Kelowna is alive with skating as Skate Canada International comes to Prospera Place

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KELOWNA, B.C. – In Kelowna, where the Skate Canada International Grand Prix is being held this week, the hills are alive with music.

The setting is stunning, with purple hills and citrine yellow trees. It all just makes you want to sing, right?

Well, for the first time at Skate Canada, the audience at the Prospera Place will hear vocals although the jury is still out on the effectiveness of them. But for Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who are trying to win their first Grand Prix gold medal, the vocals they use this year are appropriate and to them, inspiring.

“I think both of our programs do a really good job of using the lyrics to our benefit, as opposed to us skating to the song,” said Radford, who knows of what he speaks: he is a music composer. “When you have lyrics, sometimes the lyrics become the centre piece. And then you’re skating to them, as opposed to them supporting the skating. It’s kind of risky and there are a lot of teams that are trying it in the world, and there has been mixed response to it.”

However, when he and Duhamel skate to “Un peu plus haut,” by Ginette Reno and to rock band Muse, Radford says he feels lifted by the music. “I don’t feel like Ginette ever drowns out our skating,” he said. And Reno is a powerful vocalist.

Duhamel, who admits that she’s not naturally the most musically gifted skater on the face of the planet, feels it too. “I love the music,” she said. “When the music starts, I just feel so moved because we are more relaxed. With both of our music’s, I feel them in my soul. I feel very connected to our programs this year.”

There are funny moments, things that evoke a smile. When Duhamel takes off for the throw quad Salchow, Reno belts out: “Pas tombe!” (Do not fall.)

“I sometimes think of it,” Duhamel said. “I get distracted sometimes when I’m going in: It’s going to look so stupid if I fall right now.” Actually, the quad Salchow is quite consistent.

And during the twist? Reno sings: “A little higher.” And this year, their twist is a little higher.

And no, they don’t sing in practice. Sometimes the tune gets stuck in Duhamel’s head. It’s sung in French, not their mother tongue. “I don’t even know half the words,” Duhamel said. “There is one word that we think sounds like tiramisu.”

Sometimes, as Radford skates, he hears people singing along with the music: “C’est bon! C’est bon!”

Duhamel and Radford will lead the Canadian team this week as well as the arresting ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who have made some changes to their free dance (to a spin and a lift) after the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany earlier this season, but are bolstered by positive feedback.  Having lost a world gold medal by only .02 points last March, their aims are high this season. They are ready to take up where 2010 Olympic champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have left off.

The pair event will also feature new Canadian team Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Molinaro, who skipped the Autumn Classic because Moore-Towers said she was suffering from a stress fracture in a foot.

Top Canadian male skater Kevin Reynolds has withdrawn with foot and boot problems and the popular Elladj Balde is out with a concussion. Two-time European champion Javier Fernandez, 2011 world silver medalist Takahiko Kozuka, European bronze medalist Konstantin Menshov and Americans Max Aaron and Adam Rippon will keep it interesting.

All of the short programs will be held Friday, while all of the longs go Saturday. Competing are 55 skaters from 12 countries for total prize money of $180,000 (U.S.).

Kelowna, B.C. set to host 2014 Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON: Many of the top figure skaters in the world will join Canada’s best for the 2014 Skate Canada International this week in Kelowna, B.C.  The event takes place October 30-November 2, 2014, at Prospera Place. Canada will send an 18-member team, led by world medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje in ice dance and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford in pair.

Skate Canada International is the second of six competitions on the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit, which qualifies skaters for the ISU Grand Prix Final, taking place December 11-14 in Barcelona, Spain.

“The local fans, volunteers, businesses and the city of Kelowna have provided terrific support to stage the event here. Hosting this event across the country allows fans from different cities the opportunity to see many of our best skaters compete against a strong international field,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada. “We are so glad that everyone who loves to skate, especially young people who may just be learning, will be inspired to participate in skating because this event is being held in their community.”

“Congratulations to everyone at Skate Canada for bringing this exciting, prestigious competition to British Columbia,” said Premier Christy Clark, MLA for Westside-Kelowna. “In the heart of B.C.’s beautiful Okanagan, Kelowna will be a great host, welcoming many of the best figure skaters in the world and cheering Canada’s best. The Government of British Columbia is proud to provide $100,000 to help support 2014 Skate Canada International.”

