Patrick Chan stands third after short program at ISU Worlds

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BOSTON – Canada’s Patrick Chan is in third place after the men’s short program on Wednesday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan neared his world record score totalling 110.56 points to give himself a 12-point cushion heading into the free skate.  Defending champion Javier Fernandez of Spain is second at 98.52 and Chan follows at 94.84.

Chan, a three-time world champion from Toronto, opened with a perfect quad-triple toe combination but did fall on his triple Axel.

‘’I’m not disappointed at all,’’ said Chan, who sat out last season and hadn’t competed at the previous two worlds. ‘’It was a great achievement to do that quad-triple opening. I felt great going into the Axel but I just rushed it a little bit. I know what I did wrong.’’

At the ISU Four Continents Championships last month, Chan roared from fifth after the short to the gold.

‘’Third is a great spot going into the long program,’’ he said. ‘’The Four Continents is a great example of not being on top after the short and focusing on the long.’’

Seventeen-year-old Nam Nguyen of Toronto was 27th and did not qualify for the free skate set for Friday.

Logjam at top of ice dance standings

In ice dancing, less than six points separate the top-six after the short dance.

Defending champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France lead at 76.29, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. are second at 74.70 and their compatriots Madison Chock and Evan Bates are third at 72.46.

Grand Prix Final champions Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., are fourth at 71.83 and Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto fifth with a personal best 70.70.

“We skated really well it was one of our best short dances this season,” said Weaver. “Where the disconnect was between that and our score I am not sure. But that’s not under our control and we gave it everything we had.”

Poje says the result won’t alter their free dance on Friday.

“We have a game plan for these worlds and that’s going out there and doing two solid performances.”

Gilles and Poirier tinkered with their Beatles-themed music after their fifth place finish at the ISU Four Continents last month.

“That was a big risk,” said Poirier. “It only gave us three and half weeks to get this program together. The choices we made all paid off and we got straight level fours. It’s been a roller coaster season and we’ve shown a lot of resiliency.”

Gilles said the previous short dance wasn’t connecting with the judges.

“We weren’t getting the levels we wanted all season,” she said. “We kept getting different feedback so we went back to music that was more fluid. We really want to end this season on a happy note.”

Elisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François Xavier-Ouellette of Mascouche, Que., were 23rd. The top-20 from the short dance advanced to the free skate.

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

Full results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2016

MEET CANADA’S WORLD TEAM: PAIRS

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Meagan / Eric Radford

Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford

The reigning five-time Canadian champions and defending world champions don’t rest on their laurels. With creativity, unique elements and dazzling death spirals, Meagan and Eric continue to raise the bar and arrive in Boston looking to defend the world crown they won last spring. Training in Montreal under Bruno Marcotte and Richard Gauthier, Meagan and Eric enjoyed a perfect run that began in the fall of 2014 before coming to an end with silver at the Grand Prix Final in December.

FUN FACT: Eric loves music almost as much as he loves skating. He composed Tribute in 2006 after Paul Wirtz, his coach at the time, passed away from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Meagan and Eric skated to Tribute in their short program in 2013-14.

Meagan was a former singles skater and won the Canadian junior women’s championship in 2004.

Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch

Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch

In just their second year together, Lubov and Dylan claimed their second straight Canadian championships medal with a bronze in Halifax. Dylan’s raw power and Lubov’s jaw-dropping flexibility are catalysts for unique lifts and creative tricks that have quickly made them crowd favourites.  In the future, Dylan says he would like to study business at the University of Toronto, while Lubov has an interest in economics and law.

FUN FACT: In her own words, Lubov is “obsessed with cheese.” Dylan is an accomplished martial artist, and a certified Krav Maga instructor.

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro

Following a frightening fall in their short program at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Kirsten and Michael recovered in their free to finish in fourth spot. As part of the national team in 2015-16, they earned their first Grand Prix medal together with a bronze at Skate Canada International. A photo of 4’11 Moore-Towers and Boston Bruins 6’9 defenceman Zdeno Chara went viral during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

FUN FACT: Michael is often told he looks like Craig Buntin; Kirsten can recite the alphabet – in sign language.

