It's a whole new game in the senior ice dance event at these Canadian figure skating championships.
You've probably heard the story. Five of the top seven teams from last year's nationals in Halifax aren't here this go round, either through retirements, sabbaticals (defending champs Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon) or partnerships that dissolved during the off-season.
So, with a whole whack of new teams showing up in Vancouver — and three world team berths up for grabs — a dogfight for those tickets to Gothenburg, Sweden, figured to ensue. Beyond the top spot, that is. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who are ascending in a major way on the global scene, already hold a commanding lead (with 40.04 points) after tonight's compulsory dances.
But it's game on below them, now that the Yankee Polkas are all in the books. The big movers this season have been Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno, two Ontario kids who headed west to Vancouver a few years back and hit the ice at Pacific Coliseum as the hometown team.
They're in second spot with 32.62 points, just a hair ahead of Houston-born Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont. (32.54), who surprised everyone by grabbing that precious third worlds ticket a year ago.
Two of those new teams are right in the mix, too. Ottawa's Siobhan Karam and Kevin O'Keefe of Limestone, Maine, who represent the Minto Skating Club, stand fourth (31.26). Then it's Montreal-based Mylene Girard and Liam Dougherty (30.70), followed by last year's national junior champs, Vanessa Crone of Aurora, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont. (30.22).
That's a mere 2.40 points separating second through sixth, with two phases of the competition still to go. Game on, indeed.
For Hann-McCurdy and Coreno, the former national junior champions who were eighth in their senior debut a year ago in Halifax, the result tonight couldn't have been any better.
"We went to Skate Canada (in November in Quebec City) and we did very well there (fourth)," said Coreno, 23, of Delhi, Ont. "This is where we wanted to be so far."
Both agree a ticket to worlds this year would be a vital step toward their ultimate goal — the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, about as hometown a Winter Games as it could get for a Canadian couple.
"That was our goal this year," said Hann-McCurdy, 20, of Orleans, Ont., who continues to represent the Gloucester Figure Skating Club back in Ottawa. "We want to take it one year at a time but obviously, this is a good start."
Added Coreno: "I think it's one of the most important events (for us) right now, because this is a stepping stone to worlds, Four Continents ... to get on that team would be huge."
As tight as this competition is, though, it's a story that still has a few more twists and turns yet to come. The next chapter: Thursday night's original dance. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Back In The Game Again
One year ago, he was in Hong Kong, racing cars, modelling and acting. And teaching a bit of skating on the side.
In other words, Fedor Andreev was about as far away from the Canadian figure skating championships as a guy could possibly be. And probably not imagining he'd be back anytime soon.
But the 25-year-old from Ottawa has arrived in Vancouver and is already causing a bit of a buzz, with one newspaper declaring he's one of 'five to watch' at this week's nationals.
"It's fun," Andreev said Wednesday about his first appearance at the Canadian championships since 2005, when he finished sixth in the senior men's event in London, Ont.
He'd more or less put the competitive skating bug aside in recent years, deciding to pursue some of his other interests. But toward the end of the summer, the environment at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton, Mich. — where his mother Marina Zoueva coaches rising Canadian ice dance stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, among others — finally got to him.
"The whole atmosphere at the rink, with Scott and Tessa ... it really inspired me," said Andreev, once again under the tutelage of coach Richard Callaghan (Zoueva and Virtue share the choreography credits).
A resounding triumph at the Senior Challenge in December in Mississauga, Ont., has fuelled thoughts in some eyes that he might make some real noise this week in Vancouver. But Andreev's relaxed mood, and the pure enjoyment he shows at just being back here, makes it clear those kinds of pressure and expectations are far from his mind.
"I just want to perform my programs here, that's all I want to do," he said. "And I hope the people who are watching enjoy them. That would be perfect."
Oh, and if you think his passion for auto racing of various kinds has waned because of his revived interest in skating well, guess again.
"Whatever I can do," he said when asked about the thrills of the four-wheeled world. "As long as I can bash the daylights out of a car."
