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Athlete Spotlight: Gabrielle Daleman

Gabrielle Daleman

Q: What’s your favourite social media account to follow?
Gabby: @selenagomez

Q: What is your favourite place in the world and why?
Gabby: Milan, Italy. I love the fashion, the culture and the architecture there.

Q:Who is your celebrity crush?
Gabby: Shawn Mendes

Q: What fictional character would you like to meet in real life and why?
Gabby: All the Disney princesses.

Q:What’s your favourite emoji?
Gabby: 🥀

Daleman withdraws from NHK Trophy

OTTAWA, ON: Gabrielle Daleman, 20, Newmarket, Ont., has withdrawn from her second grand prix assignment, NHK Trophy. Daleman announced earlier this month that she had taken a break from training to focus on her mental health.

Daleman was a member of the gold medal team at the 2018 Olympics and is the reigning Canadian champion. She trains in Toronto, Ont., with coaches Lee Barkell and Brian Orser.

 

Olympic Spotlight : Gabrielle Daleman

Fierce and energetic,  Gabrielle Daleman, from Newmarket, Ont., claimed her second Canadian women’s title at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships on the same day she celebrated her 20th birthday.

The 2017 world bronze medallist, known for her breathtaking flexibility and powerful jumps, will be making her second appearance at the Olympic Winter Games.

The youngest member of the entire Canadian team in Sochi four years ago, Daleman has never placed lower than second at the national championships. Daleman, the 2012 Canadian junior champions, says the Olympic moment forever etched in her mind was watching Joannie Rochette compete at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver following the sudden passing of her mother, and heads to PyeongChang looking to follow in her mentor’s footsteps by capturing an Olympic medal.

Behind the Blades for Safe Sport: Gabrielle Daleman

After a very long and exciting season and then being asked to be in Stars on Ice I was ready to come home and regroup for the Olympic year. Stars on Ice was a dream come true for me and working with the incredible cast with so much talent had me over the moon. I was heartbroken when I had to leave the tour due to an illness. I am now recovering and looking forward to getting my new choreography for the upcoming season.

My journey as a young skater was not always easy and achieving the success I had this season didn’t come without tears of happiness and of sadness. All those tears, good and bad, helped me along my journey.

Being bullied as a young girl has given me courage and taught me perseverance. When athletes face the challenge of being hurt or when an illness strikes we have very little resources left to fight through it because we give everything every day in our training. Being bullied because I couldn’t read or spell correctly was terrible but it gave me the strength to fight through it with my skating.

Now being sick it is giving me the courage to work through this so I can go back to the sport I love and the place I call home. Skating has given me so much in my life and I am grateful for all of it. I get to travel the world doing what I love.

Having a Learning Disability, ADHD and Anxiety has been a challenge but through my freedom on the ice I get the relief I need to get away from my struggles and soar. So many people have their own struggles and we need to be kind to each other. We never know what someone is going through.

Skate Canada supports Safe Sport and we can all be a part of that by being understanding, tolerant and inclusive. I am proud to be a champion for Safe Sport and would love to see more being done in arenas around Canada to show kids that every effort is important, whether we are skating for fun or at a competitive level. Bullying, harassment and abuse should not be tolerated. We must appreciate each other for who we are and understand people have limitations. No one should ever be made to feel bad simply for who they are. We need to teach kids at the grassroots level about these important messages. This will help them to build the skills in life needed to get through the good but especially the bad times.

Take the time today to tell someone in your life that what they do is important and to never give up on what they love. Work hard, follow your dreams and don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not good enough because you are!!!

Historic silver and bronze for Osmond and Daleman / World record for Virtue and Moir

HELSINKI –Kaetlyn Osmond of Marystown, N.L., and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., took the silver and bronze medal in women’s competition on Friday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

It is the first time in world championship history two Canadians reach the podium in the women’s event. It is also Canada’s first medal in women’s competition at worlds since Joannie Rochette won silver in 2009.

With those performances Canada is guaranteed three spots in the women’s event at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and 2018 ISU World Championships.

“To have Kaetlyn on the podium with me and have three spots for the Olympics is just an unbelievable feeling,’’ said the 19-year-old Daleman, competing at her fourth straight worlds. She was ninth last year. ‘’And I’ve wanted to be like Joannie since I was a little girl. I’m just star struck.’’

Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia successfully defended her world crown with a world record 233.41 points. Osmond followed at 218.13 and Daleman was third at 213.52, both personal bests. No other skaters reached the 200-point plateau.

Daleman and Osmond were the last two skaters of the competition. They were also second and third after the short on Wednesday.

‘’That’s the way that I’ve wanted to compete my long program all season long,’’ said Osmond, 21. ‘’I did everything I possibly could at the best of my ability. I trusted myself and trusted my training and it paid off.’’

It was Osmond’s first worlds since 2014. She missed the 2014-15 season due to a broken leg.

‘’After that injury I never thought I would be skating again, let alone get on a worlds podium’’ she said. ‘’I had to relearn everything, there was a lot of doubt last season and finally this year those doubts have washed away.’’

Both Canadians executed seven jump sequences including three combination jumps.

‘’I honestly have no words to describe how I am feeling,’’ said Daleman. ‘’I just went out there feeling more comfortable, staying calm and doing my job. As soon as I got into my starting position I said to myself to take it and skate with my heart.’’

In ice dancing, Virtue and Moir broke their own world record with 82.43 points to lead after the short dance. Defending world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are second at 76.89 and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. are third at 76.53.

Virtue and Moir are enjoying remarkable success in their first season since winning the silver medal at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. They have won all five events they’ve entered including the ISU Grand Prix Final in December producing many record performances along the way.

“That was a great skate,’’ said Moir, from Ilderton, Ont. ‘’We worked hard, we prepared, but we felt the pressure today. We knew we had to bring our best, and that’s why we came back.”

“Technically we really try to raise the level of our skating and we needed to because the level of competition is so stiff and so strong,’’ added Virtue, from London, Ont. ‘’It’s nice to be at a world championships and get your best score. We knew we couldn’t have possibly prepared more for this moment.’’

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., are in sixth place with 74.84 points while Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are in ninth with 72.83.

‘’We’ve been really up and down with some of the elements in our short dance this year,’’ said Poje. ‘’We felt today we took a step in the right direction, we were comfortable and we had a performance we were proud of.’’

‘’We are really excited to delve into the free dance tomorrow and share it with this incredible crowd,’’ added Weaver. ‘’There are some small changes into the transitions and it has some new unique elements.’’

Gilles and Poirier have also struggled with their short program this season.

‘’We’ve been trying a bit too hard, trying to prove ourselves,’’ said Poirier. ‘’So we fall short because of mistakes. Today wasn’t the skate of our lives but we came out and entertained the people and delivered a clean skate.’’

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

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/wc2017/index.htm

Strong start for Canadian women at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

HELSINKI – Canadians Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman are in medal positions after Wednesday’s women’s short program which opened the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Defending champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia stands first with 79.01 points followed by Osmond in second with a personal best 75.98 and Daleman is third at 72.19.

It’s the first time Canada has two skaters in the top three after the women’s short program at worlds.

Both Canadians displayed bright smiles after the completion of their programs, flawlessly executing their required seven elements. Osmond inserted her three jumps (triple combo, triple Lutz and double Axel) in her first four elements before finishing with her spins and step sequences.

“I was just trying to stay calm, just stay over my feet,” said Osmond of Marystown, N.L., at her first worlds since 2014. “I’ve worked hard this year at loving that feeling to compete and perform in front of a crowd. I’ve had a lot of personal bests with this program this year and that’s a great way to finish the season with it.”

Daleman, from Newmarket, Ont., also opened with her triple toe-triple toe combo with her Lutz and Axel as her fourth and fifth elements.

“You can always improve on the quality of the spins, jumps, footwork and everything in between,” said Daleman, ninth at the worlds last season. “I’m always determined to find the little details where I can improve more. I’ve gained a lot of confidence and I knew just what I wanted to do, completely enjoyed myself and just stayed in the moment.’’

In pairs, Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto, Ont., are the top Canadians in sixth with 73.14. Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., are seventh at 72.67 and Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., are 12th.

Radford is battling a hip injury which struck last week and which he described as “extremely frustrating.” However they went out there and produced a clean skate and expected a better placement. They are just over six points from third place.

“We were a bit surprised with how low the score was,” said Radford. “We anticipated it would be higher after a performance like that. Still it builds confidence for us for the long program.”

