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Gilles and Poirier win gold at Autumn Classic International

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OAKVILLE, Ont. – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto won the gold medal in ice dancing at the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition which concluded on Saturday at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Gilles and Poirier, skated a new free dance performed to Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, and totalled 202.49. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain took the silver at 184.09 and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France were third at 182.91.

“It felt really good and both of us were really excited about performing this program,” said Gilles. “At camp we felt it was a very good start and it has grown even more here today. We’re going to give it the effort and time it needs to develop.”

Last season, the couple produced a smash hit with their free dance to the song Vincent and they wowed the crowd once again with their new skate.

“We kept the program going and didn’t let the glitches affect the performance,” added Poirier. “We’re really excited to see where both our new programs will take us.”

Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver, second after the rhythm dance on Friday, dropped to fifth overall at 172.90. The couple showed some impressive moves in their skate to a Tom Jones medley but Firus had an unfortunate fall in the middle of the program.

“I made a big error on the twizzles,” said Firus. “That cost us quite a few points but other than that I thought the program went quite well.”

Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the men’s event with 279.05. Kevin Aymoz of France took the silver at 262.47 and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park was third at 256.02.

Messing fell on his opening quad Lutz but came back strong hitting two quad toes – one of which he touched down with his hand, and two triple Axels -including one in combination- to maintain his medal position.

“Everything was a push and a fight,” Messing said. “I had a terrible warm-up, went backstage to set my mind straight. I came back took each element at a time and fought through.”

Conrad Orzel of Toronto delivered the fifth best free skate but remained sixth at 214.98. He also had two quad toes and two triple Axels in his skate.

“The long program didn’t start out as planned,” he said. “I did a triple Lutz instead of a quad. Thanks to my training I was able to reset and forget about it and refocus on the rest of my skate.”

Full results: 2019 Autumn Classic International – Skate Canada

Gilles and Poirier stand first in ice dancing at Autumn Classic International

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OAKVILLE, Ont. – Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are in first place after Friday’s rhythm dance at the sixth edition of the Autumn Classic International figure skating competition being held this week at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Gilles and Poirier, seventh at the world championships last season, totalled 79.61 points to place ahead of compatriots Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of North Vancouver in second at 72.70. Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of France are third at 71.50.

‘’To come here and push ourselves when we are at that tired level is what we need to do at this point in the season,’’ said Gilles. ‘’As the year progresses and we get fitter, we’ll be able to attack the program a little bit more. It’s a dance we really enjoy.’’

Soucisse and Firus said they went back to the drawing board after a self -described disappointing end to their season.

‘’We learned quite a bit last season,’’ said Firus. ‘’We were inconsistent and we decided to go back to the basics in terms of the types of programs we’d like to skate and what style is going is fit us.’’

In men’s competition, two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan stands first after the short program at 98.38, Kevin Aymoz of France is second at 94.76 and Keegan Messing of Sherwood Park, Alta., is third at 89.57.

Messing skated clean to Ed Sheeran’s ‘’Perfect’’ landing a quad toe-triple-toe combo, triple Axel and triple Lutz.

‘’It’s a really new style for me,’’ said Messing. ‘’With this program, when the music starts there’s a wave of calm, my mind instantly goes to my wedding this past summer and how happy my wife and I are together.’’

Conrad Orzel of Toronto landed his quad triple-combo, quad Salchow and triple Axel for sixth at 76.64.

‘’It was a great experience to be out there with the crowd,’’ he said about his senior level international debut. ‘’It’s important for my development, there’s pressure, there’s points for rankings so it’s a great introduction to skating at this level.’’

The women’s competition concluded with Rika Kihira of Japan, last year’s Grand Prix Final champion, earning the gold with 224.16. Two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia was second at 217.43 and Eunsoo Lim of South Korea third at 184.38.

Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., was eighth and Véronik Mallet of Sept-Iles, Que., 12th.

