#skate 🇨🇦 challenge

[sunskate]

Lily & Nathan mini interview with PJ Kwong for Skate Ontario, then stories from Skate Canada - on ice teaser and bts dancing

[winterolympicssports2018-blog]

Canadian figure skating great Patrick Chan ends accomplished career at 27

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/canadian-figure-skating-great-patrick-chan-ends-accomplished-career-at-27/

Canadian figure skating great Patrick Chan ends accomplished career at 27

Three-time Olympian Patrick Chan, whose legendary figure skating skills and artistry on the ice have delighted Canadian fans over the past 10 years, might soon turn to his love of tennis, golf or skiing.

The 27-year-old announced his retirement Monday.

The news came after his sparkling wine, a 2011 Blanc de Blancs, was recently re-released at Flat Rock Cellars winery in Niagara Falls, Ont.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to skate for Canada,” said Chan. “It has given me memorable experiences and has taught me lessons I will carry throughout life. I have fulfilled my dreams and aspirations in competitive skating and it is now time to move on to new challenges and opportunities. I hope to have inspired many young skaters that with hard work, perseverance and dedication anything is possible.”

‘It feels right, it feels good,’ the 27-year-old three-time world champion tells CBC’s Ian Hanomansing. 0:51

Chan, who made his international debut in 2006 at age 15 and was a world junior silver medallist the following year, will compete in shows rather than competitions. He also plans to get his commercial real estate licence and last fall moved to Vancouver, where his girlfriend, former pairs skater Elizabeth Putnam, lives.

“I have a life outside of skating,” Chan, who also enjoys biking and hiking, said in 2017.

Known for his warm smile, Ottawa-born Chan spent the past decade as one of the world’s best all-around skaters, winning 10 Canadian titles, three world championships, two Olympic silver medals in 2014 and Winter Games gold in the team event two months ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Chan joined CBC’s John Northcott to reflect on his storied figure skating career, and his decision to retire from the sport at 27-years-old. 6:53

“I hope that people will one day look back at my skating and what I brought to the table [and say], ‘Remember when Patrick skated like this? Or remember when skating was like this?’ That would be a cool legacy to leave behind,” said Chan.

When Chan added a quad to his repertoire after finishing fifth at his Olympic debut in 2010 at Vancouver, he was nearly unbeatable for the next three seasons. Fans threw lacy underwear — known as “Chanties” — on the ice after he skated.

A look back at an incredible career. Thank you, Patrick Chan. 🇨🇦<br><br>More photos 📸: <a href=”https://t.co/B9sUopfUkl”>https://t.co/B9sUopfUkl</a> <a href=”https://t.co/7Vb1Y23xBI”>pic.twitter.com/7Vb1Y23xBI</a>

—@TeamCanada

Chan was the three-time defending world champion leading up to the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, where he was one of the gold-medal favourites. He had chance to become Canada’s first-ever Olympic men’s figure skating champion when Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who led after the short program, faltered in his free skate. But the Canadian also fell — twice — and settled for silver.

“It has truly been an honour to have Patrick on our team and he will be greatly missed by the entire skating community. His beautiful lyrical skating matched with his outgoing and positive personality has made him a champion on and off the ice,” said Skate Canada CEO Debra Armstrong.

“Patrick has left a tremendous mark on Canadian skating and we thank him for inspiring Canadians to embrace the joy of skating. Skate Canada would like to congratulate Patrick on a fabulous career and we wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours.”

Chan decided to take time off from skating that spring and summer to ponder his athletic future.

“I had already made the decision to maybe take my retirement right after the Games,” the two-time Grand Prix Final champion and three-time Four Continents champion said in a Player’s Own Voice story for CBC Sports in October 2015. “I’d never looked to the future, never looked to the next Olympics [in 2018] in Korea.”

Chan returned in October 2016 to a men’s figure skating landscape that had completely changed over the preceding 18 months, with a greater emphasis on the quadruple jump.

However, the disappointment of Sochi helped Chan enjoy the process of competing rather than focusing solely on results. He was content sticking to two quads in his Hallelujah long program, while Chan’s younger rivals had upwards of five. At the 2017 worlds, he landed three quads in the free skate for the first time, but didn’t medal, finishing fifth.

At Skate Canada International last October, Chan cut his short program from two quads to one and his long program from three quads to two. He fell on his opening quad jump in Regina, downgraded four jumps and touched a hand down on two, plummeting from second to fourth after an error-filled free skate.

