Osmond wins bronze at Internationaux de France

/0 Comments/in /by

GRENOBLE, France – Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond earned her second medal this season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit placing third in women’s singles Saturday at the Internationaux de France figure skating competition.

Alina Zagitova roared back from fifth place after the short program to win the gold and provide Russia a 1-2 finish with 213.80 points. Maria Sotskova was second at 208.78 and Osmond took third spot at 206.77.

Osmond topped the short program standings Friday and was ranked fourth for her free skate. She clinched a spot in next month’s Grand Prix Final. She won Skate Canada three weeks ago.

Her ‘Black Swan’ free routine was highlighted by five clean triple jumps, but she fell on a triple loop and singled an Axel.

“It wasn’t great,’’ said the 21-year-old from Marystown, N.L. ‘’I made a few mistakes, but overall I felt like I skated a strong program and the things that I’ve done, I’ve done at the best I could do. (In the Grand Prix Final) I mainly want to improve on my performances here, skate a clean short and to improve my long program, make it cleaner.”

In ice dancing, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., delivered a strong free dance to ‘Je suis malade’, although Weaver had displaced her rib recently. They earned 176.97 points for fourth, edged off the podium by just 0.27 points. They were fifth after the short.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France took the gold with 201.98, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. were second at 181.85 and Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia were third at 177.24.

Canada came close to a medal again in pairs as Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto took fourth spot at 193.07, just 4.5 points back from third.

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia won the gold with 218.20, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France were second at 214.32 and Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise of Italy were third at 197.59.

‘’Definitely some highlights for us in the free program,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’It was an improvement from the last two times out this season. We’re still leaving a few points out there on the table and we want to clean those up moving forward.’’

Canada had no entries in men’s competition.

Full results: ISU GP Internationaux de France de Patinage 2017

Osmond leads after short program at Internationaux de France

/0 Comments/in /by

GRENOBLE, France – Kaetlyn Osmond admitted she wasn’t overly thrilled with her performance but regardless she is in first place in women’s competition after Friday’s short program at the Internationaux de France figure skating competition.

It is the fifth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

Osmond, the 21-year-old from Marystown, N.L., earned 69.05 points with Maria Sotskoya of Russia second at 67.79 and Yuna Shiraiwa of Japan third at 66.05.

Vying for a second win this season on the circuit, she landed a triple flip-double toe and a triple Lutz, but the combination was shaky and she put her hand down on the Lutz. She recovered to complete a double Axel as well as level-four spins and footwork.

‘’Definitely there were a few things in my program I’m not too excited about,” said the world championship silver medallist. “I wish I would have done the combo and Lutz better, but overall I pushed through my whole program and I’m happy about where I am.’’

In pairs after the short, Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto are in fourth spot with 66.36.

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimior Morozov of Russia are first at 77.84, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France second at 73.18 and Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise of Italy third at 70.65.

‘’It’s definitely an improvement from the last time,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’We skated together and pretty smooth. There are some little issues we gave up a lot of points on.’’

In ice dancing, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., are fifth after the short dance less than two points from third place.

Canada has no entries in men’s competition.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP Internationaux de France de Patinage 2017

Skate Canada skaters in Poland for Warsaw Cup

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the 2017 Warsaw Cup in Warsaw, Poland, from November 16-19, 2017. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men and ladies, and two entries in ice dance at the eighth event on the 2017 ISU Challenger Series.

Liam Firus, 25, North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian entry in men’s. He won the bronze medal at his first ISU Challenger Series assignment of the season, the 2017 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Firus is coached by Bruno Marcotte in Sainte-Julie, Que.

Emy Decelles, 19, Baie-Comeau, Que., will be the sole Canadian entry in the ladies category. This will be her first ISU Challenger Series assignment. Last season, Decelles finished 10th at the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Yvan Desjardins in Rosemère, Que.

Sarah Arnold, 27, Waterloo, Ont., and Thomas Williams, 26, Okotoks, Alta., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This will also be their first ISU Challenger Series assignment. Last season, they placed sixth at the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Arnold and Williams are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C.

