Canada’s best synchronized skaters headed to Waterloo for 2016 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Synchronized skating teams from across Canada are travelling to Waterloo, Ont., for the 2016 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships, taking place from February 19-21, 2016, at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.

The event will host approximately 800 skaters and coaches on 40 teams competing for national titles in the senior, junior, open, intermediate and novice categories. The top two senior teams will represent Canada at the 2016 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships being held in Budapest, Hungary from April 8-9, 2016.

“We are eagerly looking forward to seeing Canada’s top synchronized skating teams performing on our nation’s biggest stage in Waterloo at the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships,” said Dan Thompson, CEO Skate Canada. “Canadians have always been innovators in synchronized skating, and we have no doubt that this event will once again show how this discipline is flourishing in our country.”

Skate Canada will also be celebrating many accomplishments in the synchronized skating community with two inductions to the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. On Friday, February 19, Cathy Dalton will be inducted to the Hall of Fame in the builder category, and on Saturday, February 20, history will be made as the 2009 NEXXICE senior team becomes the first synchronized skating team to be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, entering in the athlete category.

Skate Canada is proud to host nearly 500 students from local area schools on Friday, February 19 from 9:15 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. The Skate Canada School Program allows local area schools to come and watch synchronized skating live for free. Students are encouraged to get creative by making handmade posters to cheer on the skaters.

The following schools will be taking part in the Skate Canada School Program:

  • Baden Public School
  • Westmount Public School
  • Our Lady of Lourdes
  • R. Kaufman Public School

Tickets are available for purchase through the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex box office, which is open Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Three-day passes can be purchased for $46.50 for adults or $24 for children, and individual day passes can be purchased for $20 for adults or $10 for children. Entry is free for children five years and younger.

Two fourth place finishes for Canadian figure skaters at Youth Olympics

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LILLEHAMMER, Norway – Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., came within four points of a podium finish on Monday in men’s singles figure skating action at the Youth Olympics.

Sota Yamamoto of Japan held on to first place for gold with 215.52 points followed by Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia in second at 214.43 and Dmitri Alieb of Russia third at 209.77. Sadovsky, a double medallist this season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, followed at 205.69.

Sadovsky was in second spot after Saturday’s short program but a missed triple Axel in free skate which hurt his medal chances.  He had landed it for the first time in competition in Saturday’s short.

“I’m mildly disappointed not to win a medal here,’’ said Sadovksy, 16. ‘’Popping the triple Axel pretty much cost it all for me. It’s still not consistent in competition but I had been landing quite a few in practice. I just need to get more miles with it.’’

In pairs, Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Ste-Angele-de-Monnoir, Que., were also fourth with a personal best 140.59.  Ekaterina Borisova and Dmitry Sopot of Russia took the gold at 168.66.

“It went super well for us,” said Brasseur, 14, the niece of Isabelle Brasseur who won two Olympic medals in pairs with Lloyd Eisler. “It was a great experience. Our side-by-side jump and lifts were solid as well as one of our throws.”

Brasseur and Ostiguy are also tuning up for the world junior championships next month.

“We definitely reached our objectives heading into the world juniors,” said Ostiguy, 19, in his second season with Brasseur. “They were the best performances we’ve ever done together. We hit the 140 point overall and 90 point mark for the long and came within two points of getting 50 for the short.”

In ice dancing, Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., are fourth after Sunday’s short dance.

The free dance is on Tuesday. There are no Canadian entries in women’s competition.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/yog2016/.

Canadian ice dancers fourth at Youth Olympic Games

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Photo : Jon Buckle

LILLEHAMMER, Norway – Ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., earned Canada’s third fourth place finish in figure skating on Tuesday at the Youth Olympic Games.

Anastasia Shpilevaya and Grigory Smirnov of Russia won the gold medal with 141.88 points. Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye of the U.S. were second at 136.37 and Anastasia Skoptcova and Kirill Aleshin of Russia third at 134.62.

Lajoie and Lagha, in their fifth season together, followed at 125.87.

“It was a super fun competition,” said Lajoie, 15. “Everything was really solid for us today. I was particularly pleased with our twizzles.  But overall it went very well.”

