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Canadian ice dancers edged for bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix

RIGA, Latvia – Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Toronto missed a bronze medal by only 0.67 points on Saturday to place fourth in ice dancing at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Andrey Filatov of Russia won the gold with 165.59 edging Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya of Georgia in second at 165.26. Sofya Tyutyunina and Alexander Shustitskiy of Russia overtook the Canadians for third spot at 152.79.

D’Alessandro and Waddell were third after the rhythm dance on Friday and set personal bests for the rhythm, free dance and overall score at 152.12.

Isabel McQuilkin and Jacob Portz of Calgary were 11th.

In men’s competition, Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., was third after the short program but struggled in his free skate earning the eighth best score to finish sixth overall at 189.72. Andrei Mozalev of Russia won the gold medal with 223.72.

Phan, 18, started his free skate to Beethoven’s fifth piano concerto landing a quad-double toe loop combo but fell on his following triple Axel. He never seemed to recover from that mistake.

The fourth stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Cheliabinsk, Russia. Also next week is the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ont.

Full results: ISU JGP Riga Cup 2019

Canadians in medal hunt at ISU Junior Grand Prix

RIGA, Latvia – Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Toronto are third after the rhythm dance while Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., also stands third in men’s competition as the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit continued on Friday.

In ice dancing, Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Andrey Filatov of Russia are first with 65.13 points, Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya of Georgia second at 63.25 and D’Alessandro and Waddell follow at 61.68, a personal best.

Isabel McQuilkin and Jacob Portz of Calgary stand 10th.

In Thursday’s men’s short program, Andrei Mozalev of Russia leads at 78.42, Sihyeong Lee of South Korea follows at 77.30 and Phan totalled 74.09.

Thirteen-year-old Canadian novice champion Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary was 12th in the women’s short program and 11th in Friday’s free skate for 11th overall.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Ruiter, in her international debut. “I just loved to skate out there and enjoyed every moment even though I didn’t have my best skate.”

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

Full results: ISU JGP Riga Cup 2019

Canadian skaters headed to Latvia for Junior Grand Prix #3

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have five entries, for a total of seven skaters at the third stop of the 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Riga, Latvia. Team Canada’s entries will include two entries in men, one entry in women and two entries in ice dance. The event will take place from September 4-7, 2019.

Joseph Phan, 18, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Phan finished third at Czech Skate. At the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, he placed 12th. He finished fourth in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Phan is coached by Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Eric Liu, 18, Edmonton, Alta., will be the second Canadian entry in men. Liu finished 11th in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Canadian novice champion Kaiya Ruiter, 13, Calgary, AB., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. This will be her first season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. Ruiter is coached by Scott Davis and Jeff Langdon in Calgary, Alta.

Canadian junior ice dance bronze medallists Natalie D’Alessandro, 15, Toronto, Ont., and Bruce Waddell, 17, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. Last year, the team finished fourth at JGP Cup of Austria and sixth at JGP Canada. They are coached by Tracy Wilson, Andrew Hallam and Joey Russell in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian novice bronze medallists Isabel McQuilkin, 16, Calgary, Alta., and Jacob Portz, 18, Calgary, Alta., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. Last season, the two finished second at the 2018 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships (novice). The team is coached by Kim Weeks, Tyler Myles and Ben Westenberger in Calgary, Alta.

Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., and Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the team leaders at the event. Physiotherapist Sylvia Cyurisek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Andrew Bosco of Thorold, Ont., and Erika Topolski of Fredericton, N.B., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #3 – RIGA, LATVIA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Joseph Phan 18 Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser
Men Eric Liu 18 Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Women Kaiya Ruiter 13 Calgary, Alta. Glencoe Club Scott Davis / Jeff Langdon
Ice Dance Natalie D’Alessandro / Bruce Waddell 15/17 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Tracy Wilson / Andrew Hallam / Joey Russell
Ice Dance Isabel McQuilkin / Jacob Portz 16/18 Calgary, Alta. / Calgary, Alta. Calalta SC Kim Weeks / Tyler Myles / Ben Westenberger

Canadian ice dancers graze podium at ISU Junior Grand Prix

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Ice dancers Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver missed a berth on the podium by a mere 0.37 points to finish fourth on Saturday to conclude the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Avonley Nguyen and Vadim Kolesnik of the U.S. took the gold with 170.80, Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia were second at 160.17 and Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler of the Czech Republic were third at 150.00.

The Canadians were third after the rhythm dance and finished with 149.63. Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., were ninth.

The women’s competition was won by Alysa Liu of the U.S. while Emily Bausback of Vancouver took sixth spot.

The Russians swept the medals in pairs led by Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov. Brooke McIntosh and Brandon Toste of Toronto moved from seventh to fifth while Gabrielle Levesque of Bridgewater, N.S., and  Pier-Alexandre Hudon of St-Roch-des-Aulnaies Que., were seventh.

On Friday night, Stephen Gogolev of Toronto won the silver medal in men’s competition.

The third stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Friday in Riga, Latvia.

