Gilles and Poirier in fight for gold at ISU Grand Prix in Moscow

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MOSCOW – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier almost duplicated their rhythm dance performance from last month’s victory at Skate Canada International to stand second at the sixth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit in figure skating.

Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia are first with 86.09 points followed by the Toronto couple with 82.56 just 0.02 off their personal best set at Skate Canada. Sara Hurtado and Kiriil Khaliavin of Spain are third at 72.01.

“I think we’re starting to learn how to compete how we practice at home,” said Gilles. “We wanted to keep pushing, and didn’t allow ourselves to calm down too much.”

World junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, from Boucherville, Que, and Zachary Lagha, from St-Hubert, Que., are eighth.

In men’s competition, Russia stands 1-2-3 with Alexander Samarin first at 92.81, Dmitri Aliev second at 90.64 and Maka Ignatov third at 87.54.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto is sixth but is only 0.53 points from third spot with 87.01. He delivered a clean program landing a quad Salchow-triple toe combo, a triple Axel and triple flip.

“I’m really happy with how I put myself out there and I think it’s really important for me to keep believing in my confidence,” said Nguyen, the silver medallist at Skate Canada International.

The Russians also grabbed the top three spots in the pairs short program led by Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii.

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., are fifth after a personal best 62.76 less than six points from third place.

Canada has no entries in women’s competition.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2019

Seven Canadian skaters headed to Russia for Rostelecom Cup

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OTTAWA, ON: Team Canada will be competing this week at the Rostelecom Cup, the fifth event of the 2019 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Canada will be sending one entry in men, one entry in pair and two entries in ice dance, for a total of seven skaters. The event will take place from November 15-17, 2019, in Moscow, Russia.

Nam Nguyen, 20, Ajax, Ont., will be the lone Canadian entry in men. This season, Nguyen won silver at Skate Canada International and finished fourth at Nebelhorn Trophy. He is coached by Robert Burk in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Evelyn Walsh, 18, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 23, Trenton, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in pairs. The two finished eighth at Skate Canada International and sixth at Finlandia Trophy this season. They are coached by Alison Purkiss in Brantford, Ont.

Piper Gilles, 27, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 28, Unionville, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This season, the duo took home gold medals at Skate Canada International and Autumn Classic International. They are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Jon Lane in Scarborough, Ont.

Marjorie Lajoie, 19, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 20, Saint-Hubert, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. The team finished sixth at Skate Canada International and fourth at Finlandia Trophy this season. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Bev Viger of Abbortsford, B.C., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Leanna Caron, President, Skate Canada, will also be travelling with the team. Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., and Veronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event. Dr. Albert Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the medical staff onsite.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2019 ROSTELECOM CUP – MOSCOW, RUSSIA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Nam Nguyen 20 Ajax, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Robert Burk
Pairs Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud 18 / 23 London, Ont. / Trenton, Ont. London SC / Trenton SC Alison Purkiss
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 27 / 28 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Jon Lane
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 19 / 20 Boucherville, Que. / Saint-Hubert, Que. CPA Boucherville / CPA Saint-Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer

Canadian skaters headed to Poland for Warsaw Cup

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters competing at the 2019 Warsaw Cup in Warsaw, Poland, from  November 14-17, 2019. Team Canada will have one entry in men, two entries in women, three entries in pairs and one entry in ice dance at the 2019 ISU Challenger series event.

Joseph Phan, 18, Laval, Que., will be the lone Canadian entry in men. This season, he finished fifth at JGP Baltic Cup and sixth at JGP Riga Cup. He is coached by Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Alison Schumacher, 16, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian entries in women. On the JGP circuit, she finished seventh at Croatia and 18th at Courchevel. Alison is coached by Brian Orser and Joey Russell in Toronto, Ont.

Emily Bausback, 17, Vancouver, B.C., will be the second Canadian entry in women. Earlier this season, she placed sixth at JGP Lake Placid and she is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Justine Brasseur, 18, Brossard, Que., and Mark Bardei, 23, Montreal, Que, will be the first of three Canadian entries in pairs. Last season, the team placed fifth at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier in St- Léonard, Que.