Olympic silver medallists (team) and two-time world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel, 28, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 29, Balmertown, Ont., will lead the way for Canada in pair. The representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard have previously won silver at this event in 2012 and bronze in 2011 and 2013. Earlier this season, the three-time Canadian champions won gold at the inaugural Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Duhamel and Radford are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 22, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 22, Sarnia, Ont., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be the first international assignment for the representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC since teaming up in the off-season. Moore-Towers and Marinaro are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

Brittany Jones, 18, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 24, Dallas, TX, USA, – Toronto, Ont., will be the third Canadian entry in pair. This will be their first event together on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. Jones and Reagan placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and seventh at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International this season on the ISU Challenger Series. They are coached by Kristy Wirtz and Kris Wirtz at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club.

World silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 25, Waterloo, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 27, Waterloo, Ont., lead the Canadian entries in ice dance. They have previously won silver at this event in 2013 and 2011, and bronze in 2009. Earlier this season, the seven-time Canadian medallists won gold at the Nebelhorn trophy. Representing Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC, Weaver and Poje are coached by Pasquale Camerlengo and Angelika Krylova in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Piper Gilles, 22, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 22, Unionville, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. They have previously placed fourth at this event in 2012. This season, the representatives of Scarboro FSC won silver at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Élisabeth Paradis, 22, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 22, Laval, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their third international assignment of the season, having placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, and fourth at Skate America. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Liam Firus, 22, North Vancouver, B.C., is one of three Canadian entries in men’s. The representative of Vancouver SC placed 10th at this event in 2012. Earlier this season, the 2014 Olympian placed ninth at the Nebelhorn trophy. Firus is coached by Christy Krall in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Elladj Baldé, 23, Pierrefonds, Que., is the second Canadian in the men’s category. Baldé has previously competed at this event placing 10th in 2011, and placing seventh in 2012 and 2013. Earlier this season, he placed fifth at the Nebelhorn trophy. Representing CPA Anjou Kinsmen, Baldé trains at the Detroit Skating Club with coaches Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen.

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., will round out the Canadian entries in men’s. Rogozine has previously competed at this event, placing seventh in 2011 and eighth in 2013. This will be the third international assignment of the season for the representative of Richmond Hill FSC, having placed sixth at the 2014 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and ninth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. He is coached by Tom Zakrajsek and trains in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Véronik Mallet, 20, Sept-Îles, Que., is one of three Canadian entries in ladies. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed eighth at this event. Earlier this season, she placed seventh at the Nebelhorn Trophy. She is coached by Annie Barabé and Maximin Coïa at CTC Contrecoeur.

Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont., will also represent Canada in the ladies category. This will be her first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand Prix circuit. Chartrand placed fourth earlier this season at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. She is coached by Michelle Leigh and Leonid Birinberg, and trains at the Nepean Skating Club.

Julianne Séguin, 17, Longueuil, Que., is the third Canadian entry in ladies. This will also be her first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand Prix circuit. Representing CPA Longueuil, Séguin won the bronze medal at her first event of the season, the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Julianne is coached by Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig and trains in Chambly, Que.

Cynthia Ullmark, of Canmore, Alta., and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Marni Wesner of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff.  Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results please visit 2014 Skate Canada International.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2014 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 28/29 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 21/22 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kris Wirtz / Kristy Wirtz
Pairs Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan 18/24 Toronto, Ont. / Dallas, TX, USA – Toronto, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Kris Wirtz / Kristy Wirtz
Ice dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 25/27 Waterloo, Ont. – Houston, TX / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Pasquale Camerlengo / Angelika Krylova
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 22/22 Toronto, Ont. – Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Elisabeth Paradis / Francois Xavier Ouellette 22/22 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Men’s Liam Firus 22 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Christy Krall
Mens Elladj Baldé 23 Pierrefonds, Que. CPA Anjou Kinsmen Yuka Sato / Jason Dungjen
Mens Andrei Rogozine 21 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Tom Zakrajsek
Ladies Véronik Mallet 20 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 18 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Leonid Birinberg
Ladies Julianne Séguin 17 Longueuil, Que. CPA Longueil Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig

CanSkate gets a boost in Ontario from the provincial government

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Winter isn’t dreary in Canada any more, not with the new CanSkate program.