This season they placed seventh at their first international assignment, ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain. Earlier this year they won the silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in junior ice dance. Lajoie and Lagha train in Montreal with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

“We didn’t get the scores we wanted but what’s most important is the public and ourselves were satisfied with the performance,” said Lagha, 16. “This is our first season as juniors so we didn’t really set any precise goals except to get better at each competition.”

On Monday, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont.,was fourth in men’s competition while Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Granby, Que., were fourth in pairs.

Full results: Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Canadian team en route to 2016 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Chinese Taipei

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send 12 entries, for a total of 18 skaters, to the 2016 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei. The event takes place from February 16-21, 2016, at the Taipei Arena. The Canadian team will have three entries per category in men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance.

Three-time World Champion and double Olympic silver medallist (men’s and team) Patrick Chan, 25, Toronto, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in men’s. This season, Chan won gold at Skate Canada International and placed fifth in the short program at Trophée Éric Bompard to earn a berth at the ISU Grand Prix Final, where he placed fourth. The representative of the Granite Club has previously competed at this event twice, winning it on both occasions (2009 and 2012). He is coached by Kathy Johnson and trains at the Detroit Skating Club.

Canadian silver medallist Liam Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C., is the second Canadian entry in men’s. Last year, he placed 15th at this event. This season, the representative of Vancouver SC placed seventh at the Finlandia Trophy and eighth at the Golden Spin of Zagreb. Firus is coached by Christy Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Olympic silver medallist (team) Kevin Reynolds, 25, Coquitlam, B.C., is the final Canadian entry in the men’s discipline. Also representing Vancouver SC, Reynolds has previously competed at this event four times, winning bronze in 2010 and gold in 2013. This season, Reynolds returned to competition after a year off to win the bronze medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre in Burnaby, B.C.

Newly-crowned Canadian champion Alaine Chartrand, 19, Prescott, Ont., is one of three Canadian entries in the ladies category. She placed 10th at this event last year and seventh in 2014. This season, she placed fourth at the Nebelhorn Trophy and 12th at Skate America, and sixth at the Rostelecom Cup. The representative of the Nepean Skating Club is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser.

The second Canadian entry in ladies is two-time Canadian champion and Olympic silver medallist (team) Kaetlyn Osmond, 20, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta. She previously competed at this event in 2013, placing seventh. This season, she won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed 11th at Skate Canada International and placed sixth at the NHK Trophy. She is coached by Ravi Walia and represents the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club.

Véronik Mallet, 21, Sept-Îles, Que., is the final Canadian entry in the ladies division. This will be her third time competing at this event, having placed 13th in 2014 and 14th in 2015. Earlier this season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed ninth at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, 10th at Skate Canada International and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

In pair, world champions and Olympic silver medallists (team) Meagan Duhamel, 30, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 31, Balmertown, Ont., lead off the Canadian entries. The representatives of CPA Saint-Léonard have previously competed at this event four times winning gold last year and in 2013. This season, they won gold at Skate Canada International and at the NHK Trophy, and won silver at the ISU Grand Prix Final, as well as their fifth consecutive Canadian title. Duhamel and Radford are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, and Sylvie Fullum.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., are the second Canadian pair entry at the competition. Last year, they placed sixth at this event. Earlier this season, the representatives of the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club placed fourth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, seventh at the Cup of China and fifth at the NHK Trophy. The two time Canadian medallists are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson.

