If you just can't wait until Vancouver 2008 ...
In our final post from wonderful Halifax, we promised to return for more blogging fun at next year's Canadian championships. But that, you'll admit, is a helluva long time away.
So in the interim, check out my new skating blog, Breaking The Ice. The first post there sums up what you'll find in that space.
A little something to tide you over until next January.
The link's off to the right under 'skating links.'
Hope you can join me there.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Until We Meet Again ...
My plane back to Ottawa is about to warm up on the runway.
(after a fabulous salmon lunch at McKelvie's, and a trip to The Book Room, Canada's oldest bookstore, which has been in Halifax since 1839).
Yes, it’s time to leave the Maritimes, this remarkable city (still very much my favourite in Canada to visit) and the best hosts you could ever ask for in our fair land.
(I felt truly honoured when one of the fabulous volunteers at Canadians — a former Ottawa resident who now happily, and luckily, calls Nova Scotia home as a Radio-Canada employee — said I would fit in very well as a Maritimer).
Reality check? You bet.
And with that, the Halifax Chronicles reaches its end, as well.
The blog started out as an experiment. A test to see whether this might just be the right way to connect with a group of people in today’s day and age.
Without a doubt, the answer was a resounding yes.
So many folks, I’m told, took this ‘alternative’ route to follow the tale of these Canadian championships. And, I must admit, I was literally overwhelmed by the positive feedback the blog received throughout the week. Many thanks for the kind words, and a hearty thank you to those who contributed to it all with the stories they were so willing to share.
As Christopher Mabee would put it ... I had a blast out there.
So much so, that I can say now that the blog isn’t just an experiment anymore. It is a living, breathing thing that, I surely hope, has plenty more tales to spin in the years ahead.
Safe travels, everyone.
2008 in Vancouver ... let’s call it a date, okay?
(after a fabulous salmon lunch at McKelvie's, and a trip to The Book Room, Canada's oldest bookstore, which has been in Halifax since 1839).
Yes, it’s time to leave the Maritimes, this remarkable city (still very much my favourite in Canada to visit) and the best hosts you could ever ask for in our fair land.
(I felt truly honoured when one of the fabulous volunteers at Canadians — a former Ottawa resident who now happily, and luckily, calls Nova Scotia home as a Radio-Canada employee — said I would fit in very well as a Maritimer).
Reality check? You bet.
And with that, the Halifax Chronicles reaches its end, as well.
The blog started out as an experiment. A test to see whether this might just be the right way to connect with a group of people in today’s day and age.
Without a doubt, the answer was a resounding yes.
So many folks, I’m told, took this ‘alternative’ route to follow the tale of these Canadian championships. And, I must admit, I was literally overwhelmed by the positive feedback the blog received throughout the week. Many thanks for the kind words, and a hearty thank you to those who contributed to it all with the stories they were so willing to share.
As Christopher Mabee would put it ... I had a blast out there.
So much so, that I can say now that the blog isn’t just an experiment anymore. It is a living, breathing thing that, I surely hope, has plenty more tales to spin in the years ahead.
Safe travels, everyone.
2008 in Vancouver ... let’s call it a date, okay?
A Halifax High Five
The curtain has come down for another year.
One more Canadian championships officially in the books, one more set of memories to file away — perhaps for as long as we live.
Scrapbooks, photos, videos and yes, even blogs. We all choose different ways to remember times such as these. Just ask Shae-Lynn Bourne: Four years after she and Victor Kraatz ended their competitive careers following their biggest triumph (a world championship in 2003 in Washington, D.C.), many of their biggest highlights have been preserved on a website that is a symbol of today’s generation: YouTube.
“I didn’t even know there was a YouTube,” Bourne remarked with a laugh after spending hours sifting through some of the moments she shared with Kraatz and skating fans around the world.
Now, whenever she needs a reminder, it’s a click of a mouse away.
It's true that, when we look back upon events such as these, it’s always the performances of the champions that seem to come to mind first. And make no mistake about: Jeffrey Buttle, Joannie Rochette, Jessica Dube (that admitted AC/DC fan) and Bryce Davison, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon — deservedly earns spots in our hearts.
But in keeping with the ‘alternative’ them of this blog, here’s five things I’ll cherish from a week spent in Nova Scotia.
A personal Halifax High Five, if you will.
