Wesley Chiu of Canada Scores a Gold Medal at ISU Junior Grand Prix

COURCHEVEL, France – An exciting final day of competition for Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., as the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit comes to a close. Chiu captured a gold medal in the men’s discipline on Saturday with a score of 199.89 points. This is Canada’s second medal of the competition. Friday, Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta won a bronze medal in the women’s event.  

This is Chiu’s first Junior Grand Prix win. When asked about how it felt, Chiu claimed, “This feels amazing.” Coming in 13 points ahead after his short program, Wesley said, his approach was to “block off what happened in the short program and just focus on the long program ahead.”  

In the men’s discipline, Arlet Levandi of Estonia took home the silver medal, rising from 3rd to 2nd place after the long program, for a total combined score of 196.93. Capturing the bronze medal is Edward Appleby of Great Britian with a total score of 182.41.  

It was a 1-2 finish for the Americans in ice dance. Oona Brown and Gage Brown of the U.S. won the gold medal with a score of 94.46, followed by Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski, with a score of 92.51. Taking home the bronze medal is Solene Mazingue and Marko Jevgeni of Estonia with a score of 84.00. 

The Canadian ice dance team, Chaima Ben Khaflia of Laval, Que. and Everst Zhu of Contestogo, Ont.,held strong in eighth with a score 72.84. Canada’s second ice dance entry, Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C. and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C, withdrew from the competition.   

The next ISU Junior Grand Prix will take place in Kosice, Slovakia from September 1 to 4, 2021.  

www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra22021/ 

Canada’s Kaiya Ruiter wins a Bronze Medal and Captures A Second Junior Grand Prix Medal

COURCHEVEL, France – It’s two weeks in a row that Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta, Junior Canadian Champion has captured a medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Ruiter was ranked third overall after her short program on Thursday. After a solid free skate on Friday, Ruiter has won a bronze medal with a total of 179.92 points, at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. This is Ruiter’s second Junior Grand Prix medal this season. Kaiya captured a silver medal at last weekend’s Junior Grand Prix, also in Courchevel, France.

“I’m so proud of myself.” said Ruiter. “Just getting to practice and compete with some incredible skaters has been just incredible and I feel really excited about that.“

Isabeau Levito of the U.S. took gold with 202.35 points, followed by Chaeyeon Kim of Korea, capturing silver with 191.46 points.

In Ice Dance, Canada’s Chaima Ben Khelifa of Laval, Que. and Everest Zhu, of Contestogo, Ont. are currently ranked eight after their rhythm dance with 48.30 points. Currently sitting in first place is, Isabella Flores and Dimitry Tsarevski of the U.S. with 60.56 points. They are followed by another U.S. team, Oona Brown and Gage Brown with 59.79 points and Eva Bernarda and Tom Jochum of France are currently in third with 55.03 points.

Canadian Ice Dance team Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C. and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C, withdrew from the competition.

In medal contention is Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C. Wesley is currently in first place after the men’s short program. Chiu has a strong 13.03 point lead. Edward Appleby of Great Britain is currently in second with 63.23 pts and in third position is Arlet Levandi of Estonia with 61.73 points.

Competition ends Saturday with the free skates for men and ice dancing.
Full results: www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra22021/

 

 

Canada’s NextGen Skaters Return to Courchevel, France as  Junior Grand Prix Continues 

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s junior skaters are heading back to Courchevel, France for the second stop on this year’s Junior Grand Prix circuit. As the circuit continues, Canada’s top junior skaters will compete against the world for a coveted spot at the ISU Junior Grand Prix FinalSkate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the event. There will be one entry in men, one entry in women, and two entries in ice dance. This event is scheduled to take place from August 25-28, 2021.  

Wesley Chiu, 16, Richmond, B.C., is the only Canadian in the men’s discipline. Chiu won silver in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Wesley is coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy in Richmond, B.C.  

Kaiya Ruiter, 15, Calgary, Alta., is the only Canadian in the women’s discipline. Ruiter recently brought home a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. Ruiter also won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She also won gold in junior at the 2020 Bavarian Open. She is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.  

Miku Makita, 18, Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada at this event. This team recently brought home a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. The team finished fifth at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Burnaby, B.C. 