Vanessa Grenier, 23, Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 24, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will also represent Canada in pair. Grenier and Deschamps will be competing at this event for the first time. This season, the representatives of CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil placed fourth at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, seventh at Skate Canada International and eighth at the Cup of China. Most recently, they placed fifth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Two time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 28, Waterloo, Ont., are the first of three Canadian entries in ice dance. They are the 2015 and 2010 champions of this competition and will be competing at this event for the seventh time. This season, the representatives of Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC have won gold at all of their events: Finlandia Trophy, Skate Canada International, Rostelecom Cup and the ISU Grand Prix Final. Most recently, they won their second consecutive Canadian championship. Weaver and Poje are coached by Angelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo and Shae-Lynn Bourne in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their fourth time competing at this event, at which they won the silver medal in 2014. This season, they have medalled at all of their competitions: gold at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, bronze at Skate America and silver in the short program at Trophée Éric Bompard. The representatives of Scarboro FSC also won their second consecutive Canadian silver medal. Gilles and Poirier are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Canadian bronze medallists Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 23, Laval, Que., are the third Canadian ice dance entry. This will be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, they won bronze at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and placed eighth at Skate Canada International. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc., are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be onsite with the Canadian team. Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont., and Bev Viger of Abbotsford, B.C., will be the Canadian team leaders at this event. Dr. Lee Schofield of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team doctor and Josiane Roberge of Sillery Que., will be the team physiotherapist.

Canadian officials at the event are Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C., Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 ISU FOUR CONTINENTS FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Patrick Chan 25 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Kathy Johnson
Mens Liam Firus 23 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Christy Krall / Damon Allen
Mens Kevin Reynolds 25 Coquitlam, B.C. Vancouver SC Joanne McLeod
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 19 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 20 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Véronik Mallet 21 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Pair Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 30/31 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte / Sylvie Fullum
Pair Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 24/31 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Pair Vanessa Grenier / Maxime Deschamps 23/24 Johnville, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA Sherbrooke / CPAR Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 26/28 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Angelika Krylova / Pasquale Camerlengo / Shae-Lynn Bourne
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 24/24 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Élisabeth Paradis / François-Xavier Ouellette 23/23 Loretteville, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames d’Argent de Laval Inc. Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer

Gabrielle Daleman, Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau withdraw from 2016 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Canadian figure skaters Gabrielle Daleman, Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau have withdrawn from the 2016 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Chinese Taipei. The athletes had been scheduled to compete at the event which takes place from February 16-21, 2016, at the Taipei Arena in Taipei City.

In the ladies division, Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., sustained a minor injury in training and will be replaced by Véronik Mallet, 21, Sept-Îles, Que.

In the pair discipline, Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., also sustained a minor injury in training, leading to the withdrawal of her and partner Charlie Bilodeau, 22, Trois-Pistoles, Que. They will be replaced by Vanessa Grenier, 23, Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 24, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

“These decisions have been made for precautionary reasons as we progress towards the world championships,” said Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada’s Director, High Performance. “We are focused on allowing our athletes to return to competition in prime condition.”

Daleman, Séguin and Bilodeau are all scheduled to return to competition at the 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, MA, USA.

Skaters ready to compete at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have three entries in the figure skating events at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway from February 12-21, 2016. The Canadian figure skating team will consist of one entry in men’s, pair and ice dance, for a total of five skaters.

Roman Sadovsky, 16, Vaughan, Ont., will be Canada’s entry in men’s. This season Sadovsky won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia, bronze at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland and placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Most recently he placed ninth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the senior men’s category. Sadovsky is coached by Tracey Wainman at the YSRA Winter Club.

Justine Brasseur, 14, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 19, Granby, Que., are the Canadian pair entry at the event. They competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit earlier this season placing sixth and fifth at their two assignments. In January they placed fourth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Brasseur and Ostiguy train in Saint-Léonard, Que., with coach Bruno Marcotte.

Marjorie Lajoie, 15, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 16, Greenfield Park, Que., will represent Canada in ice dance. This season they placed seventh at their first international assignment, ISU Junior Grand Prix Logrono. Earlier this year they won the silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in junior ice dance. Lajoie and Lagha train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., will be the Canadian figure skating team leader/coach and Tracey Wainman of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian coach in Lillehammer. Susan Blatz of Burlington, Ont., and Janice Hunter of West Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For more information the 2016 Youth Olympic Games please visit the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) website.

Canadian entries at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Mens Roman Sadovsky 16 Vaughan, Ont. YRSA Winter Club Tracey Wainman
Pair Justine Brasseur / Mathieu Ostiguy 14/19 Brossard, Que. / Granby, Que. CPA Brossard / CPA Saint-Césaire Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 15/16 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA Boucherville / CPA St-Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis

Canadian juniors reign Supremes at French Cup

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ROUEN, France – Les Suprêmes from St-Leonard, Que., won the gold medal Saturday in junior competition for the second straight year at the French Cup synchronized skating competition.