1) His name, somewhat appropriately, often said a lot about what people thought about his chances at this event. Mabee he will, Mabee he won’t. But Christopher Mabee took a major step toward stardom in Halifax. Not only did he earn his first ticket to the world championships, Mabee showed he could get it done when the lights shone brightest. And nobody here was a better showman (Great Big Sea for a show program? In Halifax? Just brilliant, young man), or seemed to enjoy himself more on the ice. In other words, there are no maybes — or 'ordinary days' — anymore.
2) Full disclosure: Mrs. Doherty thinks the blog “really rocks.” That being said, this list wouldn’t be complete without Lesley Hawker’s name on it. More than perhaps anyone at this event, she embodies the spirit of what her sport — any sport — should be about. That, no matter how many times people say it can’t happen, if you follow your heart, if you never stop trying, your biggest dreams really can come true. At 25, Hawker is still going strong and keeps skating for all the right reasons. Hopefully, for a few more years yet. Yes, Mrs. Doherty, you rock, too.
3) It’s the story Hollywood just loves to tell. Girl falls in love with skating as a young child, and dreams of becoming a champion. The road is long and winding but, in the end, she makes it. Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko lived that story in Halifax. Just last year, the 15-year-old from Ottawa finished 14th as a novice. Today, she went home with the junior women’s gold medal in her suitcase. The utter joy — and yes, shock — Zhalko-Tytarenko showed as she talked about the unexpected win was my feel-good story of these Canadians. Even on Sunday night, she was still giddy about it at the closing banquet. Are you listening, Hollywood?
4) When I think of the favourite people I’ve met in 15 years of covering this sport, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz always come quickly to mind. Not just for the titles they won and the amazing performances they gave us every time they stepped on the ice, but just for being who they are. Figure skating is so much richer for having had them be a part of it. Seeing them back together again for the Hall of Fame induction was an absolute treat for all of us. Knowing both will still be around rinks for years to come, sharing their passion with the next generation ... that’s the best thought of all.
5) A funny video during Sunday’s closing banquet asked the question: What is a Haligonian? Here’s my answer. The same thing they’ve always been. Some of the most warm, welcoming people you will ever meet in this country. Halifax is a wonderful city with a soul that every town and city across Canada would do well to emulate. Then again, my ‘most trusted Halifax source’ and her partner in ‘entertaining’ prose tought me that many years ago. Tell you what, Halifax. Any time you want to bring this event back to your city, I’m there. That's a promise.
One more Canadian championships officially in the books, one more set of memories to file away — perhaps for as long as we live.
Scrapbooks, photos, videos and yes, even blogs. We all choose different ways to remember times such as these. Just ask Shae-Lynn Bourne: Four years after she and Victor Kraatz ended their competitive careers following their biggest triumph (a world championship in 2003 in Washington, D.C.), many of their biggest highlights have been preserved on a website that is a symbol of today’s generation: YouTube.
“I didn’t even know there was a YouTube,” Bourne remarked with a laugh after spending hours sifting through some of the moments she shared with Kraatz and skating fans around the world.
Now, whenever she needs a reminder, it’s a click of a mouse away.
It's true that, when we look back upon events such as these, it’s always the performances of the champions that seem to come to mind first. And make no mistake about: Jeffrey Buttle, Joannie Rochette, Jessica Dube (that admitted AC/DC fan) and Bryce Davison, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon — deservedly earns spots in our hearts.
But in keeping with the ‘alternative’ them of this blog, here’s five things I’ll cherish from a week spent in Nova Scotia.
A personal Halifax High Five, if you will.
1) His name, somewhat appropriately, often said a lot about what people thought about his chances at this event. Mabee he will, Mabee he won’t. But Christopher Mabee took a major step toward stardom in Halifax. Not only did he earn his first ticket to the world championships, Mabee showed he could get it done when the lights shone brightest. And nobody here was a better showman (Great Big Sea for a show program? In Halifax? Just brilliant, young man), or seemed to enjoy himself more on the ice. In other words, there are no maybes — or 'ordinary days' — anymore.
2) Full disclosure: Mrs. Doherty thinks the blog “really rocks.” That being said, this list wouldn’t be complete without Lesley Hawker’s name on it. More than perhaps anyone at this event, she embodies the spirit of what her sport — any sport — should be about. That, no matter how many times people say it can’t happen, if you follow your heart, if you never stop trying, your biggest dreams really can come true. At 25, Hawker is still going strong and keeps skating for all the right reasons. Hopefully, for a few more years yet. Yes, Mrs. Doherty, you rock, too.
