Les Suprêmes third after short program at French Cup

ROUEN, France – Les Suprêmes from St-Léonard, Que., are on track for a second international medal this season after placing third in Friday’s short program at the French Cup synchronized skating competition.

Marigold from Russia is first with 79.35 points, Rockettes from Finland are second at 78.12 and les Suprêmes follow at 77.27. Back in November, les Suprêmes took the bronze at the California Cup in Irvine.

Skating for the Suprêmes on Friday were: Jessica Allaire, Rebecca Allaire, Karianne Bégin, Julia Bernardo, Loriana Cocca, Marie-Ève Comtois, Ariane Conn, Laurie Désilets, Olivia Di Giandomenico, Lisanne Foley, Peter Gerome, Alessia Hart-Lewis, Giulia Hart-Lewis, Grace Carol LeTouzel, Dana Malowany, Agathe Merlier, Andréanne Paradis, Martha Pietrasik and Alessia Polletta.

“We’re super happy about our scores,” said Désilets. “It was not perfect but we felt we brought the public into our world and displayed how important it is to work as a team. We hope to do the same in the free which will about the environment. It’s something we believe in and we want to bring everybody with us.”

Canada’s two entries in the junior event are also in the medal chase ranking fourth and fifth in Friday’s short program.

In the junior competition, Junost from Russia is first with 68.99, Dream Edges from Finland are second at 68.14 followed by another Finnish entry, Musketeers, in third at 66.40.

Les Suprêmes juniors are in fourth spot at 65.15 and Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., follow in fifth at 62.73.  There are 14 teams entered. Both Canadian teams are tuning up for the world junior championships later this winter.

Skating for les Suprêmes are Jade Deschênes, Solène Aymard, Émilie Beaucage, Julia Caponi, Alona Chabalin-Zea, Alice Cormier, Thea Dimbu, Natasha Gligorijevic, Victoria Gligorijevic, Charlotte Grutter, Josephine Kawa, Astrid Kumpulainen, Audrey-Ann Lajeunesse, Audrey Landrey, Mia Lasalle, Olivia Ronca, Simona Ronca, Lauren Santori, Frédérique Savard and Sara Squalli.

“We really enjoyed our skate,” said Deschênes. “There was a great atmosphere here and we are excited about being in France to perform our programs. We can’t wait to show our Matrix free program to the audience. It is something totally different from today.”

The Nexxice skaters are Christina Au, Ninna Blom, Savana Bosco, Kayleigh Cheung, Avery Clark, Alice Douplik, Vasiliki Victoria Kiriakou, Cassandra Leung, Natalie Leung, Kathryn Malott, Abbey McMurray, Victoria Morgado, Noora Naatsaari, Mya Napier, Matilda Nilsson, Miriam Pedrozo, Lauren Pollack, Beatrice Sassi and Angela Yang.

“In practice we’ve been working on improving our focus, the elements and the technical aspects of our skate,” said Napier. “For the most part today we achieved that.”

“It was an aggressive fierce skate,” added Clark. “When things didn’t go our way, we fought through it and tried our best to keep it together.”

The free programs are on Saturday.

Full results: French Cup

Three Canadian Synchronized Skating Teams in France for French Cup

OTTAWA, ON: Canada will be sending three synchronized skating teams to the 26th annual 2020 French Cup, in Rouen, France from January 31-February 2, 2020. This event is an ISU (International Skating Union) sanctioned event and will see teams competing in novice, junior and senior.

In junior, NEXXICE junior will be the first of two junior teams representing Canada. This season, the team finished third at the California Cup and most recently qualified for the 2020 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships after finishing second at the annual Winterfest competition. The team is coached by Trish Perdue-Mills.

Les Supremes junior will be the second team representing Canada in France. Earlier this season, the team won bronze at Lumiere Cup and most recently won gold at Winterfest, qualifying them for the 2020 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Marylin Langlois.

In senior, Les Supremes senior will be the lone team representing Canada. This season, the team won bronze at the California Cup. They are coached by Marylin Langlois and Pascal Denis.

Mary Ellen McDonald, Senior Director, Operations, will be the team leader at the event. Andrew Bosco of Thorold, Ont., will be the Canadian official attending the event.