Nadine Wang, 20, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Francis Boudreau-Audet, 25, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in pairs. Earlier this season, the duo finished ninth at the ISU Challenger series event U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. They are coached by Richard Gauthier.

Lori-Ann Matte, 20, Lévis, Que., and Thierry Ferland, 22, Lévis, Que., will round out the Canadian entries in pairs. At the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the two finished eighth. They are coached by Richard Gauthier in Montreal, Que.

Alicia Fabbri, 16, Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer, 21, Calgary. Alta., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, the team finished ninth at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Beth Crane of Burnaby, B.C., and Erica Topolski of Fredericton, N.B., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2019 WARSAW CUP – WARSAW, POLAND

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Joseph Phan 18 Laval, Que. CPA Laval Brian Orser
Women Alison Schumacher 16 Tecumseh, Ont. Granite Club / Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser / Joey Russell
Women Emily Bausback 17 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International SC of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Pairs Justine Brasseur / Mard Bardei 18 / 23 Brossard, Que. / Montreal, Que CPA Brossard Richard Gauthier
Pairs Nadine Wang / Francis Boudreau-Audet 20 / 25 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. / Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Maroposa WC / CPA St Jean Richard Gauthier
Pairs Lori-Ann Matte / Thierry Ferland 20 /22 Lévis, Que. / Lévis, Que. CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean / CPA St Romuald – St. Jean Richard Gauthier
Ice Dance Alicia Fabbri / Paul Ayer 16 / 21 Terrebonne, Que., / Calgary, Alta. CPA Terrebonne / Calalta Calgary Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon

Nexxice wins bronze with comeback, Suprêmes also third at California Cup

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IRVINE, California – Les Suprêmes from St-Léonard, Que., and Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., each won a bronze medal Saturday night at the California Cup synchronized skating competition.

In junior competition, Mystique from Finland won the gold with 185.24, Skyliners from the U.S. were second at 181.17 and Nexxice moved from fourth after the short to third overall with 154.35.

The Nexxice skaters were: 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.

“Coming into this we weren’t expecting big things,” said Napier. “We just wanted to focus on our skate and what we could control and it paid off in the end. There are only six returnees from last year so it’s incredible for us to have a result like this.”

In senior competition, the Helsinki Rockettes won the gold medal with 211.57 points. The Haydenettes from the U.S., were second at 203.60 and Les Suprêmes remained in third spot totalling 191.58. Nova, from Brossard, Que., followed in fourth at 187.65.

Les Suprêmes – 2019 California Cup – Bronze medalists

The team members for Les Suprêmes 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, Alessia Polletta and Florence Poulin.

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

Full results: ISU CS SYS California Cup 2019

Les Suprêmes third after short program at California Cup

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IRVINE, California – Les Suprêmes from St-Léonard, Que., are in third place after Friday’s short program in senior competition at the California Cup synchronized skating competition.

The Haydenettes from the U.S. are in first place with 72.77 points followed by the Helsinki Rockettes from Finland in second at 67.97 and Les Suprêmes in third at 63.93. In fourth spot is Nova from Brossard, Que., seventh at the world championships last year, at 61.49.

There are seven entries.

The team members for Les Suprêmes are: 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, Alessia Polletta and Florence Poulin.

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

In junior competition, Skyliners from the U.S. are first after the short at 62.63, Mystique from Finland second at 62.04, Starlights from the U.S. third at 55.25 and Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., are fourth at 48.97.

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.

Competition ends Saturday with the free programs.

Full results: ISU CS SYS California Cup 2019

Two bronze medals for Canada at ISU Grand Prix

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CHONGQIN, China – Ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaury and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal and new Canadian pairs team Lubov Ilyushechkina and Charlie Bilodeau won bronze medals Saturday to conclude the Cup of China, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

In ice dancing, the top-three remained unchanged with Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia winning the gold medal with 209.90 points. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. won the free dance but it wasn’t enough to catch the Russians as they totalled 208.55.