3) It’s the story Hollywood just loves to tell. Girl falls in love with skating as a young child, and dreams of becoming a champion. The road is long and winding but, in the end, she makes it. Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko lived that story in Halifax. Just last year, the 15-year-old from Ottawa finished 14th as a novice. Today, she went home with the junior women’s gold medal in her suitcase. The utter joy — and yes, shock — Zhalko-Tytarenko showed as she talked about the unexpected win was my feel-good story of these Canadians. Even on Sunday night, she was still giddy about it at the closing banquet. Are you listening, Hollywood?
4) When I think of the favourite people I’ve met in 15 years of covering this sport, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz always come quickly to mind. Not just for the titles they won and the amazing performances they gave us every time they stepped on the ice, but just for being who they are. Figure skating is so much richer for having had them be a part of it. Seeing them back together again for the Hall of Fame induction was an absolute treat for all of us. Knowing both will still be around rinks for years to come, sharing their passion with the next generation ... that’s the best thought of all.
5) A funny video during Sunday’s closing banquet asked the question: What is a Haligonian? Here’s my answer. The same thing they’ve always been. Some of the most warm, welcoming people you will ever meet in this country. Halifax is a wonderful city with a soul that every town and city across Canada would do well to emulate. Then again, my ‘most trusted Halifax source’ and her partner in ‘entertaining’ prose tought me that many years ago. Tell you what, Halifax. Any time you want to bring this event back to your city, I’m there. That's a promise.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
It's Always Something
Marie-France Dubreuil has called it her 'bonus' competition.
The chance to skate in the 2006 world championships in Calgary, just weeks after a frightening fall on a rotational lift crushed the Olympic medals dreams of Dubreuil and her partner, Patrice Lauzon.
Following that logic, maybe we should think of Canadian title No. 5 as Dubreuil's 'bonus' championship. She revealed after their free dance that a painful leg injury she suffered Monday — a complication of an inner ear problem — nearly forced the world silver medallists to withdraw from this week's nationals.
The 32-year-old from Montreal contracted a virus about 10 days while she and Lauzon were still at their training base in Lyon, France. She continued to train, but suffered through dizzy spells.
“I thought it was because of the virus, but something in my inner ear shifted,” she said. “Every time I moved my head, I would have vertigo and it was horrible. I didn’t realize it was in my inner ear, I thought it was the virus. I kept trying to train but I was so dizzy at one point I almost fainted because of the vertigo.”
Dubreuil collapsed to the ice at one point, injuring her left knee and ankle.
“Monday night, wasn’t sure going to come (to Canadians),” said Dubreuil. “But I found a doctor who specialized in inner ear (problems), and at the last moment he did a manipulation and he fixed it.”
But for 48 hours, she could only sleep sitting up.
“The first few practices here, I couldn’t do any head movements and I could barely walk on my leg,” said Dubreuil. “I had a really hard time dealing with this and training at the same time.”
Dubreuil has been doing physiotherapy while in Halifax, and plans to see a doctor in Montreal next week.
“My leg was a little bit shaky today,” she said. “But I’ll take care of it. But the main thing is to be at our peak for worlds and not here at Canadians.”
Said Lauzon: “The worst that could happen is the (refining of their programs) that we wanted to do before Four Continents (in February) will have to wait until before we go to worlds.”
Dubreuil and Lauzon were still clear winners here, their jazzy free dance to Etta James' My Life earning a standing ovation from the Metro Centre audience.
“We took a lot of pleasure skating and gave a lot of pleasure to the people watching,” said Dubreuil.
The chance to skate in the 2006 world championships in Calgary, just weeks after a frightening fall on a rotational lift crushed the Olympic medals dreams of Dubreuil and her partner, Patrice Lauzon.
Following that logic, maybe we should think of Canadian title No. 5 as Dubreuil's 'bonus' championship. She revealed after their free dance that a painful leg injury she suffered Monday — a complication of an inner ear problem — nearly forced the world silver medallists to withdraw from this week's nationals.
The 32-year-old from Montreal contracted a virus about 10 days while she and Lauzon were still at their training base in Lyon, France. She continued to train, but suffered through dizzy spells.
“I thought it was because of the virus, but something in my inner ear shifted,” she said. “Every time I moved my head, I would have vertigo and it was horrible. I didn’t realize it was in my inner ear, I thought it was the virus. I kept trying to train but I was so dizzy at one point I almost fainted because of the vertigo.”
Dubreuil collapsed to the ice at one point, injuring her left knee and ankle.
“Monday night, wasn’t sure going to come (to Canadians),” said Dubreuil. “But I found a doctor who specialized in inner ear (problems), and at the last moment he did a manipulation and he fixed it.”
But for 48 hours, she could only sleep sitting up.
