Tag Archive for: Slovakia

Bent and MacKeen seventh at ISU Junior Grand Prix

KOSICE, Slovakia – Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., posted a seventh place finish in ice dancing on Sunday to conclude the the third stop on the Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The Canadian couple won the gold medal two weeks ago at the season opener and were fifth at the world junior championships last season. Needless to say, it didn’t go as planned this weekend.

‘’We felt we did well in the short dance (on Saturday) and the result threw us off a bit,’’ said Bent, 16, three years younger than her partner. ‘’It may have affected our confidence for the free dance. All we can do is review our performances and make the necessary corrections to get back on track.’’

Anna Yanovskaya and Sergey Mozgov of Russia finished ahead of two American couples for the gold medal.

Lauren Collins of Minesing, Ont., and Danny Seymour of Port Elgin, Ont., were 12th in their international debut.

‘’It was a good experience and I thought we skated well,’’ said Collins, 17, in her fifth season with Seymour, 19. ‘’We had a rough warm-up but in the end we attained our objectives in the competition.’’

In men’s competition, Leslie Ip of Markham, Ont., finished 10th in his international debut. Keiji Tanaka of Japan won the gold medal.

‘’I was pretty nervous going into this and I was pleased with how I calmed myself down in the competition,’’ said Ip, 18. ‘’That showed in the second half of my program today. To get a top-10 is very satisfying. I didn’t know what to expect.’’

Canada’s best result here was a sixth place finish for Tara Hancherow of Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing of Woodstock, Ont., in pairs on Saturday.

Louis Daignault

Canadian pair sixth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

KOSICE, Slovakia – Tara Hancherow of Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing of Woodstock, Ont., placed sixth in their pairs debut on Saturday at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Hancherow and Killing were competing for the first time together after joining forces this summer.   A concussion to Hancherow, who skated singles the last two seasons, derailed their preparations for the event.

“We just started training together so we are happy with how it turned out,” said Hancherow, 17.  “We weren’t sure what to expect so its make feel good to know we can be competitive at an international competition like this.  We weren’t totally sure what to expect.”

Maria Vigalova and Egor Zakroev led a Russian medal sweep.

In women’s singles, Karen Chen of the U.S. won the gold medal, Alexandra Proklova of Russia was second and Riona Kato of Japan third.

Marianne Rioux Ouellet of Montreal was 14th and Roxanne Cournoyer of Sorel-Tracy, Que., 20th.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen of Oshawa, Ont., are sixth and Lauren Collins of Minesing, Ont., and Danny Seymour of Port Elgin, Ont., are 11th.

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance and men’s free skate.  Leslie Ip of Markham, Ont., was 11th after Friday’s men’s short program.

Louis Daignault

Canadian Juniors Travel to Slovakia for Third Stop on ISU Junior Grand Prix

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send six entries to the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Kosice, Slovakia, from September 12-15, 2013. Canada will be represented in all four disciplines: ladies, men’s, pair, and ice dance.

Mackenzie Bent, 16, Uxbridge, Ont., and Garrett MacKeen, 19, Oshawa, Ont., are one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Bent and MacKeen won gold at the first stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit this season in Riga, Latvia. Last season, they placed fifth at the 2013 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and second at the Canadian championships, in the junior category. Bent and MacKeen train at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite with coaches Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane.

Lauren Collins, 17, Minesing, Ont., and Danny Seymour, 19, Port Elgin, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Last season, they placed 10th at the Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships in the junior category. Collins and Seymour are coached by David Islam and Kelly Johnson at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.

Roxanne Cournoyer, 16, Sorel-Tracy, Que., is one of two Canadian entries in the ladies division. This is her first international assignment. Cournoyer placed 10th at the 2013 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. She is coached by Annie Barabé and Sophie Richard at CTC Contrecoeur.

Marianne Rioux Ouellet, 18, Montreal, Que., will also represent Canada in the ladies division in her first international assignment. Rioux Ouellet placed fifth as a junior at the 2013 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. She is coached by Michele Godbout and Sonia Zapitosky at CPA Rosemont.

Leslie Ip, 18, Markham, Ont., is the Canadian entry in the men’s division. This is Ip’s first international assignment. Last season, he placed fourth as a junior at the 2013 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. He is coached by Katerina Papafotiou at Thornhill FSC.

Tara Hancherow, 17, Tisdale, Sask., and Wesley Killing, 20, Woodstock, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in pair. This is Hancherow and Killing’s first season competing together. They are coached by Annie Barabé and Maximin Coïa at CTC Contrecoeur.

Louis Stong of Etobicoke, Ont., is the team leader at the event and physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical staff. Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta., are the Canadian officials at the event.