Chaima Ben Khelifa, 16, Laval, Que., and Everest Zhu, 18, Contestogo, Ont., are the second entry in the ice dance discipline at this event. This is their first Junior Grand Prix event. They are coached by Shawn Winter and Elise Hamel in Pierrefonds, Que.  

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Danielle Williams of Langley, B.C., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Lorna Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Limin Jao of Toronto, Ont., will be the team officials at the event.  

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.  

 CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE 

Men 

Wesley Chiu (16) / Richmond,B.C. / Connaught FSC Richmond / Coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy 

Women 

Kaiya Ruiter (15) / Calgary, Alta. / The Glencoe Club / Coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon 

Ice Dance 

Miku Makita (18) and Tyler Gunara (19) / Anmore, B.C. and Burnaby, B.C. / Inlet Skate Club of Port Moody / Coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing 

Chaima Ben Khelifa (16) and Everest Zhu (18) / Laval QC. and  Contestogo,Ont. / CPA Laval and Club de Patinage Des-Deux-Rives / Coached by Shawn Winter and Elise Hame

Canadian ice dancers snare silver to conclude first ISU Junior Grand Prix

COURCHEVEL, France – Miku Makita of Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C. won the silver medal in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the first stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

It was a first Junior Grand Prix medal in four appearances for the Canadian couple which joined forces in 2016. It was also Canada’s second silver of the competition. On Friday Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary took silver in the women’s event.

In ice dancing, Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen of the U.S. took the gold with 165.01 points followed by Makita and Gunara in second at 149.39. Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of South Korea were third at 144.27.

‘’We came back here in the long and did what we wanted to do,’’ said Makita. ‘’We trained really hard to be well prepared to deal with the altitude here.’’

Makita and Gunara, fifth at the Youth Olympics and eighth at the world juniors in early 2020, earned level fours in their Tango for their combination spin, straight line lift and rotational lift.

‘’It was weird competing again after a year and half and having judges on the panel and people watching you,’’ said Gunara.

Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., climbed to eighth from ninth with their free skate.

‘’We just wanted to think back to our training and be as confident as we could,’’ said Giang. ‘’I wish we would have felt this normal as we did in our free dance, in the rhythm dance but overall it was pretty good for the first time this season.’’

It was a 1-2 American finish in men’s competition. Ilia Malinin took the gold with 214.64, Lucas Broussard was second at 192.31 and François Pitot of France third at 182.26.

Pitot edged Canadian junior champion Corey Circelli of Toronto in fourth by a mere 0.09 points. Circelli fell on his opening triple Axel and struggled in his skate after an impressive short program to stand second on Thursday.

‘’It was definitely a tough one today,’’ admitted Circelli. ‘’I’m still trying to process what happened. I think all the management around the competition I need to get use to again.’’

Courchevel will also be the second stop on the circuit this upcoming Thursday to Saturday.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra2021/

Canada’s Kaiya Ruiter wins silver medal at season opening ISU Junior Grand Prix

COURCHEVEL, France – Canadian junior champion Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary produced a flawless performance in the women’s free skate Friday to win the silver medal as the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating season kicked off in the French Alps.

‘’I’m so excited,’’ said Ruiter. ‘’Just to come here to Courchevel and perform in front of a live crowd was really special.’’

Lindsay Thorngren of the U.S. took the gold with 181.45 points followed by the 15-year-old Canadian in second at 177.60. Clare Seo of the U.S., the leader after Thursday’s short program was third at 174.80.

Ruiter was third after her short. In the free skate to music from Mulan, she landed all her seven jumps including one triple combination and two double combos. There were 22 entries.

‘’The program is about strength and determination. I just wanted to go out there and skate a personal best and give everything I have,’’ she said. ‘’I enjoyed the whole thing, from the second I got on the ice to the second I got off.’’

In ice dancing, Miku Makita of Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C. are in second spot after the rhythm dance with 57.41 points. Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen of the U.S. have built a solid lead with 64.75 while Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of the Czech Republic are third at 57.04.

The Canadians, together since 2016, are chasing their first medal in four ISU Junior Grand Prix appearances. They were fifth at the Youth Olympics and eighth at the world junior championships in early 2020.

Hailey Yu and Brendan Giang of Burnaby, B.C., are ninth at 44.84.

Canada is also in medal contention in men’s competition. Canadian junior champion Corey Circelli of Toronto stands second after Thursday’s short program with 76.63. Ilia Malinin of the U.S. leads at 80.07 and Lucas Broussard of the U.S. is third at 62.65.