For more information, please click here.

Canada’s Nova earns fifth and sixth place finishes at Leon Lurje Trophy

GOTHENBURG, Sweden – Canada’s Team Nova from St-Hubert Que., took fifth spot in senior competition and sixth in junior on Saturday at the Leon Lurje Trophy synchronized skating event.

In the senior event, Paradise from Russia won the gold with 231.85 points with Unique from Finland second at 227.61 and Crystal Ice from Russia third at 223.44.

Nova ranked fourth for its free skate on Saturday to climb from sixth to fifth overall at 207.31 just ahead of Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., in sixth at 206.12.

The skaters for Nova were: Noémie Beaucage, Anouk Bégin, Sarah Bousquet-St-Laurent, Maya Cardillo, Laurence Darveau, Laura Derome, Selena Fortin, Audrey Hébert, Maude Héon Grandchamp, Evelynn Janacek, Noémie Julien, Audrey Martel, Elizabeth Morin, Safia Moussaoui, Léonie Nadeau, Alycia O’Leary, Tessa Sarret, Satia Lin Tétreault and Émilie Villeneuve.

“I’m super proud of our team,” said Darveau. “It was a great performance and all of the elements were there.”

NEXXICE Senior

The skaters for Nexxice were: Nadine Banholzer, Nyah Bay, Kelly Britten, Megan Brown, Molly Coxon, Emma Daigle, Jasmine Gagnon, Elisa Giuliani, Abbey Glumpak, Carleigh Gorrigsen, Lauren Hatfield, Jana Jambresic, Taylor Johnston, Elizabeth McKenna, Tegan Orr, Robbie-Lynn Puspoky, Nicole Schulz, Riley Strassguertl, Sophia Tong and Alessandra Toso.

“It was definitely a learning experience for us,” said Britten. “We’re going to move on from here and work hard to improve for our next competition.”

In junior competition, both Canadian teams improved in their free skates but couldn’t move up the overall standings.

Russian teams were 1-2 with Sunrise first at 202.46 and Crystal Ice second at 196.81. Fintastic from Finland was third at 193.35.

Nova Junior produced the fifth best free program but remained sixth with 167.79 while Ice Ignite Junior from Ilderton, Ont., ranked 10th for its free but stayed in 12th overall.

Nova Junior

The skaters for Nova junior were: Amy Morency, Justine Fournier, Méghane Beaudry, Janie Bréard, Lauren Janusauska, Alexia Gaudet, Marilou Albert, Morgan Bennett, Éloise Goupil, Élodie Roy, Sophie Caron, Simone Florence, Chloé Au, Léa-Jeanne Tremblay, Norah Braun, Myriam Quévillon, Noémie Tremblay, Stephania Gaul and Vanessa Hopkins.

The theme of their program was Romeo and Juliet.

“We were really pleased with how we were able to elevate the crowd with our emotions,” said Bréard. “It was the best performance and score we could have done at this point in the season. We poured our hearts out tonight on the ice. We showed the judges the range of our expressions and our skating was great.”

Ice Ignite

The Ice Ignite skaters are: Alyssa Dumayne, Ashley Stanton, Claire Vandewalle, Danica Stewart, Deanna Langille, Ellen Major, Emily Guan, Jessica Bycraft, Kenzie McKellar, Lauren Roblee, Lilly McLellan, Lily Hensen, Elizabeth Parker, Lucille Gowan, Rae-Anna Pusopoky, Sacha Veillon, Evelyne DeThomasis, Trynity Bisson and Alyssa Robinson.

The theme of their program was Angels which was telling a story of saying goodbye to a loved one.

“We were all really happy when we finished,” said Hensen. “We did leave some points on the ice and there is way more room to grow this program. We are excited to get home and train for our programs even harder as we prepare for our next competition.”

Full results: Leon Lurje Trophy 2020 – ISU Challenger Series

Canada’s Nexxice third after short program at international synchronized skating event

GOTHENBURG, Sweden – Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., is in the medal hunt at the Leon Lurje Trophy synchronized skating competition after a third place finish in Friday’s short program.