Molly Lanaghan, 18, Doncaster, England, and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 20, Ajax, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment since teaming up. They are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

Carolyn Allwright of Waterloo, Ont., will be travelling with the Canadian team as team leader and physiotherapist Pat Stanziano of Oakville, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Reaghan Fawcett-Fortin of Aurora, Ont., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 WARSAW CUP

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Liam Firus 25 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Bruno Marcotte
Ladies Emy Decelles 19 Baie-Comeau, Que. CPA Baie Comeau Yvan Desjardins
Ice Dance Sarah Arnold / Thomas Williams 27/26 Waterloo, Ont. / Okotoks, Alta. Champs International Skating Centre / Calalta FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Molly Lanaghan / Dmitre Razgulajevs 18/20 Doncaster, England / Ajax, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Ticket Info: 2018 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships

/0 Comments/in /by

OSHAWA, ON: Tickets for the 2018 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships will go on sale on November 14, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The championships will take place from February 23-25, 2018 at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ont.

TICKETS

All Event tickets are priced at $60 and single tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $25 for adults and $20 for children. All tickets are subject to applicable taxes and venue surcharges. Tickets can be purchased online tributecommunitiescentre.com or 1-877-436-8811.

EVENT

The 2018 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships will bring approximately 40 teams and over 800 skaters from across the country to Oshawa. The city previously hosted the event in 2009.

Teams will compete for national titles in the senior, junior, open, intermediate and novice categories. The top two senior teams will represent Canada at the 2018 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships.

Canadians en route to France as ISU Grand Prix circuit continues

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have three entries, for a total of five skaters, competing at the fifth stop on the 2017 ISU Grand Prix series, the Internationaux de France. The event will take place from November 17-19, 2017, in Grenoble, France. Canada will have one entry per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance.

World silver medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, 21, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., will be the Canadian entry in the ladies category. This will be her first time competing at this event. Osmond won gold at her first ISU Grand Prix assignment this season, Skate Canada International. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Canadian silver medallists Lubov Ilyushechkina, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch, 33, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian pair entry. This will also be their first time competing at this event. Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch placed sixth at their first Grand Prix assignment of the season, Skate Canada International. They are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 28, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 30, Waterloo, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They last competed at this event ten years ago, in 2007, and placed seventh. This season, Weaver and Poje won silver at their first ISU Grand Prix assignment, Skate Canada International. The 2017 Canadian silver medallists are coached by Nikolai Morozov and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.

Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will also be travelling with the Canadian team. Dr. Cole Beavis of Saskatoon, Sask., and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Jean Senft of West Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org. For photos of Canadian entries, please contact [email protected].

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 21 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Pairs Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 26/33 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 28/30 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Nikolai Morozov

Virtue and Moir soar to gold at NHK Trophy

/0 Comments/in /by

OSAKA, Japan – Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the gold medal in ice dancing Sunday at the NHK Trophy figure skating competition – the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

The Canadian couple earned 198.64 points for the gold with Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. second at 188.35 and Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy third at 186.56.

‘’We really wanted to come out this week and have the speed and power come to us a bit more in both of our programs,’’ said Moir, from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’I feel like we accomplished that.’’

Virtue/Moir delivered a confident, passionate performance to the ‘Moulin Rouge soundtrack, completing spectacular lifts, well-synchronized twizzles and smooth step sequences.

They earned six perfect 10.00s in the components – three of them for music interpretation and timing.

‘’There were a couple of technical errors in both programs and that cost us a couple of points,’’ added Moir. ‘’We’re not super happy about that.’’

The Canadians have been unbeatable since returning to the competitive scene last winter including five straight Grand Prix wins. They’ll return to Japan, in Nagoya, for the Grand Prix Final December 7-10.

The next Grand Prix competition is the Nov. 17-19 Grand Prix of France in Grenoble.