Competition ends Saturday with the free skates for men and ice dancing.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgpfra2021/

Media Accreditation: 2021 Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON: The media accreditation application for the 2021 Autumn Classic International is now open. The 2021 Autumn Classic International will be held in person, but due to the pandemic and health regulations, without spectators or media on site. Skate Canada looks forward to hosting media in a virtual setting for this year’s event. The event will take place from September 16-18, 2021, in Pierrefonds, Que.

All media must apply for virtual media accreditation through Skate Canada’s online form. The deadline to apply for accreditation is September 10, 2021.

Skate Canada will continue to monitor the provincial and federal health guidelines and determine on a per event basis whether media will be held in a virtual setting. We encourage our media partners to access the media accreditation form to apply for accreditation for the 2021-2022 season.

Accreditation will be granted to professional media personnel only. Freelance media must provide a letter from the editor of the media outlet they are representing during the time of application. All applications are evaluated on an event-by-event basis and are subject to Skate Canada’s media accreditation guidelines.

Please visit the event page for further event updates.

Canada’s NextGen Skaters Head to France to kick off 2021-2022 ISU Junior Grand Prix 

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada’s junior skaters are excited to get back to competition, kicking off the 20212022 skating season with the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series. The first stop of seven, on this year’s circuit will be in Courchevel, France. Along the way, Canada’s top junior skaters will compete against the world for a coveted spot at the ISU Junior Grand Prix FinalSkate Canada will have four entries, for a total of six skaters, competing at the event. There will be one entry in men, one entry in women, and two entries in ice dance at the competition. This event is scheduled to take place from August 18-21, 2021.  

Corey Circelli, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the only Canadian in the men’s discipline. Circelli won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson in Toronto, Ont..  

Kaiya Ruiter, 15, Calgary, Alta., is the only Canadian in the women’s discipline. Ruiter won gold in junior at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She also won gold in junior at the 2020 Bavarian Open. She is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.  

Miku Makita, 18, Annmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada at this event. The team finished fifth at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing in Burnaby, B.C.  

Hailey Yu, 16, Burnaby, B.C., and Brendan Giang, 18, Burnaby, B.C., will also represent Canada in the ice dance discipline. This ice dance team won a bronze medal in the novice division at the Bavarian Open in 2020. They are coached by Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing in Burnaby, B.C.  

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Carolyn Allwright of Waterloo, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Meaghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C, and Erica Topolski of Fredericton, N.B., will be the team officials at the event.  

For more information, please visit www.isu.org.  

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #1 – COURCHEVEL, FRANCE 

DISCIPLINE  NAME  AGE  HOMETOWN  CLUB  COACH 
 

Men 

 

Corey Circelli 

 

18 

 

Toronto, Ont. 

Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club   

Brian Orser and Tracey Wilson 

 

Women 

Kaiya Ruiter   

15 

 

Calgary, Alta. 

 

The Glencoe Club   

Scott Davis and 

Jeff Langdon 

 

Ice Dance 

Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara   

18/19 

 

Annemore, B.C. /  Burnaby, B.C. 

 

Inlet Skate Club of Port Moody 

 

Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing 

 

Ice Dance 

Hailey Yu / Brendan Giang   

16/18 

 

Burnaby, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C.  

Inlet SC / Champs International Skating Centre of B.C. 

 

Aaron Lowe and Meghan Wing 

Transgender Athletes and Synchronized Skating: A Conversation

Skate Canada has done and is continuing to do substantive work in relation to LGBTQI2S+ inclusion but we know there remains critical inclusion work to be done moving forward. Skate Canada’s Pride Profile Community Story series is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the LGBTQI2S+ community all year long.

To support an inclusive environment, we are sharing personal stories from our skating community. Below is a conversation led by Tina Chen, Member of Skate Canada’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and Shannon Herrick, Meredith Rocchi, and Lauren Couture.

I had the opportunity this month to chat with Shannon Herrick, Meredith Rocchi, and Lauren Couture about their recently published article on the experiences of a transgender athlete in synchronized skating in Canada. As Shannon, Meredith, and Lauren remarked, for many transgender athletes transitioning may be complicated to navigate within a sport context. Support is important for every athlete to feel comfortable and perform their best. The support transgender athletes feel depends heavily upon on sport-based policies (such as Skate Canada’s Trans Inclusion policy), gender-based regulations in competition categories and team composition, and their inter-personal interactions.