Chan’s ups and downs continued at the recent Olympics in Pyeongchang, where he helped Canada win a gold medal in the team event by placing first in the men’s program. Five days later, Chan, who was sixth after the men’s short program, opened with a beautiful quadruple toe loop, but tripled his second in a program that unravelled in parts on the way to a ninth-place showing.

“I took a breath [before competing and said] ‘This is for me. I worked hard to earn this four minutes and 40 seconds of skate time.'” Chan said. “I was just so proud that I was able to do that.

“My career has had a lot of challenges like this and I think I can learn a lot more [in life] from having a lot of ups and downs.”

Pyeongchang was also the final Olympics for Chan’s teammate Scott Moir, who won ice dance gold with longtime partner Tessa Virtue. Moir said watching Chan perform live was a must for any fan.

“He’s just got so much speed and command, that’s what makes him Patrick Chan,” Moir added. “We’ve been blessed to have that, and we’re going to have a whole bunch of kids who come up with that same set of talent, because they watched Patrick Chan their whole life.”

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[sunskate]

what was Nadiia's reaction to their FD score? and Peter's non-reaction. domestic competitions don't count for seasons's bests, but this is 5+ pts higher than their highest so far this season. pls never get media trained😅

Fabbri/Ayer missed Nationals last season, so this is a sign how they might fit in the mix. Haley has a new dress for Phantom - they're not quite where they were with this program, but it does feel like they grew from the time away

i really loved Emmy when she skated in juniors with Aissa, but i don't get how she and Jacob are ahead of Lily and Nathan. judges 2 and 3, i'm looking at you😑 how are you giving L/N 5.5 in skating skills. on what planet. they have a new element! the tech box said choreo spinning move, but they're assisted jumps (ok they did both) so far this season, they've done a Choreo Lift, a Choreo Slide and Assisted Jumps in that spot -- what's left? looking forward to a Hydroblade at Nats 😅 (i can't find their FD from Finlandia😢to see the ChSl again). this FD always gets to me by the choreo step

Layla and Alex won🥈🥳 keep that momentum going 💙

[sunskate]

Maybe if we're lucky we'll get a video of Scott skating with Nadiia to market her, though Charlie is a little more addicted to his phone. Charlie needs to challenge Scott or something lol

Scott seems to be on his phone constantly, he's just a dedicated lurker 😅 asking him to do anything with *marketing* seems to make him break out in hives - that McCormick campaign to project 🇨🇦 images on the side of a building during covid might have been the last one? or if it's his mom or someone local he's known since he was 12 asking

[sunskate]

IAMO 2024-25 season wrap-up:

2024-25 is complete for IAMO, now that Worlds is done. many teams have been finished since December and January, so probably are pretty far along with their 2025/26 FDs. curious what the off-season work looks like. probably everyone is making their 90s playlists and learning the new RD rules

it must be a fun time of year when they can work on basics, refresh their off ice training and dance classes and get charged up creating new programs

Layla Veillon/Alex Brandys 🇨🇦CAN jr 18/19 yo: they improved on their JGP scores by about 10 pts from last season. they made headway on the reversed part of the pattern. their skating is gorgeous - their one foot at one of the competitions made me cry in the stands it was so beautiful. they're projecting more than ever. the upper body softness and expressive arms that would make their presentation even better is i hope the next step. they were affected a bit by G/T coming back to juniors with the age rule change - i kept feeling like the international judges were seeing them more clearly than Canadian ones at home because of the 2 other strong teams who are aging out. Layla and Alex go into next season as the top Canadian junior team and by far the most experienced. their last 2 FDs were character pieces to vintage movie scores, so curious how IAMO will switch it up as they aim for Junior Worlds in Tallinn

Athena Faith Roberts/Eric Alis 🇪🇸ESP 19/22 yo: they were a fun addition - they have good energy and a nice connection on and off the ice as far as i can tell. she got a nice comment from Ben Agosto about her moves and her presence at Nebelhorn. this was their first senior season, and they've adapted well to their new training home after moving from Wing/Lowe sometime around Feb/March 2024

Olivia Josephine Shilling/Leo Baeten 🇧🇪BEL 28/24 yo: another team who just completed their first season at IAMO - this was their 3rd season together and were with Igor before this. they've progressed to look stronger and more secure. they missed the new tech minimum for Euros by only .44, but if they continue growing their skating skills at this rate, it's looking promising for the upcoming season. their international high scores were Ice Challenge and Santa Claus Cup, but i think they looked more grounded and smooth later on, at Egna and Tilburg, and that allowed them to show their connection and warmth

