Skate Canada Coaches win 2015 Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Four Skate Canada coaches were honoured once again with the 2015 Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award. The awards were presented on Friday, November 13th by the Coaching Association of Canada at the annual Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala, which took place in Winnipeg, Man.

The Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards recognizes coaches whose Canadian athletes or teams win gold, silver, or bronze medals while competing in an Open World Championship, the Olympic Games, the Special Olympics World Games, or the Paralympic Games.

“Once again we are proud that Skate Canada coaches delivered another season of excellent achievements in order to receive these prestigious awards. The Coaching Association of Canada along with Petro-Canada do an outstanding job of recognizing the essential efforts of coaches in Canada,” said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada CEO. “Skate Canada has over 5,000 certified coaches across Canada and we know how important the role of a coach is to the development of the skaters and the sport. Thank you and congratulations to Richard, Bruno, Anne and Shelley for receiving this respected award.”

The figure skating coaches who received awards for their outstanding work with their athletes are:

Bruno Marcotte

Bruno Marcotte

Montreal, Que.
Athletes: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford

Richard Gauthier ChPC

Richard Gauthier ChPC

Montreal, Que.
Athletes: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford

Anne Schelter

Anne Schelter

Burlington, Ont.
Athletes: Senior Level Team – Nexxice

Shelley Simonton-Barnett

Shelley Simonton-Barnett

Burlington, Ont.
Athletes: Senior Level Team – Nexxice

Sixty-two coaches from a variety of sports in Canada were honoured at the banquet in Winnipeg.

Gilles and Poirier second after short dance at ISU Grand Prix

/0 Comments/in /by

BORDEAUX, France – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in second place after Friday’s short dance at the Trophee Eric Bompard, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. are first at 64.45, Gilles and Poirier followed with a season’s best 63.94 and Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia are third at 60.64.

“We couldn’t be happier, we are in striking distance of first place,” said Poirier, third with his partner three weeks ago at Skate America. “We increased our scores in several areas and there are still a few levels we can improve.”

The couple feel they are ahead of last year’s pace.

“We took the last couple of weeks to really iron out a lot of small details. That’s a part of the process we were not yet doing at this point last season,” added Gilles.

Patrick Chan fifth

In men’s competition, Shoma Uno of Japan is first after the short program at 89.56, Maxim Kovtun of Russia second at 86.82 and Daisuke Murakami of Japan third at 80.24.

Patrick Chan of Toronto, in his second competition in his comeback season, is fifth at 76.10. Chan didn’t complete his quad jump and put his hand down on a triple which cost him points.

“It was a shaky opening popping the quad,” said Chan, the gold medallist at Skate Canada two weeks ago. “I had a little bit of hesitation. All practices here had been really good but in the moment of pressure and expectations I kind of rushed through it and didn’t commit to every part of it.”

Chan says he is pleased with his progress so far after sitting out all of last season.

“All the mistakes I made at Skate Canada were successful here so you win some and lose some. That’s what the Grand Prix season is about and mistakes are usually to be expected.”

In pairs, first-year seniors Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., produced a personal best 64.95 to stand third after the short program. Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia lead with 74.50 and Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France are second at 65.75.

“It was really satisfying for us to increase the level of the entire program,” said Séguin, third with her partner at Skate America. ‘’There were a lot of technical elements in particular we needed to improve such as the spiral for which we increased to a level three.’’

In women’s competition after the short, Gracie Gold of the U.S., Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia second and Roberta Rodeghiero of Italy are 1-2-3.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., earned 55.35 for sixth but is just over three points from third place.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: 2015 Trophee Eric Bompard.

ISU Grand Prix circuit continues as Canadians head to France

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the Trophée Éric Bompard from November 12-15, 2015 at the Mériadeck ice rink in Bordeaux, France. Canada will have one entry per discipline at the event which is the fourth stop on the 2015 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

Three-time World Champion and double Olympic silver medallist (men’s and team) Patrick Chan, 24, Toronto, Ont., leads the Canadian team in men’s. This will be his second international assignment since returning to competition after taking the 2014-2015 season off, having won gold at the 2015 Skate Canada International. The representative of the Granite Club has previously competed at this event five times, winning gold on four occasions (2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013). He is coached by Kathy Johnson and trains at the Detroit Skating Club.

Canadian champion Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. This will be her first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, she placed fourth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy and fifth at Skate Canada International. Daleman is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club.