Paradise from Russia is first with 81.53 points, Unique from Finland is second at 80.03 and Nexxice, fourth at the world championships last year, is third at 74.51. Nova, from St-Hubert, Que., is sixth at 68.31 out of 12 entries.

The skaters for Nexxice are: Nadine Banholzer, Nyah Bay, Kelly Britten, Megan Brown, Molly Coxon, Emma Daigle, Jasmine Gagnon, Elisa Giuliani, Abbey Glumpak, Carleigh Gorrigsen, Lauren Hatfield, Jana Jambresic, Taylor Johnston, Elizabeth McKenna, Tegan Orr, Robbie-Lynn Puspoky, Nicole Schulz, Riley Strassguertl, Sophia Tong and Alessandra Toso.

“We’ve been working together on this program since the beginning of the season,” said Britten. “We amped up the practice this week and we felt like a really strong team. It was a good performance with a lot of energy and we are really proud with what we put out on the ice.”

The skaters for Nova are: Noémie Beaucage, Anouk Bégin, Sarah Bousquet-St-Laurent, Maya Cardillo, Laurence Darveau, Laura Derome, Selena Fortin, Audrey Hébert, Maude Héon Grandchamp, Evelynn Janacek, Noémie Julien, Audrey Martel, Elizabeth Morin, Safia Moussaoui, Léonie Nadeau, Alycia O’Leary, Tessa Sarret, Satia Lin Tétreault and Émilie Villeneuve.

“We felt super happy with our skate,” said Darveau. “We wanted to come out and get some clean elements done. This is a really strong competition and it has really pumped us up for our free skate where we hope we can get some even better scores.”

Russian teams are 1-2 in junior competition after the short program, with Crystal Ice first at 74.58 and Sunrise second at 72.57. Fintastic from Finland is third at 66.19.

The Nova junior team stands sixth at 58.80 and Ice Ignite from Ilderton, Ont., in its international debut, is 12th at 43.59.

The skaters for Nova junior are: Amy Morency, Justine Fournier, Méghane Beaudry, Janie Bréard, Lauren Janusauska, Alexia Gaudet, Marilou Albert, Morgan Bennett, Éloise Goupil, Élodie Roy, Sophie Caron, Simone Florence, Chloé Au, Léa-Jeanne Tremblay, Norah Braun, Myriam Quévillon, Noémie Tremblay, Stephania Gaul and Vanessa Hopkins.

“We had our best score of the season,” said Bréard. “It really showed on the ice especially with our emotions. We are really looking forward to our free skate tomorrow which has a Romeo and Juliet theme and is very powerful.”

The Ice Ignite skaters are : Alyssa Dumayne, Ashley Stanton, Claire Vandewalle, Danica Stewart, Deanna Langille, Ellen Major, Emily Guan, Jessica Bycraft, Kenzie McKellar, Lauren Roblee, Lilly McLellan, Lily Hensen, Elizabeth Parker, Lucille Gowan, Rae-Anna Pusopoky, Sacha Veillon, Evelyne DeThomasis, Trynity Bisson and Alyssa Robinson.

“It was fairly good,” said McLellan. “It wasn’t without its mistakes but we were very proud with how we did and it a huge improvement over our performance at our last competition. This has just been an amazing experience representing Canada here internationally.”

The free programs are on Saturday.

Full results: http://skatesweden.wehost.se/19-20/Synchro/Leon_Lurje/html/htmlcs/index.htm

Worlds Rewind: Edmonton 1996

As the countdown to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020 in Montreal, Quebec continues, we look back at previous world championships staged in Canada. Part 7 of the ten-part series reflects on the 1996 edition of the event in Edmonton.

The eyes of the skating world were on two-time defending champion Elvis Stojko as the 1996 ISU World Figure Skating Championships rolled into Edmonton, Alberta.

Skating on home soil, Stojko had an entire country step on to the ice with him as he went in search of a worlds three-peat at Northlands Coliseum.

It wasn’t to be.

A stumble in the short program dropped the native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, into seventh spot and facing an uphill battle heading into the final night of competition.

But Stojko wasn’t going to be dethroned without a fight.