In a frosty rink in Toronto, toddlers in jelly-bean coloured snowsuits and tiny skates zip around brightly hued pylons and cones, arms out to the side, eyes bright. It’s a hub of activity. They are like little bees zooming about the hive. No piece of the ice surface goes unused. They are intent, yet they’re having fun. They are learning to skate, the new way.

It’s part of a revolution in the way Canadians learn to skate, and last week, the Skate Canada program came to Skate Ontario, where 75,000 folks are learning skills that may take them to an Olympic podium in various ice sports. Or for most, it may be the launching pad for thousands to have a skill for life, stroking away on a Saturday afternoon at an arena, hearts pumping, faces glowing.

The new program is set up to become the best learn-to-skate plan in the country, so that speed skaters and hockey players can also hone their abilities to move across the ice efficiently. The skills aren’t tied specifically to figure skating skills, but on skating skills in general.

The program became mandatory at all 1,200 figure skating clubs in Canada in September, and in Ontario, it’s getting a boost from a Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport financing, and from Canadian Tire, which for the past couple of years has allied itself to Olympic and grassroots sport and which has become Skate Canada’s most important title sponsor. Skate Canada chief executive officer Dan Thompson refers to CanSkate as the “engine room of Skate Canada.”

The CanSkate blueprint came to life because of a Sport Canada directive to set out specific long-term athlete development programs. To make it happen, Skate Ontario is tapping into an Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund, with a budget of close to $3-million meant to get people moving at the community level. Skate Ontario gets $197,220 to help pay for 360 kits filled with props (small cones, pylons, rhythmic ribbons, Frisbees, bean bags, plungers (who knew?), plastic polka-dotted balls and an enormous “parachute.” Canadian Tire provides the enormous equipment bags to carry it all.

The side-effects of this idea?  It could maximize social and economic benefits. (Ontario spends $4-billion on recreation, sport and fitness.)  And it could bring health costs down. “We know that an investment into healthy lifestyles is an investment into spending less in health care in the long run for sure,” said Micheal Coteau, who was just named as minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport last June.

Coteau had never seen the CanSkate program in action before, and he paused to watch all of the youngsters on the ice hoist an enormous red and white “parachute” and make it flutter up and down like a giant stingray.

Coteau knows the value of the CanSkate concept first-hand. His children both go to skating programs. “I’ve noticed that the more engaged they are with fun and the more the teacher uses different types of tools, the more interested they become in skating,” he said. “The truth is, a lot of sports, it they’re not done properly in the beginning, they’ll shy away. If you can capture them at the beginning by engaging them at a completely different level where they are intrigued by the fun of it, you can leverage that to get them to increase their level of skill.”

It’s worked for his children, aged four and eight, he said. They are skating, swimming and into music programs. For the first two years that his daughter took a skating program, she found it frustrating, he said. When she got to the point where she could skate well, she began to enjoy it. The CanSkate program will change all of that, offering up basics in balance, control, and agility in six stages. Students learn stronger skills and learn them faster under this program.

Skate Canada also knows that the golden years of learning are between ages seven and 11, when neural pathways are most easily formed.

Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Manley began to toddle onto the ice at age 2 ½ and she took her first learn-to-skate lesson at age five. Her first pair of skates came from Canadian Tire. She’s now a coach, teaching CanSkate.

Kim Saunders, associate vice-president of sport partnerships for Canadian Tire, also followed Manley’s path, taking the old learn-to-skate program as a child and picking up all the skills – the hard way. Figure skating is near and dear to her heart – and to that of Canadian Tire, which began sponsorship of Skate Canada in 2013. The Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston, Ont., in January will be the company’s third tour as title sponsor of that event.

At about the same time, Canadian Tire made a general investment in Olympic and Paralympic sport – and other sport associations, too. But Skate Canada is special.

“We’ve been selling skates for 90 years,” Saunders said. “It’s just part of our heritage. We were looking for a way to support amateur sport in this country is a bigger way and Skate Canada was just a natural fit. It’s a fit for us from a business point of view. It’s a fit for us from a philosophy point of view too, to what skating can do for a child. It’s a great passion for us.”

“We are all part of the Canadian canopy,” she said. “We have to talk about spirit, with that notion that strong healthy kids make strong nations. They also make great athletes.”

