Canadian junior skaters in Austria for second stop of 2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have six entries, for a total of nine skaters at the second stop of the 2018-2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Linz, Austria. Canada’s entries include two men and two ice dance teams as well as one woman and one pair team. The competition takes place from August 29-September 1, 2018.

Conrad Orzel, 18, Woodbridge, Ont., leads the Canadian entries in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Orzel placed seventh in Austria and won the bronze in Poland. He also placed 11th in senior at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and 13th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Orzel is coached by Lee Barkell and trains in Toronto, Ont.

Beres Clements, 16, Richmond, B.C., is the second Canadian junior men entry. Last season, he won the silver medal at both the Autumn Classic International (junior level) and the 2018 Egna Spring Trophy (junior level). He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Emma Bulawka, 15, Kelowna, B.C., is the Canadian entry in the women category. Last season she placed fifth at the 2017 Autumn Classic International (junior level) and sixth in junior at the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Bulawka is coached by Karen and Jason Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Canadian junior bronze medallists Gabrielle Levesque, 15, Bridgewater, N.S., and Pier-Alexandre Hudon, 19, Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Que., will be the Canadian pairs entry. Last year on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit they placed 17^th in Poland. Levesque and Hudon are coached by Charleen Cameron and John Mattatall in St. Margaret’s Bay, N.S.

Canadian junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, 17, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 19, Greenfield Park, Que., are the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. Last season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, Lajoie and Lagha won the silver medal in Australia, gold in Croatia and placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. They also placed fourth at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Natalie D’Alessandro, 14, Toronto, Ont., and Bruce Waddell, 16, Toronto, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last season, they placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Australia and eighth at the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Andrew Hallam and Siobhan Karam in Toronto, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Danielle Williams of Surrey, B.C., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Lorna Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org. All events on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit will be livestreamed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – LINZ, AUSTRIA