Canadian ice dancers graze podium at ISU Junior Grand Prix

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Ice dancers Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver missed a berth on the podium by a mere 0.37 points to finish fourth on Saturday to conclude the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Avonley Nguyen and Vadim Kolesnik of the U.S. took the gold with 170.80, Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia were second at 160.17 and Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler of the Czech Republic were third at 150.00.

The Canadians were third after the rhythm dance and finished with 149.63. Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., were ninth.

The women’s competition was won by Alysa Liu of the U.S. while Emily Bausback of Vancouver took sixth spot.

The Russians swept the medals in pairs led by Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov. Brooke McIntosh and Brandon Toste of Toronto moved from seventh to fifth while Gabrielle Levesque of Bridgewater, N.S., and  Pier-Alexandre Hudon of St-Roch-des-Aulnaies Que., were seventh.

On Friday night, Stephen Gogolev of Toronto won the silver medal in men’s competition.

The third stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Friday in Riga, Latvia.

Full results: ISU JGP Lake Placid 2019

Stephen Gogolev wins silver medal at ISU Junior Grand Prix

LAKE PLACID, New York – Stephen Gogolev of Toronto survived a shaky free skate to win the silver medal in men’s competition on Friday at the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Shun Sato of Japan took the gold with 217.12 points, Gogolev followed for silver at 203.70 and Gleb Lutfullin of Russia was third at 203.50. Gogolev was second after the short program on Thursday.

Skating to a Peter Gabriel medley, Gogolev produced the fifth best free skate of the night. The 14-year-old Junior Grand Prix Final champion in 2018, fell on his first two jumps – a triple Axel and quad Salchow before coming back to land two combos.

“It was a bit shaky in the beginning,” said Gogolev, second at senior nationals last season. “I made a mistake on the Axel and it kind of fell apart on the Salchow as well. But I’m happy I was able to get up and do the rest of the program. This program goes through many emotions and that’s what I like about it.”

Beres Clements of Burnaby, B.C., was ninth.

In ice dancing after the rhythm dance, Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver stand third with 61.32 points. Avonley Nguyen and Vadim Kolesnik of the U.S. are first at 66.17 and Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia second at 62.12.

Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., are seventh at 48.79.

After the short proram in women’s competition, Emily Bausback of Vancouver stands fifth at 55.71. Alysa Liu of the U.S. leads the field with 69.30.

On Thursday in pairs, Russian teams stand 1-2-3 after the short program. Brooke McIntosh and Brandon Toste of Toronto are seventh and Gabrielle Levesque of Bridgewater, N.S., and  Pier-Alexandre Hudon of St-Roch-des-Aulnaies Que., are eighth.

The free skates in pairs, women’s and ice dancing are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU JGP Lake Placid 2019

Canadian skaters headed to Lake Placid for second stop on Junior Grand Prix circuit

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have eight entries, for a total of 11 skaters at the second stop of the 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Lake Placid, USA. Canada’s entries will include two ice dance teams, two pair teams, one woman and two men. The competition takes place from August 28-August 31, 2019.

Beres Clements, 16, Gibson, B.C. will be the first Canadian entry in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Clements placed eighth at JGP Canada and 12th at JGP Cup of Austria. He also won silver in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson in Burnaby, B.C.

Stephen Gogolev, 14, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Gogolev won gold at Bratislava and at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final. He finished fifth at the 2019 ISU World Junior Championships and took home the silver medal in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gogolev is coached by Rafael Arutyunan and Lee Barkell in Irvine, USA.

Emily Bausback, 17, Vancouver, B.C., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. Bausback finished 12th last season at JGP Amber Cup and 10th in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson in Burnaby, B.C.

Canadian junior silver medallists Brooke McIntosh, 14, Toronto, Ont., and Brandon Toste, 16, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian pair entry. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit they placed 10th at Czech Skate and fifth at Bratislava. At the 2019 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, the two finished 10th. They are coached by Andrew Evans in Mississauga, Ont.

Canadian junior bronze medallists Gabrielle Levesque, 16, Bridgewater, N.S., and Pier-Alexandre Hudon, 20, Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Que., are the second Canadian pair entry. Last year, they placed 11th at Czech Skate and eighth at Cup of Austria. The pair finished 15th at the 2019 ISU World Junior Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Ian Connolly in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Miku Makita, 16, Vancouver, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 16, Vancouver, B.C., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. The team finished eighth last season at JGP Canada and second at Lake Placid Dance. They also finished ninth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Aaron Lowe in Vancouver, B.C.

Irina Galiyanova, 18, Moscow, Russia and Grayson Lochhead, 20, Sweaburg, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last year, they finished seventh at Amber Cup and third at Lake Placid Ice Dance. At the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, the two finished seventh in junior. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarboro, Ont.

Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., and Dave Ferland of Chicoutimi, Que., will be the team leaders at the event. Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada, and André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the team officials at the event. Physiotherapist Meghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the medical staff onsite. Veronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Limin Jao of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – LAKE PLACID, USA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Beres Clements 16 Gibson, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Men Stephen Gogolev 14 Toronto, Ont. Great Parks Ice & Five Points Arena Rafael Arutyunan / Lee Barkell
Women Emily Bausback 17 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of BC Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Pairs Brooke McIntosh / Brandon Toste 14/16 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Canadian Ice Academy Andrew Evans
Pairs Gabrielle Levesque / Pier-Alexandre Hudon 16/20 Bridgewater, N.S. / Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Que. CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Ian Connolly
Ice Dance Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara 16/16 Vancouver, B.C. / Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver Ice Dance Academy Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Irina Galiyanova / Grayson Lochhead 18/20 Moscow, Russia / Sweaburg, Ont. Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canada’s Rakic wins silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix

COURCHEVEL, France – Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., won the silver medal on Saturday in men’s competition to conclude the opening stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan took the gold with 234.87 points. Rakic, ranked third in both his short and long programs, to snare the silver with a personal best 200.71. Andrei Kutovoi of Russia was third at 198.06.

It was a first career medal for Rakic, the Canadian junior champion, on the circuit in three appearances. He skated a clean long program to music by Rachmaninoff. His landed jumps included three in combination, two double Axels and a triple Lutz.

“I feel great and I’m happy with how I skated,” said Rakic, 14. “My goals were to do what I do in training and skate with more speed and flow. I didn’t worry about results because I knew there were other guys who had the triple Axel.”

Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., remained 10th.

In ice dancing, Canada came agonizingly close to another medal finish. Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal were fourth with a personal best 151.36 points, a mere 0.19 points from the bronze. They were fifth after the rhythm dance.

Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy of Russia won the gold with 163.90, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France were second at 161.01 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia third at 151.65.

Olivia McIsaac of Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli of Toronto moved from 10th to ninth.

The next stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Full results: ISU Junior Grand Prix de Courchevel 2019

Canadian ice dancers in medal hunt at ISU Junior Grand Prix season opener

COURCHEVEL, France – Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal scored a personal best for their rhythm dance routine Friday to stand in fifth spot at the season opening event on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France lead the ice dancing competition with 63.78 points, Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy of Russia are second at 63.76 and their compatriots Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich are third at 60.89.

Skating to a Cabaret soundtrack medley Bronsard and Bouaraguia scored a personal best 58.38 to stand fifth. The eclipsed the 56.04 they earned last season in a fourth place finish at the Czech stop on the circuit.

Olivia McIsaac of Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli of Toronto are 10th at 50.36.

In women’s competition, Kamila Valieva of Russia won the gold medal with Seoyeong Wi of South Korea second and Maiia Khromykh of Russia third.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., was 18th.

On Thursday in the men’s short program, Canadian junior champion Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., stands third with a personal best 69.54. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan has jumped into a big lead with 80.61 followed by Matthew Nielsen of the U.S. at 70.19.

Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 10th at 61.24.

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

Full results: ISU Junior Grand Prix de Courchevel 2019

Single Session Tickets Info: 2019 Skate Canada International

OTTAWA, ON: Single session tickets for the 2019 Skate Canada International will go on sale Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 10 a.m. PT. The event will take place in Kelowna, British Columbia, from October 25-27, 2019, at Prospera Place.

The line-up in Kelowna will feature 2019 Canadian National Champions, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, and Nam Nguyen. They will be joined by current world medallists Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States, and more. A full list of entries can be found on the ISU website.

Single session tickets begin at $31.50 (including applicable taxes and venue fees) and prices range by session. Tickets for the Thursday practices are only $14.00 (including taxes and venue fees).

Tickets can be purchased online at www.selectyourtickets.com , by phone at 1-866-514-5050 toll free or 250-762-5050 locally, or in person at the Prospera Place Box Office.

EVENT INFO
The inaugural Skate Canada International was held in 1973 in Calgary and the event was added to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in 1995, the year the series began. Kelowna will host the 46th installment of Skate Canada International. This is their second time hosting the event, they previously hosted in 2014.

Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), Japan (NHK Trophy), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and France (Internationaux de France).

Each skater/team can be assigned a maximum of two events. Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their events. The top six from each discipline (men, women, pair and ice dance) qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final which will take place in Torino, Italy from December 5-8, 2019.

Canadian skaters in France to kick off 2019-2020 ISU Junior Grand Prix season

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada junior skaters kickoff the 2019-2020 skating season in Courchevel, France with the start of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Courchevel is the first of seven events that will see Canada’s top junior skaters compete against the world as they vie to qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have 5 entries, for a total of 7 skaters, competing at the event. There will be two entries in men and ice dance, and one entry in the women’s discipline at the competition, which takes place August 21-24, 2019.