Les Suprêmes placed first in both the short and long programs and finished with 162.88 points. The Musketeers from Finland were second at 155.14 and the Skyliners from the U.S. third at 153.14 out of 11 entries.

Les Suprêmes junior  skaters were Jessica Allaire, Alessia Arsenault, Amélie Béland, Julia Bernardo, Véronik Boisvert, Rachel Cecere, Alisia Cirella, Alice Côté, Emily Degni, Béatrice De Oliveira, Gabrielle Gauthier-Roy, Marie-Ève Deschênes, Marie-Michèle Gauthier-Roy, Kathleen Grandchamp, Alessia Hart-Lewis, Jessica Iacono, Nadia Lemay, Christina Morin, Alexia Nadai-Plante, Andréanne Paradis, Alessia Polletta and Florence Poulin.

Les Suprêmes were third at the world junior championships last winter and are two-time defending Canadian junior champions.

In senior competition, Paradise from Russia won the gold medal at 206.08 edging the Rockettes from Finland at 201.68. Team Unique from Finland overtook Les Suprêmes for the bronze finishing at 198.90 to 198.80 for the Canadians in fourth.

Les Suprêmes senior team members were: Rebecca Allaire, Katherine Beaucage, Alexandra Bernardo, Lou-Ann Bezeau-Tremblay, Audrey-Anne Blouin, Joannie Brazeau, Emma Maria Corona, Alessandra Criscuolo, Laurie Désilets, Mélodie Doré, Sara Gilbert, Dana Malowany, Agathe Sigrid Merlier, An-Kim Nguyen, Minh-Thu Tina Nguyen, Olivia Laurra Sena, Claudia Sforzin, Sofya Squalli, Hélène Stojanovski and Yasuko Uchida.

The senior Les Suprêmes were sixth at the world championships last season and opened 2016 last weekend with a silver at the Neufchatel Trophy in Switzerland.

Full results: 2016 French Cup.

Canadian teams first and fourth after short programs

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ROUEN, France – Les Suprêmes from St-Leonard, Que., are first in junior competition and third in the senior event after Friday’s short programs at the French Cup synchronized skating competition.

In junior, Les Suprêmes are the defending champions and lead with 58.00 points. The Musketeers from Finland are second at 53.70 and Team Mystique, also from Finland, third at 53.68 out of 11 entries.

Les Suprêmes junior  skaters are Jessica Allaire, Alessia Arsenault, Amélie Béland, Julia Bernardo, Véronik Boisvert, Rachel Cecere, Alisia Cirella, Alice Côté, Emily Degni, Béatrice De Oliveira, Gabrielle Gauthier-Roy, Marie-Ève Deschênes, Marie-Michèle Gauthier-Roy, Kathleen Grandchamp, Alessia Hart-Lewis, Jessica Iacono, Nadia Lemay, Christina Morin, Alexia Nadai-Plante, Andréanne Paradis, Alessia Polletta and Florence Poulin.

Les Suprêmes were third at the world junior championships last winter and are two-time defending Canadian junior champions.

In the senior event, Paradise from Russia stands first after the short with 71.98 followed by Finland’s Rockettes at 71.42, Finland’s Team Unique at 69.16 and Les Suprêmes at 68.32 out of 12 entries.

Les Suprêmes senior team members are: Rebecca Allaire, Katherine Beaucage, Alexandra Bernardo, Lou-Ann Bezeau-Tremblay, Audrey-Anne Blouin, Joannie Brazeau, Emma Maria Corona, Alessandra Criscuolo, Laurie Désilets, Mélodie Doré, Sara Gilbert, Dana Malowany, Agathe Sigrid Merlier, An-Kim Nguyen, Minh-Thu Tina Nguyen, Olivia Laurra Sena, Claudia Sforzin, Sofya Squalli, Hélène Stojanovski and Yasuko Uchida.

The senior Les Suprêmes were sixth at the world championships last season and opened 2016 last weekend with a silver at the Neufchatel Trophy in Switzerland.

