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Madeline Schizas emerges as women’s champion at 2020 Skate Canada Challenge

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EDMONTON – The last two senior finals were held on Sunday to conclude the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge figure skating competition.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont.,  took the women’s title with 157.00 points followed by Aurora Cotop of Thornhill, Ont., at 152.94 and Michelle Long of Newmarket, Ont., at 150.20.

“The free skate went really well,” said Schizas. “We made some changes to the program and I think that was the right decision because I felt really confident. I’m hopeful I can get some international assignments later this season.”

In ice dancing, Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Burnaby, B.C.,  won the gold medal with 183.71 points. Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que.,  and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., took the silver at 174.40 and Molly Lanaghan and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., were third at 163.33.

“We feel like every competition we are progressing,” said Sales. “We’re focusing more on the little details.”

Junior

There were three finals in junior competition this weekend.

Corey Circelli of Toronto took the men’s gold with 184.46, Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., was second at 179.64 and Matthew Newnham of St. Albert, Alta.  third at 177.97.

“I was inconsistent,” said Circelli. “I gave it a good fight but there were some mishaps here and there. Still, I achieved some goals so it was good to get that off the list.”

In the women’s event Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary placed first with 169.89. Catherine Carle of Georgetown, Ont., was second at 152.70 and Michelle Rivest of Trois-Rivieres, Que., was third at 134.85.

“I just try to go out there and have fun,” said Ruiter. “I’m proud to have to have skated my best but there are things that need to be improved.”

In ice dancing, Natalie D’Alessandro  and Bruce Waddell of Toronto took the gold with 174.32. Nadiia Bashynska and  Peter Beaumont of Toronto were second at 166.73 and Miku Makita of Anmore, B.C., and Tyler Gunara of Burnaby, B.C., third at 159.53.

“We’ve worked a lot on trying to improve our speed across the ice,” said D’Alessandro. “We felt like we went out and skated like we can.”

Pre novice

The competition was also the national championships for the pre-novice category. The last two finals were on the weekend.

In the last event Saturday night, Emma Yu and Daniel Yu of Calgary won the gold medal in ice dancing with 80.18. Abigail Jackson and Christian Nainer of Oakville, Ont., were second at 74.58 and Catharina Thibau and Nicholas Grozdanovski of Toronto were third at 73.74.

“It’s a bit of a shock to think we are Canadian champions,” said Daniel Yu. “It’s a great way to head into the novice level for next season.”

In men’s competition, Grayson Long of Oakville was the victor with 106.25. Anthony Paradis of Boisbriand, Que., was second at 101.51 and Noah Lim of of Toronto third at 84.84.

“I was really nervous after the short,” said Long. “I knew I had my work cut out for me to get first place.”

Full results: 2020 Skate Canada Challenge – Skate Canada

Nguyen, Walsh and Michaud win 2020 Skate Canada Challenge Titles

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EDMONTON – Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Toronto won the gold medal in men’s competition to highlight Friday’s action at the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge.

Nguyen was first in both the short program and Friday’s free skate totalling 236.68 points. Eric Liu of Edmonton was second at 209.76 and Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., third at 209.43.

“My confidence is up this year,” said Nguyen, also second at Skate Canada International last month. “The spins and jumps have been better and everything I do between the elements as well. There is still a lot of work to be done but I’m on the right track towards the world championships.”

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., took the pairs title in the last event of the evening.

“We were pleased with the fight we put out there,” said Walsh. “It wasn’t our best performance but we worked well together.”

The first junior final was held and Patricia Andrew and Zachary Daleman of Brantford, Ont., took the gold medal in pairs.

Novice

In men’s novice competition, Maksim Chelmaev of Laval, Que., soared from eighth after the short program to win the gold with 123.64. Shohei Law of Burnaby, B.C., was second at 123.24 and Brendan Wong of Burnaby third at 122.79.

“It was an emotional day,” said Chelmaev. “I went out there in attack mode and to come back with a strong performance. I gave everything I had.”