Q: How did you come to do this research?
SH: I’m currently completing a PhD in Kinesiology at McGill University. My research focuses on LGBTQ+ experiences across a wide variety of physical activity, including sports. My work is inspired by my own personal activist work as well as my own personal experiences with sport (specifically, synchronized swimming). Given my connection to LGBTQ+ communities, Meredith approached me to lead this project.

MR: As a synchro coach and sport psychology and coaching researcher, I noticed a gap in the literature on resources, recommendations, and best practices for coaches when working with LGBTQ+ athletes. I met Shannon while doing a postdoc at McGill, and she was keen to lead this project.

LC: I was happy to find a collision between my experience in synchronized skating (former athlete and coach, and current choreographer and official), and my work as a sociologist of sport. I was thankful that Shannon and Meredith asked me to join the project for the analysis and writing portions.

Q: Why is it important to have research that centres the experience of transgender athletes?
SH: It’s important to understand the diversity within and across LGBTQ+ communities. Within sport, trans communities face substantial barriers to their participation. The limited number of studies that focus on trans athlete experiences generally highlight negative experiences, which unfortunately are most common. Although it’s imperative to understand how sport can be limiting to trans livelihood, it’s also important to understand how sports can be affirming and supportive. This study focused on the more positive experiences of a trans athlete within the unique context of synchronized skating. As a result, the theme of celebration of trans experiences could be added to our broader understanding of trans experiences within sport.

MR: The Canadian synchronized skating system, specifically, has supports in place to help athletes transition successfully. Still, it’s important to learn and make recommendations from the perspective of trans inclusion.

LC: This research also encourages reflection on gendered normativity in everyday practices in skating and sport.

Q: Let’s talk about synchronized skating, and the possibilities and barriers within this discipline for transgender athletes?
LC: Synchronized skating has very strict and rigorous expectations for ‘sameness’ and movement as one. The way that unison has traditionally been understood in synchro skating creates barriers to thinking about identity in more complex ways.

SH: Agreed! Synchronized skating and synchronized swimming over-emphasize sameness in ways that are constraining. In synchronized swimming, judges are trained to look for what ‘sticks out’. It’s important to note that unison does not equate to sameness. Having a more expansive understanding of connected movement and expression would benefit development in artistic sports such as synchronized skating and swimming.

LC: Even with these limitations, synchro skating is unique in figure skating. Unlike singles where competition category is based on sex-based male/female binary categories, or competitive pairs and dance that reinforce heteronormativity through the stipulation of one male and one female partner, synchronized skating teams do not have sex or gender requirements.

MR: Because there are no specified numbers of male or female skaters, and the names on a team roster can change during a season, a team member can transition without impacting their own or their team’s eligibility to compete. This is extremely unique in sports. Skate Canada also has a straightforward and supportive process for changing gender identity that helps reduce some of the barriers related to transitioning.

Q: Team formation and bonding is important in synchro skating. What did you learn about creating inclusive team environments from a transgender athlete in synchro?
MR: Synchronized skating as a discipline seamlessly accommodates female-to-male or male-to-female transgender athletes who align with the masculine/feminine gender binary. In the case of the athlete centered in this study, the athlete changed teams during their transition and easily passed in their chosen identity. As a result, on the new team, only the coach and teammates to whom the athlete disclosed their identity were aware the athlete is transgender. The experiences and sense of inclusion of a synchronized skater with non-binary gender would likely be very different as this sport does not traditionally support non-binary skaters.

LC: Gender neutral language and coach education is very important for creating an inclusive team environment. It’s a case of thinking about impact rather than intent. It makes a significant difference to say “everyone in” to the team rather than “ladies” or “gentlemen”. The athlete we worked with mentioned the coach’s commitment to shifting language, openness to education, and willingness to accommodate the athlete when needed (including fatigue related to hormone treatments). All synchro teams have their own traditions and ways of doing things that have developed over time. Regularly reviewing things like attendance policies, costume design process, locker room and team event expectations is important for inclusivity. Coaches and team managers should consider if the policies can accommodate transgender athletes in ways that empower athletes, rather than potentially create tensions within the team.