MEET CANADA’S WORLD TEAM: LADIES

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Alaine Chartrand

Alaine Chartrand 

A year ago, Alaine came achingly close to her first national title, finishing less than two points behind Gabrielle Daleman. In 2016, she turned the tables, edging Daleman in Halifax for the Canadian championship. Alaine spends most of her week training in her hometown of Prescott, Ont. before travelling to the Toronto area to train on weekends. The travelling has paid off, as the powerful jumper can now add Canadian champion to her growing resume. Although she says she was too young to remember, Alaine has been told she landed her first axel when she was just six years old.

“I don’t know if my mindset is any different,” Alaine says of attending her first worlds as Canadian champion. “I definitely gained a lot of confidence from my performances at nationals. I know I can do two clean programs in one competition and that’s one thing I’ve struggled with in the past.”

FUN FACT: On long skating trips, Alaine often rides in the family RV. In her younger years, Alaine’s father racked up more than 500,000 km on his six-seat pickup truck.

Gabrielle Daleman

Gabrielle Daleman

After what she referred to as an “extremely disappointing” short program at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Gabrielle bounced back in a big way in the free to win silver, coming up just short in her bid for a second straight national title. At just 16 years of age, Gabrielle was the youngest member of the entire Canadian Olympic Team at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. A former gymnast, “Gabby”, uses her lightning speed as the springboard for her powerful jumps.

FUN FACT: Gabby always has to have her special travel companion with her when she is on the road: her purple blanket.

MEET CANADA’S WORLD TEAM: ICE DANCE

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Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje

Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje

In January, Kaitlyn and Andrew captured their second straight national title at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and will look to ride that momentum right into Boston. The two-time world medallists were riding a perfect season a year ago before settling for bronze at worlds. In 2014, they took silver at the world championships, missing gold by less than a point.

Kaitlyn and Andrew are ambassadors for Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world

DID YOU KNOW: Kaitlyn and Andrew are both taking classes at the University of Waterloo – Kaitlyn is studying public relations and media, and Andrew is focused on biomedical science.

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier

Always entertaining, artistic crowd pleasers, Piper and Paul notched their fourth Canadian podium finish, and second straight silver, at the Canadian championships in January. Together since 2011, Piper and Paul display a high level of artistry in their programs and despite facing injury issues in recent seasons, remain crowd favourites with creative lifts and extraordinary performance ability. Away from the rink, Piper is immersed in the fashion world, and does much of the outfit design for their programs. One day, she hopes to launch her own line of sports clothing.

FUN FACT: Piper was an extra in a Simple Plan music video; Paul, meanwhile, admits he is “really bad” at parking cars.

Elisabeth Paradis/Francois-Xavier Oullette

Élisabeth Paradis / François-Xavier Ouellette 

Slowly making their way up the ice dance ranks, the Quebec tandem had their unofficial coming out party in January with a bronze at the Canadian championships.  After their moving free program to Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, Tessa Virtue called it “one of the highlights of the season” for her.  Displaying profound emotion and elegance in their programs, Elisabeth and François-Xavier seem destined to only get better as they continue to train under former Olympians and two-time ice dance world silver medallists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.

DID YOU KNOW: Élisabeth plays the tenor saxophone in her spare time while François likes to do heavy lifting by renovating houses.

MEET CANADA’S WORLD TEAM: MEN

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Patrick Chan

Patrick Chan

Call him skating’s version of the GR8 Eight. Making his comeback after a one-year- hiatus, Patrick didn’t miss a step, claiming his eighth Canadian championship in Halifax two months ago. Patrick joins Brian Orser with eight national titles, one behind Montgomery Wilson, and heads to Boston in search of his fourth world title. He was simply dominant in the free program at the Four Continents championship in February, roaring back from fifth spot to take gold, and marked his return to the competitive scene with a win at Skate Canada International in October.