On an unforgettable night of free programs that had the crowd of over 15,000 constantly on its feet, Stojko made a spirited run for the podium but came up just short, finishing in fourth spot.  American Todd Eldridge took home the gold medal, just in front of 18-year-old Russian Ilia Kulik. Rudy Galindo of the United States held off Stojko for bronze.

“That was the best skating by the most people I have ever seen,” said four-time world champion Kurt Browning after the dramatic evening had concluded.

Stojko called the evening “magical, inspiring and energetic.”

“That was one of my best skates,” he added. “The crowd was unreal. The whole thing was unreal.”

After back-to-back top-10 finishes at the world championships, Canadians Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz earned their first worlds medal in Edmonton. The duo claimed a bronze medal, finishing behind Russians Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov (gold) and Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov (silver).

It was Canada’s first ice dance medal at the world championships since Tracy Wilson and the late Rob McCall won bronze eight years earlier.

“The skate in itself felt wonderful,” Bourne told reporters. “And how the crowd reacted, and how it all just ended with a medal on top of it was so overwhelming. It’s hard to put words to it.”

The finish was the first of four consecutive bronze medals at the world championships for Bourne and Kraatz. They would also claim silver in 2002 before winning the world crown in 2003.

Teenage sensation Michelle Kwan of the United States claimed her first world championship in Edmonton. After China’s Lu Chen laid down a flawless long program which included two perfect 6.0 marks for presentation,  Kwan knew she would have to be near perfect to win the world title. After doubling her triple toe, one of her seven planned triple jumps, Kwan replaced her double axel with another triple toe late in the program. Kwan also received two perfect presentation marks, and six of the nine judges gave her the edge over Chen.

Following her triumph in Edmonton, Kwan would go on to medal at the next eight world championships, including four more wins.

Russians Marina Eltsova and Andrey Bushkov won the pairs title, with both Canadian entries finishing inside the top 10. Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz placed seventh followed by Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier in eighth.

As the world championships closed out in Edmonton, Canada would once again welcome the world in 2001, when Vancouver hosted figure skating’s flagship event.

Day 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.

1996 WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALLISTS

DISCIPLINE GOLD SILVER BRONZE
Men Todd Eldredge Ilia Kulik Rudy Galindo
Ladies Michelle Kwan Chen Lu Irina Slutskaya
Pair skating Marina Eltsova / Andrei Bushkov Mandy Wötzel / Ingo Steuer Jenni Meno / Todd Sand
Ice dancing Oksana Grishuk / Evgeni Platov Anjelika Krylova / Oleg Ovsyannikov Shae-Lynn Bourne / Victor Kraatz

Impressive results for Canada at Winter World Masters Games

OTTAWA, ON: Canada’s adult figure skaters brought home 43 medals (17.5 per cent of all medals awarded in figure skating) from the Winter World Masters Games 2020 (WWMG) held in Innsbruck, Austria from January 10-19, 2020.

The 43 medals included: 12 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze.

This is the first time that figure skating was included in the WWMG, which is an international multi-sport event held every four years.  Figure skating was the largest of the 12 sporting events, attracting more than 600 participants – 70 of the skaters were from Canada.

In total, there were 3,200 adult athletes competing from 58 countries. Canada was the third largest country represented, slightly behind Austria and Germany.

The figure skating event was supported by the International Skating Union and followed the ISU guidelines for adult figure skating. Competitions were held in the following disciplines:

  • Ladies and Men Free Skating
  • Ladies and Men Artistic Free Skating
  • Pair Free Skating
  • Pair Artistic Free Skating
  • Ice Dance – Pattern Dance
  • Ice Dance – Rhythm Dance
  • Ice Dance – Free Dance
  • Synchronized Skating

The first Winter Games was held in 2010 in Bled, Slovenia, with Quebec City hosting the second Games in 2015. In terms of competitor numbers, the Masters Games has developed into the largest of its kind and is governed by the International Masters Games Association.

The next major adult figure skating event is the ISU International Adult Figure Skating Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany from May 17-23, 2020. Ottawa will host the North American Adult Figure Skating Competition from October 7-10, 2020.