Kevin Reynolds withdraws from Skate Canada International

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OTTAWA, ON:  Injury has forced Coquitlam, B.C. native Kevin Reynolds, 24, to withdraw from the upcoming Skate Canada International event in his home province. The event takes place October 30 – November 2 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

Reynolds has struggled with injury and equipment issues for the past several months, and made the difficult decision to withdraw today.  “As an athlete who takes pride in representing Canada on the world stage, I want to be able to show my best and compete at the highest level. My decision to withdraw only comes after I have given my everything in training to prepare for this event – pushing though pain and injury.”

The problems will also force Reynolds to withdraw from his other ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment, NHK Trophy in Japan in late November. Reynolds hopes to be ready for the upcoming Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Kingston in January. “It is my intention to recover, and find a solution that will allow me to skate without pain, and compete at the national championships in Kingston. I would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult chapter in my career.”

Andrei Rogozine, 21, Newmarket, Ont., has been named to replace Reynolds in the event.

Canadian pair sixth at Skate America

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CHICAGO – Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Loretteville, Que., produced a satisfying sixth place finish in pairs on Sunday in their senior Grand Prix debut at Skate America.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia won the gold medal, Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. were second and Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang of China third.

Grenier and Deschamps, in their second season together, also ranked sixth in both their short and long programs.

‘’We each made an error in our free program but we feel we made a good impression this weekend,’’ said Grenier, 22.  ‘’We were able to manage our stress level and we know what we need to work on.’’

The pair were fifth at their previous two outings this season – the Nebelhorn Trophy and Skate Canada’s Autumn International – both part of the ISU’s new Challenger Series.

‘’We’ve increased the difficulty levels of both our short and long programs for this year,’’ added Deschamps, also 22.  ‘’So far our season is going well but I think today we made sure we really enjoyed our performance as well.’’

On Saturday night, 16-year-old world junior champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto won the bronze medal in comeback fashion in men’s singles.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpusa2014/index.htm

Canada’s Nam Nguyen wins bronze medal at Skate America

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Nam-Bronze-ChicagoCHICAGO – World junior champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto landed a quadruple Salchow and two triple Axels to post a personal best score and win the bronze medal in men’s competition on Saturday night at Skate America.

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

Tatsuki Machida of Japan took the gold medal with 269.09 points, Jason Brown of the U.S. was second at 234.17 and Nguyen followed at 232.24 in his senior Grand Prix debut.

Nguyen, 16, roared into his program to music from La Strada packing in the quad and two triple Axels –including one in combination, in the first minute. He added five more triples including a beautiful Lutz to cap the program.

The medal was a bit of a surprise for Nguyen who was seventh after the short program on Friday.

‘’I didn’t have a great week of training so it’s nice to finish like this with a satisfying performance,’’ said Nguyen who is coached by Brian Orser. ‘’The start of my program is important but I know I still have the rest of the program to focus on.’’

Nguyen landed the quad Salchow for the first time last week in a silver medal performance at Skate Canada’s Autumn International in Barrie, Ont.

‘’I felt today’s jump had a lot more power in it and I’m looking forward to doing it again at my next competition.’’

The Americans were 1-2 in ice dancing. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the gold medal with 171.03 points and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani were second at 160.33. Russians Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin were third at 143.87.

Élisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette of Laval, Que., climbed from eighth after the short dance to fourth at 137.30 in their senior Grand Prix debut. Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams of Okotoks, Alta., were eighth.

In pairs after the short program, Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are sixth.

Canada has no entries in women’s competition.

The pairs and women’s free skates are on Sunday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpusa2014/index.htm

Ontario Government Supports Youth Skating in the Province

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OTTAWA, ON: The Ontario Government along with Skate Canada, Skate Ontario, and Canadian Tire activated an Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund grant today in Toronto, Ontario.

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, has provided Skate Ontario with a $197,220 Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund. This grant will produce CanSkate kits filled with props that will enhance the visual aspect of the program. The kits were put together with the funds from the grant, with help from Canadian Tire, the presenting partner of CanSkate. The kits will be distributed to 360 Ontario skating clubs this season.

“Having different groups come together today to celebrate CanSkate is an exciting time. The Ontario Government has made an extensive contribution by providing our Ontario clubs with the tools to make CanSkate even more exciting for our youth,” said Dan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Skate Canada. “We hope with the help of partners like the Ontario Government and Canadian Tire we can encourage all Canadians to embrace the joy of skating.”