“The first few practices here, I couldn’t do any head movements and I could barely walk on my leg,” said Dubreuil. “I had a really hard time dealing with this and training at the same time.”
Dubreuil has been doing physiotherapy while in Halifax, and plans to see a doctor in Montreal next week.
“My leg was a little bit shaky today,” she said. “But I’ll take care of it. But the main thing is to be at our peak for worlds and not here at Canadians.”
Said Lauzon: “The worst that could happen is the (refining of their programs) that we wanted to do before Four Continents (in February) will have to wait until before we go to worlds.”
Dubreuil and Lauzon were still clear winners here, their jazzy free dance to Etta James' My Life earning a standing ovation from the Metro Centre audience.
“We took a lot of pleasure skating and gave a lot of pleasure to the people watching,” said Dubreuil.
Bonus Tickets
Skate Canada followed protocol in naming its team for the 2007 Tokyo world championships.
But there were some slight changes for next month's Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs.
Vancouver's Mira Leung has elected to skip the event, so former national champion Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que., goes in her place. She joins three-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., and Lesley Hawker (a.k.a. Mrs. Doherty to regular readers and fans of this blog) of Barrie, Ont.
In ice dance, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., based Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje have elected to skip Four Continents and instead will use the world junior championships (Feb. 26-March 4 in Oberstdorf, Germany) as their warmup for the Tokyo worlds.
Lauren Senft of North Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason head to Colorado Springs in their place.
The rest of the world junior team includes Toronto's Patrick Chan, Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., and Joey Russell of Labrador City, N.L. (men); Myriane Samson of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. (women); Carolyn MacCuish of Burlington, Ont., and Andrew Evans of Caledon East, Ont., and Amanda Velenosi of Laval, Que., and Montreal's Mark Fernandez (pairs); Vanessa Crone of Aurora, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., and Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam (ice dance).
But there were some slight changes for next month's Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs.
Vancouver's Mira Leung has elected to skip the event, so former national champion Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que., goes in her place. She joins three-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., and Lesley Hawker (a.k.a. Mrs. Doherty to regular readers and fans of this blog) of Barrie, Ont.
In ice dance, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., based Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje have elected to skip Four Continents and instead will use the world junior championships (Feb. 26-March 4 in Oberstdorf, Germany) as their warmup for the Tokyo worlds.
Lauren Senft of North Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason head to Colorado Springs in their place.
The rest of the world junior team includes Toronto's Patrick Chan, Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., and Joey Russell of Labrador City, N.L. (men); Myriane Samson of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. (women); Carolyn MacCuish of Burlington, Ont., and Andrew Evans of Caledon East, Ont., and Amanda Velenosi of Laval, Que., and Montreal's Mark Fernandez (pairs); Vanessa Crone of Aurora, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., and Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam (ice dance).
Over To You, Vancouver
So it is hello B.C. after all.
Skate Canada has just announced Vancouver will be the site for the 2008 Canadian championships.
Dates for the event: Jan. 16-20, 2008.
It's the fifth time Canada's third-largest city will play host to the nationals, but the first since 1997. The 2001 world championships were also held in Vancouver.
The venue for next year's event will be Pacific Coliseum, also home base for the figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
“It's a great opportunity for our athletes to have a home country experience prior to the 2010 Games,” said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson.
Canadians has been shortened to five days because of the expected elimination of the senior qualifying rounds from the 2008 schedule. Senior qualifying for both men and women will be done at the East/West Challenge event in December.
Vancouver must conduct a test event at the Coliseum prior to 2010, but it has to be international in nature. If history means anything, that event should wind up being the 2009 Four Continents Championship. Salt Lake City used the 4Cs as its test event prior to the 2002 Winter Games.
Skate Canada has just announced Vancouver will be the site for the 2008 Canadian championships.
Dates for the event: Jan. 16-20, 2008.
It's the fifth time Canada's third-largest city will play host to the nationals, but the first since 1997. The 2001 world championships were also held in Vancouver.
The venue for next year's event will be Pacific Coliseum, also home base for the figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
“It's a great opportunity for our athletes to have a home country experience prior to the 2010 Games,” said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson.
Canadians has been shortened to five days because of the expected elimination of the senior qualifying rounds from the 2008 schedule. Senior qualifying for both men and women will be done at the East/West Challenge event in December.
Vancouver must conduct a test event at the Coliseum prior to 2010, but it has to be international in nature. If history means anything, that event should wind up being the 2009 Four Continents Championship. Salt Lake City used the 4Cs as its test event prior to the 2002 Winter Games.
