Skate Canada sends six skaters to Ondrej Nepela Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters at the 23rd annual Ondrej Nepela Trophy, the third event on the 2015 ISU Challenger Series. Canada will have one entry in each discipline (men’s, ladies, pair, ice dance) at the competition which runs from September 30 – October 4, 2015 at the Ondrej Nepela Ice Rink in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Canadian champion Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. Daleman will be competing at this event for the first time. 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.

Keegan Messing, 23, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, will represent Canada in men’s. This will be his first international assignment representing Canada. 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.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 23, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., will be Canada’s pair entry. Last season, their first season competing together, the representatives of the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club 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.

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. 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.

Louis Stong of Etobicoke, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader. Physiotherapist Josiane Roberge of Sillery, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., and Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org or the official event website.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 23rd ANNUAL ONDREJ NEPELA TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
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
Pair Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 23/31 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 23/23 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canadian skaters prepared for sixth stop on ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Spain

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have two entries, for a total of four skaters at the sixth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit in Logrono (La Rioja), Spain. The event takes place from September 30 – October 4, 2015, and will feature two Canadian teams in the ice dance category.

Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 18, Ajax, Ont., are the first of two Canadian ice dance teams competing in Spain. This will be their second international assignment together. Earlier this season, they won silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Colorado Springs, USA. Training at Scarboro Ice Dance Elite, they are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs.

Marjorie Lajoie, 14, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 16, St.-Hubert, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment. Last season, the representatives of CPA Boucherville and CPA St.-Lambert won the gold medal in the novice category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Lajoie and Lagha train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., will be the only Canadian official at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #6 – Logrono (La Rioja), Spain

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ice dance Mackenzie Bent / Dmitre Razgulajevs 17/18 Uxbridge, Ont. / Ajax, Ont. Uxbridge SC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 14/16 Boucherville, Que. / St.-Hubert, Que. CPA Boucherville / CPA St.-Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis

Golden comeback for Kaetlyn Osmond – Canadian ice dancers Paul and Islam add silver

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OBERTSDORF – Canadian Olympian Kaetlyn Osmond, who missed all of last season due to injury, won the gold medal with a personal best score in women’s singles in her 2015-16 debut on Saturday at the Nebelhorn Trophy figure skating competition.

The 19-year-old Osmond from Marystown, N.L. earned 179.41 points for the victory winning both the short and long programs. Alena Leonova of Russia was second at 165.61 and Courtney Hicks of the U.S. third at 162.85.

“Obviously I’m very happy with my performance today,” said Osmond, with her third career international victory. “I wasn’t trying absolutely everything in my program today I just wanted to focus on what I know I could do.”

“There’s still a long way to go but it’s a good start.”

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., second after the short program, took fourth spot overall at 161.35.

In ice dancing, Alexandra Paul of Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam of Barrie, Ont., took the silver medal with 148.12 points.  They were behind Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. in first at 169.50.  Anastasia Cannuscio and Colin McManus of the U.S. were third at 137.38.

“Today was a little bit difficult for us,” said Paul. “We were confident going into the program but we made a few costly errors that affected our overall performance.  But we love the program and we are looking forward to skating it again.  We want to show people how great it can be.”

“These competitions early in the season are a great opportunity to find out what you need to work on a little bit more,” added Islam.

Canada ends the competition with two gold and a silver and second overall in the team standings. On Friday, Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que., won the men’s competition.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/csger2015/

Canada’s Roman Sadovsky lands bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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TORUN, Poland – Canadian Roman Sadovsky ended a rough day on the podium Saturday finishing third in men’s competition at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Sota Yamamoto of Japan took the gold with 232.42 points, Dennis Vasiljevs of Latvia was second at 207.83 and the 16-year-old Sadovsky from Vaughn, Ont., followed in third at 198.38.

Sadovsky, the gold medallist at the season opening event in Slovakia last month, was second after the short program but had a rough start to his day on Saturday.

“I had a terrible warm-up,” he said. “I fell on jumps I usually never fall on.  It was a real roller coaster of a day.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, Sadovsky broke the tongue in his skate boot just before executing his program.

