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Athlete Spotlight: Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud

Evelyn Walsh

Q: What’s your favourite social media account to follow?
Evelyn: @theellenshow on Instagram as she is always posting funny memes or jokes which helps me keep a lightness to my perspective on life.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
Evelyn: Sam Smith, of course.

Q: If you weren’t a figure skater, what sport would you do?
Evelyn: I would most likely be a hockey player as the reason I went into CanSkate was to improve my skating skills and then I guess it snowballed from there.

Q: What is your pet peeve?
Evelyn: When Trennt clicks his heels together doing lift class; despite knowing it “annoys me”, it adds comic relief to the day.

Q: What fictional character would you like to meet in real life and why?
Evelyn: I would love to meet Tracy Turnblad from the movie Hairspray. She is very much an outcast in the movie but has such a positive and fun energy despite her differences which is infectious to everyone around her.

Trennt Michaud

Q: What’s your favourite place in the world and why?
Trennt: Oberstdorf, Germany. It’s part of the German Alps, its beautiful, charming, something like a fairy tale, and there’s awesome cows who walk through the streets every day

Q: What’s your favourite emoji?
Trennt:

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
Trennt: Emma Watson. Ryan Reynolds if I could be him.

Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Trennt: People using their finger as a knife to scoop food up.

Q: What song would be the theme song for your life?
Trennt: I’m Still a Guy by Brad Paisley

Canadians come back to win bronze in pairs at ISU Junior Grand Prix

RIGA, Latvia – Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., posted the best score in the free skate to win the bronze medal in pairs Friday at the third stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of figure skating circuit.

It was a 1-2 Russian finish with Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov first with 157.51 points and Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii second at 153.93.

Walsh and Michaud, the Canadian junior champions, followed with a personal best 153.73 climbing from fifth place after the short program on Thursday. They earned 103.58 points in their free skate.

“It’s our best-ever international result and we look forward to building on it,” said Michaud. “To win the long program is pretty cool.”

Chloe Choinard of Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Granby, Que., moved from ninth to seventh.

In women’s competition, Russia’s Daria Panenkova took the gold medal with Rika Kihira of Japan second and Emmy Ma of the U.S. third.

Alison Schumacher of Toronto was ninth.

Canada is also in medal contention in ice dance. Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Claudio Pietrantonio of Laval, Que., are fourth after the short dance and just over two points from a podium spot.

Valerie Taillefer of Montreal, Que., and Jason Chan of St. Laurent, Que., are ninth.

In men’s competition, Corey Circelli of Vaughan, Ont., sits in seventh after the short program.

The men’s free skate and the free dance are on Saturday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1718/jgplat2017/index.htm.

Walsh and Michaud crack top-five at ISU World Junior Championships

TAIPEI CITY – Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., climbed to fifth place in pairs on Friday for Canada’s best result so far at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor of Australia didn’t win either the short or long programs but emerged with the gold medal with 163.98 points. Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia, first after the short, were second at 161.93 and Yumeng Gao and Zhong Xie of China third at 161.09.

Walsh and Michaud improved their personal best score to 150.74.

Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Lévis, Que., were ninth.

In women’s competition, Alina Zagitova of Russia is first after the short program with Marin Honda of Japan second and her compatriot Kaori Sakamoto third.

Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., is 19th in her second career appearance at the world juniors.Competition ends Saturday with the free dance and women’s free skate.

Full results: ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2017

Canadians win four more medals at Bavarian Open

OBERTSDORF, Germany – Canada finished 1-2 in junior pairs competition to cap a four-medal performance on Sunday at the Bavarian Open figure skating competition.

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., took the junior pairs gold with 155.20 points. They edged Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., silver medallists with 151.85. Alexandria Yao and Austin Hale of the U.S. were third at 139.80.

In ice dancing, Ekaterina Kuznetsova and Dmitri Parkhomenko of Russia narrowly won gold with 141.22. Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., were a mere 0.02 points back for silver at 141.20 while Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St.Albert, Alta., third at 136.20.

Canada earned 11 medals at the event.

On Saturday, Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., and Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., finished 1-2-3 in junior men’s competition while Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., won the women’s junior II event. Stephen Gogolev of Toronto took gold in men’s novice.

The competition featured Canada’s team for the world junior championships next month.

Full results: Bavarian Open 2017

Canadian juniors travel to Dresden for final event of ISU Junior Grand Prix

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send seven entries, for a total of eleven skaters to Dresden, Germany, for the final event of the 2016-2017 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada will send two entries per discipline in men’s, pair and ice dance, and one entry in ladies to the competition taking place from October 5-9, 2016.

Conrad Orzel, 16, Woodbridge, Ont., finished fourth in St. Gervais, France at the first event of the 2016 season, which also marked his debut on the junior circuit. Orzel also placed fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in the junior category, and third in the junior category of the 2016 Coupe de Printemps. He is coached by Eva Najarro and trains in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Iliya Kovler, 13, Richmond Hill, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in men’s. Kovler earned his first international medal, a bronze, at the 2016 Autumn Classic International. Last season, he placed fourth in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Andrei Berezintsev in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Sarah Tamura, 15, Burnaby, B.C., will represent Canada as the lone female entry. Tamura will be competing in her second ISU Junior Grand Prix event of the season after finishing eighth in Slovenia. After capturing the 2016 Canadian junior title, Tamura earned a berth at the 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, where she placed 13th. She is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Justine Brasseur, 15, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 19, Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que, are one of two pairs representing Canada at the event. The pair finished eleventh at their first assignment of the season in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, Brasseur and Ostiguy finished sixth in Latvia and fourth in Austria. The duo from Quebec also finished fourth in junior at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and placed seventh at the 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Brasseur and Ostiguy train in Saint-Leonard, Que., and are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte.

Evelyn Walsh, 15, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 20, Strathroy, Ont., are the second Canadian pair competing in Germany. Earlier this season, the pair competed in their first Junior Grand Prix event together in Estonia and placed 11th. Walsh and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss and Margaret Purdy, and train in London, Ont.

Marjorie Lajoie, 15, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 17, Greenfield Park, Que., are the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. They will be competing at their second ISU Junior Grand Prix event of the season, after finishing fourth at the event in Japan. Last season, Lajoie and Lagha claimed the silver medal in junior at the 2016 national championships and placed 13th at the 2016 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The ice dancers train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Alicia Fabbri, 13, Terrebonne, Que., and Claudio Pietrantonio, 19, Laval, Que., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their second ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment, having placed fourth in Russia earlier this season. Last season, they won silver in the novice category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Fabbri and Pietrantonio are coached by Julien Lalonde, Mylène Girard and Lynn McKay.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Nathalie Martin of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont. will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., and Sylvain Guibord of Brossard, Que., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel. For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #7 – Dresden, Germany

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Conrad Orzel 16 Woodbridge, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Eva Najarro
Mens Iliya Kovler 13 Richmond Hill, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Andrei Berezintsev
Ladies Sarah Tamura 15 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International SC Joanne McLeod
Pairs Justine Brasseur / Mathieu Ostiguy 15/19 Brossard, Que. / Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir, Que. CPA Brossard / CPA Saint-Césaire Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte
Paris Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud 15/20 London, Ont. / Strathroy, Ont. London SC / Prince Edward SC Alison Purkiss / Margaret Purdy
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 15/17 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA De Boucherville / CPA St. Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis
Ice Dance Alicia Fabbri / Claudio Pietrantonio 13/19 Terrebonne, Que. / Laval, Que. CPA Terrebonne / CPA Laval Julien Lalonde / Mylène Girard / Lynn McKay