Canada’s Nexxice leads after short program at Trophy d’Ecosse

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DUMFRIES, Scotland – Canada’s Nexxice is on track to successfully defend its title, standing in first place after Friday’s short program at the Trophy d’Ecosse synchronized skating competition.

The Burlington, Ont., team, fifth last week at the French Cup in France, tabulated 69.63 points. Adrian College from the U.S. is second at 58.34 and Team Viola from Wales is in third at 33.70.

The Nexxice team members are Nadine Banholzer, Payton Beckett, Marlyne Bernier, Kelly Britten, Abigail Chase, Laura Emery, Ariana Gould-Tasoojy, Celina Hevesi, Taylor Johnston, Emma Kim, Kaitlin Lees, Megan MacLellan, Caroline Marr, Emiko Marr, Courtney McNaughton, Morgan Stang, Alessandra Toso, Brooklyn Williamson, Emily Wright and Aurora Ylppo.

The world championship bronze medallists are coached by Shelley Simonton Barnett and Anne Schelter.

Competition ends Saturday with the free program.

Full results: Trophy D’ECOSSE 2018.

Nexxice synchronized skating team continues to Scotland for 2018 Trophy D’Ecosse

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OTTAWA, ON:  Canada will have one team competing at the eighth annual Trophy D’Ecosse in Dumfries, Scotland. The international synchronized skating competition takes place from February 9-11, 2018, at the Dumfries Ice Bowl.

World bronze medallists Nexxice senior will be the sole Canadian team at the event. They are the defending champions at this event. Last week, the representatives of the Burlington Skating Centre placed fifth at the 2018 French Cup. The 2017 Canadian champions are coached by Shelley Simonton Barnett and Anne Schelter.

Marion Dyke of Mississauga, Ont., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For more information on the competition please visit the event website.

Canada’s Nexxice places fifth at synchro skating French Cup

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ROUEN, France – Canada’s Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., showed improvement in its free program  Saturday but it wasn’t enough to climb the overall standings for a fifth place finish at the French Cup synchronized skating competition.

Paradise from Russia won the gold medal with 211.18 points followed by three teams from Finland. Team Unique took the silver at 203.44 and the Helsinki Rockettes were third at 201.50 Nexxice, world championship bronze medallists last season, was fifth after the short program Friday. They produced the fourth best free skate but remained fifth at 193.70.

The Nexxice team members were Nadine Banholzer, Payton Beckett, Marlyne Bernier, Kelly Britten, Abigail Chase, Laura Emery, Ariana Gould-Tasoojy, Celina Hevesi, Taylor Johnston, Emma Kim, Kaitlin Lees, Megan MacLellan, Caroline Marr, Emiko Marr, Courtney McNaughton, Morgan Stang, Alessandra Toso, Brooklyn Williamson, Emily Wright and Aurora Ylppo.

Full results: 2018 French Cup

Canada’s Nexxice in fifth spot at synchro skating French Cup

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ROUEN, France – Canada’s Nexxice from Burlington, Ont., is in fifth place after the short program at the French Cup synchronized skating competition.

Paradise, from Russia, stand first with 76.42 points ahead of three teams from Finland: the Helsinki Rockets in second at 75.42, Team Unique in third at 73.44 and Marigold IceUnity in fourth at 73.06.

Nexxice, world championship bronze medallists last season, follow at 70.12 out of 10 entries. The Nexxice team members are Nadine Banholzer, Payton Beckett, Marlyne Bernier, Kelly Britten, Abigail Chase, Laura Emery, Ariana Gould-Tasoojy, Celina Hevesi, Taylor Johnston, Emma Kim, Kaitlin Lees, Megan MacLellan, Caroline Marr, Emiko Marr, Courtney McNaughton, Morgan Stang, Alessandra Toso, Brooklyn Williamson, Emily Wright and Aurora Ylppo.

“We are feeling good about our first international event this season,’’ said Shelley Simoton Barnett who coaches Nexxice with Anne Schelter.

‘’We are pleased with our performance and placement for this time of year. We are learning a lot from the experience; the very top teams are here. Looking forward to tomorrow’s free.”