Charlie Anderson/Cayden Dawson 🇨🇦CAN jr 19/19 yo: their first season together - she moved back to juniors after a year at senior for more opportunities and time to grow. he moved from Carol Lane's school. she attracted some attention for wearing one of Tessa's memorable dresses as well as Madi's. she moves like a natural dancer, and this partnership feels like it clicked right away. we're going to see them at Next Gen and a JGP or two pretty sure

Olivia Corneil/Alexandre Emery 🇨🇦CAN jr 18/? yo: their 2nd season together, their first as juniors. they just missed going to Nationals but have grown as a partnership since their first year at Novice. not sure how old he is, but i think they're age eligible to remain juniors. they're a tall team - it seems like it can take a little extra time to gel or find balance, but when you do, there's such an upside to long lines, and you could see the work they did this season on foundations. IAMO is good with bringing out the inner performer in shyer skaters, and it's been great to see him open up over time to match her

Alyssa Robinson/Jacob Portz 🇨🇦 CAN 21/23 yo: i'm all for sending juniors out, but Skate Canada will send a junior team who formed 6 weeks before NextGen camp all the way to Asia but not send a beautiful team like this one to a single Challenger outside Canada. it's so frustrating!! 😩 because these two are able to sustain emotion in a program in a way that feels mature and deep. they have lovely lifts. they have range. they need more competitive experience and feedback from judges outside their own fed. i'm going to come up and fight Skate Canada if they don't support these two again this next season 😭 i love this team and want to see them get opportunities

[sunskate]

finally, entries for Skate 🇨🇦 Challenge this week in Winnipeg

this huge junior event vs the small senior one. i guess B/B have a bye to Nationals, along with the 4 teams who have been on the GP. even with all these teams going through, senior Nationals will be 2 groups

[sunskate]

FD-

with nearly half the teams cut after the RD, the FD was all teams who had Grand Prix assignments (except S/F who weren't yet eligible 🇨🇦→🇮🇪)

PiriHara's Chicago program was a surprise - it hadn't made much of an impression over a stream, but what do you know, Broadway is better live 😅

Olivia and Tim - they never did work out the timing glitches in this program. at least he made it to the end without struggling so much condition-wise like he did at Challenge Cup a few weeks ago. catching up to her in one season was a tall order. i really love how languid and easy she can make it look while covering big ice. send him to IAMO for the summer. it's no consolation to them, but going below both sibling teams allowed the Czech Republic to keep 2 spots for next Worlds

Taschlers were low balled - in no reality should they be below Davis/Smolkin

the swan lakes - D/S in this context, skating against strong teams, look so very small, shallow and with not much ice coverage. it doesn't help that they picked huge music that normally would be danced by an entire stage full of swans. plus their music cut had a couple awful jarring edits - the audacity to slug in extra notes in Tchaikovsky 💀 i might be the only one so bothered lol

the Mrazeks by comparison looked smoother and faster and smarter in that they picked some of the gentler swan lake music including the waltz. for a first year senior team, they can be proud. another first year team who's been even more stellar is Hannah and Ye -

omg they were so good - they're able to be so emotional without feeling over the top. just expressive and connected to each other. lovely ❤️

i like Demougeot/LeMercier - i'm going to look forward to see what they do next. i hope they keep being quirky

really happy to see T/V and R/A live - T/V are willowy and ethereal, and her ballet background shows. but i don't think they get down into the ice. i like this FD a lot, but the interest in it is in those arm movements and elements more so than the skating. R/A i liked the RD a little more than the FD but like them very much

CPom are raising their game all the time - so happy for them and their well earned rise. what i love is that not only do you see them becoming better skaters and performers, but you can see they believe - their confidence in themselves is at a completely different place than it was 2 years ago

omg, live i didn't see just how long Charlene's skirt was caught on her blade at the end. idk if Barbara in the kiss and cry was holding her breath to see if the judges used the little mistakes to put F/G ahead. thank god they didn't, because G/F still have such a higher quality

and Piper and Paul - this program uses the glide and sweep of the music to emphasize that in the skating in a beautiful way. a skated program is so much more satisfying than an element-fest like C/B's. as impressive as their elements and performances can be, i don't know if i've ever been moved by a program of theirs

my favorite of the entire event - LaLa - i was crying by the gorgeous OFt. they alone would have been worth the trip. but gratitude to all the skaters and their coaches - my cup's full. i'm still processing

[sunskate]

I do feel for Lily and Nathan. In recent years the National team has been 8 or 9 teams strong and now it’s down to 5. To finish 4th at Nationals and not be named to the team is harsh - and does this mean they won’t get invited to camp? It’s usually for National team members.

i’m sad. hopefully they get a couple Challengers and are getting the support and attention they deserve from the fed