In other words, Fedor Andreev was about as far away from the Canadian figure skating championships as a guy could possibly be. And probably not imagining he'd be back anytime soon.
But the 25-year-old from Ottawa has arrived in Vancouver and is already causing a bit of a buzz, with one newspaper declaring he's one of 'five to watch' at this week's nationals.
"It's fun," Andreev said Wednesday about his first appearance at the Canadian championships since 2005, when he finished sixth in the senior men's event in London, Ont.
He'd more or less put the competitive skating bug aside in recent years, deciding to pursue some of his other interests. But toward the end of the summer, the environment at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton, Mich. — where his mother Marina Zoueva coaches rising Canadian ice dance stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, among others — finally got to him.
"The whole atmosphere at the rink, with Scott and Tessa ... it really inspired me," said Andreev, once again under the tutelage of coach Richard Callaghan (Zoueva and Virtue share the choreography credits).
A resounding triumph at the Senior Challenge in December in Mississauga, Ont., has fuelled thoughts in some eyes that he might make some real noise this week in Vancouver. But Andreev's relaxed mood, and the pure enjoyment he shows at just being back here, makes it clear those kinds of pressure and expectations are far from his mind.
"I just want to perform my programs here, that's all I want to do," he said. "And I hope the people who are watching enjoy them. That would be perfect."
Oh, and if you think his passion for auto racing of various kinds has waned because of his revived interest in skating well, guess again.
"Whatever I can do," he said when asked about the thrills of the four-wheeled world. "As long as I can bash the daylights out of a car."
Preserving A Proud Tradition
They are a link to Canadian figure skating's proudest moments of the past. And becoming more visible than ever around the sport today.
To hear Skate Canada CEO William Thompson tell it, none of this is an accident. More than perhaps ever before, the association is turning toward some of its most famous alumni and asking them to play a hand in inspiring the stars of tomorrow.
"We're making a concerted effort to reconnect with our alumni," said Thompson. "They're our link to a tradition of excellence."
So it is that you will see some of these famous alumni presenting the medals Sunday to all the podium finishers at these Canadian figure skating championships. Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz will be there. So will Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. And a few other "special guests" who'll make their appearance on the ice at Pacific Coliseum.
Looking on as Thompson and others spoke — and no doubt nodding their approval — were Kurt Browning and Brian Orser, a pair of former world champions who are still very much involved in the sport they love.
It is a vast departure from the days, Debbi Wilkes says, when retired champions were all but put out to pasture and pretty much forgotten.
"As long as you were current, as long as you were on the podium and winning medals, everyone was anxious to talk to you," said Wilkes, a 1964 Olympic pairs silver medallist who has brought her boundless energy to Skate Canada as its director of marketing and sponsorship. "Once you became a 'was' skater, nobody wanted to talk to you anymore."
Given the way other sports find ways to keep their greatest heroes alive in the hearts of the generations that follow, it only makes sense that figure skating do the same. Few sports in this country have produced such a line of world and Olympic champions. Why not invite those people to be a part of extending that lineage into the foreseeable future?
Bourne spoke passionately about the contributions and "giving back" that such alumni can make. She has returned to Canada and spends lots of her time these days at the Granite Club in Toronto, where young skaters there can feed off her championship experience.
"Even seeing each other is motivational," she said. "It keeps that spirit alive. (The alumni) have so much experience we can share."
No time like the present to mine it for all it's worth.
To hear Skate Canada CEO William Thompson tell it, none of this is an accident. More than perhaps ever before, the association is turning toward some of its most famous alumni and asking them to play a hand in inspiring the stars of tomorrow.
"We're making a concerted effort to reconnect with our alumni," said Thompson. "They're our link to a tradition of excellence."
So it is that you will see some of these famous alumni presenting the medals Sunday to all the podium finishers at these Canadian figure skating championships. Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz will be there. So will Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. And a few other "special guests" who'll make their appearance on the ice at Pacific Coliseum.
Looking on as Thompson and others spoke — and no doubt nodding their approval — were Kurt Browning and Brian Orser, a pair of former world champions who are still very much involved in the sport they love.
