Soucisse and Firus grab bronze at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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SALT LAKE CITY – This time there were no mishaps in the free dance for Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver as they won the bronze medal Saturday in ice dancing at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

The competition was the third stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2019 Challenger Series.

The U.S. was 1-2 as Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the gold with 202.40 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were second at 188.47. Soucisse and Firus, also third after the rhythm dance Friday, followed at 181.39.

Last week at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ont., the Canadians were second after the rhythm dance but Firus fell in the free dropping the couple to fifth overall.

“We did what we’ve been doing in practice and we are happy about that,” said Firus about Saturday’s performance. “Our scores are getting better.”

Molly Lanaghan and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., remained fourth at 154.13.

In women’s competition, Satoko Miyahara of Japan won the gold with Young You of South Korea second and Amber Glenn of the U.S. third.

Hannah Dawson of Vankleek Hill, Ont., and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., were sixth and seventh.

Full results: 2019 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian ice dancers fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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GDANSK, Poland – Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver improved their score and equaled their result from their last appearance on the ISU Junior Grand Prix placing fourth in ice dancing Saturday at the fifth stop on the circuit.

Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik of the U.S.won the gold medal with 174.68, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France were second at 162.70 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia were third at 162.19.

Makita and Gunara totalled 154.11 which bettered the 149.63 they skated three weeks ago at the second stop in Lake Placid where they also placed fourth.

“We needed to skate our best to get in the top-four again,” said Gunara. “It’s nice to see that only in our second international competition we improved.”

Jessica Li of Brossard, Que., and Jacob Richmond of Toronto were ninth.

In men’s competition, Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., was all smiles after a much improved free skate to finish fifth overall with 207.70 points. Daniil Samsonov of Russia won the gold with 250.51, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan was second at 245.35 and Daniel Grassl of Italy third at 228.64.

Phan ranked fourth for his free skate. Skating to Beetoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto he opened with a quad toe triple toe combo followed by a triple Axel and triple flip. Two weeks ago in Riga he fell on his triple Axel and the program unravelled from there.

Corey Circelli of Toronto was 10th with a personal best 172.72 and four ranks higher than in his international debut in Riga.

“I need to push myself more when I’m out there and really go for it,” said Circelli. “I didn’t show enough confidence or speed in my programs. There were seven skaters that earned over 200 points so it was definitely the strongest event I’ve ever been involved in.”

The sixth stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Zagreb, Croatia.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/jgppol2019/

Soucisse and Firus third after rhythm dance at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are in third spot after Friday’s rhythm dance at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

The competition is the third stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2019 Challenger Series.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. grabbed the lead in the ice dance at 80.18 and their compatriots Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko are second at 77.18. Soucisse and Firus, fifth last week at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, follow at 71.33.

Molly Lanaghan and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., are fourth at 58.26.

After the short program in women’s competition, Hannah Dawson of Vankleek Hill, Ont., is fifth and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., seventh.

The pairs competition concluded with Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc of the U.S. taking the gold.

Camille Ruest of Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe of Calgary were seventh, Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., eighth and Nadine Wang and Francis Boudreau-Audet of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., ninth.

“We felt we had our better showing than at our last appearance here,” said Wolfe. “Our short program was incredible, it was a bit tougher in the long with some mistakes here and there but overall we took a step forward in our season.”

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

Full results: 2019 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian novice champs sixth in international debut

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GDANSK, Poland – Canadian novice champions Kelly Ann Laurin of Saint-Jerôme, Que., and Loucas Ethier of St-Eustache, Que., placed sixth in pairs to conclude their international debut Friday at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov of Russia won the gold medal ahead of Kate Finster and Balazs Nagy of the U.S. in second and Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel of Germany in third.

Laurin and Ethier were seventh after Thursday’s short program and ranked sixth for the free skate.

“For us it was really about the experience,” said Ethier. “It was a thrill to see the competitors from other countries and we felt that we did our performances very well.”

Camille Perrault of Orford, Que., and William St-Louis of Shawinigan were ninth.

“It was a new world for us to compete at this level,” said St-Louis. “I thought we skated well despite a very different setting.”

Alysa Liu of the U.S. took the women’s gold with Viktoria Vasilieva of Russia second and her compatriot Anastasia Tarakanova third. Amelia Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., was 14th.

“I’m really happy with the way I skated,” said Orzell, also in her Junior Grand Prix debut. “It was an amazing experience and I had so much support and I’m grateful to be here.”