“I didn’t have much confidence going into the long program and the skate felt different,” he said. “Still I was happy to show I could perform under pressure and I got the medal which was my objective here.”

After falling on his quad Salchow to open the long program, Sadovsky was able to regroup and produce a clean skate the rest of the way.  While it wasn’t his smoothest skate he continued to impress with his flexibility, spins and overall performance.

His two results this season put him in strong contention to compete at the ISU Grand Prix Final in December.

In ice dancing, American couples finished 1-2 with Melinda Meng and Andrew Meng of Montreal fourth, less than a point from third spot with a personal best 140.80. Payten Howland and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette of Montreal were sixth.

“It was our best skate in competition,” said Andrew Meng. “We gave everything we had on the ice and had personal best scores in both the short and long programs. After the first Grand Prix we worked a lot on our footwork and choreography.”

The sixth stop is this Thursday to Saturday in La Rioja, Spain.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/jgppol2015/index.htm

Canadian pairs nears podium at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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TORUN, Poland – Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak of Calgary came within five points of the podium in pairs competition on Friday at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Russians swept the podium. Ekaterina Borisova and Dmitry Sopot took the gold with 158.82 points, Amina Atakhanova and Ilia Spiridonov second at 149.52 and Anastasia Gubanova and Alexei Sintsov were third at 147.03.

Hoffman and Chudak reached major goals for this season surpassing 50 points for Thursday’s short program, 90 for the free skate and 140 points overall – all personal bests. They finished at 142.33. They were also fourth earlier this season at the third stop in Colorado Springs.

“We improved at all levels in our skating today,” said Hoffman. “We were much more together and we repeated what we had been doing in practice. It’s really encouraging for us to reach those point levels this early in the season. Our next big objective is to win a medal at nationals.”

Hope McLean of Newbury, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., took sixth spot in their international debut.

Melinda Meng and Andrew Meng of Montreal are in the medal hunt in ice dancing standing fifth less than a point from third place. Payten Howland and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette of Montreal are sixth, just three points from third. Both couples set personal bests at 57.61 and 54.15.

In men’s competition, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., is second after Thursday’s short program. Sadovsky won gold last month at the season opening stop in Slovakia.

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s free skate and the free dance. Canada is not entered in women’s singles.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/jgppol2015/index.htm

Canada’s Elladj Baldé wins gold at international figure skating competition

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OBERTSDORF, Germany –  Elladj Baldé of Pierrefonds, Que., won the gold medal in men’s singles on Friday at the Nebelhorn Trophy, the traditional season opening event at the senior level in international figure skating.

Baldé tabulated a personal best 242.36 points landing quad jumps and producing clean performances in both the short and long programs.  Max Aaron of the U.S. was second at 222.94 and Konstantin Menshov of Russia was third at 218.14.

“I’ve trained hard for this and I knew I had the ability to deliver these kinds of programs,’’ said Baldé. ‘’And to beat my personal best by 30 points is simply amazing.  It’s great to have a number now that shows what I’m really capable of.  What also stands out for me that we found a way to make this happen. That’s good for the long term.   And there is still room for improvement.’’

It was Baldé’s first international victory.

“It was a great feeling to hear my anthem and I want to feel that again. I was hoping it would one day happen to me and I’m extremely grateful.’’

The other final on Friday was in pairs. World junior silver medallists Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., were fifth. Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia took the gold.

“It wasn’t the performance we wanted,’’ said Séguin.  ‘’But we learned from it and will come out stronger and move forward.’’

Canada is looking strong in women’s competition after the short program.  Kaetlyn Osmond of Marystown, N.L., who missed all of last season due to injury, leads with 59.67 and Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., is second at 58.73. Courtney Hicks of the U.S. is third at 57.65.

Osmond, who broke her leg in September 2014, fell on her first combination early in the skate but finished strong.

“I’m just happy to be back,’’ said Osmond. ‘’After I landed my first jump, the only thing that went through my head was that I didn’t want to lose any more points and that’s what happened.’’