Canadian bronze medallists Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 22, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian pair entry at the event. This will also be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy on and won bronze at their first ISU Senior Grand Prix assignment, Skate America. The representatives of CPA Longueuil and CPA Chambly are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., will represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their third time competing at this event, having won silver last year and placing sixth in 2012. Earlier this season, they won gold at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy and bronze at Skate America. The representatives of Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader at the event and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Benoît Lavoie of Baie St-Paul, Que., 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.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 TROPHÉE ÉRIC BOMPARD

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Patrick Chan 24 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Kathy Johnson
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 17 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 19/22 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 23/24 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canadians show improvement in free skates at Cup of China

/0 Comments/in /by

BEIJING – Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto took seventh spot in pairs on Saturday to conclude the Cup of China, the third stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia finished ahead of three Chinese pairs for the gold medal. Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China were second and their compatriots Xiaoyu and Yang Jin third.

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were competing at their first Grand Prix together since joining forces in 2014.

‘’It wasn’t the skates we were hoping for,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’But it is just the beginning of the season and there is still a lot of work to be done. Today we upped our speed and our twist in the short was definitely a step up. We just need to get more mileage in.’’

Vanessa Grenier of Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., posted a personal best score in the short program, free program and overall score at 159.34 for eighth place.

‘’It was a very good competition for us,’’ said Deschamps. ‘’We really improved our artistic score which has been something we’ve really worked on this season. It was nice to comeback after Skate Canada last week because we didn’t perform at our best there.’’

In men’s competition, Javier Fernandez of Spain took the gold while Chinese skaters Boyang Jin and Han Yan were second and third.  Elladj Baldé of Pierrefonds, Que., took 11th spot.  A flu bug has affected Baldé’s training since he won the gold medal in September at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany.

‘’It was a difficult evening but better than the short,’’ said Baldé. ‘’But I couldn’t get any rhythm in my training since my victory. I was happy to come back here but you could see today in the second half of my free skate, the fatigue starting to set it.’’

The fourth stop on the circuit is this Friday and Saturday in Bordeaux, France.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/gpchn2015/index.htm.

Canada will need to play catch-up at Cup of China

/0 Comments/in /by

BEIJING – It was a tough start for Canada’s three entries in Friday’s short programs at the Cup of China figure skating competition, the third stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

In pairs, China grabbed three of the top-four spots with Wenjing Sui and Cong Han first at 74.40.  Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia follow at 72.45 while Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin of China are third at 70.06.

Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto, in their first Grand Prix since hooking up in 2014,  are seventh while Vanessa Grenier of Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., eighth.

In men’s competition, Javier Fernandez of Spain tops the field at 93.19 followed by Boyang Jin of China at 90.05 and Sergei Voronov of Russia in third at 80.99.

Elladj Baldé of Pierrefonds, Que., is 12th.

Canada has no entries in ice dancing and women’s singles.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/gpchn2015/index.htm.

Canadian skaters in China for ISU Grand Prix Beijing

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have three entries, for a total of five skaters, competing at the third stop on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, the Cup of China. The event takes place from November 6-8, 2015 at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Canada will have one entry in men’s and two entries in pair.

Elladj Baldé, 24, Pierrefonds, Que., will be the Canadian entry in the men’s category. This will be his first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, the representative of CPA Anjou Kinsmen won his first international gold medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season, he placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, sixth at the NHK Trophy and sixth at the Canadian championships. Baldé trains in Montreal, Que., with coaches Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., are the first of two Canadian pair entries. This will be their first Grand Prix assignment since teaming up in 2014. Earlier this season, the representatives of the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club placed fourth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Last season, they won gold at the Warsaw Cup, silver at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, placed sixth at the Four Continents Championships, and 13th at the World Championships. Ilyusheshkina and Moscovitch are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson.

Vanessa Grenier, 23, Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 23, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will also represent Canada in pair. Grenier and Deschamps will be competing at this event for the first time. This season, they placed fourth at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic and seventh at Skate Canada International. Last season, the representatives of CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fifth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International, sixth at Skate America, and fifth at the 2015 Canadian Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event and Siobhan Karam of Ottawa, Ont., will be the Canadian team physiotherapist. Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 CUP OF CHINA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Elladj Baldé 24 Pierrefonds, Que. CPA Anjou Kinsmen Bruno Marcotte / Manon Perron
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 23/23 Johnville, Que. / Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. CPA Sherbrooke / CPAR Vaudreuil Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte

Triple gold for Canada at Skate Canada International

/0 Comments/in /by

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Patrick Chan of Toronto, pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., as well as ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., all won gold on Saturday at Skate Canada International.