In ice dancing, Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver are in fourth spot less than two points from a podium position with 62.25. Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik of the U.S. are first at 69.20, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France second at 65.82 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia are third at 64.23.

Jessica Li of Brossard, Que., and Jacob Richmond of Toronto are seventh at 56.48.

After Thursday’s men’s short program, Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., is sixth and Corey Circelli of Toronto ninth.

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

Full results: ISU JGP Baltic Cup 2019

Skate Canada announces Hall of Fame Class of 2019

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OTTAWA, ON : Skate Canada is pleased to announce four new members into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. The class of 2019 includes athlete Veronica Clarke, and in the professional disciplines, coach Lee Barkell, choreographer David Wilson, and builder Audrey Williams.

Veronica Clarke, of Toronto, Ont., was a skating pioneer in women’s singles, pairs, dance and fours. Clarke competed from 1928 to 1938, winning 20 Canadian medals—10 of which were gold—as well as three international medals. With her pair partner Ralph McCreath, Clarke won the 1937 North American Championships, three Canadian Figure Skating Championships and along with McCreath, Constance Wilson-Samuel, and Montgomery Wilson, fours medallists in the 1938 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. Clarke is being honoured posthumously.

Lee Barkell, of Kirkland Lake, Ont., enters the Skate Canada Hall of Fame as a professional. Barkell has been a leading singles and pairs coach since his retirement from competition as a pair skater with his wife Melanie Gaylor. During Barkell’s skating career with Gaylor, the pair team won three international competitions. Over the course of his 27-year coaching career, Barkell has coached an extensive list of skaters, including world champion and Olympic medallist Jeffrey Buttle, Olympian and world medallist Gabrielle Daleman, and two-time national champions Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, and Canadian pair champions Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, and Lenny Faustino and Jacinthe Larivière.

David Wilson, a former figure skater born in Toronto, Ont., has worked as a master choreographer for more than 20 years. Wilson’s choreography expertise begins from crafting a program, to searching for music, to the end product of seeing a skater perform. He has produced numerous artistic programmes for Olympic, world & national medallists including singles skaters Sasha Cohen, Jeffrey Buttle, Yu-Na Kim, Patrick Chan, Yuzuru Hanyu, Joannie Rochette, ice dancers Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.

Audrey Williams, from Vancouver, B.C., has served as an official for more than 50 years, first being appointed as a national judge in 1959 and later as a judge for the ISU in 1967. Williams is a role model as a judge, referee, and team leader, especially mentoring pair judges in Canada. She was a team leader at both junior and senior worlds, as well as at the Olympics in 1972. She has sat on several Skate Canada committees over many years. She judged six world championships, four junior worlds and the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer. As a skater, she was a four-time Canadian Figure Skating Championship medallist with pair partner Brian Power. Most recently, she was inducted into the British Columbia Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2011.

Skate Canada is proud to celebrate the achievements of the skating community through the inductions of exceptional members in the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. The exact date and locations of the various inductions will be announced as they become available.

Three-time Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Retire from Competitive Skating

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OTTAWA, ON: The worlds most decorated figure skaters, Tessa Virtue, 30, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 31, Ilderton, Ont., announced their retirement from competitive figure skating today. During their 22-year career they won five Olympic medals, three world championship titles and eight national titles.

Virtue and Moir have dominated the ice dance field during both their junior and senior careers. They are the first and only ice dance team to win every major junior and senior skating competition: junior world championships (2006), junior grand prix final (2006), four continents championships (2018, 2012, 2017), senior world championships (2010, 2012, 2017), senior grand prix final (2016) and Olympic Games (2010, 2018). They have won a total of 55 international medals during their 20-year partnership, with 33 of them being gold.

Tessa and Scott have had an extraordinary career as the most decorated figure skaters of all time. Skate Canada has been fortunate to be able to be part of their remarkable career. Their partnership has inspired fans around the world with their skating skills and their passionate performances.” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Skate Canada thanks Tessa and Scott for their vast contribution to skating and wish them the very best with their future plans.”

Over their career they competed at three consecutive Olympic Winter Games (2010, 2014, 2018), winning a total five medals. Virtue and Moir made their Olympic debut in 2010 at the Vancouver Games, they won gold in ice dance, making history as the first North American team to win the title and the youngest ice dance team to ever win gold at the Olympic Games. At their second Olympic Games in 2014 in Sochi, they picked up two silver medals in the ice dance discipline and in the team event. In 2018 they topped off their career at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang winning gold in ice dance and in the team event. They were also the Canadian flag bearers for the 2018 Winter Olympics, becoming the first team to carry the Canadian flag at an Olympic opening ceremony.