Chartrand’s short was mistake-free.

“It’s very satisfying to put down a clean program so early in the season,’’ said Chartrand.

Also in the medal hunt are Alexandra Paul of Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam of Barrie, Ont.,  second after the short dance with 60.52.  Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. lead at 67.74. Lauren Collins of Minesing, Ont., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver are seventh.

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

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/csger2015/

Canadian skaters continue on ISU Challenger Series at Nebelhorn Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send six entries, for a total of nine skaters to Oberstdorf, Germany, for the Nebelhorn Trophy, the second stop on the ISU Challenger Series. Canada will have one entry per discipline in men’s and pair, and two entries per discipline in ladies and ice dance at the event which takes place September 24-26, 2015.

Elladj Baldé, 24, Pierrefonds, Que., will be the Canadian entry in the men’s category. This will be his fourth time competing at this event, having placed 10th in 2011, 14th in 2012, and 5th last season. The representative of CPA Anjou Kinsmen also placed sixth at the NHK Trophy last season. Baldé trains in Montreal, Que., with coaches Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron.

Two-time Canadian champion Kaetlyn Osmond, 19, Marystown, Nfld., is one of two Canadian entries in ladies. She previously competed at this event in 2012, winning gold. Osmond returns to competition after missing least season due to injury. She most recently competed at the 2014 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, where she earned an 11th place finish. She is coached by Ravi Walia and represents the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club.

Canadian silver medallist Alaine Chartrand, 19, Prescott, Ont., will be Canada’s second entry in the ladies category. This will be her first time competing at this event. Last season, she placed fourth at her assignment on the ISU Challenger Series, the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. She also placed tenth at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and 11th at the 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 sole Canadian pair entry at this event. This will be their first assignment 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.

Three time Canadian bronze medallists Alexandra Paul, 24, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 25, Barrie, Ont., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This will be their third time competing at this event, having placed fifth in 2012 and winning bronze in 2013. Last season, Paul and Islam 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.

Lauren Collins, 19, Minesing, Ont., and Shane Firus, 21, North Vancouver, B.C., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment at the senior level. Last season, the representatives of Barrie SC and Vancouver SC placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Japan and won silver at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in junior. They are coached by David Islam and Kelly Johnson at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be travelling with the Canadian team as team leader and Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. André-Marc Allain of Gatineau, Que., and Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 NEBELHORN TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Elladj Baldé 24 Pierrefonds, Que. CPA Anjou Kinsmen Bruno Marcotte / Manon Perron
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 19 Marystown, Nfld. & Sherwood Park, Alberta Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
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 Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam 24/25 Midhurst, Ont. / Barrie, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Lauren Collins / Shane Firus 19/21 Minesing, Ont. / North Vancouver, B.C. Barrie SC / Vancouver SC David Islam / Kelly Johnson

ISU Junior Grand Prix Torun marks fifth event of season for Canadian junior skaters

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send five entries, for a total of nine skaters to Torun, Poland, for the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have one entry in men’s and two entries per discipline in pair and ice dance at the event which takes place from September 23-27, 2015.

Roman Sadovsky, 16, Vaughan, Ont., will be Canada’s sole entry in men’s. Earlier this season, he won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia. Last season he placed fifth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, 14th at the 2015 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships and fourth in the senior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Tracey Wainman at the YSRA Winter Club.

Bryn Hoffman, 18, Calgary, Alta., and Bryce Chudak, 20, Calgary, Atla., will be one of two Canadian pair entries. This season, they placed fourth at their first international assignment in the United States. Last season, the representatives of Calalta FSC placed seventh at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Hoffman and Chudak are coached by Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay.

Hope McLean, 16, Newbury, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 19, Strathroy, Ont., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be their first international assignment. Last season, the representatives of Mount Brydges SC and Prince Edward SC placed fourth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. McLean and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss at the London Competitive Skating Centre.