DID YOU KNOW: In the summer of 2015, Patrick launched his own ice wine named, not surprisingly, “On Ice.” Looking to the future, the eight-time Canadian champion – who is fluent in English, French and Cantonese – plans to pursue a B.A. in Economics, Business and International Language.

FUN FACT: Prior to his comeback, Patrick took up skydiving after Joannie Rochette, an accomplished skydiver herself, talked him into it. “I was very scared,” says Patrick with a laugh. “I contemplated life, but it was worth it.”

Nam Nguyen

Nam Nguyen

OK, so his title defense at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships didn’t go as planned, as Nam ended up fourth. But don’t be surprised if the youngster bounces back in Boston. It’s only been a year since Nam was in ninth spot after the short program at the world figure skating championships before laying down a near-flawless free to rocket up to fifth.

Canadian silver medallist Liam Firus pulled out of worlds with an injury, so the 2014 world junior champion gets his chance to make up for his disappointment in Halifax.

Long before stealing the show at the 2011 Canadian junior championships in Victoria, B.C., Nam was on a fast-track to stardom. During the figure skating gala at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, men’s gold medallist Evan Lysacek introduced the then-11-year-old, who went on to dazzle the capacity crowd at Pacific Coliseum.

DID YOU KNOW: In Japan, Nam and reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu – who both train under Brian Orser at Toronto’s Cricket Club – are known as the “Cricket Brothers.”

FUN FACT: Nam claims to be able to put 21 marshmallows in his mouth at once.

Canadian team prepared for 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 10 entries for a total of 16 skaters to the 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, MA, USA, from March 28 – April 3. Canada will have two entries per category in men’s and ladies and three entries per category in pair and ice dance.

Three-time World Champion and double Olympic silver medallist (men’s and team) Patrick Chan, 25, Toronto, Ont., is the first of two Canadian entries in men’s. Chan returns to the world championships for the first time since 2013, when he won gold. In his return to competition this season, the representative of the Granite Club won gold at Skate Canada International, placed fifth at Trophée Éric Bompard, fourth at the ISU Grand Prix Final, and won gold at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The eight time Canadian champion is coached by Kathy Johnson and trains at the Detroit Skating Club.

Nam Nguyen, 17, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, he placed fifth at this event, and in 2014, he placed 12th. This season, Nguyen placed fifth at Skate Canada International, seventh at the Rostelecom Cup and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Canadian Champion Alaine Chartrand, 19, Prescott, Ont., is one of two Canadian entries in the ladies category. Last year, Chartrand placed 11th at this event. This season, she placed 12th at Skate America, sixth at the Rostelecom Cup and 11th at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The representative of the Nepean Skating Club is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ladies. Daleman placed 21st at this event in 2015 and 13th in 2014. Earlier this season, she placed fifth at Skate Canada International, sixth at Trophée Éric Bompard at won silver at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Daleman is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club.

