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Behind the Blades with Michelle Long: Autumn Classic International 2016

On any given day, I am a pretty emotional person. But when I stood out on the ice, took off my team Canada jacket, and heard the announcer call “from Canada, Michelle Long”, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotions: pride, anticipation, and pure joy. With only 30 seconds to hit my beginning pose, I had to focus on the short program, at my first international event, representing Canada.

This experience is one I have been waiting and working for, my entire career as a senior level skater. Before making it onto the ice as a National Team member, I was a skating fan, attending as many events in the area as possible, to watch the best skaters in the world. Now, I was sharing the ice with some of those skaters I have been watching for years. That was pretty cool!

michelle-pic-2Although my competition week consisted mainly of early mornings, healthy meals, naps and a little bit of skating, some very interesting things happened. After my very first official practice, as all of us skaters were exiting the ice I went to grab my team jacket – and noticed there was a spider on it. Now it doesn’t sound scary, but to someone like me who is terrified of spiders, it was! I shrieked in front of an arena full of spectators and my fellow competitors. I felt my heart racing but it was a good way to break the ice, and we all had a good laugh about it after.

Once the competition was underway, the nerves started to set in.  I am generally not a skater who gets nervous for competitions, but with the new experience in front of me, I started to feel some pressure to perform well.  Knowing that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, I went for it and gave it my best performance.  Although these programs were not my best technically, I can take so many positives from this event, and can honestly say that I am so excited to get back to training for whatever comes next.

The highlight of my weekend came after my competition had finally ended. Since the Ladies event was the first to finish, I was able to sit back and watch, and cheer on the rest of my team! I was amazed and overwhelmed by the amount of support from the audience, my competitors, and my fellow Canadian teammates.  Since Montreal is a popular training location, many of the skaters that train in the area also came to watch and cheer on the team. So many of them took the time to talk to me about my performance, the experience, and to give me advice for the future. Those are words that I will never forget! That and, “from Canada, Michelle Long!”

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Golden comeback for Virtue and Moir; Séguin and Bilodeau win pairs

PIERREFONDS, Que. – Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir completed a triumphant return to competition on Saturday winning the gold medal in ice dancing at the 2016 Autumn Classic International.

It was also a golden return for Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., in pairs. Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., added a silver in women’s competition.

In their first competition since a silver medal performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Virtue and Moir totalled 189.20 points, just under two points from their personal best. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the U.S. were second at 160.50 and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark third at 152.00.

‘’We are so pleased with how we skated,’’ said Moir, from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’I had to work a lot harder than I have in the past three weeks for this program just to get through it. That was just nerves and pressure that comes with this quote-unquote comeback.’’

‘’What’s so exciting about our material this season is that it has so much room to grow,’’ added Virtue, from London, Ont. ‘’We’ve been really focused on the technical side. Now it’s a great opportunity in the next little while to get back to the emotional connection.’’

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of Barrie, Ont., were seventh and Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., ninth.

In pairs, Séguin and Bilodeau took the title with 208.30. Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès of France followed at 198.90, Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran of the U.S. were third at 173.62 and Camille Ruest of Rimouski, Que., and Drew Wolfe of Montreal, Que., were fourth at 159.28.

‘’For our first competition since nationals (January 2016) it was a success,’’ said Séguin. ‘’We really wanted to have a strong start to the season.’’

In their first season at the senior level last winter, they won two Grand Prix medals. However just prior to the world championships, Séguin was injured in training and the pair didn’t go to Boston.

‘’There’s always a certain worry when you comeback from an injury,’’ said Bilodeau. ‘’We felt today we picked up where we left off and will continue to progress. This is preparatory competition for us but it gives us a big boost in confidence.’’

Chartrand made a spectacular comeback to nearly snare the gold in women’s competition. She jumped from sixth after the short program producing the best score in the free skate to rocket up the standings.

Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. won the gold medal with 189.11 points, Chartrand earned 186.11 and Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan took the bronze with 172.46.

‘’To have a long program like this at my first international this season is a really good starting place,’’’ said Chartrand. ‘’It’ll only get better. I felt in both programs I really attacked everything and I kept that fighting attitude all the way through.’’

Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., was 11th and Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C., 12th.

In men’s competition, Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the gold medal decisively with 260.57 points.

Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., was fourth and Bennet Toman of Brampton, Ont., fifth.

Full results: 2016 Autumn Classic International.

Great start for Séguin and Bilodeau; Canadian juniors with two gold at 2016 Autumn Classic International

PIERREFONDS, Que. – Canadian pairs Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., showed fine form in their season debut on Friday to stand first after the short program at the 2016 Autumn Classic International figure skating competition.

Séguin and Bilodeau, who produced an impressive first-season at the senior level last winter only to miss the world championships due to injury, earned 71.40 points. Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran of the U.S. are second at 67.50 and Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France third at 65.58.