The free programs are on Saturday.

Full results: 2016 French Cup.

Les Suprêmes synchronized skating teams prepared for 2016 French Cup

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OTTAWA, ON:  Canada will have two teams at the 2016 French Cup international synchronized skating competition in Rouen, France. Les Suprêmes senior and junior will compete at the event which takes place from February 5-6, 2016, at the Patinoire Île Lacroix and features 30 teams in senior, junior, and novice.

Les Suprêmes senior, the 2015 Canadian silver medallists, will be the sole Canadian entry in the senior category. They began this season by winning the silver medal at the Neuchâtel Trophy this past weekend. They have previously competed at this event, placing fifth last season, sixth in 2014, and fifth in 2013. Last season, the representatives of Quebec won gold at the 2015 Mozart Cup and placed sixth at the 2015 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in Hamilton, Ontario. The five-time consecutive Canadian silver medallists are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis, Amélie Brochu, and Amanda Gaiotti.

Les Suprêmes junior, also from Quebec, will be the sole representative from Canada in the junior category. They are the defending French Cup junior champions, and previously won the bronze medal at this event in 2014, and placed eighth in 2013. Two-time consecutive Canadian junior champions, Les Suprêmes junior also won the bronze medal at the 2015 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. The team is also coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis, Amélie Brochu, and Amanda Gaiotti.

Andrew Bosco of Thorold, Ont., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For more information on the event please visit 2016 French Cup.

Ottawa to Host Skate Canada’s 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada announced today that Ottawa, Ontario will be the host city for the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships from January 16-22, 2017, at the TD Place Arena. The championships will be the first sporting event in Ottawa’s year-long celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.

Canadian Tire national skating championships logo

“We are excited to be back in Ottawa for the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. From our first championships in 1914 to our 100th anniversary of the event in 2014, Ottawa is a very special place for Canadian skating,” said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada CEO. “We are proud to be able to kick-off the National Capital’s celebrations for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. Like past years, we know the support from the community, fans and volunteers will allow for another amazing event that will inspire Canadians to embrace the joy of skating.”

“At Canadian Tire and Jumpstart, we believe in the power of sport to change lives, bring communities together and inspire greatness – whether it’s a first pair of skates, supporting kids through our charity, or helping athletes from the playground to the podium,” said Landon French, President of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. “As title sponsor, we are proud to help bring this event to Ottawa and look forward to welcoming Canada’s top skaters again in 2017.”

The pre-eminent all-Canadian sporting event will feature approximately 250 skaters in the men’s, women’s, 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 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, 2017 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and 2017 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

“I want to congratulate Skate Canada on the selection of Ottawa as the host city for the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships,” said the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities. “Our country’s top figure skaters will be sharpening their focus on the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and our junior and novice figure skaters will benefit from—and be inspired by—sharing the same ice as their skating heroes. The Government of Canada is proud to support Skate Canada and our athletes who will be coming to these championships, especially as they will kick off Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.”

Ottawa hosted the very first National Skating Championships in 1914 as well as in 1922, 1925, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2006 and 2014. The 2017 event will be 15th time that Ottawa will have hosted the largest gathering of Canadian skating talent. Canada’s capital has also played host to several other Skate Canada produced events, including Skate Canada International in 1976, 1981, 1993 and 2008, as well as the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 1978 and 1984.

“I’m thrilled that Ottawa will once again be hosting the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, this time in 2017. This adds another marquee event to our already impressive list for 2017 and there are still more to come,” said Mayor Jim Watson.

“It’s a big win for Ottawa to be awarded the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in 2017. Events like this bring with them a significant boost for our local economy while helping to inspire our younger generation to pursue excellence in sports,” added Councillor Jody Mitic, Ottawa Sport Commissioner.

All-event ticket packages for the championships will go on sale later this year.

ABOUT SKATE CANADA

Skate Canada is the nation’s governing body for skating and dedicated to creating a nation of skaters both recreationally and competitively. At over 125 years old, it is the world’s oldest skating organization and Canada’s preeminent leader in skate training and education, providing high performance coaching and skating development education. Over 130,000 Canadians participate in Skate Canada educational programs each year.