Skate Canada’s financial documents from the end of last season looked like they had $$ yet they’ve been sending few younger skaters to int’l competitions, especially singles skaters, to get experience. Bashynska/Beaumont are in a similar situation as Lily and Nathan. 2 of the National team dance teams are in their 30s, and L/LeG are 27/29. B/B and L/N are teams who are going to be peaking in the next quad and maybe beyond if they keep going - i hope we get to see them outside 🇨🇦 more than once

[sunskate]

IAM Ontario 2023-24 Season

Skate Ontario Sectional Series July (Orleans, ON) July 21-23, 2023

Hensen/Lickers 🥇1st place (1st RD, 1st FD)

Robinson/Portz 🥉3rd place (2nd, RD, 3rd FD)

Next Gen Camp 🇨🇦 (Orleans, ON) July 22-23, 2023

Lewis/McMillan (Withdrew)

Veillon/Brandys 5th place (5th RD, 3rd FD)

Lake Placid Ice Dance International (Lake Placid, NY) Aug 1-2, 2023 (Madison Hubbell and Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 14th place (10th RD, 14th FD)

Hensen/Lickers 10th place (12th RD, 9th FD)

Ritter/Brykalov 15th place (16th RD, 16th FD)

Robinson/Portz 8th place (7th RD, 8th FD)

Championnats Québécois d'Eté (Pierrefonds, QC) Aug 11-12, 2023 (all 7 coaches present)

Carreira/Ponomarenko 🥇1st place (2nd RD, 1st FD)

Hensen/Lickers 6th place (6th RD, 6th FD)

Karnes/Carr (8th RD, WD FD)

Ritter/Brykalov 8th place (11th RD, 8th FD)

Robinson/Portz 7th place (10th RD, 7th FD)

Dozzi/Papetti (12th RD, WD FD)

Lewis/McMillan WD

Veillon/Brandys 🥈 2nd place jrs (2nd RD, 1st FD)

Corneil/Emery novice (5th PD, WD FD)

British Ice Skating August Qualifier (Sheffield, GB) Aug 21-25 (Justin Trojek for IAMO)

Karnes/Carr 🥉3rd place (3rd RD, 3rd FD)

Junior Grand Prix Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand) Aug 23-26, 2023 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Veillon/Brandys 4th place (5th RD, 3rd FD)

USFS Champs Camp (Henderson, NV) Aug 23-28, 2023 (coach?)

Carreira/Ponomarenko

Lombardia Trophy (Bergamo,Italy) Sep 8-10, 2023 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 8th place (8th RD, 8th FD)

Junior Grand Prix Osaka (Osaka, Japan) Sept 13-16, 2023 (Cara Moir for IAMO)

Veillon/Brandys 7th place (10th RD, 6th FD)

Autumn Classic International (Pierrefonds, QC) Sept 14-16, 2023 (Madison Hubbell for IAMO)

Robinson/Portz 9th place (9th RD, 9th FD)

Dozzi/Papetti 8th place (8th RD, 7th FD)

Nebelhorn Trophy (Oberstdorf, Germany) Sept 20-23, 2023

Carreira/Ponomarenko 4th place (6th RD, 4th FD)

Ritter/Brykalov 14th place (14th RD, 14th FD)

Finlandia Trophy (Espoo, Finland) Oct 4-8, 2023 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Carreira/Ponomarenko 🥈2nd place (2nd RD, 3rd FD)

Hensen/Lickers 8th place (8th RD, 8th FD)

Skate Ontario Sectional Series October (Barrie, ON) Oct 14-15, 2023 (Justin Trojek for IAMO)

Anderson/Anderson (1st RD, WD FD)

Cornell/Emery 5th place (5th PD1, 4th PD2, 5th FD)

Mezzaluna Cup Ice Dance 2023 (Mentana, Italy) Oct 20-22, 2023 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 7th place (9th RD, 7th FD)

Ritter/Brykalov 18th place (19th RD, 17th FD)

Grand Prix France (Angers, France) Nov 3-5, 2023 (Madi Hubbell for IAMO)

Carreira/Ponomarenko 4th place (4th RD, 4th FD)

2024 Skate Ontario Sectional Series November & Jr/Sr Sectional Championships (Richmond Hill, ON) Nov 4-5, 2023 (Alma Moir, Sheri Moir, Carol Moir, Cara Moir for IAMO)

Sales/Wamsteeker 1st place by score but they skate for the BC section (1st RD, 1st FD)

Hensen/Lickers 2nd place by score, 1st place for Ontario (2nd RD, 2nd FD)