In men’s competition, Chan landed a quad toe and triple Axel en route to the gold with 271.14 points in his return to competition after sitting out last season.  Yuzuru Hanyu and Daisuke Murakami of Japan were second and third at 259.54 and 252.25

‘’It was a high stress and challenging competition for me,’’ said Chan. ‘’I didn’t feel good in the warm –up and I was scared about going on. But I talked it through with my coach Kathy Johnso.  I went out there and skated because I enjoy it and hopefully I can be consistent throughout the season.’’

Nam Nguyen of Toronto was fifth and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., 11th.

In pairs, world champions Duhamel and Radford collected their second victory this season with 216.16 points. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia followed at 191.19 and Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were third at 174.85.

“We were pretty nervous going out there today,” Radford said. “I don’t know if we can really put a finger on why. . .we were both feeling the same thing, a little out of our bodies, not as centred as we normally are.’’

Moore-Towers and Marinaro overcame a mistake on a lift.

‘’It was a big mistake but we didn’t let it snowball,’’ said Moore-Towers. ‘’A lot of the stuff we were working we really accomplished tonight. It was a huge step up from our previous competition.’’

Vanessa Grenier and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil, Que., were seventh.

In ice dancing, Weaver and Poje prevailed at 173.69 with Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. second at 168.36 and Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia third at 161.11.

‘’We are definitely proud with how our free dance went today,’’ said Poje. ‘’We put pressure on ourselves to make sure we made improvements in both the short dance and free dance. We showed we are ready for the season and ready to push our limits.’’

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam of Barrie, Ont., were sixth and Elisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette of Laval, Que., eighth.

In women’s competition, Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., was fifth, Veronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., 10th and Kaetlyn Osmond of Marystown, N.L. 11th.

Ashely Wagner of the U.S. took the gold.

Full results: 2015 Skate Canada International

Lethbridge, Alberta, set to host 2015 Skate Canada International

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Canada’s top figure skaters will compete against many of the world’s best at the 2015 Skate Canada International this week in Lethbridge, Alta. The event, which takes place October 29-November 1, 2015, at the ENMAX Centre will feature 12 Canadian entries (three per category in men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance) for a total of 18 skaters.

Skate Canada International is the second of six competitions on the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit, which qualifies skaters for the ISU Grand Prix Final, taking place December 10-13 in Barcelona, Spain.

Three-time World Champion and double Olympic silver medallist (men’s and team) Patrick Chan, 24, Toronto, Ont., is one of three Canadian entries in men’s. The representative of the Granite Club has previously competed at this event six times, winning in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013. This event marks Chan’s return to competition after taking the 2014-2015 season off. He is coached by Kathy Johnson and trains at the Detroit Skating Club.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen, 17, Toronto, Ont., is will also represent Canada in men’s. This will be his first time competing at this event. Nguyen began this season winning silver at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Last season, he won bronze at Skate America, placed fourth at the Cup of China, 11th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and fifth at the World Championships. Nguyen is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Keegan Messing, 23, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, rounds out the Canadian entries in men’s. This will also be his first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, Messing placed fifth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Last season, Messing placed fifth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representative of Sherwood Park FSC is coached by Ralph Burghart at in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Canadian champion Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in ladies. Daleman will be competing at this event for the first time. Earlier this season, she placed fourth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Last season she placed fifth at the Cup of China, sixth at the NHK Trophy, seventh at the Four Continents Championships, and 21st at the World Championships. Daleman is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club.

Two-time Canadian champion and Olympic silver medallist (team) Kaetlyn Osmond, 19, Marystown, Nfld., will also represent Canada in ladies. She previously competed at this event in 2012, winning gold. Earlier this season, she won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Osmond is coached by Ravi Walia and represents the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club.

Canadian bronze medallist 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 eighth in 2013 and 10th in 2014. Earlier this season, she placed ninth at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed 10th at Trophée Eric Bompard and finished 14th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

World champions and Olympic silver medallists (team) Meagan Duhamel, 29, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 30, Balmertown, Ont., lead the Canadian pair entries. The four-time Canadian champions have reached the podium four times at this event and are current defending champions. Duhamel and Radford began this season winning gold at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. Last season, they won gold at all of their events including the NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final, Four Continents Championships and World Championships. The representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, and Sylvie Fullum at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 23, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 23, Sarnia, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in pair. Last season, the representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC placed sixth at this event. Moore-Towers and Marinaro won bronze at their first international assignment this season, the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Last season they placed seventh at Trophée Eric Bompard, ninth at the ISU Four Continents Championships, and fourth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Moore-Towers and Marinaro are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum, Julie Marcotte and Cynthia Lemaire in CPA Saint-Léonard.

