Chan's The New Man

It's right there in Patrick Chan's biographical sketch, the one in the media book Skate Canada hands out before every Canadian figure skating championships.
Long-term skating goals: Senior Champion of Canada.
Like a lot of things with this young skating prodigy, though, phrases like "long-term" earn themselves a completely new definition.
"I've learned I should set my goals high," Chan said when asked if that part of his bio might be in need of a major rewrite. "There's no reason why I shouldn't."
No reason, indeed.
Pre-novice national champion, 2003.
Novice national champion, 2004.
Junior national champion, 2005.
Given that history, one might be tempted to ask Chan what took him so long to complete the grand slam of Canadian figure skating (and he's undoubtedly the first). But then you tell yourself, the kid's barely 17.
Yes, the Patrick Chan era has officially arrived, about as impressively as everything else this Ottawa-born skater has ever done. Eight clean triple jumps later, in a performance that had just about everyone at Pacific Coliseum on their feet long before it was done, and Chan had dethroned Jeffrey Buttle as Canadian champion.
The score for his free skate (159.26) was the highest ever posted at a Canadian championships. His total of 232.68 was just enough to squeeze by Buttle (229.85), who held a 7.58-point lead after Friday's short program.
"Obviously, the marks speak for themselves," said Buttle of Chan's effort. "They (say) he had an amazing skate. He’s a great skater. There’s definitely no weakness to his skating."
Chan, perfectionist that he (or any champion) can be, would probably beg to differ. But in the moments after his latest breakthrough triumph, the Toronto resident wanted to soak in what he had just accomplished.
"I don’t know yet (how it feels)," he said. "It’s just like when I won the Grand Prix in Paris (in November). I did not expect it. This whole season has been like a dream. I’m still kind of in a trance right now. I guess that’s the beginning of a feeling of a national champion."
He better get used to all of this. Now, with the title in hand, expectations on Chan will grow in March, when he heads off to Sweden for his first world championship. While he admits he's "uneasy" about it, he quickly reveals a big goal for himself.
"I want to try to bring (Canada) three spots for worlds next year," he said. "That’s my goal, actually, for worlds. Two spots is too hard because we’ve got so many good Canadian guys. We need a lot of room for them. We need the extra seat on the plane."
Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B., who battled his way back onto the podium here (197.48), would certainly appreciate that. So would any others who were within hailing distance of that bronze-medal spot.
But the question now is whether Chan, who pumped his fists with glee amidst the din of the crowd, might be jumping into a fast lane of his own. He admitted once he landed his opening triple Axel — the jump that messed up his short program — "I was on cruising speed after that." And now he's overtaken 1963 world champion Donald McPherson as the youngest king of Canadian figure skating.
"I’ve been setting records," said Chan. "At junior words, I was the first (Canadian) in 23 years to get a (men's) medal. Paris, I think I’m the youngest to win a gold medal there. This is just adding to the record book. That’s great, that’s just icing on the cake."
But we're thinking today is truly the day we saw the dawning of the Patrick Chan era. And soon, the 'remember when' stories will start flowing. Come to think of it, they already have.
Former Canadian women's multi-medallist Annie Bellemare, now Skate Canada's marketing and communications co-ordinator, relates a tale of the time she crossed paths with Chan at a youth camp in Toronto "six or seven years ago." Even then, she said, you could see the talent. And the thirst for knowledge, for anything that might help him along the way.
"He wouldn't stop asking me questions," said Bellemare, an instructor at the camp. "He wouldn't leave me alone."
Now, he's alone at the top. With a wide-open world of possibilities — and worlds to conquer — very much right in front of him.