Moore-Towers and Marinaro win bronze at U.S. International Classic

Salt Lake City – Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., won the bronze medal in pairs on Friday at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

Tarah Kayne and Daniel O’Shea of the U.S. took the gold with 170.30 points edging compatriots Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran in second at 169.46. Moore-Towers and Marinaro totalled 160.08 in their season opening event.

“It felt a little slow to us, but the score was a bit of a shock,” Moore-Towers said. “We lost a few levels. Our program components score was lower than we’d like it to be. We have a lot of work to do between now and the end of October for Skate Canada.”

Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil, Que., were fourth at 148.52.

Canada is also in the medal hunt in ice dancing. Élisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François Xavier-Ouellette of Laval, Que., are tied for second spot with Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark after the short dance with 51.58. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. lead at 61.08.

“We’re happy with some things, our connection together and how we told the story and followed the music,” Paradis said. “We had some struggles on a few elements.”

Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., the Canadian junior champions, are sixth.

In women’s competition after the short program Véronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., and Canadian junior champion Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., are eighth and ninth.

In men’s competition, Christophe Belley of Quebec City finished eighth.

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance and women’s free skate.

Full results: U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian skaters begin season in Salt Lake City at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send seven entries, for a total of eleven skaters to the 2015 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the first event on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series. Canada will have one entry in men’s and two entries per discipline in ladies, pair and ice dance at the event which runs from September 16-20, 2015, in Salt Lake City, UT.

Christophe Belley, 21, Quebec, Que., is the Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, the representative of CPA Lévis placed seventh at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be his first international assignment at the senior level. Belley is coached by Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard and Yvan Desjardins in Drummondville, Que.

Canadian bronze medallist Véronik Mallet, 21, Sept-Îles, Que., is the first of two Canadian entries in the ladies division. This will be her first time competing at this event. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed 10th at both of her Grand Prix assignments, Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard, and finished 14th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

Selena Zhao, 17, Varennes, Que., – Colorado Springs, USA., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies category. Last season, Zhao won the 2015 Canadian junior title and placed 26th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. This will be her first international assignment at the senior level. She is coached by Christy Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs, CO, and represents CPA Varennes.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 23, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 23, Sarnia, Ont., are one of two Canadian entries in pair. Last season, the representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC placed sixth at Skate Canada International, seventh at Trophée Eric Bompard, and seventh at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. They also placed fourth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Moore-Towers and Marinaro are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum, Julie Marcotte and Cynthia Lemaire in CPA Saint-Léonard.

Vanessa Grenier, 23, Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 23, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will also represent Canada in pair. Representing CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fifth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International and sixth at Skate America last season. Grenier and Deschamps placed fifth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 23, Laval, Que., are one of two Canadian ice dance entries at the event. Last season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at Skate America and seventh at Skate Canada International. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc., also placed fifth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They train in in Montreal, Que., with coaches by Marie-France Dubreuil,Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Canadian junior champions Brianna Delmaestro, 19, Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum, 20, Burnaby, B.C., are the second entry in ice dance for Canada. Last season, Delmaestro and Lum won the silver medal at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in Slovenia and won the bronze medal at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany. This will be the first senior international assignment for the representatives of Coquitlam SC and Burnaby FSC. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre of B.C.

Louis Stong of Etobicoke, Ont., and Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., will be travelling with the team as team leaders. Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the team physiotherapist. Jérôme Poulin of Montreal, Que., and Sylvain Guibord of Brossard, Que., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The event will be streamed live on icenetwork.com. For more information and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Christophe Belley 21 Quebec, Que. CPA Lévis Annie Barabé / Sophie Richard / Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Véronik Mallet 21 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Ladies Selena Zhao 17 Varennes, Que. – Colorado Springs, USA CPA Varennes Christy Krall / Damon Allen
Pair Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 23/23 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Point Edward SC Inc. Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier / Sylvie Fullum / Julie Marcotte / Cynthia Lemaire
Pair Vanessa Grenier / Maxime Deschamps 23/23 Johnville, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA Sherbrooke / CPAR Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Élisabeth Paradis / François-Xavier Ouellette 23/23 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Brianna Delmaestro / Timothy Lum 19/20 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Coquitlam SC / Burnaby FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Brasseur and Ostiguy place fifth at junior Grand Prix

LINZ, Austria – Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Ste-Angele-de-Monnoir, Que., placed fifth in pairs on Saturday to conclude the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Amina Atakhanova and Ilia Spiridonov of Russia took the gold with Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic second and Renata Oganesian and Mark Bardei of Ukraine third.