It is a vast departure from the days, Debbi Wilkes says, when retired champions were all but put out to pasture and pretty much forgotten.
"As long as you were current, as long as you were on the podium and winning medals, everyone was anxious to talk to you," said Wilkes, a 1964 Olympic pairs silver medallist who has brought her boundless energy to Skate Canada as its director of marketing and sponsorship. "Once you became a 'was' skater, nobody wanted to talk to you anymore."
Given the way other sports find ways to keep their greatest heroes alive in the hearts of the generations that follow, it only makes sense that figure skating do the same. Few sports in this country have produced such a line of world and Olympic champions. Why not invite those people to be a part of extending that lineage into the foreseeable future?
Bourne spoke passionately about the contributions and "giving back" that such alumni can make. She has returned to Canada and spends lots of her time these days at the Granite Club in Toronto, where young skaters there can feed off her championship experience.
"Even seeing each other is motivational," she said. "It keeps that spirit alive. (The alumni) have so much experience we can share."
No time like the present to mine it for all it's worth.
Who's That Girl?
You never know where you're going to spot a famous figure skater.
Take, for example, the group of Ottawa Senators fans who spilled into a bar across from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., after Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final last June. Apparently, they'd had a few pops, spotted a rather striking blonde sitting by herself in said watering hole, and did what a lot of guys do in said situation.
Started chatting up the pretty blonde.
They didn't have a clue who was sitting across from them. It was only when she offered up this tidbit of information — "I'm a figure skater" — that it began to dawn on a few of them that this wasn't just any skater.
She's Canadian. A former world champion. Ten times a Canadian champ.
Say hello, guys, to Shae-Lynn Bourne, who's relating this tale to me. And clearly just as amused about it now as she was that night.
Of course, once they'd figured it all out, this red-clad group of Sens fans just had to get a picture with Bourne, who happily obliged. Not exactly the scene she had in mind, we're pretty sure, when she and U.S. skating star Sasha Cohen (a huge Ducks fan) decided to go the game together (Bourne was in Anaheim on a skating tour).
Small world, as the old saying goes.
And a fun memory for all involved, no doubt.
Take, for example, the group of Ottawa Senators fans who spilled into a bar across from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., after Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final last June. Apparently, they'd had a few pops, spotted a rather striking blonde sitting by herself in said watering hole, and did what a lot of guys do in said situation.
Started chatting up the pretty blonde.
They didn't have a clue who was sitting across from them. It was only when she offered up this tidbit of information — "I'm a figure skater" — that it began to dawn on a few of them that this wasn't just any skater.
She's Canadian. A former world champion. Ten times a Canadian champ.
Say hello, guys, to Shae-Lynn Bourne, who's relating this tale to me. And clearly just as amused about it now as she was that night.
Of course, once they'd figured it all out, this red-clad group of Sens fans just had to get a picture with Bourne, who happily obliged. Not exactly the scene she had in mind, we're pretty sure, when she and U.S. skating star Sasha Cohen (a huge Ducks fan) decided to go the game together (Bourne was in Anaheim on a skating tour).
Small world, as the old saying goes.
And a fun memory for all involved, no doubt.
Blast From The Past
Depending on your perspective, 11 years can seem like one heckuva long time. Or just like yesterday.
Took a quick tour through the results from the 1997 Canadian figure skating championships — the last time nationals were held in Vancouver — and noticed a few names who still have a very strong connection to this event. And that's not even counting the rather large group of '97 'grads' (so to speak) who are on the other side of the boards as coaches these days (like Vancouver natives Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe, senior ice dance bronze medallists back then, who are finally home to stay after all those years in Windsor and Detroit).
Of course, there's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, who won their fifth Canadian ice dance crown 11 years ago at General Motors Place (High Society was their free dance back then, Shae tells me, if you're wondering). They're the honorary co-chairs of the 2008 nationals, which are being held at Pacific Coliseum.