“It was pretty amazing, the crowd was with us before we even skated. We’re glad to be back in full force with an excellent performance,’’ said Séguin who suffered a bone bruise in a fall last winter at nationals and says she is now pain-free. “We delivered a program like we are used to, so we can finally put the injuries behind us and look forward!”

After winning the silver at the world juniors two seasons ago, they won two medals on ISU Grand Prix circuit in 2015-16 and were fourth at the Grand Prix Final.

Camille Ruest of Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe of Balmertown, Ont., are fourth at 64.40.

In the men’s short program, Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., is third with Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan in the lead. Bennet Toman of Brampton, Ont., is fourth.

In the women’s short program, Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. stands first followed by Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan and Na Hyun Kim of South Korea.

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., is sixth, Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., 10th and Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam, B.C. 13th.

Virtue and Moir dazzle

In Thursday’s short dance, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir made a spectacular return to competition producing 77.72 points. Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Denmark are second at 63.26 and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the U.S. third at 62.70.

‘’What’s surprised me is how much we still enjoy it and we’re hoping we can keep that way all the way through to Korea [the 2018 Olympics],’’ said Moir from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’We want to enjoy every second, even the high pressure situations like this.”

Virtue and Scott, the 2010 Olympic champions and two-time world champs, were competing for the first time since earning silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.

“We’re thrilled to share our material and be back in the swing of things,” said Virtue, 27 of London, Ont. “Emotionally, mentally and physically our approach was right.

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of Barrie, Ont., are seventh while Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C. and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., are ninth.

Canada wins two gold in junior competition

In junior competition, Edrian Paul Celestino of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., won the gold medal in men’s competition while Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., was third.

‘’I was really exhausted after the free program but relieved as well,’’ said Celestino. ‘’This was my last junior international competition and I’m excited about the next step forward.’’

In women’s junior competition, Aurora Cotop of Toronto was the winner and Olivia Gran of Kelowna, B.C. second.

‘’I knew the other scores going into my free skate and I just did what I had to do,’’ said Cotop, 14. ‘’There’s still a lot to work on in my program but I felt I connected well with the music and the overall performance was strong.’’

Competition ends Saturday.

Full results: 2016 Autumn Classic International.

Canadian skaters headed to Montreal for Skate Canada Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 18 entries, for a total of 23 skaters to the third annual Skate Canada Autumn Classic International (#ACI16). Canada will have 10 entries at the senior level ISU Challenger Series event including two entries per discipline in men’s and pair and three entries per discipline in ladies and ice dance. The junior category of the event will feature eight Canadian entries including two in men’s and six in ladies. The event runs from September 28-October 1, 2016, at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds in Montreal, Que.

Keegan Messing, 24, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, is one of two Canadian entries in men’s. Last season, Messing placed fifth at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, 11th at Skate Canada International and sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representative of Sherwood Park FSC is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Bennet Toman, 19, Brampton, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in men’s. Last season, he placed sixth at this event. Toman also placed eighth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Coupe de Printemps. He is coached by Robert O’Toole in Mississauga, Ont.

Canadian Champion Alaine Chartrand, 20, Prescott, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in the ladies category. Last year, Chartrand placed 12th at Skate America, sixth at the Rostelecom Cup, 11th at the ISU Four Continents Championships, and 17th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The representative of the Nepean Skating Club is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser.

Michelle Long, 24, Newmarket, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies discipline. This will be her first international assignment. Last season, she placed fifth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Long is coached by Robert Burk and Danielle Rose in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Larkyn Austman, 18, Coquitlam, B.C., will also represent Canada in the ladies discipline. Last season, she finished sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Zdenek Pazdirek in Coquitlam, B.C.

Canadian silver medallists in 2016, Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 23, Trois-Pistoles, Que., are the first of two Canadian pair entries at the event. Last season, they placed fifth at the Nebelhorn Trophy, and won bronze at Skate America and Trophée Éric Bompard. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Camille Ruest, 22, Rimouski, Que., and Andrew Wolfe, 21, Calgary, Alta., will also represent Canada in pair. This will be their first international assignment together. Ruest and Wolfe are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Olympic and World champions Tessa Virtue, 27, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 29, Ilderton, Ont., lead the Canadian entries in ice dance. Virtue and Moir return to competition after taking two seasons off following the 2014 Olympic Winter Games where they earned silver medals in ice dance and in the team event. Virtue and Moir are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Carolane Soucisse, 21, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 22, Barrie, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. This will be their first international assignment together. Soucisse and Firus are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Haley Sales, 19, Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 19, Langley, B.C., are the third Canadian ice dance entry at the event. Last season, they placed fourth in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Sales and Wamsteeker are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, B.C.

Junior Entries

Canadian junior silver medallist Edrian Paul Celestino, 18, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., is one of two Canadian representatives in the junior men’s category. Last season, he placed fourth at this event in the junior category. This season, he placed ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Russia. He is coached by Daniel Beland in Montreal, Que.