‘’I felt great about my program,’’ said Long. ‘’I know there were still some mistakes but that was definitely a closer stride to what I’m capable of.’’

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

Full results: https://sc3staging.skatecanada.ca/2019-autumn-classic-international/

Top skaters ready to compete at the 2019 Autumn Classic International

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OTTAWA, ON: Top Canadian and international skaters are headed to Oakville, Ont., for the 2019 Autumn Classic International (#ACI19). The sixth edition of this event will take place from September 12-14, 2019, at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

The 2019 Autumn Classic International will feature senior events in men, women and ice dance. Team Canada will have two entries in women and two entries in men and ice dance. The event will be live streamed on Skate Canada’s Dailymotion page to viewers worldwide.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2019 AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL

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DISCIPLINE NAME AGE HOMETOWN CLUB COACH
Men Keegan Messing 27 Sherwood Park, Alta. / Brantford, Ont. Ice Palace FSC Ralph Burghart
Men Conrad Orzel 19 Toronto, Ont. Toronto CS & CC Brian Orser / Tracy Wilson
Women Véronik Mallet 25 Sept-Îles, Que. CPA Sept-Îles Annie Barabé / Sophie Richard
Women Michelle Long 27 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Training Centre Robert Burke
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 27/27 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Jon Lane
Ice Dance Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus 24/25 Chateauguay, Que. / North Vancouver, B.C. CPA Repentigny Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon

Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the team leader at the event. Dr. Sari Kraft of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Jacquie Warren of Manotick, Ont., Reaghan Fortin of Aurora, Ont., and Erica Topolski of Fredericton, N.B., will be the Canadian officials attending the event.

For more information and full entries, please visit www.sc3staging.skatecanada.ca or www.isu.org.

Ticket Info: 2019 Autumn Classic International

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OTTAWA, ON: Tickets for the 2019 Autumn Classic International will go on sale to the general public on Friday June 14, 2019 at 10 a.m. (ET).  The sixth edition of this event will take place from September 12 – 14, 2019, at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ont.

All-event tickets are priced at $103.60 ($100 ticket + $3.60 online fee) and day passes are priced as follows: Thursday $31.50 ($30 ticket + $1.50 online fee), Friday $36.65 ($35 ticket + $1.65 online fee) and Saturday $36.65 ($35 ticket + $1.65 online fee). Tickets include entry to view practices on the date(s) of each ticket. All tickets are subject to applicable taxes and service fees. Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite.ca in advance and online only.

Please note that seating is general admission and not reserved. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Ticket quantities are limited, and all tickets are final sale.

The 2019 Autumn Classic International will feature senior events in men, women and ice dance. The event will host approximately 50 entries from over 15 countries. The senior international figure skating competition is one of 10 events that will form the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series. Athletes will have the opportunity to earn world standing points through the series. Competitors are eligible to participate in up to three Challenger Series events.

The 2019 entries will be announced after the close of entries in late August.

Oakville to host 2019 Autumn Classic International

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has announced that it will host the 2019 Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ont. The sixth edition of the event will take place September 12-14, 2019 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

The senior international figure skating competition has previously been a stop on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) Challenger Series in 2014, 2016 and 2017. The ISU has included this event in the 2019-2020 Challenger Series.

“Skate Canada is excited to be heading back to Oakville and to Sixteen Mile Sports Complex for the 2019 Autumn Classic International,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “This event always showcases world-class skaters and we are thrilled to be bringing them back to such a welcoming town.”

“Oakville is proud to welcome back some of the world’s top figure skaters and I know that we are all looking forward to watching them compete at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “I also want to invite all of the competitors and spectators to explore our town’s shops and restaurants, and all the best of what Oakville has to offer.”

Tickets will go on-sale in June and further details will be available at sc3staging.skatecanada.ca. To register for notifications of ticket on-sale dates for Skate Canada events, please fill out the form located here.