Check the senior pairs results, you'll find the name David Pelletier, who finished sixth with former partner Allison Gaylor. Now, we all know Pelletier went on to his greatest fame with the young woman who'd become his wife, Jamie Sale: They became world champions in the same GM Place in 2001, Olympic gold medallists a year later in Salt Lake City.
On Sunday, they'll be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, and skate a special performance during the parade of champions.
Take a closer look at the novice men's event in '97. In seventh place, you'd have found a young up-and-comer named Jeffrey Buttle. He arrived in Vancouver this week as three-time defending senior men's champion.
Who knew back then that B.C. native Craig Buntin, who finished 14th in novice pairs with Chantal Chailler, would go on to win three senior national pairs crowns (with now-retired Valerie Marcoux). He's here with new partner Meagan Duhamel this week.
Oh, and last (but certainly not least) ... Annie Bellemare, eighth in the senior women's event in 1997 (her first nationals, she just told me). Today, we hear she's doing a bang-up job as Skate Canada's marketing and communications co-ordinator. And from what we've noticed, she's still rather busy around the rink.
Funny how some things just never change.
Took a quick tour through the results from the 1997 Canadian figure skating championships — the last time nationals were held in Vancouver — and noticed a few names who still have a very strong connection to this event. And that's not even counting the rather large group of '97 'grads' (so to speak) who are on the other side of the boards as coaches these days (like Vancouver natives Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe, senior ice dance bronze medallists back then, who are finally home to stay after all those years in Windsor and Detroit).
Of course, there's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, who won their fifth Canadian ice dance crown 11 years ago at General Motors Place (High Society was their free dance back then, Shae tells me, if you're wondering). They're the honorary co-chairs of the 2008 nationals, which are being held at Pacific Coliseum.
Check the senior pairs results, you'll find the name David Pelletier, who finished sixth with former partner Allison Gaylor. Now, we all know Pelletier went on to his greatest fame with the young woman who'd become his wife, Jamie Sale: They became world champions in the same GM Place in 2001, Olympic gold medallists a year later in Salt Lake City.
On Sunday, they'll be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, and skate a special performance during the parade of champions.
Take a closer look at the novice men's event in '97. In seventh place, you'd have found a young up-and-comer named Jeffrey Buttle. He arrived in Vancouver this week as three-time defending senior men's champion.
Who knew back then that B.C. native Craig Buntin, who finished 14th in novice pairs with Chantal Chailler, would go on to win three senior national pairs crowns (with now-retired Valerie Marcoux). He's here with new partner Meagan Duhamel this week.
Oh, and last (but certainly not least) ... Annie Bellemare, eighth in the senior women's event in 1997 (her first nationals, she just told me). Today, we hear she's doing a bang-up job as Skate Canada's marketing and communications co-ordinator. And from what we've noticed, she's still rather busy around the rink.
Funny how some things just never change.
Better Later Than Never
The folks at Skate Canada are trying all kinds of things to rekindle interest in the Canadian championships.
You'll notice, for example, that there's nothing random about the starting order for the free skates in senior events. It's simply the reverse order of the finish in the short program.
More exciting for fans. Makes for some dramatic television, too.
One heck of a great idea, if you ask me (some might even suggest it's something that's long overdue).
Here's another thing you'll notice — it's Wednesday, and we're just getting started into the competition. Gone are those qualifying rounds for senior men and women that used to turn the week into a bit of a marathon for those involved.
But, as three-time Canadian women's champion Joannie Rochette points out, the qualifying rounds have been dumped at the world championships. Might as well do the same here, then, right?
"i didn't mind the qualifying rounds," said Rochette, a bright young woman who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Sunday. "It was a good warmup for the competition.
"But actually, it's more like worlds now. It makes sense that they follow what they're doing. When we used to have qualifying at worlds, it made sense to have qualifying here."
Makes sense to me, too.
***
I've learned my first bit of useful directions around Pacific Coliseum.
The mountains, they tell me, are north of the building. So if you want or need to head south ... well, you know the rest.
I suppose that's also why they're referred to as the North Shore Mountains. Gee, something else that makes sense.