Media Inquiries:
Diana Barkley
Chair, ISU Adult Figure Skating Group
[email protected]

Individual results from WWMG

SINGLE FREE SKATING AND ARTISTIC SKATING
Gary Beacom – two gold Corliss Robb – two gold Janet Gillespie – silver Manon St Cyr – silver
Selina Tombs – silver, bronze Isabella Ciocoiu – two bronze Annette Nymeyer – bronze Alanna Rittich – two gold
Evelyn Desmariais – silver Tracy Parker – bronze Barbara Tkach – two gold Wendy Morris – silver*
Jadquelline Christoff – bronze Patricia Clark – silver Maureen Barnes – two silver Joanne Johnson – silver
Myriam Côté Morin – bronze, silver Cathy Lynd – silver Jennifer Powell – bronze Henrietta Penney – bronze, silver
Cynthia Belaskie – two gold Collette Brabant – bronze Karen Ceprietti – bronze Donna Bergvinson – silver
ICE DANCE
Diana Barkley and Geoff Squires – bronze, silver Cathy Lynd and Fred Gutz – gold, silver Laura Goode and Ken Langlois – gold, bronze Kelly Clements and Dave Sargeant – silver
PAIR ARTISTIC SYNCHRO
Diana Barkley and Geoff Squires –  bronze Team Storm – silver

Four Canadian Synchronized Skating Teams headed to 2020 Leon Lurje Trophy

OTTAWA, ON: Four Canadian synchronized skating teams are headed to the 2020 Leon Lurje Trophy in Gothenburg, Sweden from January 23-25, 2020. The event is an annual ISU (International Skating Union) sanctioned synchronized skating competition. Canada will be represented by two junior teams, Nova junior and Ice Ignite, and two senior teams, NEXXICE and Nova.

Nova junior, from Club de Patinage Synchronise Nova, will be the first of two junior synchronized skating teams representing Canada. Last season, the team finished third at the 2019 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Nadine Tougas.

Ice Ignite, from Ilderton Skating Club, will be the second junior team representing Canada. At the 2019 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships, the team finished fifth. They are coached by Sheri Moir and Cara Moir.

In senior, Nova, from Club de Patinage Synchronise Nova, will be the first of two teams representing Canada. Earlier this season, the team finished fourth at the 2019 California Cup. Last season, the team finished seventh at the 2019 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Marie France Sirois and Nadine Tougas.

NEXXICE, from Burlington Skating Club, will be the second team representing Canada. Last season, the team placed second at the 2019 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships and finished fourth at the 2019 World Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Shelley Simonton Barnett.

Mary Ellen McDonald, Senior Director, Operations, will be the team leader at the event. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., will be the Canadian official attending the event.

For more information, please click here.

Canadians graze the podium at international synchronized skating competition

ZAGREB, Croatia – Gold Ice from Brampton, Ont., produced the third best free program but it wasn’t enough to reach the podium in junior competition this weekend at the Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy synchronized skating competition.

Fintastic from Finland took the gold with 198.29 points followed by Lexettes from the U.S., at 172.15, their compatriots Team Image at 162.00 and the Canadians at 157.37. There were 10 entries.

The Canadian skaters, fourth after the short program, were Nethma Aluthge, Parekh Myers, Lora Puliz, Jenna Payne, Catrina Asher, Aabha Vedi, Joseline Pretto Simmons, Katherine Walker, Gabrielle Emery, Katherine Meehan, Sadie Hoover, Halle Priester, Emiko Arshad, Kaitlin Harnum, Marie-Ève Ouellet, Olivia Tworzyanski, Denika Ellis Dawson, Isabelle Pawlowski, Mia Bek and Brynn Wilskinson.

“It was a relieving moment knowing that we were able to accomplish our program component goals with the support from our coaches and family,” said Ellis Dawson. “We felt super proud in each other knowing that we put out, the best skate as a team.”

The theme of their short program was the ‘Roaring 20’s Flappers.’

“This program is super fun to perform and we all love the choreographic decision the coaches made,” said Tworzyanski. “It’s a good crowd pleaser and it really gets everyone in a good mood. Our dresses help us portray the character as they have some signature pieces from the 1920’s.”