Full results: ISU GP NHK Trophy 2017

Classic Virtue and Moir take lead after short dance at NHK Trophy

/0 Comments/in /by

OSAKA, Japan – Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir came within two points of their world record score in the short dance on Saturday to grab an early lead at the NHK Trophy figure skating competition- the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

The Canadian couple gave another stirring performance of their routine to classic rock tunes tabulating 80.92 points. That was just off the 82.64 they skated two weeks ago at Skate Canada in Regina.

‘’We made a step forward today in a lot of our elements,’’ said Virtue. ‘’We were pleased with the attack we had and our technical proficiency. It’s always a joy to perform here in Japan and we try to relish it and take advantage of every moment.’’

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. are second at 76.31 and Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy third at 75.87. The free dance is on Sunday.

The free skates in the other three events were held on Saturday.

In pairs, Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., continued to show improvement from a difficult season last winter moving from fifth to fourth with 194.37 points. Their clean program included two successful side-by-side triple jumps including one in combo and two triple throws.

World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China won the gold over two Russian pairs. Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov were second and Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov third.

In men’s competition, the top-three were Sergei Voronov of Russia first, Adam Rippon of the U.S. second and Alexei Bychenko of Israel third.

Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., remained fifth after a clean Charlie Chaplin themed program. Messing landed two triple Axels including one in a triple combination and was just slightly low on his quad toe landing.

In women’s competition, Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., took 11th. World champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia won the gold.

Full results: ISU GP NHK Trophy 2017

Messing, Seguin/Bilodeau fifth after short programs at NHK Trophy

/0 Comments/in /by

OSAKA, Japan – Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., and the pairs combo of Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., stand fifth after Friday’s short programs at the NHK Trophy figure skating competition – the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

In men’s competition, Sergei Voronov of Russia is first at 90.06 with Alexei Bychenko of Israel second at 85.52 and Jason Brown of the U.S. third at 85.36. Messing is still in the medal hunt at 80.13.

‘’My main goal for today was to go out there and have a blast,’’ said Messing. ‘’The crowd was very receptive to my performance. I was glad to land the quad triple-toe and it was the first time this week I’d fallen on my triple Axel.’’

Nam Nguyen of Toronto is 11th.

In pairs, world champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are first at 79.43 followed by two Russian teams. Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are second at 75.05 and Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov third at 70.47.

Séguin and Bilodeau totalled 63.98. They had trouble on the side-by-side jumps but looked strong on the triple twist lift and triple throw.

‘’It wasn’t a performance that shows what we can do,’’ said Séguin, who missed part of last season due to a concussion. ‘’Overall though we have a good feeling. It’s a work in progress.’’

In women’s competition, world champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia tops the field. Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., is 12th.

Competition continues Saturday with the free skates for men, women and pairs and the short dance featuring Canadian world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The free dance is Sunday.

Full results: ISU GP NHK Trophy 2017

Canadian skaters in Japan for fourth stop on 2017 ISU Grand Prix circuit

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have five entries, for a total of seven skaters competing at the 2017 NHK Trophy, the fourth event on the 2017 ISU Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have one entry per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance, and two entries in the men’s discipline. The event takes place from November 10-12, 2017, in Osaka, Japan.

Canadian bronze medallist Nam Nguyen, 19, Toronto, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian men’s entries. Last year, he came eighth at this event. Nguyen placed seventh at his first ISU Grand Prix assignment this season, the Rostelecom Cup. He is coached by Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Keegan Messing, 25, Girdwood, AK, USA, is the second Canadian men’s entry. This will be his first time competing at this event. Messing placed eighth at his first Grand Prix this season, Skate Canada International. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, USA.

Canadian bronze medallist Alaine Chartrand, 21, Prescott, Ont., is the Canadian entry in ladies. She placed 10th at this event last year. Chartrand finished in 11th place at her first Grand Prix this season, Skate Canada International. She is coached by Michelle Leigh and Christy Krall.

Julianne Séguin, 21, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will represent Canada in pairs and will be competing at this event for the first time in their career. This season, they placed fifth at their first Grand Prix, the Rostelecom Cup. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Olympic champions and three-time world champions Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They are the defending champions at this event and also won the silver medal at this event in 2007. Virtue and Moir won the gold medal at Skate Canada International in their first Grand Prix this season. The seven-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will travel with the team as team leaders. Dr. Albert Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., and physiotherapist Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., and Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org or the official event website. For photos of Canadian entries, please contact [email protected].