Over 30 CanSkaters participated in a CanSkate demonstration today at Leaside Gardens. Skaters used every inch of the ice surface, while learning the basics of skating through a complete series of balance, control and agility skills taught in six stages. CanSkate uses tested and proven new curriculum and delivery methods that guarantee a skater’s success in developing stronger basic skills and developing them faster.

“I’m proud of the work our government is doing to promote active lifestyles and grow participation in sport right here in Ontario by partnering with organizations like Skate Canada,” said the Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Skating is such an important part of our winter culture and it’s great to see CanSkate give all Canadians, young and old, the opportunity to get on the ice.”

“Ontario clubs are thrilled with this program and are excited to have a colourful, professional set of props to make CanSkate even more fun and interesting. The kit comes complete with a large equipment bag provided generously by Canadian Tire,” said Wendy St. Denis, President, Skate Ontario. “We are so thrilled to have the patronage of the Ontario Government and thank them for supporting youth to stay active with skating.”

CanSkate: Only The Best Can Bring Out Their Best
Action, movement and fun! Lessons are given in a group format with a coach-to-student ratio of a maximum 1:10. Skaters progress at their own rate and coaches make sessions active using teaching aids, upbeat music and a wide variety of activities that create a motivational environment and promote learning.  Badges, ribbons and other incentives are used to benchmark skaters’ progress and reward effort and participation.

Skate Ontario
Skate Ontario is a unique body which was incorporated in 1982 as the sole Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) recognized by the Ontario Government for figure skating in the Province of Ontario. Through the four Ontario Skate Canada member Sections we provide developmental and competitive opportunities for approximately 75,000 members including competitive, recreational and Special Olympic skaters as well as coaches and officials.

 

Canadians begin ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Season in Chicago

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send four entries, for a total of seven skaters to Skate America, the first event on this season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The competition, which is the first of six ISU Senior Grand Prix stops, will be taking place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates/Chicago, Illinois, from October 24-26, 2014. Canada will have one entry per category in men’s and pair, and two entries in ice dance.

World Junior Champion Nam Nguyen, 16, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in men’s. This will be Nguyen’s first ISU Grand Prix assignment at the senior level. Earlier this month, he won silver at the inaugural Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Last season, he placed 12th at the 2014 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Nguyen is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Vanessa Grenier, 22, Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 22, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will represent Canada in pair. The 2014 Canadian junior pair champions from CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil will be competing at their first ISU Grand Prix assignment. This season, Grenier and Deschamps placed fifth at both of their assignments on the ISU Challenger Series, Nebelhorn Trophy, and the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint- Léonard.

Nicole Orford, 22, Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams, 23, Okotoks, Alta., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Earlier this season, the representatives of Inlet SC and Calalta Community FSC won silver at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and placed sixth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International on the ISU Challenger Series. Last season, they placed fifth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and fifth at the 2014 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Orford and Williams are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Élisabeth Paradis, 22, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 22, Laval, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand Prix circuit. Earlier this season, the representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc., placed fifth at Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season, they placed fifth at the 2013 Cup of Nice and eighth at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Petra Burka, of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Meghan Buttle, also of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team physiotherapist and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For more information and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2014 SKATE AMERICA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 16 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Pairs Vanessa Grenier / Maxime Deschamps 22/22 Sherbrooke, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA Sherbrooke / CPA Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Nicole Orford / Thomas Williams 21/23 Burnaby, B.C. / Okotoks, Alta. Inlet SC / Calalta Community FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Élisabeth Paradis / François-Xavier Ouellette 22/22 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon

Take a #Selfie at YLW (Kelowna) and win tickets to the 2014 Skate Canada International

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SCI-article-3Skate Canada International is coming to Kelowna and any passengers that have been through the Kelowna International Airport (YLW) over the last few days may have noticed a giant mural dedicated to the competition. Over 60 international skaters will be competing at Prospera Place from October 30-November 2, 2014.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to Skate Canada International, YLW and Skate Canada are inviting you to take a photo of yourself (#selfie) with the Skate Canada mural. The Skate Canada International mural is located right at baggage claim.

All you need to do is post on Instagram or twitter and use the hashtag #YLWSCI14.  Photos must be posted before 10:00 p.m. (PT) October 28 and the winner’s photo will be randomly drawn on October 29. We will draw two sets of tickets one from each social platform:  Instagram and twitter!