Competition ends Saturday with the free skate.

Full results: 2018 French Cup

Canada wins two medals at Egna Dance Trophy figure skating competition

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EGNA, Italy – There was a change in the standings but Canada maintained its two medal positions to win silver and bronze Saturday at the Egna Dance Trophy figure skating competition.

Sofia Lukinskaya and Valriy Angelopol of Russia took the gold in the novice ice dancing with 94.29 points.

Nadiia Bashynska of Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont of Unionville, Ont., moved from third to second with 84.92 for the silver and Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C., were third at 83.74.

‘’We really worked hard for this,’’ said Bashynska, 14. ‘’We are really pleased with the marks we received today especially for an international event.’’

‘’We are really thankful for the opportunity to skate abroad,’’ added Beaumont, 16. ‘’To get the silver medal means a lot to both of us. With the training and effort we put into it we are really happy with the result.’’

Bashynska and Beaumont won the national novice title last month just ahead of Mikita and Gunara who were second after the two pattern dances on Friday.

‘’We are happy with the medal but disappointed in our skating,’’ said Mikita, 14. ‘’Our free dance didn’t go as planned and I think we learned some valuable lessons.’’

‘’It wasn’t one of our greatest performances,’’ agreed Gunara, 15. ‘’But we still learned a lot about ourselves for next season. Still to win a medal at our first international event felt pretty good.’’

Full results: Egna Dance Trophy

Olympic Spotlight : Keegan Messing

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The charismatic Keegan Messing will make his Olympic debut in PyeongChang after placing second at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Vancouver.

Messing has competed at the Canadian national championships four times, finishing inside the top five on three occasions.

On the ISU Grand Prix circuit this season, Messing placed fifth at NHK Trophy and eighth at Skate Canada International. In short time, he has evolved into a crowd favourite with his infectious energy and high-flying skating style.

Growing up, Messing looked to Elvis Stojko and Kurt Browning as his skating role models.

Canadian couples in medal position at Egna Dance Trophy figure skating competition

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EGNA, Italy – Canadian ice dancers stand second and third after Friday’s two pattern dances in novice competition at the Egna Dance Trophy figure skating event.

Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C. are second with 29.31 points and Nadiia Bashynska of Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont of Unionville, Ont., are third at 28.35 out of 15 entries.

‘’We are really happy with our result,’’ said Makita, 14. ‘’It’s our first international experience and we are learning a lot.’’

‘’Everything felt pretty good,’’ said Gunara, 15. ‘’We’re looking forward to a strong free dance as well.’’

Bashynska and Beaumont won the novice national ice dance title last month just ahead of Makita and Gunara.

‘’We’ve only skated for six months together and we have achieved so much,’’ said Bashynska, 14. ‘’Actually being here is something unbelievable for us.’’

‘’It’s great to have this opportunity to skate abroad,’’ added Beaumont, 16. ‘’We want to keep heading in the right direction.’’

Sofia Lukinskaya and Valriy Angelopol of Russia lead with 35.59.

The free dance is on Saturday.

Full results: Egna Dance Trophy

Canadian novice ice dancers in Italy for 2018 Egna Dance Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have two entries, for a total of four skaters competing in Egna, Italy, for the 2018 Egna Dance Trophy. The international ice dance event will take place February 2-4, 2018.

Novice Canadian champions Nadiia Bashynska, 14, Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont, 16, Unionville, Ont., are the first of two Canadian entries in novice ice dance. This will be their first international assignment. Bashynska and Beaumont are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane and Juris Razgulajevs and train in Scarborough, Ont.

Novice Canadian silver medallists Miku Makita, 14, Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 15, Burnaby, B.C., will be the second Canadian novice ice dance entry at the event. This will also be their first international assignment. Makita and Gunara are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C.