***
Mrs. Doherty was spotted in the house today.
Guess these championships can now officially begin.
You'll notice, for example, that there's nothing random about the starting order for the free skates in senior events. It's simply the reverse order of the finish in the short program.
More exciting for fans. Makes for some dramatic television, too.
One heck of a great idea, if you ask me (some might even suggest it's something that's long overdue).
Here's another thing you'll notice — it's Wednesday, and we're just getting started into the competition. Gone are those qualifying rounds for senior men and women that used to turn the week into a bit of a marathon for those involved.
But, as three-time Canadian women's champion Joannie Rochette points out, the qualifying rounds have been dumped at the world championships. Might as well do the same here, then, right?
"i didn't mind the qualifying rounds," said Rochette, a bright young woman who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Sunday. "It was a good warmup for the competition.
"But actually, it's more like worlds now. It makes sense that they follow what they're doing. When we used to have qualifying at worlds, it made sense to have qualifying here."
Makes sense to me, too.
***
I've learned my first bit of useful directions around Pacific Coliseum.
The mountains, they tell me, are north of the building. So if you want or need to head south ... well, you know the rest.
I suppose that's also why they're referred to as the North Shore Mountains. Gee, something else that makes sense.
***
Mrs. Doherty was spotted in the house today.
Guess these championships can now officially begin.
A Worlds Of Relief
So Canadian figure skating fans aren't going to be denied television coverage of the world championships after all.
In what can probably be rightly (and fairly) called a last-ditch negotiation, CBC Sports has reached agreement with the International Skating Union for coverage of the 2008 worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden, and 2009 worlds in Los Angeles.
That erases the fears of skating fans in the Great White North that they'd be shut out when the planet's best convene in Sweden in March. Granted, you'll need to pony up a few bucks to subscribe to digital CBC Country Canada, which has all the live coverage and prime-time repeats (CBC's airtime is mainly slotted in at midnight). But given the other option, I'd say most skating fans won't object to the rather neglible extra cost.
The two-year deal also gives CBC multimedia rights, meaning you'll have the same live and on-demand options at www.cbcsports.ca that you'd got for this week's nationals in Vancouver.
CBC also gets rights to the 2009 Four Continents Championship — the test event for the 2010 Winter Olympics — and has an option for coverage of fall Grand Prix competitions (not including HomeSense Skate Canada, which is covered in a separate CBC agreement with Skate Canada).
Needless to say, there's a sense of true relief among the folks who govern the sport's fortunes in this country.
"I can't even explain to you how thrilled I am," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said Wednesday morning during the opening press conference for the BMO Canadian figure skating championships. "It's important for us that our world championships gets strong television coverage.
"This is fantastic news and good for the sport in Canada."
In what can probably be rightly (and fairly) called a last-ditch negotiation, CBC Sports has reached agreement with the International Skating Union for coverage of the 2008 worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden, and 2009 worlds in Los Angeles.
That erases the fears of skating fans in the Great White North that they'd be shut out when the planet's best convene in Sweden in March. Granted, you'll need to pony up a few bucks to subscribe to digital CBC Country Canada, which has all the live coverage and prime-time repeats (CBC's airtime is mainly slotted in at midnight). But given the other option, I'd say most skating fans won't object to the rather neglible extra cost.
The two-year deal also gives CBC multimedia rights, meaning you'll have the same live and on-demand options at www.cbcsports.ca that you'd got for this week's nationals in Vancouver.
CBC also gets rights to the 2009 Four Continents Championship — the test event for the 2010 Winter Olympics — and has an option for coverage of fall Grand Prix competitions (not including HomeSense Skate Canada, which is covered in a separate CBC agreement with Skate Canada).
Needless to say, there's a sense of true relief among the folks who govern the sport's fortunes in this country.
"I can't even explain to you how thrilled I am," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said Wednesday morning during the opening press conference for the BMO Canadian figure skating championships. "It's important for us that our world championships gets strong television coverage.
"This is fantastic news and good for the sport in Canada."
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