We can’t wait to see all your smiling #selfies and remember to use the hashtag #YLWSCI14! Parking is free for the first 15 minutes when parking in the short-term lot at YLW.

skate_canada – Instragam

SkateCanada – twitter

TICKETS

Tickets are on sale now! They can be purchased online at www.selectyourtickets.com, by phone at 250.762.5050 or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

SCI-article-2

EVENT

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating® series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements in the series’ events.

At the conclusion of all the events, the top-six men and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Barcelona, Spain from December 11-13, 2014.

Duhamel and Radford create magic with quad Salchow

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BARRIE, ON: It was a magical moment, for sure. The moment of the night, at the finale of the first Autumn Classic International, a senior B event. It’s not just about Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford winning the pairs event with a bold throw quad Salchow, their first in a competition, but it was the way they did it that mattered: with resolve, with lightness, with confidence, enough to make them feel they are in the running to win a world title. They have won two world bronze medals.

They did it with a free skate that is what Radford calls probably the most difficult free skate ever done by pair skaters: the quad throw, two triple Lutzes, one a throw, a three-jump combination (although there was a bobble on the final double toe loop), a big triple twist, some tough lifts, and all done with good speed.

“We just wanted to stand up,” Radford said. “I think we did better than that.” They got a standing ovation.

He said he knew when he released Duhamel in the quad Salchow that it was going to be good. Duhamel grazed the ice with a paw, and then threw her fist – she knew she would – and off they went, not giving it another thought. That was part of the plan.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Duhamel said. Four years ago, they had wanted to try that quad, but it wasn’t time. She took a hard fall on the throw quad at a Quebec competition a couple of weeks ago, but they felt pretty confident they could do it, all the same. They felt that way the first time they rotated one, that it could be done.

Afterward, five-time world champion Robin Szolkowy of Germany, congratulated Duhamel and Radford, saying that although they had made mistakes, it was a top performance for this point in the season. He was here as a coach for a Russian pair team.

What gives them confidence for the future is that they earned personal best scores – 203.16 overall – with a few mistakes. There’s room to grow. They won by almost 36 points over Haven Denny and Brandon Frazier of the United States. Another American team, Jessica Calalang and Zack Sidhu were third with 156.46 points.

Natasha Purich and Drew Wolfe, together only five months, were fourth with 147.95 points, a good start for a promising career. Wolfe had never skated pairs before he met up with Purich. Last year’s Canadian junior champions Vanessa Grenier and Maxime Deschamps were fifth with a rack of tough lifts, their specialty.

There were other highlights. Nam Nguyen landed his first quad Salchow – he’d been landing them consistently only for a week in practice.  U.S. skater Ross Miner held onto the overall win with 227.26 points, although he flipped out of his quad Salchow. Nguyen finished second overall with 225.63 (he’d been fifth after the short). Nguyen earned a standing ovation for his La Scala routine.

Some members of the crowd also stood for Jeremy Ten, who finished third overall with 212.64 points for his memorable “Hallelujah” routine. He didn’t attempt a quad because he got a new pair of boots a week ago, but got his triple Axel in. “I can’t put into words what I feel,” he said. “For me, it was more about the emotional performance.”

Kevin Reynolds valiantly attempted to give his heart to his effort but boot problems scuttled his performance. He did land a quad Salchow at the beginning and it gave him heart for the future. He was fifth in the free and sixth overall.

Gabby Daleman won the women’s event with 165.59 points although Angela Wang of the United States edged her in the free skate by 1.09 points. Daleman made mistakes in the free, but her routine was almost a complete overhaul from what she had shown at the Thornhill Skate. She started off with a new jump series: a triple Lutz- half loop – triple Salchow. A double Axel – triple toe loop just sung. She fell on a second triple Lutz, and put a foot down on a triple flip. She fell on a triple loop.

“I’m not going to lie,” Daleman said. “Last Friday was only the third time I had done the long program in the last week. It’s kind of a disadvantage. I’m not making excuses. But I didn’t give up. “

Amazingly, there were fans in the crowd from Tokyo, who endured a 15-hour flight to catch the action. “I was so grateful,” Daleman said.

Julianne Seguin finished third in the free skate, just behind the top two with 104.81 points. She was third overall with 158.99 points. She’d like to finish in the top five at Canadians and make the national team as a singles skater, although she and pair partner Charlie Bilodeau are the top-ranked team among ISU Junior Grand Prix finalists.