Robinson/Portz 3rd place by score, but they skate for the Calgary section (3rd RD, 3rd FD)

Anderson/Anderson 4th place by score, 2nd place for Ontario (4th RD, 4th FD)

Veillon/Brandys 🥇1st place jr (1st RD, 1st FD)

Corneil/Emery 🥇1st place (3rd PD1, 2nd PD2, 1st FD)

(Lewis/McMillan bye)

Grand Prix Espoo (Espoo, Finland) Nov 17-19, 2023

Carreira/Ponomarenko 4th place (4th RD, 4th FD)

Skate Canada Challenge (Winnipeg) Nov 30-Dec 1, 2023 (Alma Moir and Cara Moir for IAMO)

Sales/Wamsteeker 🥉3rd place (3rd RD, 4th FD)

Hensen/Lickers 6th place (7th RD, 6th FD)

Anderson/Anderson 8th place (8th RD, 8th FD)

Veillon/Brandys 🥈2nd place (2nd RD, 2nd FD)

Bosphorus Cup (Istanbul, Turkey) Dec 1 - 2, 2023 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 6th place (5th RD, 6th FD)

Nette/Westwood 17th place (18th RD, 17th FD)

Golden Spin of Zagreb (Sisak, Croatia) December 6-9, 2023 (Pascal Denis for IAM/O?)

Nette/Westwood 17th place (18th RD, 17th FD)

Ritter/Brykalov WD

2024 Novice Sectional Championships (Huntsville, ON) Dec 8-10, 2023 (Madison Hubbell, Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Corneil/Emery 🥈2nd place (2nd PD1, 3rd PD2, 2nd FD)

Italian Figure Skating Championships (Pinerolo, Italy) Dec 22-23, 2023 (Madison Hubbell, Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 🥉3rd place (3rd RD, 3rd FD)

Canadian National Figure Skating Championships (Calgary) Jan 8-14, 2024 (Scott Moir, Cara Moir, Sheri Moir)

Anderson/Anderson 11th place(11th RD, 11th FD)

Hensen/Lickers 4th place (7th RD, 4th FD)

Sales/Wamsteeker 8th place (8th RD, 7th FD)

Robinson/Portz 9th place (10th RD, 9th FD)

Veillon/Brandys 🥇1st place juniors (2nd RD, 1st FD)

European Figure Skating Championships (Kaunas, Lithuania) Jan 8-14, 2024 (Adrian Diaz for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti (22nd RD)

US Figure Skating Championships (Columbus OH) Jan 22-28, 2024

Carreira/Ponomarenko 🥈 2nd place (2nd RD, 1st FD!!!!)

Four Continents Championships (Shanghai) Jan 30-Feb 4, 2024

Carreira/Ponomarenko 🥉3rd place (3rd RD, 5th FD)

Nette/Westwood 15th place (14th RD, 16th FD)

Skate Canada Novice Challenge (Oakville) Feb 1-4, 2024 (Alma Moir for IAMO)

Corneil/Emery 6th place (9th place, Starlight Waltz, 2nd place Paso Doble, 5th FD)

Egna Dance Trophy (Egna, Italy) Feb 8-11, 2024 (Justin Trojek for IAMO)

Dozzi/Papetti 4th place (5th RD, 3rd FD)

2024 Novice Canadian Championships (Waterloo, ON) Feb 21-25, 2024 (Cara Moir for IAMO)

Corneil/Emery 9th place (PD 1, 10th place, PD2 10th, 9th FD)

Challenge Cup (Tilberg, Netherlands) Feb 22-25, 2024 (Josée Piché for IAM)

Nette/Westwood 13th place (13th RD, 11th FD)

Junior World Figure Skating Championships (Taipei, Taiwan) Feb 26-Mar 3, 2024

Veillon/Brandys 8th place (11th RD, 7th FD)

World Figure Skating Championships (Montreal) Mar 18-24, 2024

Carreira/Ponomarenko 7th place!! (8th RD, 7th FD)

[sunskate]

Can you make a list of the IAM London coaches in the kiss an cry like you did for MIDA?

i read today that Madi and Adrian were with Leia and Pietro at Italian Nationals - maybe they're visiting family for the holidays in Spain - but Adrian is doing heavy duty travel for IAMO this season-