Defending World Champions and Olympic silver medallists (team) Meagan Duhamel, 30, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 31, Balmertown, Ont., lead the Canadian entries in pairs. The representatives of CPA Saint-Léonard have previously competed at this event five times, winning medals the past three years. This season, they won gold at Skate Canada International and at the NHK Trophy, and won silver at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The five-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, and Sylvie Fullum.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., are the second Canadian pair entry at the event. Last year, they placed 13th at the World Championships. Earlier this season, the representatives of the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club placed seventh at the Cup of China, fifth at the NHK Trophy and fifth at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The two time Canadian medallists are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 23, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 24, Sarnia, Ont., are the third Canadian entry in pair. This will be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, Moore-Towers and Marinaro won bronze at Skate Canada International, placed seventh at the Rostelecom Cup and placed fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum, Julie Marcotte and Cynthia Lemaire at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 29, Waterloo, Ont., are the first of three Canadian entries in ice dance. This will be their eighth time competing at this event; last year, they won the bronze medal. This season, the representatives of Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC won gold at Skate Canada International, Rostelecom Cup and the ISU Grand Prix Final, and won bronze at the ISU Four Continents Championships. Weaver and Poje also won their second consecutive Canadian title. They are coached by Angelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo and Shae-Lynn Bourne in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their fourth time competing at this event, at which they placed sixth in 2015. This season, they won bronze at Skate America, silver at Trophée Éric Bompard and placed fifth at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The representatives of Scarboro FSC also won their second consecutive Canadian silver medal. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Canadian bronze medallists Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 24, Laval, Que., are the final Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, the representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc. placed eighth at Skate Canada International, sixth at the ISU Four Continents Championships and won their first Canadian medal (bronze) at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be the team leader along with Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta. Dr. Bob Brock of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski, also of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., Jean Senft of West Vancouver, B.C., and Benoit Lavoie of Baie St-Paul, Que., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 ISU WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Patrick Chan 25 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Kathy Johnson
Mens Nam Nguyen 17 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 19 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pair Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 30/31 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte / Sylvie Fullum
Pair Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 24/31 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Pair Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 23/24 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Point Edward SC Inc. Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier / Sylvie Fullum / Julie Marcotte / Cynthia Lemaire
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 26/29 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Angelika Krylova / Pasquale Camerlengo / Shae-Lynn Bourne
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 24/24 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Élisabeth Paradis / François-Xavier Ouellette 23/24 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames d’Argent de Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer

Canadian ice dancers crack top-10 at world juniors

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DEBRECEN, Hungary – First-year partners Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., finished ninth in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the ISU World Junior Championships in figure skating.

American couples were 1-2 with Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter earning the gold and Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons the silver. Alla Loboda and Pavel Drozd of Russia prevented an American medal sweep with the bronze.

Bent and Razgulajevs ranked ninth in both programs. They enjoyed a successful season including gold at the Canadian Junior Championships in January and a silver at an ISU Junior Grand Prix event this past fall.

Melinda Meng and Andrew Meng of Montreal were 12th and Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., were 13th.

In women’s competition, Marin Honda led Japan to three of the top four finishes with gold. Maria Sotskova of Russia won the silver and Wakaba Higuchi was third.

Canadian junior champion Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., climbed from 16th after the short program to 13th overall.

Canada ends the competition with one silver medal earned by Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., in men’s competition on Friday.

Information: 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Canada’s Nicolas Nadeau completes spectacular comeback with silver at world juniors

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DEBRECEN, Hungary – Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., soared from eighth place after the short program to win the silver medal in men’s competition on Friday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

All three men’s medallists completed thrilling comebacks.  Daniel Samohin of Israel rocketed from ninth to first with 236.65 points for the gold. Nadeau, 18, followed at 224.76 and Tomoki Hiwatashi of the U.S. , sixth after the short, was third at 222.52.

‘’I’m a little surprised to move up that much, other skaters made a lot of mistakes,’’ said Nadeau, 25th at the world juniors last year. ‘’But I’ll take it. I did my job today and I’m really happy with how it turned out.’’

The top-three after the short were ousted from the podium including leader Dmitri Aliev of Russia who tumbled to sixth overall.

In the women’s short program, Canadian junior champion Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., was 16th. Alisa Fedichkina of Russia is the leader.

‘’I felt really good about my performance,’’ said Tamura, 15, in her world juniors debut. ‘’It’s great to get this experience on the big rink. I had a lot of fun being here. For me it’s about doing my best and hopefully I can move up in the standings.’’

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

Information: 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Brasseur and Ostiguy climb to seventh at world juniors

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DEBRECEN, Hungary – Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Granby, Que., climbed to seventh place in pairs on Thursday at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic won the gold medal with Anastasia Mishina and Vladislav Mirzoev of Russia second and Ekaterina Borisova and Dmitry Sopot third.

Brasseur and Ostiguy were ninth after Wednesday’s short program but produced the seventh best free skate to gain two spots in the standings. Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak of Calgary were eighth.

Hope McLean of Newbury, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., 13th after the short, withdrew due to injury.