Melinda Meng, 16, Montreal, Que., and Andrew Meng, 18, Montreal, Que., are the first of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Earlier this season, they placed fifth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Latvia. Last season, the representatives of CPA Laval placed seventh at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in France, and won bronze in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The Mengs are coached by Shawn Winter in Pierrefonds, Que.

Payten Howland, 16, St. Louis, MO, USA, and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette, 17, Montreal, Que., are Canada’s second entry in ice dance. This will be their second international assignment, having placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States. earlier this season. Last season, the representatives of CPA Lorraine placed 10th in the junior category at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Igor Shpilband, Fabian Bourzat, and Greg Zuerlein and train in Novi, MI, USA.

Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont., and Susan Blatz of Burlington, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #5 – Torun, Poland

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Roman Sadovsky 16 Vaughan, Ont. YRSA Winter Club Tracey Wainman
Pair Bryn Hoffman / Bryce Chudak 18/20 Calgary, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. Calalta FSC / Calalta FSC Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay
Pair Hope McLean / Trennt Michaud 16/19 Newbury, Ont. / Strathroy, Ont. Mount Brydges SC / Prince Edward SC Alison Purkiss
Ice Dance Melinda Meng / Andrew Meng 16/18 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. CPA Laval / CPA Laval Shawn Winter
Ice Dance Payten Howland / Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette 16/17 St. Louis, MO, USA / Montreal, Que. CPA Lorraine / CPA Lorraine Igor Shpilband / Fabian Bourzat / Greg Zuerlein

Canada wins second bronze at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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Salt Lake City – Élisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François Xavier-Ouellette of Laval, Que., won the bronze medal in ice dancing on Saturday night at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. took the gold with 153.62 points, Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark were second at 141.08 and the Canadians scored 136.90.

“We had some technical struggles but we were really happy we skated it with good feeling, together,” Paradis said. ‘’We need to work more on the elements, especially the step sequences, and do a lot more run-throughs.’’

Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., the Canadian junior champions, were sixth.

In women’s competition, Canadian junior champion Selena Zhao of Montreal produced the third best free skate of the night hitting six triple jumps, two in combination to climb from ninth to fifth overall with 157.03 points.  Véronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., was ninth.

Satoko Miyahara of Japan won the gold.

On Friday, Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., won the bronze medal in pairs

Full results: 2015 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Moore-Towers and Marinaro win bronze at U.S. International Classic

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Salt Lake City – Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., won the bronze medal in pairs on Friday at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

Tarah Kayne and Daniel O’Shea of the U.S. took the gold with 170.30 points edging compatriots Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran in second at 169.46. Moore-Towers and Marinaro totalled 160.08 in their season opening event.

“It felt a little slow to us, but the score was a bit of a shock,” Moore-Towers said. “We lost a few levels. Our program components score was lower than we’d like it to be. We have a lot of work to do between now and the end of October for Skate Canada.”

Vanessa Grenier of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil, Que., were fourth at 148.52.

Canada is also in the medal hunt in ice dancing. Élisabeth Paradis of Loretteville, Que., and François Xavier-Ouellette of Laval, Que., are tied for second spot with Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark after the short dance with 51.58. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. lead at 61.08.

“We’re happy with some things, our connection together and how we told the story and followed the music,” Paradis said. “We had some struggles on a few elements.”

Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., the Canadian junior champions, are sixth.

In women’s competition after the short program Véronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., and Canadian junior champion Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., are eighth and ninth.

In men’s competition, Christophe Belley of Quebec City finished eighth.

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

Full results: U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

Canadian skaters begin season in Salt Lake City at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

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OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send seven entries, for a total of eleven skaters to the 2015 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the first event on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series. Canada will have one entry in men’s and two entries per discipline in ladies, pair and ice dance at the event which runs from September 16-20, 2015, in Salt Lake City, UT.

Christophe Belley, 21, Quebec, Que., is the Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, the representative of CPA Lévis placed seventh at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be his first international assignment at the senior level. Belley is coached by Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard and Yvan Desjardins in Drummondville, Que.