Three teams from the dance school of Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon finished within the top five in the dance event. Their team from France, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won the dance event with 150.20 after sweeping both the short dance and free skate.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier moved up from fourth after the short dance to be second in the free and second overall with 142.52 points. Third was Dubreuil and Lauzon’s Danish team, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen, with 131.62 (they were third in the free dance). Beaudry is a Quebecker.

All went wrong for Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam in the free skate when they missed an entry into a spin and lost all points for it, even though they attempted it. Islam also slipped while stroking. They dropped from second to fifth in the free and fourth overall.

Dubreuil and Lauzon’s third team, Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz of Spain finished fifth overall after being third in the short dance.

Duhamel and Radford catch gold with big throw at Skate Canada Autumn International

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BARRIE, Ont. – Meaghan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., landed a quadruple Salchow throw for the first time in competition on Thursday en route to the gold medal in pairs at the Skate Canada Autumn International.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., also added a victory in women’s competition as Canadians marched six times to the podium to conclude the sixth stop on the ISU’s new Challenger Series.

Duhamel and Radford, bronze medallists at the last two world championships, totalled 203.16 points in a decisive victory. Haven Denny and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. were second at 167.28 and their compatriots Jessica Calalang and Zach Sidhu were third at 156.46.

‘’We know that if we want to nail it by the time the world championships come around we are going to have to try it at every single competition,’’ said Duhamel. ‘’The key for us is that we’ve been landing it every single day in practice and that’s given us a lot of confidence to attempt it in our program.’’

Radford says a big challenge is not forgetting about the rest of the program once the quad Salchow is completed.

‘’There’s a lot of adrenaline after we land it,’’ he said. ‘’The crowd went wild but we could feel inside that we still had a job to do and a long way to go. We really kept our composure for the rest of the program.’’

Natasha Purich of Sherwood Park, Alta., and Andrew Wolfe of Calgary were fourth, Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., fifth and Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan of Toronto seventh.

In women’s competition, Daleman won the gold medal with 165.59 points. Angela Wang of the U.S. was second at 163.68 and Julianne Seguin of Longueuil, Que., third at 158.99.

‘’To come out with the gold medal is such a great feeling,’’ said Daleman, 16, an Olympic team member last season. ‘’It shows the hard work pays off. It sets me up with so much more confidence for the rest of the season.’’

Seguin is also enjoying a brilliant season in pairs with partner Charlie Bilodeau on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit with two victories. Now she’s added to her medal collection in singles as well.

‘’The focus this year for me is primarily in pairs so to get a medal tonight is really exciting,’’ she said. ‘’It sets me up well for Skate Canada.’’

It was also a big night for 16-year-old Nam Nguyen of Toronto who landed his first quadruple Salchow in competition to soar from fifth after the short program to the silver medal. He scored a personal best 159.55 to win the free skate and totalled 225.63. Ross Miner of the U.S. was first overall at 227.36 for the gold and Jeremy Ten of Vancouver took the bronze at 212.64.

Nguyen only landed the quad Salchow for the first time in training on Saturday.

‘’I thought to myself what a relief to land it just in time for this competition,’’ he said. ‘’It was exciting to come out here and be able to show everyone that I could do it. I had started working on my quad in March, the progress was pretty good and each week I was getting closer and closer to success.’’

Ten was also pleased with his free skate.

‘’I’ve been working really hard with that program and I wanted to get that emotional connection out there,’’ he said. ‘’I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.’’

Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., was sixth and Andrei Rogozine of Newmarket, Ont., 11th.

In ice dancing, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France took top spot with 150.20 points. Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., climbed from fourth to second overall at 142.52 and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark were third at 131.62.

‘’Today was a display of resilience for us,’’ said Poirier. ‘’The short program didn’t go as planned so we wanted to put that behind us today and just focus ahead. We were pleased with the performance.’’

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam of Barrie were fourth, Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C., and Thomas Williams of Okotoks, Alta., sixth and Andréanne Poulin of Ile-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant of Vaudreuil, Que., eighth.

Full results: 2014 Autumn Classic International

Champions abound in Barrie at the 2014 Autumn Classic International

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Barrie, Ont. – The Skate Canada Autumn Classic International is Canada’s first senior B international event and who did they get to fill the holes on the ice during the remake after the women’s short program? World champion Jeffrey Buttle, his ID flying around his neck, with his bare hands, watching for every crease.