Fournier Beaudry and Soresen notched their second bronze this season on the circuit with 190.74.

“Today we had a bit of a rough skate,” said Sorensen. “It’s really a testimony to our training that we were able to get into third place and we are really happy about that.”

In pairs, Chinese teams grabbed the top-two spots with world champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han first at 228.37 and Cheng Peng and Yang Jin second at 199.97. Ilyushechkina and Bilodeau improved on their fifth place finish from Skate Canada International two weeks ago for third with 190.73.

“It was definitely one of our tougher skates,” said Ilyushechkina, from Toronto. “We’re happy we fought for every single element but there were still a lot of points left on the table.”

It was a first Grand Prix medal for the couple which joined forces this past spring.

“We put together some nice performances here all things considered,” said Bilodeau, from Trois-Pistoles, Que. “It was our first competition in Asia and our third event in a month and a half. So it’s been a pretty intense period.”

In men’s competition, Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., posted the third best free skate to climb to fourth spot overall with 237.36.

It was a 1-2 Chinese finish with Boyang Jin first at 261.53 followed by Han Yan at 249.45. Matteo Rizzo of Italy took the bronze at 241.88.

“My free skate is a hard program for me to get through,” said Messing, fifth after the short on Friday. “To get out there and skate it as well as I did, is a little weight off my chest and I feel like I can be really happy leaving here now.”

Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., completed his Grand Prix debut in 11th place.

The fifth stop on the circuit is this Friday and Saturday in Moscow.

Full results: ISU GP SHISEIDO Cup of China 2019

Two Canadian teams in medal position at ISU Grand Prix

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CHONGQIN, China – The new Canadian pairs team of Lubov Ilyushechkina and Charlie Bilodeau are in second place after the short program while ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaury and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal are third after the rhythm dance in Friday’s action at the Cup of China figure skating competition, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China lead the pairs competition with 80.90 points followed by Ilyushechkina and Bilodeau with a personal best 68.98 for second and Cheng Peng and Yang Jin of China in third at 68.50.

“We really like the feeling we’ve developed for this short program and it was quite stable,” Bilodeau told @goldenskate. “There were some mistakes, but we got our lucky 68 (score).”

In ice dancing, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia are first at 85.39, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. second at 80.34 and the Canadians follow at 78.41.

Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen have enjoyed a terrific season so far. They were third at the season opening stop in Las Vegas last month and also won two medals on the ISU Challenger Series including one gold.

Chinese skaters are 1-2 in men’s competition with Han Yan first at 86.46 and Boyang Jin second at 85.43. Matteo Rizzo of Italy follows in third at 81.72.

Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., stands fifth with 76.80 while Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., is 10th.

There are no Canadians in the women’s event.

The free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP SHISEIDO Cup of China 2019

Worlds Rewind: Ottawa 1984

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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 5 of the ten-part series reflects on the 1984 world championships in Ottawa.

For Canadian pair legends Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, it was a world title that almost wasn’t.

As the 1984 ISU World Figure Skating Championships returned to Ottawa from March 20-25 – just six years after the nation’s capital hosted the 1978 edition of the event – Underhill and Martini, coming off a disappointing seventh place showing at the Sarajevo Olympic Winter Games weeks earlier, considered taking a pass on the home world championships.

“We came home very disappointed from the Olympics, very down,” admitted Martini at the time. “I don’t think anyone can appreciate how far we’ve come in the past two weeks. We came very close to not coming here at all.”

The decision to compete ended up being a wise one.

Energized by a rousing pro-Canadian crowd of more than 10,000 at the Ottawa Civic Centre, Underhill and Martini trailed Olympic and defending world champions Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev after the short program but delivered a flawless long program to dethrone the Soviet Union team and become the first Canadians to win a world championship since Karen Magnussen captured the women’s crown in 1973.

“After Sarajevo, skating wasn’t fun anymore, added Underhill. “We went to the rink because we had to, because people here had paid money to see us. But we didn’t want to.”