Next Gen/July Sectionals 🇨🇦- Scott Lake Placid 🇺🇸- Madi/Adrian Championnats 🇨🇦 - all 7 coaches British Qualifier 🇬🇧- Justin Trojek JGP Bangkok 🇹🇭- Adrian US Champs Camp 🇺🇸- ? Lombardia 🇮🇹 - Adrian JGP Osaka🇯🇵 - Cara Autumn Classic 🇨🇦 - Madi Nebelhorn 🇩🇪- Scott Finlandia 🇫🇮- Adrian October sectionals 🇨🇦- Justin Mezzaluna Cup 🇮🇹- Adrian GP France 🇫🇷- Madi November sectionals 🇨🇦 - Alma, Cara, Carol, Sheri GP Espoo 🇫🇮- Scott Skate Canada Challenge 🇨🇦- Alma Cara Bosphorus Cup 🇹🇷- Adrian Golden Spin 🇭🇷- (no IAMO coach. Pascal Denis) Novice Sectional Championship 🇨🇦 - Madi, Adrian Italian Nationals 🇮🇹- Madi, Adrian

21 competitions so far- Scott- 4 Adrian- 9 Madi - 6 Alma- 3 Cara- 4 Justin- 3 Sheri- 2

[sunskate]

JGP Budapest ice dance - Sept 20-23, 2023

this is a very young field, overall, compared to Bangkok or Linz or Osaka - look at all the ice dance babies ☺️

Yahli Pedersen/Jeffrey Chen 🇺🇸 USA (16/21 yo) they won silver in JGP Istanbul 2 weeks ago and won the jr club competition at Lake Placid in August. she has never ice danced before (was a solo dancer), has nice qualities in her movement. she's starting with big assignments from the start, but they look quite good for being so new. have had a couple falls in competitions and still finding each other on the ice at times. when the woman partner is inexperienced, it helps the team’s trajectory if the man is the stronger partner (see Z/K). much harder to do the other way around, if the man is new and the woman more experienced in ice dance. they have a good shot at making the JGP Final here. they're a MIDA team and have a Phantom FD, which is interesting considering D/W's 2010 Olympics Phantom and Marina giving KanaDai Phantom last season as well. Jeffrey even mimes the mask over the face with his hand like in Daisuke's program

Ashlie Slatter/Atl Ongay-Perez 🇬🇧GBR (14/16 yo) 4th at JGP Austria a couple weeks ago, this team has a following for their high energy and performance quality. at home, they've been on Dancing on Ice and have already been skating together for 7 years

Iryna Pidgaina/Artem Koval 🇺🇦UKR (14/19 yo) she skates and performs like she's older than just 14. they have some acrobatic lifts and choreography from Nazarova/Nikitin. they were 6th at JGP Austria. the sound system in that rink was awful, so looking forward to seeing all the teams from that event in an arena where we hopefully can hear the music

Olivia Ilin/Dylan Cain 🇺🇸USA (14/15 yo) another very young team, they were US Champions in novice and 7th at US junior nats last season. they've been training seriously from a young age. her dad is their coach

Dania Mouaden/Theo Bigot 🇫🇷 FRA (13/14 yo) the youngest team here, they have some nice fundamental skating skills. they train in Champagne and their RD is Walk Like an Egyptian

Dana Sabatini-Speciale/Nicholas Buelow 🇨🇦 CAN (17/16 yo) Mitch Islam's team, Alex Paul was one of their choreographers. they have a large height difference which can be a challenge for lines, but they do quite a good job at matching free legs. they're musical, kind of have a sweet quality

[sunskate]

JGP Osaka ice dance - omg this event is so packed with strong teams that there's probably a team here who won't make the JGP Final who would have if they'd been assigned to Istanbul or another JGP with a less crowded field

Leah Neset & Artem Markelov 🇺🇸USA (17/20 yo) they've won 3 events already this season including JGP Bangkok, are going to be favored to win US Nats and probably Jr Worlds. there's a strong chance they'll lock down a spot at the JGP Final at this event

Célina Fradji & Jean-Hans Fourneaux 🇫🇷FRA (18/20 yo) were 2nd at JGP Bangkok, last season made the Jr Grand Prix Final and were 6th at Jr Worlds. they've been skating together since 2016 (trivia- he used to skate with Solène Mazingue), and this is their last season as juniors

Chloe Nguyen & Brendan Giang 🇨🇦CAN (18/20 yo) they won Next Gen and silver at JGP Linz. they're gelling well for a brand new team and have good fundamental skating skills. they're coached by Wing/Lowe who so often mess with the tempos of well known songs in programs - in this case, Let's Dance is slowed down so it sounds draggy 😑 And they have the FD music from the musical with the groomer storyline. so more power to these skaters, but ugh to the coaches and their musical taste

Elizabeth Tkachenko & Alexei Kiliakov 🇮🇱ISR (17/18 yo) last season this team split time competing in both juniors and seniors and are doing it again this season- they were 7th at Lake Placid in seniors, and 11th at Jr Worlds back in March. they are quirky and colorful. his parents are the head coaches at WISA

Sara Kishimoto & Atsuhiko Tamura 🇯🇵JPN (16/19 yo) an IAM team with clever programs to Mr. Roboto for the RD and Pulp Fiction for the FD that take advantage of her flexibility. they're small, and not so fast yet, but have a strong performance quality. they were 2nd at Japanese Jr Nats last season. this is their first JGP.