Gold Ice was the sole Canadian team at the event.

Full results: 16th Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy 2020

Skate Canada names teams for 2020 ISU Championships

MISSISSAUGA, ON: After completion of the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Skate Canada has named the team for the upcoming ISU Championships. The week-long championships were held in Mississauga, ON at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre from January 13-19, 2020.

2020 ISU WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
MONTREAL, CANADA – MARCH 16-22, 2020
MEN
TBD*
WOMEN
TBD*
TBD*
PAIR
Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro
TBD*
ICE DANCE
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier
Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha
TBD*
*To be determined after the 2020 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

 

2020 ISU FOUR CONTINENTS FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
SEOUL, KOREA – FEBRUARY 3-9, 2020
MEN
Roman Sadovsky
Nam Nguyen
Keegan Messing
WOMEN
Emily Bausback
Alison Schumacher
Alicia Pineault
PAIR
Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro
Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud
Lubov Ilyushechkina / Charlie Bilodeau
ICE DANCE
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier
Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha
Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus

 

2020 ISU JUNIOR WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
TALLINN, ESTONIA – MARCH 2-8, 2020
MEN
Stephen Gogolev
Joseph Phan
WOMEN
Kaiya Ruiter
TBD
PAIR
Patricia Andrew / Zachary Daleman
TBD
ICE DANCE
Natalie D’Alessandro / Bruce Waddell
TBD
TBD

Three new champions crowned at 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier reached new heights in ice dancing, Roman Sadovky upset two veterans and it was a teenage medal sweep in the women’s event Saturday at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

Only Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro were able to successfully defend their national title winning pairs.

The 20-year-old Sadovsky, of Vaughan, Ont., showed his bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Japan two months ago was no fluke and he won the men’s event with 260.57 points. He watched both defending champion Nam Nguyen and Olympian Keegan Messing deliver mistake filled programs to take second and third spot at 243.51 and 241.79.

“After my skate I wasn’t sure that would be enough,” said Sadovksy, seventh at last year’s nationals. “I’m just happy it was. Watching Nam and Keegan skate was another sort of stress level because you have no control. It’s not a good feeling. We all sort of struggled but fought well at the end.”

Nguyen saluted the new champion.

“Roman really put it down tonight and really deserves it,” said Nguyen. “He is such a beautiful skater to watch and he’s come a long way to get to this point. For me I can’t put the blame on the pressure. I was in a good zone mentally and physically but after that first mistake it started to unravel.”

Gilles and Poirier, skating to Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, tabulated 225.62 points for their first career national crown in their eight-season partnership. The Toronto couple also smashed the previous national mark of 213.78 set by Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje last season.

“Going in first into the free dance is something we are not used to, we are usually chasing,” said Poirier. “It was one of those programs we really had to think through. This gives a lot of confidence heading into the last competitions of the season.”

“Getting a Canadian title is something we’ve really worked hard to get,” added Gillies. “It hasn’t come easily. But everything is about timing in life and we’ve finally found what works for us.”

World junior champions Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., took the silver with 198.92 and Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus were third at 190.29.

“I nearly fell two times but we kept attacking the program and that’s what I was proud of,” said Lagha.

“We were hoping for a good result but not expecting this,” added Lajoie.

Moore-Towers, of St. Catharines, Ont., and  Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., nailed two triple throws on route to top spot at  215.67. Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., were second at 196.29 and Lubov Ilyushechkina of Toronto and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., were third at 186.71.

“My jumps are very solid so this has been a funny couple of days for me,” said Moore-Towers who popped the opening side-by-side jump but both landed the side-by-side triple toe later in the program.

“I was proud of our recovery after that second element, it’s not always easy to do.”

Walsh and Michaud put the pressure on the champs with a powerful skate.

“We went into it as the underdogs,” said Walsh. “We fed off each other for energy and had nothing to lose out there. We worked so well together that it made it a lot easier.”

The teenagers shined in the women’s free skate. Seventeen-year-old Emily Bausback soared from 10th place last year to Canadian champion with 175.54. Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., also 17, took the silver at 168.94 and 16-year-old Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was third at 168.07.