SH: In this research, and my other work , the significant role that locker rooms have in LGBTQ+ experiences across physical activity contexts cannot be understated. The athlete in this study spoke of the camaraderie in the locker room and how the athlete would not want to be in a separate dressing room and miss these team interactions. Synchronized skating teams typically share one dressing room, and it’s not unusual for team members to change in bathroom stalls for some privacy. Although synchronized skating team locker rooms may be effectively gender neutral, locker or team rooms should be re-evaluated with regards to the amount of privacy available. For example, if bathroom stalls are the only spaces for private changing, skaters have to worry about costumes or valuables falling into the toilet while changing in cramped spaces. There is a need for individual changing stalls so any skater for whatever reason can have privacy. Still, the existing team locker practices ensured the trans athlete in this study did not have to make difficult decisions that could potentially lead to missing out on team interactions. It’s important to note other trans athletes might feel more comfortable with different team locker room arrangements. Having open discussions with team members and individuals about locker room spaces available is essential for inclusivity.

Q: What are the next steps for transgender inclusion in sport?
MR: Education and dialogue – especially related to music selection, interpretation, and costuming.

LC: Consideration of how aesthetics, choreography, and costuming can be thought differently for greater inclusion.

SH: More studies to better understand uniqueness of different sport contexts and individual experiences, both positive and negative. Also, analysis of scoring systems in adjudicated sports like synchronized swimming and synchronized skating, to determine if heteronormative gender biases exist.

Skate Canada thanks to Shannon, Meredith, and Lauren for sharing their research and bringing awareness to the skating community. If you are a member of the LGBTQI2S+ skating community and are interested in sharing your personal story please send us an email at [email protected].

____________

See Shannon S.C. Herrick and Lindsay R. Duncan, “Locker-Room Experiences Among LGBTQ+ Adults,” Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2020, 42, 227-239.

Skate Canada announces changes to event calendar for the 2022-2026 Olympic Quadrennial

Skate Canada is pleased to announce changes to our event calendar that will begin in the 2022-2023 season. Following the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Skate Canada will be implementing a new calendar of events for the next Olympic Quadrennial. These changes will allow for greater inclusivity for all skating disciplines, enhanced flexibility for the delivery of events across our country and provide needed improvements to the Train-to-Train stage of athlete development at the Pre-Novice and Novice levels.

For years, Skate Canada has hosted two separate National Championship events, one Nationals for Singles, Pairs, and Ice Dance and another Nationals for Synchronized skating. Beginning in the 2022-2023 season, The Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships will include the disciplines of Singles, Pairs, Ice Dance and Synchronized skating at the Junior and Senior level.

“Skate Canada is thrilled to be able to crown all of our National Champions in each of our skating disciplines at the Junior and Senior level at one inclusive event,” said Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence, Skate Canada. “A National Championship that includes the Synchronized skating discipline will highlight all of our athletes competing at this level, acknowledging all of the participant’s dedication to our sport and creating greater visibility for each of our skating disciplines.”

The changes to the event calendar are:

Skate Canada Junior/Senior Challenge: Junior and Senior levels for Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance. Event to be held in early December.
Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships: Junior and Senior levels in all disciplines. Event to be held in early January. Information related to Synchronized skating qualifications will be communicated at a later date.
Skate Canada Pre-Novice/Novice Challenge: Pre-Novice and Novice levels for Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance. Event to be held in late January.
Skate Canada Cup: Formerly the Synchronized Skating National Championship, this event will now crown the Novice Canadian Champions in Singles, Pairs, Ice Dance and Synchronized skating. This event will continue to include Intermediate and Open Synchronized skating levels and be held in late February.

“Skate Canada looks forward to these exciting changes to our competitive event calendar,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “These changes are integral to the next Olympic Quadrennial in allowing our athletes at all levels and disciplines feel included, prepared and ready for the next stages of their development.”

Skate Canada will provide more information on the current season calendar and the changes to the upcoming 2022-2023 calendar in the coming months.

Skate Canada Announces 2021-22 National Team

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is pleased to announce the 2021-22 National Team. The National team is consisted of 24 members, which includes three men, three women, four pair teams and five ice dance teams.

To be named to the National Team, a skater must finish in the top three in senior men, women, pair and ice dance disciplines at the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and/or be assigned to the 2021 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and/or be assigned to a 2021 ISU Grand Prix event and must be competing in the 2021-22 season. Skate Canada has the discretion to add athletes/teams during the 2021-22 season

Skate Canada also announced the three teams that will make up the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating National Team. The Synchronized National Team comprises those teams finishing in the top three in senior discipline at the 2020 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships.