In ice dancing, Canadian couples are ninth, 10th and 11th after Thursday’s short dance. Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. are first and their compatriots Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter are second.

Canadian junior champions Mackenzie Bent of Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., are ninth, Melinda Meng and Andrew Meng of Montreal 10th and Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield, Que., are 11th

“We are happy with what we accomplished today,” said Bent. “It was a really good skate and the performance side of it was done really well. This is our first year together and we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Competition continues Friday with the men’s free skate and women’s short program. Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand Que., is eighth after the men’s short on Wednesday less than five points from third.

Information: 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Hoffman and Chudak sixth after short program at world juniors

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DEBRECEN, Hungary – Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak posted Canada’s best result to open the ISU World Junior Championships in figure skating but Nicolas Nadeau is closer to a medal position after Wednesday’s short programs in men’s and pairs competition.

In men’s competition, Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., produced a clean short program and stands in eighth place just over five points from third with 73.90 points.

Dmitri Aliev of Russia is first at 80.74, his compatriot Alexander Samarin second at 80.31 and Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia is third at 78.78.

“It was a good program and I was happy with all my elements,” said Nadeau, 18, fifth at the senior nationals in January. “I was a little disappointed with my score but it in the end it’s not so bad and I’m still in contention (for a medal).”

In pairs, Calgarians Hoffman and Chudak are sixth after the short program with 52.20 points. Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic lead at 64.71, Anastasia Mishina and Vladislav Mirzoev of Russia are second at 59.50 and Renata Oganesian and Mark Badei of Ukraine third at 59.30.

Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Granby, Que., are ninth and Hope McLean of Newbury, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., 13th.
Competition continues Thursday with the short dance and pairs free skate.

Full Results: 2016 ISU World Junior Championships

Canadian Junior Skaters in Hungary for 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has eight entries, for a total of 14 skaters competing at the 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships this week from March 14-20 in Debrecen, Hungary. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s and ladies, and three entries per discipline in pair and ice dance. Competition begins Wednesday, March 16 with the men’s and pair short programs.

Nicolas Nadeau, 18, Boisbriand, Que., is Canada’s entry in men’s. Last year, he placed 25th at this event. Earlier this season, he won silver in Croatia and placed fifth in Latvia at his ISU Junior Grand Prix assignments. Most recently, he placed fifth in the senior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Nadeau trains at École Excellence Rosemère and is coached by Yvan Desjardins.

Canadian junior champion Sarah Tamura, 15, Burnaby, B.C., is Canada’s lone entry in ladies. This will be her first time competing at this event. This season, the representative of Burnaby FSC placed 13th at her ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in Latvia. Tamura is coached by Joanne McLeod, Jill-Marie Harvey, and Neil Wilson at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Canadian junior pair champions Hope McLean, 16, Newbury, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 19, Strathroy, Ont., will be the first of three Canadian entries in pair. This season, the representatives of Mount Brydges SC and Prince Edward SC placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland. McLean and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss at the London Competitive Skating Centre.

Bryn Hoffman, 18, Calgary, Alta., and Bryce Chudak, 20, Calgary, Atla., are the second Canadian pair entry. This season, they placed fourth at both of their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignments (United States and Poland). Most recently, the representatives of Calalta FSC won silver in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Hoffman and Chudak are coached by Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay.

Justine Brasseur, 14, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 19, Granby, Que., round out the Canadian pair entries at the event. They competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit earlier this season placing sixth in Latvia and fifth in Austria. The representatives of CPA Brossard and CPA Saint-Césaire also placed fourth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, and most recently placed fourth at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Brasseur and Ostiguy train in Saint-Léonard, Que., with coach Bruno Marcotte.

Canadian junior champions Mackenzie Bent, 18, Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 19, Ajax, Ont., are the first of three Canadian ice dance teams. In their first season competing together, the representatives of Uxbridge SC and Scarboro FSC won silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States and placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain. They are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite at Scarboro FSC.