Buttle trained at the Mariposa Skating Club at the Allandale Recreation Centre for many years, and above his head is a plaque, bearing his name and achievements. Now he can add ice bucket boy to them.

And even better, the crowd knew they were in a place with a sign at the end of the arena that said: “You are now in quad country,” so because of the multiple-rotating Elvis Stojko, but Buttle too landed his rare quad toe loop – triple toe loop while training at the Mariposa with Lee Barkell.

And the quads were back on Wednesday night. American Ross Miner, looking very fit, landed a quad Salchow and leads the men’s short program with 80.24 points. And surprise of all surprises, unheralded Ronald Lam, who has trained with coach Bruno Delmaestro of Coquitlam, B.C, since he began to skate, landed a quad toe – triple toe and is in second place at 73.75.

Lam, formerly in Skate Canada’s fold, switched nationalities to Hong Kong in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics. He didn’t make it to Sochi, but quietly silenced many other more highly ranked skaters with his efforts on Wednesday.

In third place is Jeremy Ten at 69.22, without a quad. He’s decided to forgo the quad at this competition because he just got a new pair of boots a week ago and didn’t want to risk injury. He’ll save the pyrotechnics for Skate Canada in two weeks. He’s got a quad though, and was pleased to know that Buttle was at the event: Buttle was his hero.

Kevin Reynolds, Canada’s Quad King, is in seventh place at 64.56 and not at all sure how he’s going to get through the long program on Thursday. Boot problems continue to frustrate him to distraction. Last year, he went through nine pairs of boots, trying to resolve problems surrounding his uncommonly narrow heel, and this year, thinking he was on a track to solve it, well forget it. He’s gone through four more. Each new pair breaks down in a week or two. As he said, it’s “unsustainable” for him to catch the feeling. He was hoping for better in the next week, but competitions don’t wait.

Even Brendan Kerry of Australia landed a quad in the short program. It’s not new for him. He landed one at Australian nationals in 2012, and everybody at home got excited at the first quad by an Australian in a decade when Anthony Liu competed.  Kerry is in sixth place, about a point and a half behind Nam Nguyen, who popped his Lutz and has 66.08. Nam plans a quad Salchow for the long. And he declared that he wants to win the Canadian championships this year.

The other quad people – Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who promise a throw quad Salchow in the free – skated with a freedom they’ve never enjoyed before to win the pair short program with 68.92 points, well ahead of Jessica Calalang and Zack Sidhu of the United States with 59.02 points. An exciting new Canadian team, Natasha Purich and Drew Wolfe are in third place with 54.84 points – even though Wolfe had never skated pairs before five months ago. Coach Richard Gauthier says he’s never seen a skater learn pair skills so quickly.

In ice dancing, French skaters Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won the short dance and Canadian silver medalist Gabby Daleman won the women’s short program with an energetic performance.

Papadakis and Cizeron came to Canada for choreography last spring. They ended up staying.

And Wednesday, they used the spit and polish that they learned from Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon – and French import Roman Haganauer – to win the short dance at the Autumn Classic, the first senior B international event ever held in Canada. Granted the Mariposa School of Skating has seen lots of international skaters in its heyday, but never so many in a competition.

Papadakis and Cizeron won with 59.74 points, 4.44 points more than Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam, who are skating with a newfound confidence after making it to the Sochi Olympics last February. The experience left a mark on Paul and Islam – in a good way – and they performed an expressive Paso Doble.

Daleman fired off a confident triple toe loop – triple toe loop combination and stumbled a bit on the landing of a triple flip, but the effort was stellar, worth 59.38 points, especially considering she was ill a week before the Autumn Classic.

She was sick for a week, she said, and finally went for some tests that confirmed only that she had pushed too hard in training while suffering from a virus that’s hard on the body. “I couldn’t walk without shaking,” she said. But she was back on the ice for a week before this event.

“This is a great way to start the season,” she said. “I had a little difficulty with the flip, but I’m so proud of what I’ve done.” She said she’s come to this season with a new attitude: grateful to have the chance to do what she loves.

She sailed past Angela Wang of the United States, who is in second place. Julianne Seguin got 54.18, even though she had little time to train for this event. She had just returned from Dresden where she and pair partner Charlie Bilodeau won the Junior Grand Prix and qualified for the Final. So far, she’s juggling both pairs and singles.