Jinny Kim & Namu Lee 🇰🇷KOR (15/16 yo) this team won bronze at JGP Bangkok - they train with Wing/Lowe in Vancouver. nice skating skills and good performers

Layla Veillon & Alex Brandys 🇨🇦CAN (17/18 yo) they've been doing very well with their FD, but their RD has been the more challenging of their two programs, key points on the pattern in particular. they were .15 from a medal at JGP Bangkok 3 weeks ago

[sunskate]

JGP Istanbul ice dance -one of the lighter fields, especially with the Cypriot team injured and not competing:

Mariia Pinchuk/Mykyta Pogorielov 🇺🇦 UKR (17/20 yo) they skated a split season last year: were 12th at Junior Worlds and 15th at Senior Europeans. Pinchuk and her mother fled to Austria at the start of the war, and she and Pogorielov train there. they both still have family in Ukraine. they have flair, and at their best, nice skating skills, they hit their key points consistently last season. twizzles were a little less reliable. they're skating a Bon Jovi/Joe Cocker RD and Madonna FD

Yahli Pederson/Jeffrey Chen 🇺🇸USA (16/21 yo) a newly formed team- she was a solo dancer til recently - i didn't realize she's this young. he skated with Katarina Wolfkostin for 4 seasons, winning a US Jr title and getting 2 senior GP assignments last season. So far, Pedersen/Chen have been 5th in Dallas and won the Lake Placid Jr qualifier. their newness can make them unpredictable, but if they can skate relatively clean they have a strong chance of medaling here. They train at MIDA, and their FD is Phantom, and RD is Queen.

Dana Sabatini-Speciale/Nicholas Buelow 🇨🇦CAN (17/16 yo) this team works with Mitch Islam at Mariposa, so they're probably going through it 😢 they had a JGP last season and were 6th at Jr Nats and 2nd at Next Gen this July. their RD is Jack and Diane and a Stevie Ray Vaughn blues, their FD (at 1:02:45 ⬆️) is Il Postino and Josh Groban. Alexandra Paul was one of their choreographers💔

they're a sweet team - their big height difference (6'3 and just under 5') makes matching lines a little more challenging, but they do pretty well, and they have a soft flowing quality

Ambre Perrier Gianesini/Samuel Blanc Klaperman 🇫🇷 FRA (16/16 yo) They were 5th at JGP Linz this past week. their RD is Pointer Sisters, and their FD is to Berlinist

Giulia Isabella Paolino/Andrea Tuba 🇮🇹 ITA (19/20 yo) were 7th at JGP Bangkok

Gina Zehnder/Beda Leon Sieber 🇨🇭SUI (18/19 yo) they have a RD to Yello and Vanessa Paradis. previously skated on the JGP in 2021. 2x National jr champions

Emma Goodstadt/Christian Bennett 🇨🇦 CAN (18/20 yo) she had been on the Next Gen team and had JGP assignments with her previous partner in 2021 and 2022, but he had to stop suddenly for personal reasons. this is a new pairing - they train with Carol Lane. they're skating to B-52's and Black Velvet for the RD and have a James Bond FD. they were 6th at the Lake Placid Jr International and 4th at Next Gen.

[sunskate]

junior RD 🇨🇦 Nats -

the top 2 teams were stronger than the rest of the field by a good margin. Layla and Alex did really well - this RD incorporates the strength of their skating and their flow more organically than their Run-DMC one did. in 2nd ahead of 3rd by almost 6 points. they got level 4 in the 1st part of the pattern and got 2 key points in the reversed part of the pattern that's been a challenge all season. they skate so well together - that's one thing they have over the 1st place team, who are new to each other

but they are strong- Nguyen/Giang got level 4 in both parts of the pattern. it still drives me crazy about their coaching team how much and how often they manipulate the tempos of the music they use - i immediately go ugh when they start their program because they've slowed Dancing in the Street to about 105 beats per minute when the original is more like 128-132. that's not the same song when you change it that much. and don't get me started about the subject of their FD music. the packaging tends to be clunky, and their program choices 👎 but that's not on the team, who did very well