Full results: ISU JGP Lake Placid 2019

Stephen Gogolev wins silver medal at ISU Junior Grand Prix

LAKE PLACID, New York – Stephen Gogolev of Toronto survived a shaky free skate to win the silver medal in men’s competition on Friday at the second stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Shun Sato of Japan took the gold with 217.12 points, Gogolev followed for silver at 203.70 and Gleb Lutfullin of Russia was third at 203.50. Gogolev was second after the short program on Thursday.

Skating to a Peter Gabriel medley, Gogolev produced the fifth best free skate of the night. The 14-year-old Junior Grand Prix Final champion in 2018, fell on his first two jumps – a triple Axel and quad Salchow before coming back to land two combos.

“It was a bit shaky in the beginning,” said Gogolev, second at senior nationals last season. “I made a mistake on the Axel and it kind of fell apart on the Salchow as well. But I’m happy I was able to get up and do the rest of the program. This program goes through many emotions and that’s what I like about it.”

Beres Clements of Burnaby, B.C., was ninth.

In ice dancing after the rhythm dance, Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara of Vancouver stand third with 61.32 points. Avonley Nguyen and Vadim Kolesnik of the U.S. are first at 66.17 and Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia second at 62.12.

Irina Galiyanova and Grayson Lochhead of Scarborough, Ont., are seventh at 48.79.

After the short proram in women’s competition, Emily Bausback of Vancouver stands fifth at 55.71. Alysa Liu of the U.S. leads the field with 69.30.

On Thursday in pairs, Russian teams stand 1-2-3 after the short program. Brooke McIntosh and Brandon Toste of Toronto are seventh and Gabrielle Levesque of Bridgewater, N.S., and  Pier-Alexandre Hudon of St-Roch-des-Aulnaies Que., are eighth.

The free skates in pairs, women’s and ice dancing are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU JGP Lake Placid 2019

Canadian skaters headed to Lake Placid for second stop on Junior Grand Prix circuit

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have eight entries, for a total of 11 skaters at the second stop of the 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Lake Placid, USA. Canada’s entries will include two ice dance teams, two pair teams, one woman and two men. The competition takes place from August 28-August 31, 2019.

Beres Clements, 16, Gibson, B.C. will be the first Canadian entry in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Clements placed eighth at JGP Canada and 12th at JGP Cup of Austria. He also won silver in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson in Burnaby, B.C.

Stephen Gogolev, 14, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Gogolev won gold at Bratislava and at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final. He finished fifth at the 2019 ISU World Junior Championships and took home the silver medal in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gogolev is coached by Rafael Arutyunan and Lee Barkell in Irvine, USA.

Emily Bausback, 17, Vancouver, B.C., will be the lone Canadian entry in women. Bausback finished 12th last season at JGP Amber Cup and 10th in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson in Burnaby, B.C.

Canadian junior silver medallists Brooke McIntosh, 14, Toronto, Ont., and Brandon Toste, 16, Toronto, Ont., will be the first Canadian pair entry. Last season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit they placed 10th at Czech Skate and fifth at Bratislava. At the 2019 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, the two finished 10th. They are coached by Andrew Evans in Mississauga, Ont.

Canadian junior bronze medallists Gabrielle Levesque, 16, Bridgewater, N.S., and Pier-Alexandre Hudon, 20, Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Que., are the second Canadian pair entry. Last year, they placed 11th at Czech Skate and eighth at Cup of Austria. The pair finished 15th at the 2019 ISU World Junior Championships. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Ian Connolly in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Miku Makita, 16, Vancouver, B.C., and Tyler Gunara, 16, Vancouver, B.C., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. The team finished eighth last season at JGP Canada and second at Lake Placid Dance. They also finished ninth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Aaron Lowe in Vancouver, B.C.

Irina Galiyanova, 18, Moscow, Russia and Grayson Lochhead, 20, Sweaburg, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in ice dance. Last year, they finished seventh at Amber Cup and third at Lake Placid Ice Dance. At the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, the two finished seventh in junior. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarboro, Ont.

Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., and Dave Ferland of Chicoutimi, Que., will be the team leaders at the event. Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada, and André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the team officials at the event. Physiotherapist Meghan Shewchuk of Lloydminster, Alta., will be the medical staff onsite. Veronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Limin Jao of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – LAKE PLACID, USA

DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Beres Clements 16 Gibson, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Men Stephen Gogolev 14 Toronto, Ont. Great Parks Ice & Five Points Arena Rafael Arutyunan / Lee Barkell
Women Emily Bausback 17 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of BC Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Pairs Brooke McIntosh / Brandon Toste 14/16 Toronto, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Canadian Ice Academy Andrew Evans
Pairs Gabrielle Levesque / Pier-Alexandre Hudon 16/20 Bridgewater, N.S. / Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Que. CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Ian Connolly
Ice Dance Miku Makita / Tyler Gunara 16/16 Vancouver, B.C. / Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver Ice Dance Academy Aaron Lowe
Ice Dance Irina Galiyanova / Grayson Lochhead 18/20 Moscow, Russia / Sweaburg, Ont. Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canada’s Rakic wins silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix

COURCHEVEL, France – Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., won the silver medal on Saturday in men’s competition to conclude the opening stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan took the gold with 234.87 points. Rakic, ranked third in both his short and long programs, to snare the silver with a personal best 200.71. Andrei Kutovoi of Russia was third at 198.06.