Brasseur and Ostiguy were sixth at the second stop in Riga, Latvia last month.

‘’We trained really hard after the last Grand Prix and it has really paid off,’’ said Brasseur, 14. ‘’We improved in all areas and had our best score.’’

In ice dancing, Alla Loboda and Pavel Drodz of Russia were the winners with Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France second and Julia Biechler and Damian Dodge of the U.S. third.

Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., were sixth and Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., eighth.

‘’Today we had a nice free dance even though we had a tough week,’’ said Sales, who became ill after landing in Europe after her first overseas trip. ‘’We had to make some adjustments because we didn’t get all our training in but we were able to put in a good performance.’’

It was also a first Junior Grand Prix experience for Stairs and Royer.

‘’We have to thanks our coaches for preparing us so well for this competition,’’ said Royer. ‘’We didn’t feel as nervous as I thought we would. We went in to do our best and got our highest scores.’’

In the men’s final, Dmitri Aliev of Russia won gold, Ivan Pavlov of Ukraine was second and Vincent Zhou of the U.S. was third.

Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., produced he ninth best long program to climb from 17th to ninth overall.

‘’I definitely need to be more consistent with my jumping,’’ said Celestino. ‘’But this was better than my short program so it’s nice to leave here with some confidence.’’

The next stop on the circuit is in two weeks in Torun, Poland.

Full results: 2015 Cup of Austria

Canadian pair stands fourth after short program

LINZ, Austria – Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Ste-Angele-de-Monnoir, Que., are in medal contention after Friday’s pairs short program at the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Amina Atakhanova and Ilia Spiridonov of Russia are first at 56.11, Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic second at 55.76 and Renata Oganesian and Mark Bardei of Ukraine third at 53.17. Brasseur and Ostiguy, sixth at the second stop in Latvia last month, follow in fourth at 48.57.

The women’s competition concluded Friday with Maria Sotskova of Russia winning gold. Mai Mihara of Japan was second at Da Bin Choi of South Korea was third.

Megan Yim, a 13-year-old from Vancouver, completed her international debut in 12th place.

‘’It was a great learning experience,’’ said Yim, seventh a t the junior nationals last season. ‘’I didn’t have my finest skate today because I think the nerves got the best of me. My big goal is really to see improvement in all aspects of my skating by the end of the season.’’

In ice dancing after the short dance, Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., are sixth and Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., seventh.

Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., is 17th after the men’s short program. Competition ends Saturday.

Full results: 2015 Cup of Austria

Skate Canada International Single Event Tickets on Sale Tomorrow

OTTAWA, ON: Single event tickets for the 2015 Skate Canada International in Lethbridge, Alta., will go on sale Thursday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. (MT). The event will take place from October 29 – November 1, 2015 at the ENMAX Centre.

TICKETS

Single tickets range from $15-$55, plus applicable surcharges. Children 12 and under are free to attend on Thursday for the practice sessions. Family four-packs are also available and range in cost from $125-$200, plus applicable surcharges. All-event ticket packages are still available, packages range from $150-$180, plus applicable surcharges.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.enmaxcentre.ca, by phone at 403.329.7328, or in person at the ENMAX Centre Box Office. Group discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more by calling 403.320.4225.

WHO TO WATCH

Fans in Lethbridge are in for an exciting event as Canadian favourites like Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford, Kaitlyn Weaver, Andrew Poje, Nam Nguyen, Gabrielle Daleman and Kaetlyn Osmond highlight the fields. They will be joined by a number of world-class skaters including Yuzuru Hanyu, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev.