“Tessa and Scott are the most innovative ice dance team of all time. Throughout their career they have always pushed the ice dance envelope by bringing different genres to life with technical precision and performance perfection,” said Mike Slipchuk, Director High Performance, Skate Canada. “What makes them so special is they are champions on and off the ice. They are great athletes but also great leaders and people. We thank them for bringing us along on their incredible journey.”

Off the ice, Virtue and Moir have also picked up several honours. After the 2018 Olympic Games, they were awarded the Canadian Press Team of the Year, Postmedia Team of the Year and CBC Sports Canadian Athletes of the Year. Also, in 2018 they were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in the sports and athletics category.

Virtue and Moir are currently producing their own skating show, Rock the Rink. This fall the skating tour will visit 30 cities across Canada and the U.S.

Canadian skaters headed to Poland for fifth stop on JGP circuit

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters in Gdansk, Poland for the fifth stop of the 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Team Canada’s entries include two entries in men, one entry in women, two entries in pair and ice dance. The competition will take place from September 18-21, 2019.

Joseph Phan, 18, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in men. This season, Phan finished sixth at Riga Cup. Last season, Phan won a bronze medal at Czech Skate and placed 12th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. He finished fourth in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Phan is coached by Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Corey Circelli, 16, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men. This season, Circelli finished ninth in ice dance with partner Olivia McIsaac at Courchevel. At the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, he finished third in junior men. Circelli is coached by Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Amelia Orzel, 16, Woodbridge, Ont., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. Last season, she finished ninth at Golden Bear. At the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Orzel placed 11th in junior. She is coached by Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian novice champions, Kelly Ann Laurin, 14, Saint-Jerôme, Que., and Loucas Ethier, 19, Saint-Eustache, Que., will be the first Canadian entry in pairs. They are coached by Yvan Desjardins, Stéphanie Valois and Violaine Émard in Rosemère, Que.

Camille Perrault, 15, Orford, Que., and William St-Louis, 18, Shawinigan, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in pairs. Camille and William created this new partnership in April 2016.  They are coached by Marc-André Craig in Chambly, Que. Camille previously skated with Bryan Pierro.

Miku Makita, 16, Vancouver, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 16, Vancouver, B.C., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. This season, the two finished fourth at Lake Placid. Last season, they finished eighth at JGP Canada and second at Lake Placid Dance. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Vancouver, B.C.

Jessica Li, 16, Brossard, Que., and Jacob Richmond, 19, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, they finished 11th in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The team is coached by Julien Lalonde and Mylène Girard in Chambly, Que.

Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence, and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Sylvia Cyrurisek of Berwyn, Alta., and Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. André Marc Allain of Gatineau, Que. and Susan Moriss of Victoria, B.C. will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT JGP #5 – GDANSK, POLAND

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Joseph Phan 18 Toronto, Ont. CPA Laval Brian Orser
Men Corey Circelli 16 Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser / Tracy Wilson
Women Amelia Orzel 16 Woodbridge, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser / Tracy Wilson
Pair Camille Perreault / William St-Louis 15/18 Orford, Que. / Shawinigan, Que. Académie Performance Isatis Marc-André Craig
Pair Kelly Ann Laurin / Loucas Ethier 14/19 Saint-Jerôme, Que. / Saint-Eustache, Que. École Excellence Rosemère Yvan Desjardins / Stéphane Valois / Violaine Émard
Ice Dance Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara 16/16 Vancouver, B.C. / Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver Ice Dance Academy Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Jessica Li / Jacob Richmond 16/19 Brossard, Que. / Toronto, Ont. Académie Performance Isatis Julien Lalonde / Mylène Girard

Canadian skaters headed to Salt Lake City for U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send seven entries, for a total of 12 skaters to the 2019 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the third stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2019 Challenger Series. Canada will have two entries in women, three entries in pairs and two entries in ice dance. The event will take place from September 17-22, 2019, in Salt Lake City, USA.

Canadian junior champion, Hannah Dawson, 18, Vankleek Hill, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in women. Last season, she finished 10th at JGP Canada. Dawson is coached by Annie Barabé and Marlène Picard in Varennes, Que.

Alicia Pineault, 20, Varennes, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in women. Last season, Pineault placed 10th at Skate Canada International. She is coached by Stephane Yvars in Boucherville, Que.