Danielle Williams of Surrey, B.C., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For results, full entries and more information please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2018 EGNA DANCE TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ice Dance Nadiia Bashynska / Peter Beaumont 14/16 Markham, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara 14/15 Anmore, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Inlet SC / Champs International Skating School of BC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Nexxice synchronized skating team in France for 2018 French Cup

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Canadian synchronized skating teams take home medals from 2018 international events

OTTAWA, ON:  Canada will have one team competing at the 24th annual French Cup in Rouen, France. The international synchronized skating competition takes place from February 2-4, 2018, at the Centre sportif Guy Boissière.

World bronze medallists Nexxice senior will be the sole Canadian team at the event. Last year, they placed fourth at this event. The representatives of the Burlington Skating Centre also won the gold medal at the 2017 Trophy d’Ecosse last season. The 2017 Canadian champions are coached by Shelley Simonton Barnett and Anne Schelter.

Diane Kamagianis of Mission, Ont., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For more information on the competition please visit the event website.

Canadian synchronized skating teams take home medals from 2018 international events

Last week, Les Suprêmes senior and Les Suprêmes junior competed at the 2018 Mozart Cup in Salzburg, Austria. Les Suprêmes senior took home the gold medal, producing the top short program and free program, scoring 66.70 and 118.42 respectively, for a total of 185.12.

Les Suprêmes junior won the bronze medal with a short program score of 57.84 and free program score of 100.88, for a total score of 158.72.

Nexxice junior also claimed a bronze medal in international competition in Gothenburg, Sweden, last weekend. The team scored 57.98 in their short program and 94.82 in their free program at the 2018 Leon Lurje Trophy, for a total of 152.80 en route to the bronze.

In other international synchronized skating, Nova placed fourth at the 2018 Neuchâtel Trophy in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The team placed fourth in the short program with 63.33 and third in the free program, scoring 118.99, for a total of 182.32.

Canadian figure skating team headed to PyeongChang for 2018 Olympic Winter Games

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send the largest figure skating team to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. The team comprised of 11 entries, for a total of 17 skaters, includes two entries in men and three entries per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance. Competition begins on Friday, February 9, with the team event, and runs through to Friday, February 23, with all events taking place at the Gangneung Ice Arena.

The Canadian team will be lead by Opening Ceremony flag bearers and figure skating team co-captains Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont. The three-time world champions will be competing at their third Olympic Winter Games, having previously won gold in 2010 and two silver medals (ice dance and team event) in 2014. This season, they won gold at both Skate Canada International and the NHK Trophy, and silver at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The eight-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Three-time world champion Patrick Chan, 27, Toronto, Ont., is the first of two Canadian men entries. Chan will also be competing at his third Olympic Winter Games, having placed fifth in 2010 and won two silver medals in 2014 (men’s singles and team event). This season he placed fourth at Skate Canada International and won his record 10th Canadian title. Chan is coached by Oleg Epstein and Ravi Walia.

Canadian silver medallist Keegan Messing, 26, Sherwood Park, Alta./Brampton, Ont., is the second Canadian men’s entry. This season, he placed eighth at Skate Canada International and fifth at the NHK Trophy. Messing is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, USA.

World bronze medallist and 2018 Canadian champion Gabrielle Daleman, 20, Newmarket, Ont., is one of three Canadian entries in ladies. Daleman placed 17th in Sochi as the youngest Canadian athlete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This season, Daleman placed sixth at both the Cup of China and Skate America. The two-time Canadian champion is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

World silver medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, 22, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., will also represent Canada in the ladies’ category. Osmond placed 13th at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in ladies singles and won the silver medal in the team event. This season, she won gold at Skate Canada International, bronze at the Internationaux de France, and bronze at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Canadian bronze medallist Larkyn Austman, 19, Coquitlam, B.C., will be the third Canadian entry in ladies. This will be her first Olympic Games. This season, Austman placed 12th at Skate Canada International. She is coached by Zdenek Pazdirek and Liz Putnam in Coquitlam, B.C.

Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel, 32, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 32, Balmertown, Ont., will be the first of three Canadian entries pairs. Duhamel and Radford placed seventh in the pairs event and won the silver medal in the team event at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This season, they won gold at Skate Canada International, bronze at Skate America and bronze at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The seven-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Julianne Séguin, 21, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the second Canadian pairs entry. This will be their first Olympic Games. This season, they placed fifth at the Rostelecom Cup and fourth at the NHK Trophy. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Canadian bronze medallists Kirsten Moore-Towers, 25, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 26, Sarnia, Ont., are the third Canadian entry in pairs. Moore-Towers will make her second appearance at the Games after wining a silver medal in the team event in 2014 with her previous partner. This will be Marinaro’s first Olympics. This season, Moore-Towers and Marinaro won the bronze medal at the Cup of China and placed sixth at Skate America. They are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier and Sylvie Fullum in Montreal, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 26, Unionville, Ont., will represent Canada in ice dance. Poirier will compete for the second time at an Olympic Games, he placed 14th in 2010 with his previous partner. This season, they placed fourth at both the Rostelecom Cup and Skate America. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 28, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 30, Waterloo, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Weaver and Poje placed seventh at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. This season, they won silver at Skate Canada International and placed fourth at the Internationaux de France. The two-time Canadian champions are coached by Nikolai Morozov and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapists Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., and Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Officials from Canada at the event include Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., Janice Hunter of West Vancouver, B.C., Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta.

Emma Bowie, Skate Canada Communications Manager, will be the media attaché at the event. For onsite media requests, she can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 010-5166-4154.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2018 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Patrick Chan 27 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Oleg Epstein / Ravi Walia
Men Keegan Messing 26 Sherwood Park, Alta. & Brampton, Ont. Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 20 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 22 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Larkyn Austman 19 Coquitlam, B.C. Coquitlam SC Zdenek Pazdirek / Liz Putnam
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 32/32 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Bruno Marcotte
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 21/24 Longueuil, Que ./ Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Pairs Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 25/26 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Point Edward SC Inc. Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier/ Sylvie Fullum
Ice Dance Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir 28/30 London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. Montreal International Skating School / Montreal International Skating School Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 26/26 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 28/30 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Nikolai Morozov

Kevin Reynolds climbs six spots for seventh overall at ISU 4 Continents

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TAIPEI CITY – Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C. soared to seventh spot to lead a trio of Canadians into the top-10 in men’s competition on Saturday to conclude the ISU 4 Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Boyang Jin of China won the gold medal with Shoma Uno of Japan second and Jason Brown of the U.S. third.

Reynolds was 13th after Thursday’s short program but rebounded with a powerful performance which brought a huge ovation from the crowd and tears to his coach Joanne McLeod. He opened with solid quad Salchow and delivered a clean program which included a quad-triple-double combo. He showed his emotion on the ice when he fist pumped after landing his final triple Salchow.

‘’Amazing,’’ said Reynolds. ‘’It was everything I could have asked for in what could be my last performance. I laid it all on the ice. Regardless of what the marks were I was thrilled to perform in front of all my fans here and I felt the joy that they felt.’’

Elladj Baldé of Montreal was eighth and Nam Nguyen of Toronto ninth.

Canada ends the competition with silver medal earned by ice dancers Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver.

Full results: ISU Four Continents Championships 2018

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch take fourth spot at ISU Four Continents

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TAIPEI CITY – Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto ranked fifth in both programs but it was worth fourth overall in pairs on Friday at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

The U.S. was 1-2 with Tarah Kane and Danny O’Shea first at 194.42 and Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc second at 190.61. Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim of North Korea were third at 184.98. The Canadians followed at 179.00.

‘’It was a rough one,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’It was a lot of work. It seemed like we couldn’t get fully in synch with each other but we did a good job fighting until the end.’’

Camille Ruest of Rimouski, Que., and Drew Wolfe of Calgary moved from ninth to seventh and Sydney Kolodziej of Montreal and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., were ninth.

In women’s competition, Kaori Sakamoto led Japan to a medal sweep.

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was eighth, Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., 13th and Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., 15th.

‘’I really enjoyed skating that program,’’ said Chartrand, who posted the sixth best free skate. ‘’Starting with a strong triple-triple combo gave me a lot of confidence. I’m proud of what I put out after the disappointment of two weeks ago.’’

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s free skate.

Full results: ISU Four Continents Championships 2018