Sara-Maude Dupuis of Anjou, Que., also made a big comeback climbing from fourth to win the women’s event with 134.60 points. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., was second at 130.50 and Michelle Lee of Hamilton third at 127.15.

“I was proud I was able to control my nerves,” said Dupuis. “I’m still looking to improve my technical levels and my spins for the nationals.”

In ice dancing, Sandrine Gauthier and Quentin Thieren of St-Bruno, Que., won the gold medal with 100.43 points followed by Erica Estepa and Nolen Hickey of Brampton, Ont., with 99.92 and Mia Saunders and William Oddson of Calgary third at 99.04.

“We didn’t expect to do this well in the free dance,” said Thieren. “We did pretty well in general and it was a good performance. We kept focused but we know there is still a lot that can be improved.”

In pairs, Ashlyn Schmitz and Tristan Taylor of Regina placed first with 101.46. Lily Wilberforce and Aidan Wright of Kitchener, Ont., were second at 93.34 and Charlotte Giraldeau and Éliott Goulet of St-Eustache, Que., were third at 88.10.

Pre-novice

The competition was also the national championships for the pre-novice skaters.

For the girls, Rose Théroux of Chambly, Que., was the victor with 100.59 followed by Malyka Keeley of Campbellton, N.B., in second at 97.17 and Natasha Hewitt of Toronto third at 95.16.

“I did my job,” said Théroux who also moved eighth after the short to the winner’s circle. “I was proud of my performance. I’ve worked a lot on improving my jumps in particular.”

In pairs, Melyna Dagenais Guay of Farnham, Que., and Anthony Vézina of Varennes, Que., were first at 74.66 with Noémie Rolland and Marc-Olivier Laroche of St-Eustache, Que., second at 74.39 and Alexanne Joanis of Chambly and Charly Laliberté-Laurent of Boucherville, Que., third at 71.14.

“Our strength were the lifts,” said Dagenais Guay. “We felt comfortable and they were powerful.”

Competition continues through to Sunday at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre.

Full results: 2020 Skate Canada Challenge – Skate Canada

Canadian skaters headed to Edmonton for 2020 Skate Canada Challenge

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OTTAWA, ONT: Over 500 skaters from across Canada are en route to Edmonton, Alta., for the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge. The event will take place from November 27 – December 1, 2019, at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre.

“A vibrant and active winter city, Edmonton is proud to host the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “National competitions such as this showcase emerging talent, promote healthy lifestyles, and create a culture of fun, sportsmanship and celebration, while inspiring new generations of athletes. We wish all of the competitors the best of luck.”

Skate Canada Challenge is the only qualifying event for novice, junior and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, taking place in Mississauga, Ont., from January 13-19, 2020. Skaters qualified for the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge by advancing through their local sectional championships.

This event will also see the crowning of the 2020 Pre-Novice National Champions in men, women, pairs and ice dance.

Fans in Edmonton will get a chance to see several Skate Canada National Team members compete, including: 2019 Canadian silver medallist Aurora Cotop, 17, Thornhill, Ont., (senior women), 2019 bronze medallist Véronik Mallet, 25, Sept-Iles, Que., (senior women), 2019 National champion Nam Nguyen, 21, Ajax, Ont., (senior men), Nicolas Nadeau, 22, Boisbriand, Que., (senior men), Evelyn Walsh, 18, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 23, Trenton, Ont., (senior pairs), and Haley Sales, 22, Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 23, Langley, B.C., (senior ice dance).

Local Edmonton skating clubs will have a large contingent at the event, including Carys Prodaniuk (junior women, Ice Palace SC), Matthew Newnham (junior men, Ice Palace SC), Isabelle Law (senior women, Derrick SC) and many others.

For more information including schedule, entries and start orders, please click here. All events on all three competition rinks will be live streamed and can be accessed through the event page or the Skate Canada Dailymotion page.

All tickets will be available at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre starting Wednesday, November 27. All-Event tickets are $50, single day tickets are $25 and children 12 years and under receive free admission to all practices and competition when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information, please click here.