Aleksa Rakic, 14, Burnaby, B.C., is one of two Canadian entries in the men’s discipline. Rakic won gold in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, he placed eighth at Bratislava and sixth at Ostrava. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Iliya Kovler, 15, Richmond Hill, Ont., will also represent Canada in the men’s discipline. Kovler finished ninth in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, he placed seventh at JGP Canada and third at JGP Yerevan. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Alison Schumacher, 16, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the only Canadian representative in the women’s category. Schumacher finished seventh in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, she placed ninth at JGP Bratislava and 12th at JGP Canada. She also placed 10th at the 2019 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Schumacher is coached by Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.

Emmy Bronsard, 14, Montreal, Que., and Aissa Bouaraguia, 18, Montreal, Que., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada. The team finished sixth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the JGP circuit, the two finished fourth at Ostrava and sixth at Yerevan. They are coached by Romain Haguenauer in Montréal, Que.

Olivia McIsaac, 17, Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli, 16, Toronto, Ont., will also represent Canada in the ice dance discipline. The two finished eighth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, the team finished seventh at JGP Ostrava. They are coached by Andrew Hallam in Toronto, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Marisa Gravino of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence will be the team official at the event. Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the team medical staff onsite. Lorner Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Patty Klein of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #1 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Aleksa Rakic 14 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Men Iliya Kovler 15 Richmond Hill, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Andrei Berezintsev
Women Alison Schumacher 16 Tecumseh, Ont. Granite Club & Toronto CS & CC Lee Barkell
Ice Dance Emmy Bronsard / Aissa Bouaraguia 14/18 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Montreal International Skating School Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Olivia McIsaac / Corey Circelli 17/16 Burlington, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Andrew Hallam

Worlds Rewind: Vancouver 1960

As the countdown begins to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020 in Montreal, Quebec, we look back at previous world championships staged in Canada. Part 2 of the ten-part series reflects on the 1960 world championships in Vancouver.

Canada played host to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships for the first time in 1932, when Montreal welcomed the world’s best skaters.

In 1960, it was Vancouver’s turn.

The beautiful Canadian Pacific coast hosted the event from March 1-5, 1960 and, like Montreal 28 years earlier, the world championships came on the heels of an Olympic Winter Games, which were staged in Squaw Valley, California. Many athletes competed at the Olympics before travelling north to Vancouver.

These worlds also marked the first time a country could qualify a maximum three skaters in each discipline, a rule that still applies today.

Donald Jackson

In the men’s competition, French skaters took two of the three spots on the podium, with Alain Giletti winning gold and Alain Calmat earning bronze. Canada’s Donald Jackson, coming off a bronze medal at the Olympic Winter Games, claimed his second straight worlds silver in Vancouver. Jackson, one of Canada’s greatest figure skaters in history and a member of the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, would go on to win gold at the 1962 world championships, where he became the first skater in history to land the triple Lutz in international competition.

Carol Heiss of the United States, the 1960 Olympic champion, captured her fifth consecutive world title in Vancouver, finishing ahead of Sjoukje Dijkstra of the Netherlands and fellow American Barbara Roles. Both Heiss and Canada’s Jackson were coached by Pierre Brunet in New York City, and Jackson lived with the Heiss family when training.

Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul

The legendary Canadian pairs tandem of Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul, fresh off becoming the first North American pair team to win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games, secured their fourth consecutive world crown in Vancouver. The Canadian brother/sister tandem of Maria Jelinek and Otto Jelinek won silver while Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler of West Germany took bronze. Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell of Canada, who would go on to win two Canadian titles and the 1964 Olympic silver medal, were 11th in Vancouver.

Doreen Denny and Courtney Jones of the United Kingdom captured ice dance gold for the second straight year, with Canada’s Virginia Thompson and William McLachlan taking silver. Christiane Guhel  and Jean Paul Guhel of France edged out Americans Margie Ackles and Charles Phillips for the bronze medal.

As the 1960 world championships came to a close, no one could have foreseen the tragedy that would befell the entire skating world just one year later. On February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed on approach to Zaventem Airport in Brussels, Belgium, killing all 72 people on board, and one person on the ground. The entire U.S. figure skating team was on board the flight, as well as coaches, officials and family members, on their way to the 1961 world championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Among the victims were several who competed in Vancouver, including Laurence Owen (ladies), Bradley Lorde and Gregory Kelley (men), Ila Ray Hadley and Ray Hadley, Jr. (pair) and Maribel Owen and Dudley Richards (pair).  Ice dancers Larry Pierce and Roger Campbell, who competed with different partners in Vancouver, were also killed.

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships would return to Canada in 1972, when Calgary played host for the first time.

All-event tickets for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020  are on sale now and can be purchased online at montreal2020.com, by phone at 1-855-310-2525 or in person at the Centre Bell Box Office.