In the men’s competition, the growing rivalry between American Scott Hamilton and Canadian Brian Orser continued to evolve. Coming off a gold medal in Sarajevo – where Orser won silver – Hamilton captured his fourth straight world championship, with Orser once stepping up to the second step on the podium.

Riding a wave of momentum from the Sarajevo Olympics, the legendary British ice dance tandem of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean made sure the ice dance competition in Ottawa was a mere formality. Their dazzling Boléro free dance, which earned unprecedented perfect 6.0 scores for artistic impression from all nine judges in Sarajevo, is widely regarded as one of the most iconic in figure skating history, and Torvill and Dean did not disappoint in Ottawa as they cruised to their fourth straight world title. Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall, whose career would be highlighted by seven Canadian titles, three world bronze medals and an Olympic bronze, placed sixth in Ottawa.

Katarina Witt of East Germany, fresh off a gold medal performance in Sarajevo, won her first of four ladies’ world titles, with Anna Kondrashova of the Soviet Union earning silver and American Elaine Zayak taking home bronze. Kay Thomson was the top Canadian, finishing in fifth.
Canada would next host the world championships in 1990, when Halifax welcomed the world to the Maritimes.

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.

1984 WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALLISTS

DISCIPLINE GOLD SILVER BRONZE
Men  Scott Hamilton  Brian Orser  Alexander Fadeev
Ladies  Katarina Witt  Anna Kondrashova  Elaine Zayak
Pair skating  Barbara Underhill / Paul Martini  Elena Valova / Oleg Vasiliev  Sabine Baeß / Tassilo Thierbach
Ice dancing  Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean  Natalia Bestemianova / Andrei Bukin  Judy Blumberg / Michael Seibert

Six Canadian skaters en route to Cup of China

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send four entries, for a total of six skaters to the fourth stop of the 2019 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Cup of China takes place from November 8-10, 2019 in Chongqing, China. Canada will have two entries in men, one entry in pair and one entry in ice dance.

Keegan Messing, 27, Sherwood Park, Alta. / Brantford, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in men. This will be Messing’s first time competing at Cup of China. Earlier this season, he finished second at Autumn Classic International and fourth at Skate America. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, U.S.

Conrad Orzel, 19, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men. This season, Conrad finished sixth at Autumn Classic International. He is coached by Tracy Wilson and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Newly formed pair team Lubov Ilyushechkina, 27, Toronto, Ont., and Charlie Bilodeau, 26, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the lone pair team representing Canada. The duo won bronze at Finlandia Trophy and finished fifth at Skate Canada International. They are coached by Richard Gauthier in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 27, Montreal, Que., and Nikolaj Sørensen, 30, Montreal, Que., will be the only Canadian entry in ice dance. Earlier this season, the two won gold at ISU Challenger series event Nebelhorn Trophy and bronze at Skate America. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Gabrielle Daleman, 21, Newmarket, Ont., was originally assigned to this event but has withdrawn. Daleman is suffering post-concussion symptoms and will be unable to travel and compete at Cup of China.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the team leaders at the event. Dr. Laura Cruz of Toronto, Ont. and physiotherapist Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Andre-Marc Allain of Ottawa, Ont., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT CUP OF CHINA – CHONGQING, CHINA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Keegan Messing 27 Sherwood Park, Alta. / Brantford, Ont. Ice Palace FSC Ralph Burghart
Men Conrad Orzel 19 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club Tracy Wilson / Brian Orser
Pair Lubov Ilyushechkina / Charlie Bilodeau 27 / 26 Toronto, Ont. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Chambly Richard Gauthier
Ice Dance Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Sørensen 27 / 30 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Town of Mount Royal FSC / Town of Mount Royal FSC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer

Patrick Chan and Joannie Rochette named Athlete Ambassadors for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020

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OTTAWA, ON: Not that the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2020 needed any more star appeal, but figure skating’s flagship event just got it anyway.

As Montreal, Quebec gets set to welcome the world to the Centre Bell from March 16-22, 2020, a pair of Canadian legends with 16 national titles between them will once again step onto the sport’s grandest stage. Only this time, they’ll be watching from the wings.

