#Challenge20: Junior Women Victory

#Challenge20: Kaiya Ruiter (Junior Women)

#Challenge20: Natalie D’Alessandro / Bruce Waddell (Junior Dance)

#Challenge20: Grayson Long (Pre-Novice Men)

#Challenge20: Pre-Novice Men Victory

#Challenge20: Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud (Senior Pair)

#Challenge20: Senior Pair Victory

Nguyen, Walsh and Michaud win 2020 Skate Canada Challenge Titles

EDMONTON – Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto won the gold medal in men’s competition to highlight Friday’s action at the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge.

Nguyen was first in both the short program and Friday’s free skate totalling 236.68 points. Eric Liu of Edmonton was second at 209.76 and Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., third at 209.43.

“My confidence is up this year,” said Nguyen, also second at Skate Canada International last month. “The spins and jumps have been better and everything I do between the elements as well. There is still a lot of work to be done but I’m on the right track towards the world championships.”

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., took the pairs title in the last event of the evening.

“We were pleased with the fight we put out there,” said Walsh. “It wasn’t our best performance but we worked well together.”

The first junior final was held and Patricia Andrew and Zachary Daleman of Brantford, Ont., took the gold medal in pairs.

Novice

In men’s novice competition, Maksim Chelmaev of Laval, Que., soared from eighth after the short program to win the gold with 123.64. Shohei Law of Burnaby, B.C., was second at 123.24 and Brendan Wong of Burnaby third at 122.79.

“It was an emotional day,” said Chelmaev. “I went out there in attack mode and to come back with a strong performance. I gave everything I had.”

Sara-Maude Dupuis of Anjou, Que., also made a big comeback climbing from fourth to win the women’s event with 134.60 points. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., was second at 130.50 and Michelle Lee of Hamilton third at 127.15.

“I was proud I was able to control my nerves,” said Dupuis. “I’m still looking to improve my technical levels and my spins for the nationals.”

In ice dancing, Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren of St-Bruno, Que., won the gold medal with 100.43 points followed by Erica Estepa and Nolen Hickey of Brampton, Ont., with 99.92 and Mia Saunders and William Oddson of Calgary third at 99.04.

“We didn’t expect to do this well in the free dance,” said Thieren. “We did pretty well in general and it was a good performance. We kept focused but we know there is still a lot that can be improved.”

In pairs, Ashlyn Schmitz and Tristan Taylor of Regina placed first with 101.46. Lily Wilberforce and Aidan Wright of Kitchener, Ont., were second at 93.34 and Charlotte Giraldeau and Éliott Goulet of St-Eustache, Que., were third at 88.10.

Pre-novice

The competition was also the national championships for the pre-novice skaters.

For the girls, Rose Théroux of Chambly, Que., was the victor with 100.59 followed by Malyka Keeley of Campbellton, N.B., in second at 97.17 and Natasha Hewitt of Toronto third at 95.16.

“I did my job,” said Théroux who also moved eighth after the short to the winner’s circle. “I was proud of my performance. I’ve worked a lot on improving my jumps in particular.”

In pairs, Melyna Dagenais Guay of Farnham, Que., and Anthony Vézina of Varennes, Que., were first at 74.66 with Noémie Rolland and Marc-Olivier Laroche of St-Eustache, Que., second at 74.39 and Alexanne Joanis of Chambly and Charly Laliberté-Laurent of Boucherville, Que., third at 71.14.

“Our strength were the lifts,” said Dagenais Guay. “We felt comfortable and they were powerful.”

Competition continues through to Sunday at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre.

Full results: 2020 Skate Canada Challenge – Skate Canada

Canadian skaters headed to Edmonton for 2020 Skate Canada Challenge

OTTAWA, ONT: Over 500 skaters from across Canada are en route to Edmonton, Alta., for the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge. The event will take place from November 27 – December 1, 2019, at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre.

“A vibrant and active winter city, Edmonton is proud to host the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “National competitions such as this showcase emerging talent, promote healthy lifestyles, and create a culture of fun, sportsmanship and celebration, while inspiring new generations of athletes. We wish all of the competitors the best of luck.”

Skate Canada Challenge is the only qualifying event for novice, junior and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, taking place in Mississauga, Ont., from January 13-19, 2020. Skaters qualified for the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge by advancing through their local sectional championships.

This event will also see the crowning of the 2020 Pre-Novice National Champions in men, women, pairs and ice dance.

Fans in Edmonton will get a chance to see several Skate Canada National Team members compete, including: 2019 Canadian silver medallist Aurora Cotop, 17, Thornhill, Ont., (senior women), 2019 bronze medallist Véronik Mallet, 25, Sept-Iles, Que., (senior women), 2019 National champion Nam Nguyen, 21, Ajax, Ont., (senior men), Nicolas Nadeau, 22, Boisbriand, Que., (senior men), Evelyn Walsh, 18, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 23, Trenton, Ont., (senior pairs), and Haley Sales, 22, Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 23, Langley, B.C., (senior ice dance).