Radford said he has never experienced competing while injured.

“It still doesn’t feel 100 percent,” said Radford about the hip. “I was going in with a lot ‘what ifs’ in my head but I thought the way we skated was excellent for the condition I was in.”

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are first at 81.23, Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany second at 79.84 and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia third at 79.37.

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch, competing at their third straight worlds, are looking to improve on last year’s seventh place finish. They are only five points back from third.

“We did exactly what we trained to do and came here to do,” said Moscovitch. “We continue to improve every time out. It’s a program we enjoy and it’s great to end it with a season’s best score.”

Seguin and Bilodeau competed for the first time since the Grand Prix Final in December where they placed fifth. Séguin had been dealing with a concussion in the new calendar year.

“We have an overall good feeling about our performance even though there were mistakes,” said Bilodeau. “The short program is more difficult for us right now and we are confident we can manage our free skate a lot better tomorrow (Thursday).”

Competition continues Thursday with the pairs’ free skate and men’s short program. The ladies’ free skate is Friday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/wc2017/index.htm.

Three medals for Canada at ISU Four Continents

GANGNEUNG, South Korea – World champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., and Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto won silver and bronze in pairs and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., added a silver in women’s singles on Saturday at the ISU Four Continents figure skating competition.

In pairs, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold with 225.03 points. Duhamel and Radford followed at 212.23 and Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were third at 205.31.

Duhamel and Radford started their free skate with an impressive triple twist but their side-by-side, throw quad Salchow and throw triple Lutz were not as smooth.

‘’It was one of those fighting skates for us which has been a theme for us this season,’’ said Radford. ‘’But considering how we were feeling coming into this long program we are both very proud of ourselves and did some pretty good things.

‘’It’s always an up and down through the season and we’ll take this as a step up towards the world championships in March.’’

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were on fire in their free skate landing a triple twist, side-by-side triple toe-double toe, side-by-side triple Salchow and throw triple flip. The only glaring mishap was Ilyushechkina falling on a throw triple loop near the end of the program.

‘’It got rough near the end and some spots were sticky but we got through it,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’Each event this season we have been improving and we’ve worked very hard to keep moving in the right direction.’’

Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were seventh.

In women’s competition, Mai Mihara of Japan moved from fourth after the short program to top spot with 200.85. Daleman followed in second – a career-best international result – at 196.91, Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. was third at 194.95 and Kaetlyn Osmond of Maystown, N.L. fourth at 184.17.

Daleman produced a strong start and ending with a little blip in the middle on which she stepped out of a jump and put her hand down after landing a double Axel.

‘’I’d never been at a big championship leading after the short so it was a whole new experience,’’ said Daleman. ‘’It’s wasn’t my best skate at all but I’m happy to be leaving here with an international medal.’’

Daleman and Osmond were 1-2 after Thursday’s short program. In her free skate, Osmond struggled after opening with a powerful triple flip-triple toe and double Axel-triple toe combos.

‘’The beginning went super well,’’ she said. ‘’I’ve been getting a lot better and being able to refocus after I miss an element and today that just didn’t happen.’’

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., climbed from 14th to 11th after producing the eighth best free skate.

Competition ends Sunday morning with the men’s free program (9 p.m. Saturday evening EST on cbc.ca)

Full results: ISU Four Continents Championships 2017

Canadian records for Gilles/Poirier and Daleman at Skate Canada Challenge

PIERREFONDS, Que. – Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., as well as ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto broke Canadian records in golden performances Sunday at the Skate Canada Challenge.

In ice dancing, Gilles and Poirier tabulated a national mark 196.58 points. Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of Barrie, Ont., were second at 167.78 and Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nicolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., third at 147.72.

“We made a lot of improvements,” said Gilles. “We wanted to build our confidence going into nationals and it was mission accomplished. The Canadian record in just icing on the cake.”

The couple feel they have chance to make a big step this year.

“We have so much confidence,” said Poirier. “We are just really proud of the material we’ve been able to put together and we’ve prepared ourselves well for success this season. We’ve learned so much from the previous seasons that it’s just allowed us to present our best selves. The programs will just grow even more.”

In women’s competition, Daleman tabulated 208.85 for a national record with Sarah Tamura of Vancouver second at 166.45 and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., third at 147.72.

