5th place finish. He will be joined by 2022 Skate Canada Challenge bronze medallist Corey Circelli, who will be making his senior Grand Prix debut. 

Olympians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will be headlining the Canadian entries in ice dance. Lajoie and Lagha are no strangers to the podium, having won gold at the 2022 Budapest Trophy and the 2022 Ondrej Nepela Memorial, as well as a bronze medal on home ice at Skate Canada International. First-year National Team members Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer will be competing at their first ISU Grand Prix after finishing 4th at the 2022 Budapest Trophy. Rounding out the team will be Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker, who placed 5th at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic earlier this season.   

Pairs team Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland were assigned to the event but have pulled out due to injury.   

The competition starts on Friday, November 11 with the men and pair short programs. Saturday will see the rhythm dance and women’s short program, as well as the first medals awarded following the men and pair free programs. The event concludes on Sunday with the women’s free program and ice dance free dance.   

Team Canada
Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women 
Gabrielle Daleman | 24 | Newmarket, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont. 

Men  
Corey Circelli | 20 | Toronto, Ont. | Brian Orser | Toronto, Ont.
Roman Sadovsky | 23 | Vaughan, Ont. | Tracey Wainman & Grzegorz Filipowski | Richmond Hill, Ont. 

Ice dance 
Alicia Fabbri | 19 | Terrebonne, Que. & Paul Ayer | 24 | Brossard, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.  
Marjorie Lajoie | 22 | Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha | 23 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Romain Haguenauer | Montréal, Que.
Haley Sales | 25 | Kelowna, B.C. & Nikolas Wamsteeker | 26 | Langley, B.C. | Scott Moir | London, Ont. 

Team Leaders – Marie Bowness & Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Emma Lis & Lee Schofield
Officials – Glenn Fortin & Patty Klein  

For more information about the event and full schedules, click here.