Local Edmonton skating clubs will have a large contingent at the event, including Carys Prodaniuk (junior women, Ice Palace SC), Matthew Newnham (junior men, Ice Palace SC), Isabelle Law (senior women, Derrick SC) and many others.

For more information including schedule, entries and start orders, please click here. All events on all three competition rinks will be live streamed and can be accessed through the event page or the Skate Canada Dailymotion page.

All tickets will be available at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre starting Wednesday, November 27. All-Event tickets are $50, single day tickets are $25 and children 12 years and under receive free admission to all practices and competition when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information, please click here.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro take silver in pairs, surprise bronze for Sadovsky at NHK Trophy

SAPPORO, Japan – Canada reached the medal podium twice on Saturday at the NHK Trophy with Kirsten Moore-Tower and Michael Marinaro taking silver in pairs and Roman Sadovsky adding a surprise bronze in men’s competition.

The event is the sixth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit and the last event before the Grand Prix Final December 5-8 in Torino, Italy.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro punched their ticket to Torino earning 208.49 points. They were also second at their other Grand Prix assignment – Skate Canada International last month in Kelowna, B.C. It is their first Grand Prix Final since teaming up in 2014.

“Our big goal was to qualify for the Grand Prix Final,” said Moore-Towers from St. Catharines, Ont. “We left a few levels on the table that we are determined to pick up in a couple of weeks but for the most part we are pleased.”

World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold with 226.96, followed by the Canadians and Anastasia Michina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia in third at 203.35.

In the men’s event, Sadovksy, from Vaughn, Ont.,  unleashed the second best free skate of the night to climb from fourth to third spot with a personal best 247.50 points for his first career Grand Prix medal. Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was the winner at 305.05 followed by Kevin Aymoz of France at 250.02.

“I’m really glad I could pull that out,” said the 20-year-old Sadovksy, 10th at Skate Canada International. “I’m looking forward to keeping that long program consistent for the rest of the season.”

In ice dancing, world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the gold medal while Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver moved from ninth after the rhythm dance to eighth overall.

“It was a good experience overall for us and we are satisfied with our performances,” said Firus. “Our next big event are the nationals (in January) and we really want to work on our technical issues until then.”

There were no Canadian entries in women’s competition.

Full results: ISU GP NHK Trophy 2019

Moore-Towers and Marinaro stand second after short at NHK Trophy

SAPPORO, Japan – A fabulous season continued for Canadian pairs skaters Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro as they stand second after Friday’s short program at the NHK Trophy figure skating competition.

The event is the sixth and last stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit before next month’s Final.

World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are first with 81.27 points followed by the Canadians at 71.21. Anastasia Michina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia are third at 69.00.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro were second last month at Skate Canada International and a medal here would likely lock up a berth in the Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy. On Friday, they delivered a clean program highlighted by a triple twist, throw triple loop and side-by-side triple toes.

“We love skating in front of such a knowledgeable crowd,” said Moore-Towers from St. Catharines, Ont. “We’re fairly pleased with our position heading into the long program.”

In men’s competition, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., produced an impressive fourth place performance in the short program with 78.51. He opened with a quad Salchow on route to a clean program. Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan leads with 109.34, Kevin Aymoz of France is second at 91.47 and Sergei Voronov of Russia third at 88.63.

Conrad Orzel of Toronto is 10th.

In ice dancing, world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are in first place after the rhythm dance while Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are ninth.

There are no Canadian entries in women’s competition.

Competition ends Saturday with the free skates.

Full results: ISU GP NHK Trophy 2019

Ticket Info: 2020 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships

CALGARY, AB: Tickets for the 2020 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships will go on sale Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (MT). The championships will take place from February 21-23, 2020 at WinSport in Calgary, Alberta.

TICKETS
All event tickets are priced at $74.60 for adults ($60 ticket + $14.60 GST and venue fees) for adults, $38.35 for children 12 years and younger ($30 ticket + $8.35 GST and venue fees). Day Passes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are priced at $32.30 for adults ($25 ticket + $7.30 GST and venue fees) and $26.25 for children 12 years and younger ($20 ticket + $6.25 GST and venue fees). Tickets can be purchased online here. During the event, tickets will be available at the venue and online at ticketmaster.ca.

EVENT
The 2020 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships will bring approximately 60 teams and over 800 athletes from across the country to Calgary. The city most recently hosted this event in 2017.

Teams will compete for national titles in the senior, junior, novice, intermediate and open categories. The top two senior teams will go on to represent Canada at the 2020 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in Lake Placid, USA from April 3-5, 2020.