Skate Canada today introduced three-time world champion Patrick Chan, who also holds a record ten Canadian titles, and Montreal’s own Joannie Rochette, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games bronze medallist and six-time Canadian champion, as official Athlete Ambassadors for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2020.

As the world championships return to Canada for the first time since 2013, Chan and Rochette, as co-Athlete Ambassadors, will handle speaking engagements and media interviews, conduct appearances on behalf of competing athletes and spend time with the fans who meant so much to them over their careers.

“I am thrilled that the 2020 ISU World Championships are being held in Montreal and very excited to be an ambassador for the event,” says Chan.

“One of my fondest memories in figure skating was when I competed at the 2013 ISU World Championships in London, Ontario. Having the support of a home crowd energized me to be the best I could be and ultimately achieve a gold medal.”

Rochette is ecstatic that the world championships are coming to her hometown for the first time since 1932.

“It means so much to me to be named Athlete Ambassador for the world championships in Montreal,” says Rochette. “Montrealers are known to be welcoming and open to the world and am honoured to represent Skate Canada and all the athletes participating at this incredible event. I wish all the skaters a great week of skating in Montreal and hope they get a chance to see the beautiful city.”

This will mark the second time that Chan and Rochette have served as Athlete Ambassadors as Skate Canada continues to honour the athletes that have contributed so much to its rich and storied history. Most recently, Chan was Athlete Ambassador at the 2018-19 ISU Grand Prix Final and Rochette at 2018 Skate Canada International. Other Athlete Ambassadors at recent Skate Canada events include Kevin Reynolds, Elvis Stojko, Kurt Browning, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Jeffery Buttle and Shae-Lynn Bourne.

“We are honoured to have Patrick and Joannie as our athlete ambassadors for the world championships. Skate Canada is thrilled to bring the world championships to Montreal and are proud to have alumni like Patrick and Joannie who are incredible role models for not just athletes but for all Canadians,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Over their careers they have both taken part and won medals at every major skating event and know firsthand the pressures of competition and we know they will help make an unforgettable event for all participants.”

Chan and Rochette need no introduction to figure skating aficionados, in Canada or around the world.

In eight trips to the world championships, Chan stepped onto the podium on five occasions, including three consecutive world titles from 2011 to 2013. In addition to his record ten Canadian championships, he is three-time Olympic medallist, including a gold medal as a member of the winning Canadian squad in the team event at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Shortly after those Olympics, Chan announced his retirement from competitive skating and regularly performs in skating shows across Canada. He currently resides in Vancouver and continues to give back to the sport that gave him so much, teaching seminars in the Vancouver area.

Chan’s affection for Vancouver is understandable, considering he won his first national title in the city in 2008 before capturing his final Canadian crown in the city.

“It’s great that the next generation of Canadian figure skaters get that same chance to compete on home soil against the world’s best, and I look forward to welcoming the world to Canada,” Chan adds.

Rochette left her footprint on the heart of a nation at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, with her emotional bronze-medal performance, which led to her being named Female Athlete of the Year by Canadian Press.

In addition to her six Canadian championships, Rochette represented Canada seven times at the world championships, winning silver in 2009. During six career appearances at Skate Canada International, she medalled five times including gold in 2006, 2008 and 2009. In 2017, Skate Canada announced Rochette will be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.

These days, Rochette keeps a busy schedule as she continues to attend medical school at McGill University, but the opportunity to have a rink side view of a home world championships was too much to pass up.

“There is nothing quite like representing your country on the international stage. I am sure it will bring back a lot of memories for Patrick and I,” adds Rochette.

Along with an entire country.

TICKETS
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships ® 2020 will offer six different levels of day ticket packages located in the 100 and 200 levels at Centre Bell. To view a venue map please click here.

The Bell Centre ticket system offers two ways to purchase tickets: “best available” or “choose a section” in which the system will offer the best available seat in the specified section (if available). Each day ticket includes access to the daily competition and daily early practice (excluding Sunday’s closed Gala practice).