Vanessa Grenier, 23, Johnville, Que., and Maxime Deschamps, 23, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., will also represent Canada in pair. Earlier this season, Grenier and Deschamps placed fourth at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Last season, the representatives of CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fifth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International, sixth at Skate America, and fifth at the 2015 Canadian Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Canadian champions and 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. The current defending champions have reached the podium four times at this event. Earlier this season, they won gold at the Finlandia Trophy. Last season, they won gold at each of their events (Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships) and won the bronze medal at the World Championships. Representing Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC, they are coached by Angelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo and Shae-Lynn Bourne in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Three time Canadian bronze medallists Alexandra Paul, 24, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 25, Barrie, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their third time competing at this event, having placed fourth in 2010 and fifth in 2013. Paul and Islam began this season winning silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season, they placed fifth at the Cup of China, sixth at Trophée Eric Bompard, sixth at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and 13th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The representatives of Barrie SC train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 23, Laval, Que., are the third Canadian ice dance entry. Last season, they placed seventh at this event. This season, they won bronze at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. Paradis and Ouellette also placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at Skate America, and fifth at the 2015 Canadian Championships last season. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc., train in in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Cynthia Ullmark, of Canmore, Alta., and Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff. Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., Beth Crane of Burnaby, B.C., Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit 2015 Skate Canada International.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Patrick Chan 24 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Kathy Johnson
Mens Nam Nguyen 17 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Mens Keegan Messing 23 Girdwood, Alaska, USA Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 17 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 19 Marystown, Nfld. & Sherwood Park, Alberta Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Véronik Mallet 21 Sept-Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Pair Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 29/30 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte / Sylvie Fullum
Pair Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro 23/23 St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Point Edward SC Inc. Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier / Sylvie Fullum / Julie Marcotte / Cynthia Lemaire
Pair Vanessa Grenier / Maxime Deschamps 23/23 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 Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam 24/25 Midhurst, Ont. / Barrie, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
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

Canada wins two bronze at Skate America

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

MILWAUKEE – Pairs skaters Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., and ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto won bronze medals on Saturday at Skate America.

The competition is the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

In pairs, Séguin and Bilodeau were the only entry to skate clean in the final flight and produced a personal best 189.49 points. It was their first international medal at the senior level.  Last winter they took silver at the world juniors.

‘’We didn’t expect to win a medal so early in our senior careers,’’ said Bilodeau, 22, fifth with his partner at the Nebelhorn Trophy last month in Germany. ’’But I think we realized after Germany we had to be more solid in order to compete at this level.’’

Their program was highlighted by remarkable lifts.

‘’We’ve put a lot of focus on improving our lifts,’’ said Séguin, 18. ‘’We’ve worked at making them more challenging and original as well.’’

In ice dancing, Gilles and Poirier notched a second international medal this month earning 157.58.  Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. took the gold at 173.22 and Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia were second at 162.21.

‘’Our goal this year is to make the Grand Prix Final so that result will make it more difficult for us,’’ said Gilles. ‘’Still we were very happy with the performance and we felt it was a step-up from Slovakia.’’

Three weeks ago, Gilles and Poirier won gold at an international event in Bratislava.

‘’It’s a big boost for us to see our scores higher than at this point last season,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We’ve been really consistent so far and we’ve got two programs that really work us.’’

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold at 202.00 and Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of the U.S., who each fell in the free skate, were second at 191.91.

In women’s competition, world junior champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia won the gold medal with Gracie Gold of the U.S. second and Satoko Miyahara of Japan third. Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 12th.

The next stop on the circuit is Skate Canada International this Friday and Saturday in Lethbridge, Alta.

Full results: ISU GP 2015 Progressive Skate America

Gilles and Poirier stand third after short dance

/0 Comments/in /by

MILWAUKEE – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in third place after the short dance at Skate America, the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World championship silver medallists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. stand first at 70.56, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia second at 62.76 and Gilles and Poirier follow at 61.33.  Earlier this month the Canadians won gold at an international event in Slovakia.

‘’It was important for us to come into this season competition ready,’’ said Poirier. ‘’So far we’ve shown that this season. I was pleased with how we made the necessary adjustments with the event in a smaller rink and it worked out really well.’’

In pairs, world junior silver medallists Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., are in the medal mix.  They produced clean short program standing fourth with 64.85 points which bettered their score from the world juniors.

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of the U.S. lead at 69.69, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are second at 68.28 and their compatriots Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang third at 64.95.

Séguin and Bilodeau opened their senior level international career at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany last month placing fifth.

‘’We showed what we can achieve at this level today,’’ said Séguin, 18. ‘’Over the past three weeks we’ve worked really hard in training and have regained our confidence. We did really well and we are very pleased.’’