EVENT INFO

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. 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 10-13, 2015.

ISU Junior Grand Prix Circuit Continues as Canadian Team Heads to Austria

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send five entries, for a total of eight skaters to the fourth competition on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, taking place in Linz, Austria, from September 9-13, 2015. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s, ladies and pair, and two entries in ice dance.
Canadian junior bronze medallist Edrian Paul Celestino, 17, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., will represent Canada in men’s. Last season, the representative of Saint Laurent FSC placed 11th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Tallinn. He is coached by Daniel Beland at the Dollard Civic Centre.

Megan Yim, 13, Vancouver, B.C., is Canada’s lone entry in ladies. Last season, she placed seventh in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be her first international assignment. Yim is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Justine Brasseur, 14, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 18, Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que., are the Canadian pair entry at the event. Earlier this year, they placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Latvia. Last season, the representatives of CPA Brossard and CPA Saint-Césaire won gold in the novice category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Brasseur and Ostiguy train in Chambly, Que., with coaches Josée Picard and Marc-André Craig.

Haley Sales, 18, Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 18, Langley, B.C., are one of two Canadian ice dance entries at the event. Last season, the representatives of Kelowna SC and Champs International Skating Centre placed ninth in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C., at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Ashlynne Stairs, 15, Calgary, Alta., and Lee Royer, 17, St. Albert, Alta., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance and will also be competing at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Last season, they placed fourth in the novice category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are also coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader. Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., and physiotherapist Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical team onsite. Glenn Fortin of Aurora, Ont., and Janice Hunter of West Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #4 – Linz, Austria

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Edrian Paul Celestino 17 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Saint Laurent FSC Daniel Beland
Ladies Megan Yim 13 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International Skating Centre Joanne McLeod
Pair Justine Brasseur / Mathieu Ostiguy 14/18 Brossard, Que. / Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que. CPA Brossard / CPA Saint-Césaire Josée Picard / Marc-André Craig
Ice dance Haley Sales / Nikolas Wamsteeker 18/18 Burnaby, B.C. / Langley, B.C. Kelowna SC / Champs International Skating Centre Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Ashlynne Stairs / Lee Royer 15/17 Calgary, Alta. / St. Albert, Alta. Champs International Skating Centre / Champs International Skating Centre Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Skate Canada Announces Bloomex as Official Florist

OTTAWA, ON:  Following a successful collaboration at several events in 2015, Skate Canada announced today that it has signed a two year agreement with Bloomex to engage them as the Official Florist of Skate Canada.

“This is a great example of a partnership that supports Skate Canada’s various constituents, from high performance to the grassroots community,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada. “Bloomex’s nation-wide reach ensures us reliability, quality, and consistency at all of our events and to our membership.”

Bloomex will supply podium bouquets, floral arrangements, centerpieces, judge’s bouquets, corsages and gift baskets at all Skate Canada events including Skate Canada International and the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The relationship extends beyond events through Bloomex’s offer of a 20% discount to all Skate Canada members, clubs, schools and sections. They will also offer teddy bears and flowers at reduced rates for fundraising drives.

“Bloomex is delighted to become the Official Florist of Skate Canada,” said Mark Camphaug, Director of Marketing, Bloomex Canada. “Skating is truly one of Canada’s favourite national pastimes and is actively enjoyed coast to coast to coast. Canada has produced some of the best skaters in the world and Bloomex is proud to support this effort by providing high quality flowers and gift baskets to all Skate Canada events.”

About Bloomex
Bloomex is the largest florist in Canada, operating out of eight production centres coast to coast for the past ten years. Orders are taken and processed through the company’s site at www.bloomex.ca or by phone, and then delivered to customers via local courier. In addition to flowers, Bloomex offers a variety of other gift items including plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, sweets and treats, balloons and other items. The company serves Canada, the US, and Australia.

About Skate Canada
Skate Canada is the nation’s governing body for skating and dedicated to creating a nation of skaters both recreationally and competitively. At over 125 years old, it is the world’s oldest skating organization and Canada’s preeminent leader in skate training and education, providing high performance coaching and skating development education. Over 130,000 Canadians participate in Skate Canada educational programs each year.