watching the junior field overall, you see skaters with good basic skating skills - Canada has strong coaching across a good number of schools - but as a whole, anyone with obvious dance training, with extension, flexibility and carriage would stand out. i know some of that is time and developing the strength, skating and partnering skills to have the freedom to show that on the ice

tickets were $35 for junior short/rhythm dance day and the crowd was tiny - it's a big arena, but still, it's a shame that they performed for so few people. tickets are $40 to see them today-- i know it's mid-week, but i wonder if making tickets less or free and doing outreach would bring in more people, or if that's hard with junior events

kirsten moore-towers and kaitlyn weaver have about the right tone as a broadcast pair for juniors - kirsten's chirpy and positive and feeding kaitlyn good questions. i'd take her over ted any day

and mitch islam with his team - maybe the first event we've seen him ❤️ the way the skating community rallied for him and his baby in the fall, i imagine and hope he's surrounded by friends

[sunskate]

I really love the Hensen/Lickers FD. I think I may have enjoyed the first version more than the later ones they keep tweaking but it’s still an excellent piece of choreography. (I think the movements were sharper on the music earlier than they are now, especially in the first 30 seconds or so, which felt more impactful to me).

My question is this — what can they do to improve the GOE on their elements, especially the lifts where they are getting the level 4? Is it that the lifts aren’t complex enough (though this didn’t affect PC) or polish or politics? I know it will take time but I’d like them to at least be pushing Lauriault/Le Gac with this material.

They've improved so much even since the start of the season! Like the difference in her positions and extension in making pictures on the ice from July in Lake Placid:

to November at Ice Challenge in Austria is so striking:

you're asking where they could improve, I think consistency - the best of what they've shown is really good, there's still a good bit of variation from outing to outing, which will improve with experience and training. That's true of any team to some degree, but for instance here's the same moment from Winnipeg last week-

though this example isn't on an element, it's a small example of control

here's the chart the judges use for GOE - this chart shows the +/- bullet points that they add up to get their final number. you're asking what Lily/Nathan can do on lifts - earlier in the season they weren't maintaining speed coming out of the curve lift, for example. breaks in flow and speed take you out of the music, and that's a big GOE criteria

P/C could be given high GOE in this system without complexity because they met the criteria for levels and could be awarded points for smoothness, flow, speed, or being "aesthetically pleasing," etc. This system weighs some pretty diverse points equally, and it also means you can be lacking in some areas and still get high marks if you tick enough other points.

Lily/Nathan and Lauriault/LeGac have nearly 20 pts between their scores this season, and L/LeG are skilled skaters who had the highest base value out of everybody in the RD's at both Skate America and Skate Canada-- Lily/Nathan pushing them doesn't seem realistic yet. But at Challenge, Lily/Nathan placed ahead of one of the teams who had a GP assignment above them (Lanaghan/Razgulajevs).

The other teams who were between them and L/LeG are Fabbri/Ayer, Haley/Nik, Soucisse/Firus. These teams have on average been scoring about 10-12 pts above Lily and Nathan internationally. It's feasible that they could get close or even, mayybe place above, if someone has an off day and they have a good one.

Lily and Nathan have already shown Skate Canada that they have potential and have built themselves a little momentum with their Challenger🥉 and Skate 🇨🇦Challenge🥈 which should get them better assignments next season. There can be a lag between when a team starts making an impression and when the judging reflects that, so it'll be interesting what happens at Nationals. Either way, it feels like they're on a rise

[sunskate]

🇨🇦 Nationals Junior Rhythm Dance, Tuesday January 10 starting at 7:20 pm ET

i wonder how they got this skating order, it's been up for a while, so they didn't draw for it in person

B/B the expected leaders, G/T were alternates for JGPF. Jordyn and Noah have excellent programs and have said they're aiming for the podium here to earn a spot on the Jr Worlds team, and it's a realistic goal. They were the only team besides the top 2 to win a JGP medal this season

with Ben Khelifa/Zhu withdrawing, Layla and Alex had the next highest placement at the JGP. The most recent head to head competition for most of these teams, though, was last month at Skate Canada Challenge:

Yu/Giang won silver and train with Wing and Lowe in Vancouver (Haley and Nik's old coaches)

Sabatini-Speciale/Buelow were 4th and are a promising team that trains with Mitch Islam

Korneva/MacDonald train at Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club and are new as of January 2021- she's from Moscow and moved to form the partnership. their choreo is by Joel Dear, who often does the Browns's programs, his mom i think? is their coach. they're not on the NextGen team but were invited to the camp

Hubert/Oddson got JGP assignments this season, Estepa/Hickey are more experienced than some of the other teams