Bilodeau says entering the senior circuit has forced them to elevate their game.

‘’It’s super exciting to compete at this level,’’ he said. ‘’Definitely we’ve increased the difficulty of our two programs in put a lot more detail into our choreography as well.’’

In women’s competition, Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., stands sixth after a clean short program. Evgenia Nedvedeva of Russia leads with Gracie Gold of the U.S. second and Satoko Miyahara of Japan third.

‘’It didn’t go exactly the way I wanted,’’ said Chartrand, 19. ‘’I thought my combination jump in particular could have been better. Still it’s a good start to the Grand Prix season and I want to show more improvement in the long.’’

Canada is not entered in men’s singles.  All four free skates are on Saturday. Live streaming is available at cbc.ca starting at 2:20 p.m.(EDT)

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/gpusa2015/index.htm

Canadian skaters kick off ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Season at Skate America

/0 Comments/in /by

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send three entries, for a total of five skaters to the first event on this season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, Skate America. Canada will have one entry per category in ladies, pair and ice dance. The competition is the first of six ISU Senior Grand Prix stops, and will take place from October 23-25, 2015, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Centre in Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Canadian silver medallist Alaine Chartrand, 19, Prescott, Ont., will be Canada’s entry in the ladies category. This will be her first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, she placed fourth at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, she placed seventh at Skate Canada International and won bronze at the Rostelecom Cup. She also placed tenth at the 2015 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and 11th at the 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Chartrand is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser and represents the Nepean Skating Club.

Canadian bronze medallists Julianne Séguin, 18, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 22, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian pair entry at the event. This will be their first assignment on the ISU Senior Grand prix circuit. Earlier this season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy on the ISU Challenger Series. Last season, they won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, silver at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and placed eighth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 23, Unionville, Ont., will represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first time competing at this event. Earlier this season, they won gold at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Last season, they won silver at Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard, placed fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Final, fourth at the Four Continents Championships and sixth at the World Championships. The representatives of Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., and Lynne Dey of Edmonton, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 SKATE AMERICA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 19 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 18/22 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 23/23 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Duhamel and Radford open season with gold at Autumn Classic International

/0 Comments/in /by

BARRIE, Ont. – World champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., won the gold medal in pairs on Thursday at the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition.

Duhamel and Radford earned 202.61 points in their season opener. Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran of the U.S. took the silver at 177.86 and their compatriots Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan were third at 149.25.

Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan of Toronto were fourth at 144.55 and Hayleigh Bell of Acton, Ont., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., were fifth at 135.43.

Meagan Duhame / Eric Radford - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Brittany Jones / Joshua Reagan - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Castelli / Tran - 2015 Autumn Classic International

It was a 1-2 Canadian finish in ice dancing with Nicole Orford of Burnaby, B.C. and Asher Hill of Pickering, Ont., a new partnership this season, winning the gold with 146.65.  Andréanne Poulin of Ile-Bizard, Que., and Marc-André Servant of Vaudreuil, Que., surged from fourth after the short dance to the silver at 132.35.

‘’Our programs are coming together really well,’’ said Orford. ‘’So well, that sometimes we forget we are a new team. We are both perfectionists because our previous partnerships were so successful so we need to remind ourselves we’ve only skated for three months.’’

Nicole Orford / Asher Hill - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Adreanne Poulin / Marc Andre Servant - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Karina Manta / Joseph Johnson - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the gold medal in men’s singles with 277.19 points. Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto took the silver at 241.10 and Sean Rabbitt of the U.S. was third at 201.70.

Bennet Toman of St. Lazare, Que., was sixth and Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver 10th.

Men - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Yuzuru Hanyu - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Nam Nguyen - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Sean Rabbit - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Bennet Toman - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Mitchell Gordon - 2015 Autumn Classic International

In women’s competition, Roxanne Rhéault of Victoriaville, Que., was fifth. Elizabet Tursynbayeva of Kazakhstan won the gold.

Roxanne Rheault - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Elizabet Tursynbayeva - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Haruka Imai - 2015 Autumn Classic International
Angela Wang - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Canadian junior women win two medals

In junior women’s singles, Amanda Stan of Romania finished ahead of three Canadians for the gold with 130.46.  Alicia Pineault of Montreal was mere 0.01 points from victory for the silver at 130.45.  McKenna Colthorp of Fort St. James, B.C. took the bronze at 129.25 and Alexis Dion of Ottawa fourth at 127.65.

Alicia Pineault - 2015 Autumn Classic International
McKenna Colthorp - 2015 Autumn Classic International

Full results: 2015 Autumn Classic International