“I’m really glad I trusted my training throughout this whole competition and the entire season so far,” said Bausback, fourth after Friday’s short program. “I worked a lot on my performance skills and projecting to the audience my story.”

Schumacher also made a great comeback after the sixth best score in the short.

“I’m a little surprised because this was quite a strong event,” said Schumacher.

Full results: 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

Battle lines drawn for free skates at 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Keegan Messing is one step closer to a first career Canadian title after placing topping the men’s short program at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

Messing, competing at his eight nationals, tabulated 92.61 points in his skate to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect. Defending champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto is second at 88.04 and Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., stands third at 85.02.

“When I went into my triple Axel I locked eyes with my wife in the crowd and it was like walking down the aisle again,” said Messing, from Sherwood Park, Alta. “The most disappointing was my wobbly Lutz. It’s the most consistent jump I have still I managed to save it.”

There’s a close battle in pairs as well with defending champions Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., leading after the short program with 73.73. First-year partners Lubov Ilyushechkina of Toronto and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., tabulated 71.23 while Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., are third at 70.34.

“I’m a little down I don’t usually miss my jumps,” said Moore-Towers. “I think it was just a minor lack of focus that led to an unfortunate step-out. For the most part I was pleased with our elements. We have a good takeaways, I’m just focused on my glaring error.”

Ilyushechkina and Bilodeau were elated with their showing.

“We’re happy with how in control we were,” said Ilyushechkina. “After the Grand Prix we came home and tried to work on our technique especially and we wound up having our best performance of the season.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto grabbed the lead in ice dancing, scoring 88.86 for their short dance. World junior champions Marjorie Lajoie of Bouherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., are second at 77.26 and Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are third at 75.83.

Gilles and Poirier had issues with their costume during their skate.

“It was a really great skate for us and the costume mishap was a distraction that kind of settled us,” said Poirier. “It took us out of the performance for a second and it forced us to regroup ourselves and really focus.”

Lajoie and Lagha were pleased with how they impressed the judges.

“We didn’t want to go unnoticed here and show that we belonged,” said Lajoie. “We know it’s a big step from junior to the senior level so we wanted our skating to be appreciated.”

In women’s competition, Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., is the leader after the short program with 63.15 points. Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was second at 60.66 and two-time national champion Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket., is third at 59.51.

“I’m just happy that I feel healthy,” said Pineault, who did not compete at last year’s nationals. “It wasn’t perfect scenario today but I have great support from my friends and family and that’s really helping me here.”

The free skates are on Saturday.

Information: 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

First-year partners Andrew and Daleman win junior pairs at 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Patricia Andrew of London, Ont., and Zachary Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., took the gold medal in pairs on Thursday at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

The first-year partners totalled 148.28 points placing first in both programs. Gabrielle Levesque and Pier-Alexandre Hudon of Montreal, third at the last two junior nationals, followed for silver at 140.91 and Kelly-Ann Laurin St-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of St-Alphonse, Que., were third at 138.12.

In the last novice final of the competition, Lily Wilberforce and Aidan Wright of Kitchener, Ont., won the pairs competition with 112.88. Ashlyn Schmitz and Tristan Taylor of Shellbrook, Sask., were second at 104.40 and Rafaëlle Nadeau and David Riccio of Ste-Agathe, Que., were third at 86.25.

“We changed our mindset for this competition,” said Wright. “We got rid of the negative and kept positive and skated to the best of our abilities.”

The men’s and women’s junior events concluded on Wednesday night.

Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary took the women’s crown decisively with 174.83 points. Emily Millard of North Vancouver won silver with 143.31 and Kristina Ivanova of Toronto snared the bronze with 142.73.

“It was exciting,” said Ruiter, who learned to skate on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa where she grew up. “I wanted to put on a show. It’s been an incredible journey so far.”

In men’s junior, Corey Circelli of Toronto won the gold medal despite an injury with 203.13 points. Wesley Chiu of Richond, B.C., took the silver at 198.44 and Alec Guinzbourg of Aurora, Ont., took the bronze at 189.42.

“I was in pain,” admitted Circelli. “But my coaches made a thorough plan of what I was going to do. It was really challenging to fit everything into the session.”

Full results: 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships – Skate Canada