Canada’s most successful governing sport body, Skate Canada athletes have won 25 Olympic medals and 32 world championships. Today’s Canadian world and Olympic medalists all began at one of our 1,200 local Skate Canada clubs or skating schools. Through our programs, more than 5,200 certified professional coaches encourage Canadians of all ages to skate together as a family, pursue competitive ice sports and enjoy an active lifestyle.

Skate Canada has a National Service Centre in Ottawa, marketing headquarters in Toronto and High Performance facilities in Toronto and Calgary.

Canadian ice dancers snare silver in international debut

COLORADO SPRINGS – Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., won the silver medal in ice dancing on Saturday at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Both Canadians have previous Junior Grand Prix experience but it was their first competition as a team.

Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter of the U.S. won the gold medal with 159.31 points, the Canadians followed at 133.27 and Sofia Polischuk and Alexander Vakhnov of Russia were third at 129.83.

‘’It’s very exciting to have such a great start,’’ said Bent. ‘’We had no expectations. Our main focus was to just stick to our plan on the ice.’’

While the two skaters hooked up this past April, they have actually known each other for 10 years having both trained at the Scarborough Figure Skating Club.

‘’I think knowing each other so well really helped us adapt quickly,’’ said Razgulajevs. ‘’We both have similar skating style.’’

Payten Howland, a St.Louis native, and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette were sixth only six points from third place.

In pairs, Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak of Calgary came within less than five points of the podium placing fourth. Anastasia Gubanova and Alexei Stintsov of Russia were the winners.

Emy Decelles of Baie-Comeau, Que., was 12th in women’s competition. On Friday, Antony Cheng of Richmond Hill, Ont., was 13th in men’s singles.

The fourth stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Linz, Austria.

Full results: 2015 Colorado Springs

Canadian ice dancers chase medal

COLORADO SPRINGS – Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont. and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., are in second place after the short dance at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter of the U.S. are first at 66.25 followed by the Canadians at 54.88. Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye of the U.S. are third. Payten Howland, a St. Louis native, and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette of Montreal are seventh.

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. took the gold with Daniel Samohin of Israel second and Sota Yamamoto of Japan third. Antony Cheng of Richmond Hill, Ont., was 13th.

In pairs after the short program, Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak of Calgary are fifth. In women’s competition after the short Emy Decelles of Baie-Comeau, Que., is 12th.

Competition ends Saturday.

Full result: 2015 Colorado Springs

Canadian skaters continue on ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Colorado Springs, USA

OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have five entries, for a total of eight skaters at the third ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating of the season. The event takes place in Colorado Springs, USA from September 2-6, 2015, and Canada will have one entry per category in men’s, ladies, and pair, and two entries in ice dance.

Antony Cheng, 17, Richmond Hill, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in the men’s division. Representing Thornhill FSC, Cheng is the 2015 Canadian silver medallist in the junior category. This will be Cheng’s first international assignment. He is coached by Katerina Papafotiou and Joanne McLeod.

Emy Decelles, 17, Baie-Comeau, Que., will be the sole Canadian entry in the ladies category. Last season, she placed 19th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia. The representative of CPA Baie-Comeau also placed 10th in the junior women’s competition at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Karen Sauvageau and Fanny Jean at CPA Baie-Comeau.

Bryn Hoffman, 18, Calgary, Alta., and Bryce Chudak, 20, Calgary, Atla., will be the sole Canadian pair entry. This will be the first international assignment for the representatives of Calalta FSC. Last season, they placed seventh at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The pair are coached by Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay.

Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 18, Ajax, Ont., are one of two Canadian ice dance teams at the competition. This will be their first international assignment, having teamed up in the spring of 2015. Training at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite, they are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs.

Payten Howland, 16, St. Louis, MO, USA, and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette, 17, Montreal, Que., are Canada’s second entry in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment. Last season, the representatives of CPA Lorraine placed 10th in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Igor Shpilband, Fabian Bourzat, and Greg Zuerlein and train in Novi, MI, USA.

Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical team onsite. Lorna Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Susan Blatz of Burlington, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #3 – Colorado Springs, USA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Antony Cheng 17 Richmond Hill, Ont. Thornhill FSC Katerina Papafotiou / Joanne McLeod
Ladies Emy Decelles 17 Baie-Comeau, Que. CPA Baie Comeau Karen Sauvageau / Fanny Jean
Pair Bryn Hoffman / Bryce Chudak 18/20 Calgary, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. Calalta FSC / Calalta FSC Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay
Ice dance Mackenzie Bent / Dmitre Razgulajevs 17/18 Uxbridge, Ont./ Ajax, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Payten Howland / Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette 16/17 St. Louis, MO, USA / Montreal, Que. CPA Lorraine / CPA Lorraine Igor Shpilband / Fabian Bourzat / Greg Zuerlein

Jeremy Ten named as the Athlete Ambassador for Skate Canada International in Lethbridge

OTTAWA, ON: Three-time Canadian medallist Jeremy Ten, 26, Vancouver, B.C., will return to the rink but in a new role. Ten will act as the Athlete Ambassador for the 2015 Skate Canada International taking place in Lethbridge, Alta., from October 29 – November 1, 2015 at the ENMAX Centre.

Over the course of the four-day event Ten will handle speaking engagements, media interviews, making appearances on behalf of the competing athletes, choreographing the gala group numbers and making time for his fans. He will also act as a guest judge at the Flower Retriever Auditions in Lethbridge on September 10, 2015 at the ENMAX Centre. Ten will be available for interviews during his visit.

“I am so honored and grateful to be attending the 2015 Skate Canada International as the Athlete Ambassador in Lethbridge, Alberta. Skate Canada was always one of my favorite competitions to compete in on the Grand Prix circuit thanks to the amazing volunteers, the incredibly supportive Canadian crowd, and the fans from all over the world that make our sport so great,” said Ten. “I look forward to meeting and interacting with the fans, engaging the community, and cheering on my former team mates as they take on some of skating’s best.”

“The role of Athlete Ambassador at our events is a great way for our alumni to stay connected to the sport and it also allows fans to interact with some of their favourite skaters. We are thrilled to have Jeremy in this role,” said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada CEO. “Having skated at this event three times previously in his career Jeremy has a vast knowledge of what it takes to compete at this level. We look forward to welcoming him to Lethbridge.” Ten has competed internationally for Canada for 11 years. He is a three-time national team member, two-time world team member in 2009 and 2015, and is also a two-time Canadian junior medallist, winning the junior Canadian title in 2007. He has competed at Skate Canada International three times in his career (2009, 2010, 2011).

Since his retirement in June 2015 he has taken his very first steps into independent adulthood and moved into his very own apartment, has been assisting and directing skating seminars and workshops, guest coaching at various skating clubs in B.C. and Alberta, choreographing, and working on his NCCP Level 3 coaching certification; all while maintaining two part-time jobs. Ten is also a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences and minor in Kinesiology.

TICKETS

All-event ticket packages are on sale now! Ticket packages range from $150-$180, plus applicable surcharges.

Single event tickets will go on sale on Thursday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. (MT). Single tickets range from $15-$55, plus applicable surcharges. Children 12 and under are free to attend on Thursday for the practice sessions. Family four-packs are also available and range in cost from $125-$200, plus applicable surcharges.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.enmaxcentre.ca, by phone at 403.329.7328, or in person at the ENMAX Centre Box Office. Group discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more by calling 403.320.4225.

WHO TO WATCH

Fans in Lethbridge are in for an exciting event as Canadian favourites like Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford, Kaitlyn Weaver, Andrew Poje, Nam Nguyen, Gabrielle Daleman and Kaetlyn Osmond highlight the fields. They will be joined by a number of world-class skaters including Yuzuru Hanyu, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev.

EVENT INFO

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. 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 10-13, 2015.