“There’s still so much that be can be improved going into nationals and that’s a great feeling,” said Daleman. “I focused on this being the final stage before the Canadian championships to determine what’s good and what needs to be improved on.”

The competition attracted over 500 skaters from across Canada with competition also being held in the novice and pre-novice categories. Skate Canada Challenge is the sole qualifying event for novice, junior, and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships January 16-22 in Ottawa.

Full results: 2017 Skate Canada Challenge

Daleman stands second at Trophee de France

PARIS – Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., posted her personal best score in the women’s short program to stand in second place at the Trophée de France, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia is in first place with 78.52 points, Daleman follows at 72.70 and Maria Sotskova of Russia is third at 68.71. Daleman eclipses her previous best of 67.38 set at the world championships this past March where she placed ninth.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., are in fourth place at 64.74 points less than four points from second spot.

World champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are first at 78.26, Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin of Russia second at 68.72 and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. third at 66.77.

Canada has no entries in men’s competition or pairs.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP Trophée de France 2016

Canadians continue on ISU Grand Prix circuit in France

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have two entries, for a total of three skaters, competing at the 2016 Trophée de France. The event takes place from November 11-13, 2016, at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. Canada will have one entry in ladies and one entry in ice dance.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. Last season, she placed sixth at this event. This season, Daleman won bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy and placed fourth at her first ISU Grand Prix event of the season, Skate America. The 2016 Canadian silver medallist is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 25, Unionville, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They have previously competed at this event three times, winning the silver medal in both 2014 and 2015, and placing sixth in 2012. This season, Gilles and Poirier won the bronze medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy and also won bronze at their first ISU Grand Prix assignment, Skate Canada International. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the Canadian team leader at the event and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 TROPHÉE DE FRANCE

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 24/25 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canadian skaters begin 2016 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Skate America

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send three entries, for a total of four skaters to Skate America, the first event on this season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Canada will have one entry per category in men’s, ladies, and pair. The competition, which is the first of six ISU Grand Prix stops, will take place from October 21-23, 2016, at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, IL, USA.

Nam Nguyen, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the Canadian entry in men’s. He previously won bronze at this event in 2014. Last season, Nguyen placed fifth at Skate Canada International, seventh at the Rostelecom Cup, 27th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This season, he placed fifth at the 2016 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. He is coached by David Glynn in San Jose, CA, USA.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies and will be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, she placed fifth at Skate Canada International, sixth at Trophée Éric Bompard, ninth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and won silver at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Daleman won bronze at her first competition this season, the Nebelhorn Trophy. She is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 23, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian pair entry at the event. Last year, they won the bronze medal at this event. Séguin and Bilodeau also won bronze at Trophée Éric Bompard, placed fourth at the ISU Grand Prix Final and won the silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships last season. This season, they won gold at their first event, the 2016 Autumn Classic International. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader and physiotherapist Scott Fraser of Kingston, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. André-Marc Allain of Gatineau, Que., and Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org .

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE AMERICA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 18 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club David Glynn
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 19/23 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard

Silver for Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch at Nebelhorn Trophy

OBERSTDORF, GERMANY: Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., won the silver medal in pair at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. The team scored 118.42 in the free for an overall score of 184.40.

“We felt pretty good about our program. We are very happy with how it went. It went from the beginning to the end with one smooth motion and we kept the chemistry and togetherness throughout the whole performance,” said Ilyushechkina.

Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany won gold with 203.04 points and their teammates Mari Vartmann and Ruben Blommaert won the bronze with 162.38 points.

In women’s, Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., won the bronze medal after scoring 60.15 in the short and 115.25 in the free for a total of 175.40.

“I am very happy with how it went. No matter what happened it was my third full long I’ve done since I have been back, due to injuries this summer. I didn’t give up the program one bit, I kept the story and the skating going. It went much better than I could have imaged and I am happy to start off my season like this,” said Daleman.

Mai Mihara of Japan won gold with 189.03 points and Russia’s Elizaveta Tuktamysheva claimed the silver with 185.93 points.

On Friday, Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., won the bronze medal in ice dance and Liam Firus, 24, North Vancouver, B.C., placed fifth in men’s.

Team Canada won the Fritz Geiger Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the country with the highest placements across all disciplines. The US was second and Russia third.

Full results: http://www.deu-event.de/results/Nebelhorn_2016/index.html