Canadian bronze medallist Véronik Mallet, 21, Sept-Îles, Que., is the first of two Canadian entries in the ladies division. This will be her first time competing at this event. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles placed 10th at both of her Grand Prix assignments, Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard, and finished 14th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

Selena Zhao, 17, Varennes, Que., – Colorado Springs, USA., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies category. Last season, Zhao won the 2015 Canadian junior title and placed 26th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. This will be her first international assignment at the senior level. She is coached by Christy Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs, CO, and represents CPA Varennes.

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 23, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 23, Sarnia, Ont., are one of two Canadian entries in pair. Last season, the representatives of Kitchener-Waterloo SC and Point Edward SC placed sixth at Skate Canada International, seventh at Trophée Eric Bompard, and seventh at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. They also placed 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. Representing CPA Sherbrooke and CPAR Vaudreuil, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fifth at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International and sixth at Skate America last season. Grenier and Deschamps placed fifth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que., and François-Xavier Ouellette, 23, Laval, Que., are one of two Canadian ice dance entries at the event. Last season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at Skate America and seventh at Skate Canada International. The representatives of CPA Loretteville and CPA Les Lames D’Argent De Laval Inc., also placed fifth at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They train in in Montreal, Que., with coaches by Marie-France Dubreuil,Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Canadian junior champions Brianna Delmaestro, 19, Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum, 20, Burnaby, B.C., are the second entry in ice dance for Canada. Last season, Delmaestro and Lum won the silver medal at their ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in Slovenia and won the bronze medal at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany. This will be the first senior international assignment for the representatives of Coquitlam SC and Burnaby FSC. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the Champs International Skating Centre of B.C.

Louis Stong of Etobicoke, Ont., and Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., will be travelling with the team as team leaders. Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the team physiotherapist. Jérôme Poulin of Montreal, Que., and Sylvain Guibord of Brossard, Que., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The event will be streamed live on icenetwork.com. For more information and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Christophe Belley 21 Quebec, Que. CPA Lévis Annie Barabé / Sophie Richard / Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Véronik Mallet 21 Sept- Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Maximin Coïa
Ladies Selena Zhao 17 Varennes, Que. – Colorado Springs, USA CPA Varennes Christy Krall / Damon Allen
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 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
Ice Dance Brianna Delmaestro / Timothy Lum 19/20 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Coquitlam SC / Burnaby FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

Brasseur and Ostiguy place fifth at junior Grand Prix

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LINZ, Austria – Justine Brasseur of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Ste-Angele-de-Monnoir, Que., placed fifth in pairs on Saturday to conclude the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Amina Atakhanova and Ilia Spiridonov of Russia took the gold with Anna Duskova and Martin Bidar of the Czech Republic second and Renata Oganesian and Mark Bardei of Ukraine third.

Brasseur and Ostiguy were sixth at the second stop in Riga, Latvia last month.

‘’We trained really hard after the last Grand Prix and it has really paid off,’’ said Brasseur, 14. ‘’We improved in all areas and had our best score.’’

In ice dancing, Alla Loboda and Pavel Drodz of Russia were the winners with Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France second and Julia Biechler and Damian Dodge of the U.S. third.

Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., were sixth and Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., eighth.

‘’Today we had a nice free dance even though we had a tough week,’’ said Sales, who became ill after landing in Europe after her first overseas trip. ‘’We had to make some adjustments because we didn’t get all our training in but we were able to put in a good performance.’’

It was also a first Junior Grand Prix experience for Stairs and Royer.

‘’We have to thanks our coaches for preparing us so well for this competition,’’ said Royer. ‘’We didn’t feel as nervous as I thought we would. We went in to do our best and got our highest scores.’’

In the men’s final, Dmitri Aliev of Russia won gold, Ivan Pavlov of Ukraine was second and Vincent Zhou of the U.S. was third.

Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., produced he ninth best long program to climb from 17th to ninth overall.

‘’I definitely need to be more consistent with my jumping,’’ said Celestino. ‘’But this was better than my short program so it’s nice to leave here with some confidence.’’

The next stop on the circuit is in two weeks in Torun, Poland.

Full results: 2015 Cup of Austria