Iliya Kovler, 13, Richmond Hill, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in the junior men’s category. This will be his first international assignment. Kovler placed fourth in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Canadian junior silver medallist in 2016, Alicia Pineault, 16, Varennes, Que., is one of six Canadian entries in the junior ladies category. Last year, she won the silver medal at this event. This season, she placed 10th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Pineault is coached by Stéphane Yvars in Boucherville, Que.

Amanda Tobin, 16, Burlington, Ont., will also represent Canada in junior ladies. This will be her first international assignment. Tobin placed fifth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category. She is coached by Leesa Velenosi, Raoul LeBlanc, and Kristy Bell in Burlington, Ont.

McKenna Colthorp, 15, Fort St. James, B.C., will represent Canada in the junior ladies category. Last year, she won the bronze medal at this event and placed seventh in the junior category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Karen Mongrain and Jason Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Canadian novice champion in 2016, Aurora Cotop, 14, Toronto, Ont., will represent Canada in junior ladies. This will be her first international assignment. Cotop is coached by Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman in Thornhill, Ont.

Canadian novice silver medallist Olivia Gran, 13, Kelowna, B.C., will represent Canada in junior ladies. Earlier this season she placed ninth at her ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment in France. Gran is coached by Karen and Jason Mongrain in Kelowna, B.C.

Also representing Canada in junior ladies is Lissa Anne McGaghey, 16, Campbellton, N.B. This will be her first international assignment. Last season, she placed 11th in the novice women’s category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. McGaghey is coached by Stéphane Yvars in Boucherville, Que.

Scott Rachuk of Strathroy, Ont., and Terra Findlay of Echo Bay, Ont., will be the Canadian team leaders onsite. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Josiane Roberge of Sillery, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., Jérôme Poulin of Montreal, Que., Véronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For more information and full entries please visit the Skate Canada website.

CANADIAN SENIOR ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Keegan Messing 24 Girdwood, Alaska, USA Sherwood Park FSC Ralph Burghart
Mens Bennet Toman 19 Brampton, Ont. CPAR Vaudreuil Robert O’Toole
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 20 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Ladies Michelle Long 24 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Robert Burk / Danielle Rose
Ladies Larkyn Austman 18 Coquitlam, B.C. Connaught SC Zdenek Pazdirek
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 19/23 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Pair Camille Ruest / Andrew Wolfe 22/21 Rimouski, Que. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA De Rimouski / Glencoe Club Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Ice Dance Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir 27/29 London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. Ilderton SC / Ilderton SC Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus 21/22 Châteauguay, Que. / Barrie, Ont. CPA Repentigny / CPA Ahuntsic Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance Haley Sales / Nikolas Wamsteeker 18/18 Burnaby, B.C. / Langley, B.C. Kelowna SC / Champs International Skating Centre Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe

CANADIAN JUNIOR ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE CANADA AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Edrian Paul Celestino 18 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Saint Laurent FSC Daniel Beland
Mens Iliya Kovler 13 Richmond Hill, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Andrei Berezintsev
Ladies Alicia Pineault 16 Varennes, Que. CPA Varennes Stéphane Yvars
Ladies Amanda Tobin 16 Burlington, Ont. Burlington SC Leesa Velenosi / Raoul LeBlanc / Kristy Bell
Ladies McKenna Colthorp 15 Fort St. James, B.C. Kelowna FSC Karen Mongrain / Jason Mongrain
Ladies Aurora Cotop 14 Toronto, Ont. Thornhill FSC Jonathan Mills / Myke Gillman
Ladies Olivia Gran 13 Kelowna, B.C. Kelowna FSC Karen Mongrain / Jason Mongrain
Ladies Lissa Anne McGaghey 16 Campbellton, N.B. Campbellton FSC Stéphane Yvars

Montreal to Host the 2016 Autumn Classic International

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has announced that it will host the 2016 Autumn Classic International in Montreal, Quebec from September 28 –  October 1, 2016 at the Sportsplexe Pierrefonds.

After a one-year hiatus, the senior international figure skating competition is once again a part of the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series. Senior events in men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance will feature some of the top skaters in the world. A junior men’s and ladies competition will also take place, that will not be included in the Challenger Series.

“Skate Canada is pleased to be back in the ISU Challenger Series and we are excited to be heading to Montreal. This is a great opportunity for skaters to collect valuable world standing points,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada.

The 2016 Autumn Classic International is one of 10 competitions that will form the ISU Challenger Series. Athletes at the senior level have the opportunity to earn world standing points. Competitors are eligible to participate in up to three Challenger Series events.

Barrie, Ontario hosted the event from 2014-2015, with last year featuring 52 entries from 21 countries.

Tickets for the event will only be available at the door and specific athlete entries will be identified throughout late summer and fall of 2016.