*All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Fans may add a Super Fan Bag to their ticket order. Super Fan Bags include a souvenir program, commemorative championship pin, premium branded blanket and stylish tote for $110 ($100 ticket + $10 venue fee). Super Fan bags are available for pre-order until November 1, 2019.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.montreal2020.com, by phone at 1-877-668-8269 or in person at the Centre Bell Box Office.

EVENT INFO
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event that moves around the globe, attracting more than 300 million television viewers worldwide showcasing the 200 best athletes from 50 countries in four disciplines: men, women, pair and ice dance. An event of this magnitude could not take place without the contribution of the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and Montreal Tourism.

The 2020 world championships will mark Canada’s 11th time hosting, a second for Montreal. Montreal last hosted the championships in 1932, the very first time Canada hosted the event. Canada last hosted the event in London, Ontario, in 2013.

Three Canadian Synchronized Skating teams headed to U.S. for California Cup

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OTTAWA, ON: Three Canadian synchronized skating teams are headed to the 2019 California Cup in Irvine, California, U.S.A., from November 6-9, 2019. The event is an annual International Skating Union (ISU) sanctioned synchronized skating competition and Canada will be represented by Les Suprêmes senior, Nova senior and NEXXICE junior.

Canadian Synchronized Skating champions, Nova senior, Club de Patinage Synchronise Nova, will be the first of two Canadian entries in senior. Last season, they finished seventh at the 2019 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. The team is coached by Marie France Sirois.

Les Suprêmes senior, CPA Saint-Leonard, will be the second Canadian entry in senior. Last season, the team finished third at the 2019 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Marilyn Langlois, Pascal Denis and Amelie Brochu.

NEXXICE junior, Burlington Skating Centre, will be the lone Canadian entry in junior. At the 2019 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships, the team finished eighth. They are coached by Trish Perdue-Mills.

Mary Ellen McDonald, Senior Director, Operations, and Laura Baker of Ottawa, Ont., will be the team leaders at the event. Diane Kamagianis of Mission, B.C., will be the Canadian judge attending the event.

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

Ruest and Wolfe earn Canada’s best result at ISU Grand Prix

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GRENOBLE, France – Camille Ruest and Drew Wolfe earned Canada’s best result on Saturday at the ISU Grand Prix with a sixth place finish in pairs and a personal best score.

Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov led Russia to a 1-2 finish with Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. third.

Ruest, from Rimouski, Que., and Wolfe, from Calgary, equaled their result from Skate America two weeks ago with a sixth place but bettered their overall score to 166.15, a two pint improvement on their previous best set in a fifth place finish at last year’s Grand Prix in France.

“There were some technical mistakes we had to deal but overall we’re happy with both programs,” said Wolfe. “We showed some great quality lifts, improvements in our twist and bettered our component scores.”

In men’s competition the top-three remained the same with two-time world champion Nathan Chen of the U.S. first with 297.16 points. Alexander Samarin of Russia took the silver at 265.10 and Kevin Aymoz of France was third at 254.64.

Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., opened with triple Axel triple toe combo on route to the sixth best free skate to climb from ninth to seventh overall.

“I was really frustrated with my short program, so I’m happy I was able to redeem myself with the long,” said Nadeau, seventh at Skate Canada International last week. “I did full on plan A in my free. I got all my spins levels, I didn’t let go of any points, did all my stuff and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

Nadeau was also pleased with the progress of his quad toe.

“It’s not very stable right now, it’s my Hail Mary jump,” he said. “It was on two feet today, but I was still up and my butt didn’t touch the ice.”

World champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the ice dance competition with 222.24. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. were second at 204.84 and Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were third at 203.34.

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver remained seventh at 175.80.

“We gave two performances we were proud of,” said Soucisse. “It wasn’t the scores we wanted but we really have something to build on.”

The fourth stop on the circuit is next Friday and Saturday in China.

Full results: ISU GP Internationaux de France de Patinage 2019