Lori-Ann Matte, 20, Lévis, Que., and Thierry Ferland, 22, Lévis, Que., will be the first Canadian entry in pairs. The two finished fifth last season at Autumn Classic International and fourth at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier in Montreal, Que.

Canadian national bronze medallists, Camille Ruest, 25, Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe, 24, Calgary, Alta., will be the second Canadian entry in pairs. Last season, they finished eighth at ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and fifth at Internationaux de France. The two are coached by Richard Gauthier in Saint Leonard, Que.

Nadine Wang, 20, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Francis Boudreau-Audet, 25, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., will be the third Canadian entry in pairs. The newly announced team is coached by Richard Gauthier.

Carolane Soucisse, 24, Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 25, North Vancouver, B.C., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, the two finished fifth at NHK Trophy and eighth at Skate Canada International. At the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, they finished fifth. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Molly Lanaghan, 20, Ajax, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 22, Ajax Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. The two finished sixth last season at Autumn Classic International and sixth at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Jon Lane in Toronto, Ont.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director and Carolyn Allwright of Waterloo, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Robert Manka will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Laura Carr of Kelowna, B.C., and Patty Klein of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

For more information and full entries, please visit www.isu.org or www.usfigureskatingclassic.com

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2019 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Women Hannah Dawson 18 Vankleek, Hill, Ont. Champions Training Centre Varennes Annie Barabé / Marlène Picard
Women Alicia Pineault 20 Varennes, Que. SC Varennes Stephane Yvars
Pair Lori-Ann Matt / Thierry Ferland 20/22 Lévis, Que. / Lévis, Que. CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean / CPA St. Romuald – St. Jean Richard Gauthier
Pair Camille Ruest / Andrew Wolfe 25/24 Rimouski, Que. / Calgary, Alta. CPA De Rimouski / Glencoe Club Richard Gauthier
Pair Nadine Wang / Francis Boudreau-Audet 20/25 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. / Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Mariposa WC / CPA St Jean Richard Gauthier
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus 24/25 Chateauguay, Que. / North Vancouver, B.C. CPA Repentigny / CPA Repentigny Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance Molly Lanaghan / Dmitre Razgulajevs 20/22 Ajax, Ont. / Ajax, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Jon Lane

Gilles and Poirier win gold at Autumn Classic International

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OAKVILLE, Ont. – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto won the gold medal in ice dancing at the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition which concluded on Saturday at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Gilles and Poirier, skated a new free dance performed to Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, and totalled 202.49. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain took the silver at 184.09 and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France were third at 182.91.

“It felt really good and both of us were really excited about performing this program,” said Gilles. “At camp we felt it was a very good start and it has grown even more here today. We’re going to give it the effort and time it needs to develop.”

Last season, the couple produced a smash hit with their free dance to the song Vincent and they wowed the crowd once again with their new skate.

“We kept the program going and didn’t let the glitches affect the performance,” added Poirier. “We’re really excited to see where both our new programs will take us.”

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver, second after the rhythm dance on Friday, dropped to fifth overall at 172.90. The couple showed some impressive moves in their skate to a Tom Jones medley but Firus had an unfortunate fall in the middle of the program.

“I made a big error on the twizzles,” said Firus. “That cost us quite a few points but other than that I thought the program went quite well.”

Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the men’s event with 279.05. Kevin Aymoz of France took the silver at 262.47 and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park was third at 256.02.

Messing fell on his opening quad Lutz but came back strong hitting two quad toes – one of which he touched down with his hand, and two triple Axels -including one in combination- to maintain his medal position.

“Everything was a push and a fight,” Messing said. “I had a terrible warm-up, went backstage to set my mind straight. I came back took each element at a time and fought through.”

Conrad Orzel of Toronto delivered the fifth best free skate but remained sixth at 214.98. He also had two quad toes and two triple Axels in his skate.

“The long program didn’t start out as planned,” he said. “I did a triple Lutz instead of a quad. Thanks to my training I was able to reset and forget about it and refocus on the rest of my skate.”

Full results: 2019 Autumn Classic International – Skate Canada

Canadians Bashynska and Beaumont win bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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CHELYABINSK, Russia – Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., completed the best performance of their careers on Saturday earning a bronze medal in ice dancing to conclude the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy led Russia to a 1-2 finish with 171.07 points followed by Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin in second at 158.24.

Bashynska and Beaumont ranked fifth for their free skate but hung on to third overall with 149.05. They set personal best scores for the rhythm dance, free skate and total points.