It was a first career medal for Rakic, the Canadian junior champion, on the circuit in three appearances. He skated a clean long program to music by Rachmaninoff. His landed jumps included three in combination, two double Axels and a triple Lutz.

“I feel great and I’m happy with how I skated,” said Rakic, 14. “My goals were to do what I do in training and skate with more speed and flow. I didn’t worry about results because I knew there were other guys who had the triple Axel.”

Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., remained 10th.

In ice dancing, Canada came agonizingly close to another medal finish. Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal were fourth with a personal best 151.36 points, a mere 0.19 points from the bronze. They were fifth after the rhythm dance.

Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy of Russia won the gold with 163.90, Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France were second at 161.01 and Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich of Russia third at 151.65.

Olivia McIsaac of Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli of Toronto moved from 10th to ninth.

The next stop on the circuit is this Thursday to Saturday in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Full results: ISU Junior Grand Prix de Courchevel 2019

Canadian ice dancers in medal hunt at ISU Junior Grand Prix season opener

COURCHEVEL, France – Emmy Bronsard and Aissa Bouaraguia of Montreal scored a personal best for their rhythm dance routine Friday to stand in fifth spot at the season opening event on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier of France lead the ice dancing competition with 63.78 points, Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy of Russia are second at 63.76 and their compatriots Ekaterina Katashinskaia and Aleksandr Vaskovich are third at 60.89.

Skating to a Cabaret soundtrack medley Bronsard and Bouaraguia scored a personal best 58.38 to stand fifth. The eclipsed the 56.04 they earned last season in a fourth place finish at the Czech stop on the circuit.

Olivia McIsaac of Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli of Toronto are 10th at 50.36.

In women’s competition, Kamila Valieva of Russia won the gold medal with Seoyeong Wi of South Korea second and Maiia Khromykh of Russia third.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., was 18th.

On Thursday in the men’s short program, Canadian junior champion Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., stands third with a personal best 69.54. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan has jumped into a big lead with 80.61 followed by Matthew Nielsen of the U.S. at 70.19.

Iliya Kovler of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 10th at 61.24.

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

Full results: ISU Junior Grand Prix de Courchevel 2019

Canadian skaters in France to kick off 2019-2020 ISU Junior Grand Prix season

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada junior skaters kickoff the 2019-2020 skating season in Courchevel, France with the start of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Courchevel is the first of seven events that will see Canada’s top junior skaters compete against the world as they vie to qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada will have 5 entries, for a total of 7 skaters, competing at the event. There will be two entries in men and ice dance, and one entry in the women’s discipline at the competition, which takes place August 21-24, 2019.

Aleksa Rakic, 14, Burnaby, B.C., is one of two Canadian entries in the men’s discipline. Rakic won gold in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, he placed eighth at Bratislava and sixth at Ostrava. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Iliya Kovler, 15, Richmond Hill, Ont., will also represent Canada in the men’s discipline. Kovler finished ninth in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, he placed seventh at JGP Canada and third at JGP Yerevan. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Alison Schumacher, 16, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the only Canadian representative in the women’s category. Schumacher finished seventh in senior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, she placed ninth at JGP Bratislava and 12th at JGP Canada. She also placed 10th at the 2019 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Schumacher is coached by Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.

Emmy Bronsard, 14, Montreal, Que., and Aissa Bouaraguia, 18, Montreal, Que., are one of two ice dance teams representing Canada. The team finished sixth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season on the JGP circuit, the two finished fourth at Ostrava and sixth at Yerevan. They are coached by Romain Haguenauer in Montréal, Que.

Olivia McIsaac, 17, Burlington, Ont., and Corey Circelli, 16, Toronto, Ont., will also represent Canada in the ice dance discipline. The two finished eighth in junior at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Last season, the team finished seventh at JGP Ostrava. They are coached by Andrew Hallam in Toronto, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director and Marisa Gravino of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence will be the team official at the event. Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the team medical staff onsite. Lorner Schroder of Georgetown, Ont., and Patty Klein of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials attending 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 Aleksa Rakic 14 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Club of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Men Iliya Kovler 15 Richmond Hill, Ont. Richmond Hill Training Centre Andrei Berezintsev
Women Alison Schumacher 16 Tecumseh, Ont. Granite Club & Toronto CS & CC Lee Barkell
Ice Dance Emmy Bronsard / Aissa Bouaraguia 14/18 Montreal, Que. / Montreal, Que. Montreal International Skating School Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance Olivia McIsaac / Corey Circelli 17/16 Burlington, Ont. / Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Andrew Hallam