Their appointment to the National Team is effective from July 1, 2021, through to June 30, 2022.

MEN
Keegan Messing, 29, Sherwood Park, Alta.
Nam Nguyen, 23, Ajax, Ont.
Roman Sadovsky, 22, Vaughn, Ont.

WOMEN
Madeline Schizas, 17, Oakville, Ont.
Emily Bausback, 19, Vancouver, BC
Alison Schumacher, 18, Tecumseh, Ont.

PAIR
Kirsten Moore-Towers, 29, St. Catharines, Ont. & Michael Marinaro, 29, Sarnia, Ont.
Evelyn Walsh, 20, London, Ont. & Trennt Michaud, 25, Trenton, Ont.
Vanessa James, 33, Scarborough, Ont. & Eric Radford, 36, Balmertown, Ont.
Lori Ann Matte, 21, Lévis, Que. & Thierry Ferland, 23, Lévis, Que.

ICE DANCE
Piper Gilles, 29, Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier, 29, Unionville, Ont.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 29, Montreal, Que. &  Nikolaj Sorensen, 32, Montreal, Que.
Marjorie Lajoie, 20, Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha, 22, Saint-Hubert, Que.
Carolane Soucisse, 26, Chateauguay, Que. & Shane Firus, 27, North Vancouver, B.C.
Haley Sales, 24, Burnaby, B.C., & Nikolas Wamsteeker, 24, Langley, B.C.

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING
Les Suprêmes, of CPA Saint- Léonard
NEXXICE, of the Burlington Skating Centre
Nova, of CPS NOVA

 

 

 

2021 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Canada cancelled

OTTAWA, ON: With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Skate Canada has cancelled the 2021 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Canada. The event was scheduled to take place from August 25-28, 2021, at Meadows Arena in Edmonton, AB.

For the past 18 months, Skate Canada has closely monitored the provincial and federal health authorities’ position on the global health crisis and is committed to the health and safety of the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and spectators. Like last season, due to the federal quarantine guidelines for all travellers and social distancing requirements in effect at this time, Skate Canada regretfully made the decision to cancel the event.

“It’s a difficult decision to cancel the 2021 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Canada for the second consecutive year,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “We know brighter days for our skating community are ahead and look forward to a prosperous season for our athletes.”

“While we are disappointed that we will not welcome the world’s top junior skaters to Edmonton this summer, we remain optimistic that there will be competitive opportunities for our NextGen athletes in the near future,” said André Bourgeois, NextGen Director, Skate Canada.

Skate Canada, in partnership with the local organizing committee, Skate Canada Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, looked forward to hosting the Junior Grand Prix event in Edmonton, AB. We thank you all for your efforts and commitment as we prepared to deliver a memorable event.

Pierrefonds to host 2021 Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has announced that it will host the 2021 Autumn Classic International in Pierrefonds, Quebec. The seventh edition of this event will take place September 16-18, 2021 at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds.

The senior international figure skating competition has previously been a stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2020, the Autumn Classic International event was cancelled due to the pandemic. This season, the ISU has included this event as part of the 2021-2022 Challenger Series.

“Skate Canada is thrilled to be heading back to Pierrefonds and to Sportplexe Pierrefonds for the 2021 Autumn Classic International,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “This event always attracts top-tier athletes, and we are excited to be bringing them back to a such an amiable city.”

Pierrefonds, located on the northwestern part of the Island of Montreal, has been a longtime partner of figure skating, hosting Skate Canada’s Autumn Classic International previously in 2016 and 2017, as well as Skate Canada Challenge in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

“As host to Skate Canada and ISU events, Montréal is truly committed to figure skating and we are once again delighted to be holding the Autumn Classic International in Montréal. The city is no stranger to major ice skating events as it welcomed numerous competitions, has an international skating history and is an undeniable hub for athletes, coaches and fans from Canada and around the world,” said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “Our organization looks forward to working closely with local sporting partners to ensure that all participants enjoy a safe and memorable stay in the best island getaway in the country!”

Due to the current provincial restrictions and guidelines, there are no planned ticket sales for the 2021 Autumn Classic International. To receive up to date information on our event season please join our mailing list.