“It’s crazy,” said Bashynska,15. “We were going into this Grand Prix for the experience. I’m so thankful, we worked hard for this. I’ve never competed in front of so many people.”

“When we stepped on the ice for our skate we just blocked everything out,” added Beaumont, 18. “To win a medal here is incredible.”

Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., also posted best scores across the board for fifth at 147.34.

“This was a big stepping stone from our Grand Prix earlier this year,” said the Moscow-born Galiyanova, ninth with her partner at the Lake Placid stop two weeks ago. “We performed the programs the way should and under the pressure too.”

In women’s competition, Kamila Valieva led Russia to a medal sweep. Olivia Gran of Kelowna, B.C., was 15th.

The fifth stop on the circuit is next Thursday to Saturday in Gdansk, Poland.

Full results: JGP RUS 2019

Gilles and Poirier stand first in ice dancing at Autumn Classic International

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OAKVILLE, Ont. – Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are in first place after Friday’s rhythm dance at the sixth edition of the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition being held this week at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Gilles and Poirier, seventh at the world championships last season, totalled 79.61 points to place ahead of compatriots Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver in second at 72.70. Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France are third at 71.50.

‘’To come here and push ourselves when we are at that tired level is what we need to do at this point in the season,’’ said Gilles. ‘’As the year progresses and we get fitter, we’ll be able to attack the program a little bit more. It’s a dance we really enjoy.’’

Soucisse and Firus said they went back to the drawing board after a self -described disappointing end to their season.

‘’We learned quite a bit last season,’’ said Firus. ‘’We were inconsistent and we decided to go back to the basics in terms of the types of programs we’d like to skate and what style is going is fit us.’’

In men’s competition, two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan stands first after the short program at 98.38, Kevin Aymoz of France is second at 94.76 and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., is third at 89.57.

Messing skated clean to Ed Sheeran’s ‘’Perfect’’ landing a quad toe-triple-toe combo, triple Axel and triple Lutz.

‘’It’s a really new style for me,’’ said Messing. ‘’With this program, when the music starts there’s a wave of calm, my mind instantly goes to my wedding this past summer and how happy my wife and I are together.’’

Conrad Orzel of Toronto landed his quad triple-combo, quad Salchow and triple Axel for sixth at 76.64.

‘’It was a great experience to be out there with the crowd,’’ he said about his senior level international debut. ‘’It’s important for my development, there’s pressure, there’s points for rankings so it’s a great introduction to skating at this level.’’

The women’s competition concluded with Rika Kihira of Japan, last year’s Grand Prix Final champion, earning the gold with 224.16. Two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia was second at 217.43 and Eunsoo Lim of South Korea third at 184.38.

Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., was eighth and Véronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., 12th.

‘’I felt great about my program,’’ said Long. ‘’I know there were still some mistakes but that was definitely a closer stride to what I’m capable of.’’

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

Full results: https://sc3staging.skatecanada.ca/2019-autumn-classic-international/

Guinzbourg shows vast improvement to place fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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CHELYABINSK, Russia – Alec Guinzbourg of Aurora, Ont., shattered his previous best international score on Friday to place fourth in men’s competition at the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Russia was 1-2-3 with Petr Gumennik first at 222.14, Artur Danielian second at 221.93 and Ilya Yablokov third at 207.68.

Guinzbourg delivered a clean free program to better his score from last year’s Grand Prix appearance by more than 20 points finishing at 185.80 points. His previous best was 162.90 set in an 11th place finish.

In his free skate Friday, the 14-year-old, executed seven jumps including three in combination and two double Axels. He was fourth after the short and remained there despite the seventh best ranked free skate.

Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., climbed from 10th to sixth spot at 179.74.

In pairs, Russian teams grabbed the top four positions with Kseniia Akhanteva and Valerii Kolesov taking the gold with 185.05 points. Brooke McIntosh and Brandon Toste of Toronto were sixth and Patricia Andrew of London, Ont., and Zachary Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., were eighth.

In Thursday’s ice dancing, Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy of Russia are first after the rhythm dance at 67.70 and their compatriots Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin second at 64.79.

Nadiia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ajax, Ont., beat their personal best by nearly 12 points to stand third at 59.83 and Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., are fourth at 57.86, also a PB.

In women’s competition, Russians stand 1-2-3 after the short program led by Kamila Valieva while Olivia Gran of Kelowna, B.C., is 13th.

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

Full results: JGP RUS 2019