Canada’s most successful governing sport body, Skate Canada athletes have won 25 Olympic medals and 32 world championships. Today’s Canadian world and Olympic medalists all began at one of our 1,200 local Skate Canada clubs or skating schools. Through our programs, more than 5,200 certified professional coaches encourage Canadians of all ages to skate together as a family, pursue competitive ice sports and enjoy an active lifestyle.

Skate Canada has a National Service Centre in Ottawa, marketing headquarters in Toronto and High Performance facilities in Toronto and Calgary.

 

ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or “CTC,” is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a financial services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also includes Mark’s, a leading source for casual and industrial wear, and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which offers the best active wear brands. The 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division and the tens of thousands of people employed across the Company.

Strong free programs put Canada in medals at Neuchâtel Trophy

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Neuchâtel, Switzerland – Strong free programs produced silver medals for Canada in both senior and junior competition on Sunday at the Neuchâtel Trophy synchronized skating competition.

In senior competition, Team Paradise from Russia took the gold medal with 213.50 points followed Les Supremes from St-Leonard, Que., in second at 198.06 edging Team Unique from Finland third at 198.04.  There were seven entries.

The 20-member  Supremes were third after the short program on Saturday just behind the Finns.

The skaters for Les Supremes were Rebecca Allaire, Katherine Beaucage, Alexandra Bernardo, Lou-Ann Bezeau-Tremblay, Audrey-Anne Blouin, Joannie Brazeau, Emma Maria Corona, Alessandra Criscuolo, Laurie Désilets, Mélodie Doré, Sara Gilbert, Dana Malowany, Agathe Sigrid Merlier, An-Kim Nguyen, Minh-Thu Tina Nguyen, Olivia Laurra Sena, Claudia Sforzin, Sofya Squalli, Hélène Stojanovski and Yasuko Uchida.

Les Supremes were sixth at the 2015 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in Hamilton. The five-time consecutive Canadian silver medallists are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis, Amélie Brochu, and Amanda Gaiotti.

In junior completion, NEXXICE from Burlington, Ont., ranked third for both the short and long programs but their consistency paid off in silver with 138.86. Chicago Jazz from the U.S. won the event with 148.07 and Fond du Lac Blades, also from the U.S., were third at 136.24.

NEXXICE skaters were Madina Asrorova, Alyssa Finocchi, Alycia Giro, Taylor Johnston, Anna Ljunberg, Caroline Marr, Emiko Marr, Shayna McFadden, Jessica Morgan, Angie Qi, Jeian Amiel Simbahon, Samantha Smith, Melanie Spowart, Scarlet Stinson-Panning, Nicoel Susek, Alessandra Toso, Kayla Walker, Brooklyn Williamson, Emily Wright and Olivia Xie.

Last year, NEXXICE placed fifth at the 2015 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. Nexxice junior are coached by Trish Perdue-Mills and represent the Burlington Skating Centre.

Full results: 2016 Neuchâtel Trophy

Canadian synchronized skating teams in Switzerland for 2016 Neuchâtel Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON:  Canada will have two entries at the 2016 Neuchâtel Trophy international synchronized skating competition. Les Suprêmes senior and Nexxice junior will compete at the event which takes place from January 30-31, 2016 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and features 15 teams from eight countries at the senior and junior levels.

Les Suprêmes senior, the 2015 Canadian silver medallists, will be the sole Canadian entry in the senior category. Last season, they won gold at the 2015 Mozart Cup and placed fifth at the 2015 French Cup. The representatives of Quebec also placed sixth at the 2015 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in Hamilton, Ontario. The five-time consecutive Canadian silver medallists are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis, Amélie Brochu, and Amanda Gaiotti.

Canadian silver medallists, Nexxice junior, will be the Canadian entry at the junior level. Last season, the 2013 Canadian junior champions won the silver medal at the Spring Cup in Italy, and placed fifth at the 2015 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships. Nexxice junior are coached by Trish Perdue-Mills and represent the Burlington Skating Centre.

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

For more information on the event please visit 2016 Neuchâtel Trophy.