Marjorie Lajoie, 15, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 16, Greenfield Park, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This season they placed seventh at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain, and won the silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. Most recently, they placed fourth at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, and won the bronze medal as part of the mixed National Olympic Committee (NOC) team event. Lajoie and Lagha train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Melinda Meng, 17, Montreal, Que., and Andrew Meng, 19, Montreal, Que., are the third Canadian entry in ice dance. Earlier this season, they placed fifth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Latvia and fourth in Poland. Most recently, the representatives of CPA Laval won bronze in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The Mengs are coached by Shawn Winter in Pierrefonds, Que.

Terra Findlay of Echo Bay, Ont., and Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., and Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., are the Canadian officials at the event.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will also be traveling with the team.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2016 ISU WORLD JUNIOR FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nicolas Nadeau 18 Boisbriand, Que. CPA Boisbriand Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Sarah Tamura 15 Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby FSC Joanne McLeod / Jill-Marie Harvey / Neil Wilson
Pair Hope McLean / Trennt Michaud 16/19 Newbury, Ont. / Strathroy, Ont. Mount Brydges SC / Prince Edward SC Alison Purkiss
Pair Bryn Hoffman / Bryce Chudak 18/20 Calgary, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. Calalta FSC / Calalta FSC Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay
Pair Justine Brasseur / Mathieu Ostiguy 14/19 Brossard, Que. / Granby, Que. CPA Brossard / CPA Saint-Césaire Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Mackenzie Bent / Dmitre Razgulajevs 18/19 Uxbridge, Ont. / Ajax, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 15/16 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA Boucherville / CPA St-Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis
Ice Dance Melinda Meng / Andrew Meng 17/19 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. CPA Laval / CPA Laval Shawn Winter

Les Suprêmes champions at 2016 ISU Junior World Challenge Cup

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Les Suprêmes from St-Leonard, Que., won the gold medal Saturday at the 2016 ISU Junior World Challenge Cup synchronized skating competition.

The Canadians earned 179.44 points placing first in both the short and long programs. Finland took the silver at 172.91 and Russia was third at 169.93.

The Supremes skaters were Jessica Allaire, Alessia Arsenault, Amélie Béland, Julia Bernardo, Rachel Maria Cecere, Alisia Cirella, Emily Degni, Béatrice Coté Gomes De Oliveira, Marie-Ève Deschesnes, Gabrielle Gauthier-Roy, Marie-Michèle Gauthier-Roy, Kathleen Grandchamps, Alessia Hart-Lewis, Jessisa Giovanna Iacono, Nadia Lemay, Christina Morin, Alexia Nadai-Plante, Andréanne Paradis, Alessia Malissa Polletta and Florence Poulin.

Canadian junior silver medallists, Les Suprêmes qualified for the event by winning Skate Canada Central Ontario’s annual Winterfest competition. They have previously competed at this event in 2014, winning silver, and in 2012, winning bronze. Last year, they won the bronze medal at the 2015 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. This season, they won gold at the 2016 French Cup. Les Suprêmes junior are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis, Amélie Brochu, and Kassandra Patenaude.

NEXXICE from Burlington, Ont., were eighth at 149.47 out of 20 entries. The NEXXICE skaters were Madina Asrorova, Alyssa Finocchi, Alycia Giro, Taylor Johnston, Anna Ljungberg, Caroline Marr, Emiko Marr, Shayna McFadden, Jessica Morgan, Scarlet Panning-Stinson, Angie Qi, Jeian Simbahon, Samantha Smith, Nicole Suszek, Alessandra Toso, Nadejda Vladco, Kayla Walker, Brooklyn Williamson, Emily Wright and Olivia Xie.

Canadian champions NEXXICE junior won silver at Skate Canada Central Ontario’s Winterfest. NEXXICE junior previously competed at this event in 2012, placing sixth. Last year, the representatives of the Burlington Skating Centre placed fifth at the 2015 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. This season, NEXXICE junior won silver at the 2016 Neuchâtel Trophy. NEXXICE junior are coached by Trish Perdue-Mills.

Full Results: 2016 ISU Junior World Challenge Cup.