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 NHK TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Nam Nguyen 19 Toronto, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Tracey Wainman / Gregor Filipowski
Men Keegan Messing 25 Girdwood, Alaska, USA Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 21 Prescott, Ont. Prescott FSC Michelle Leigh / Christy Krall
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 21/24 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
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

Single Session Tickets Info: 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

/0 Comments/in /by

Vancouver, BC: Single Session Tickets for the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships will go on sale on Wednesday, November 8 at 10 a.m. PST. The event will take place in Vancouver, B.C., at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre from January 8-14, 2018. The 2018 event will serve as a qualification event for the team that will compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea later that same year.

TICKETS
Single event ticket prices for the senior short programs are priced $30-$65. Prices for the senior free programs and gala are priced from $39.99-$75. Novice and junior tickets are $19.99 per day. All tickets are subject to applicable venue and Ticketmaster surcharges.

The Super Fan Section is sold out, however, fans not seated in the Super Fan Section may purchase the Super Fan Bag for an additional $60 each, plus applicable surcharges until November 12.

Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca and by phone at 1-855-985-5000.

EVENT INFO
The pre-eminent all-Canadian sporting event will feature approximately 250 skaters in the men, women, pair, and ice dance disciplines, competing in three levels: senior, junior, and novice. Athletes will vie for spots on the Skate Canada National Team and the Canadian teams that will compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, 2018 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, 2018 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and 2018 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

This will be Vancouver’s sixth time hosting the national championships. Most recently they hosted the event a decade ago in 2008. They also hosted in 1997, 1973, 1968 and 1951. The city has also hosted several international figure skating events: the 2009 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2001 & 1960 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and the 1978 Skate Canada International.

Moore-Towers and Marinaro win bronze in pairs at Cup of China

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

BEIJING – Canada’s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro produced a personal best free skate to win the bronze medal on Saturday in pairs to conclude the Cup of China figure skating competition – the third stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

It was a 1-2 Chinese finish. World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han took the gold with 231.07 and Xiaoyu Yu and Hao Zhang were second at 205.54. Moore-Towers and Marinaro, fourth after the short program, followed at 194.52.

“We did a clean skate although we missed some levels,” said Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont. “So to still get a personal best, we feel pretty good about that.”

It was a second career Grand Prix medal for the Canadian pair and first since 2015.

“We definitely know we have more than that,” added Marinaro, from Sarnia, Ont. “We’re going to go back for the next three weeks and plan to put out an even higher number for our next event.”

In women’s competition, Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., dropped from first after the short to sixth overall.

“It was nowhere near where it was when I competed it three weeks ago,” said Daleman, 19. “There’s a lot more room for improvement. All I can do is go back home and get ready for Skate America (her next event).”

Alina Zagitova of Russia took the gold, Wakaba Higuchi of Japan was second and Elena Radionova of Russia third.

There was a lot of bouncing around in the men’s standings after the free skate. Mikhail Kolyada of Russia jumped from third to first for the gold. Boyang Jin of China remained second and Max Aaron of the U.S. surged from fifth to third, winning the free skate.

Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., moved from 10th to eighth with the seventh best long.

“The free program was more of an indication of how I’ve been practicing,” said Reynolds. “It’s been going very well in training but just a bit disappointed today with my opening loop attempt in competition.”

The next stop on the circuit is the NHK Trophy November 10-12 in Osaka, Japan.

Full results: ISU GP Audi Cup of China 2017.

Patrick Chan withdraws from NHK Trophy

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Three-time World Champion Patrick Chan, 26, Toronto, Ont., has withdrawn from the NHK Trophy, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Chan finished fourth at Skate Canada International last week and has decided to focus on his training leading into the national championships in January.

Chan is a nine-time Canadian Champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist, winning silver in the men’s and team event at the 2014 Olympic Games.