Hello, My Name Is ...
We were due for a big surprise at these Canadian championships.
But this one ... well, this was right off the map.
Everyone pretty much knew who would get the first two available Canadian ice dance spots for the world championships in Tokyo. Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Montreal would win their fifth national senior ice dance title, and rising stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of London would secure their first world team berth.
Check and check.
No. 3? Wide open, it seemed, with Chantal Lefebvre of LaSalle, Que., and Moscow-born Arseniy Markov considered the front runners, followed closely by Lauren Senft of North Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason.
Both faltered in today's free dance. And in more than just a bit of shocker, first-year team Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje emerged with the prized third ticket to Japan.
Who are these guys?
Glad you asked.
Poje formerly skated with Alice Graham out of the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club. They were ninth as seniors last year, after winning a Canadian junior bronze in 2005.
Weaver is an American from Houston, Tex., whose only previous partner was Charles Clavey. They are previous U.S. junior medallists.
When both were in need of partners during the summer, friends of coaches paired them up. They are based at the K-W Club with coach Paul MacIntosh. Their programs were choreographed by former Canadian world and Olympic team members Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe.
While Weaver and Poje won two bronze medals on the Junior Grand Prix circuit during the fall, they came here with no visions of grandeur.
“We were happy to be in seventh after the (Golden Waltz compulsory), to be completely honest” said Weaver, 17. “Golden is probably our weakest program because we only had two months to train it.
“Then we said, we can get better as we go on, and it turns out we did.”
As the other contenders faltered in the free dance, Weaver and Poje kept watching their names climb up the leaderboard.
“It was unreal,” said Poje, 20, of Kitchener, Ont. “It was kind of like dreamlike. I went into the competition not thinking we would place where we are and all of sudden, (we went) higher and higher. We just sat there in amazement.”
Said Weaver: “We’re just really, really happy. It’s like ‘pinch me’ ... we don’t know it’s really happening. It’s just great fun for us.”
Now Weaver will begin the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship, so she will be eligible to compete for this country at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
“I think Canada’s great,” she said. “It’s really fun for me. Right now, I’m just on Cloud 9. It’s just a great experience. I love my country, USA, but I’m really happy to be here in Canada.”
She's going in the opposite direction of Tanith Belbin, who was born in Canada but got U.S. citizenship just in time to skate with Ben Agosto at the 2006 Turin Games.
“This is a little tradeoff for us,” said Poje with a grin.
One that's working quite well for one and all, thank you very much.
But this one ... well, this was right off the map.
Everyone pretty much knew who would get the first two available Canadian ice dance spots for the world championships in Tokyo. Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Montreal would win their fifth national senior ice dance title, and rising stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of London would secure their first world team berth.
Check and check.
No. 3? Wide open, it seemed, with Chantal Lefebvre of LaSalle, Que., and Moscow-born Arseniy Markov considered the front runners, followed closely by Lauren Senft of North Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason.
Both faltered in today's free dance. And in more than just a bit of shocker, first-year team Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje emerged with the prized third ticket to Japan.
Who are these guys?
Glad you asked.
Poje formerly skated with Alice Graham out of the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club. They were ninth as seniors last year, after winning a Canadian junior bronze in 2005.
Weaver is an American from Houston, Tex., whose only previous partner was Charles Clavey. They are previous U.S. junior medallists.
When both were in need of partners during the summer, friends of coaches paired them up. They are based at the K-W Club with coach Paul MacIntosh. Their programs were choreographed by former Canadian world and Olympic team members Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe.
While Weaver and Poje won two bronze medals on the Junior Grand Prix circuit during the fall, they came here with no visions of grandeur.
“We were happy to be in seventh after the (Golden Waltz compulsory), to be completely honest” said Weaver, 17. “Golden is probably our weakest program because we only had two months to train it.
“Then we said, we can get better as we go on, and it turns out we did.”
As the other contenders faltered in the free dance, Weaver and Poje kept watching their names climb up the leaderboard.
“It was unreal,” said Poje, 20, of Kitchener, Ont. “It was kind of like dreamlike. I went into the competition not thinking we would place where we are and all of sudden, (we went) higher and higher. We just sat there in amazement.”
Said Weaver: “We’re just really, really happy. It’s like ‘pinch me’ ... we don’t know it’s really happening. It’s just great fun for us.”
Now Weaver will begin the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship, so she will be eligible to compete for this country at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
“I think Canada’s great,” she said. “It’s really fun for me. Right now, I’m just on Cloud 9. It’s just a great experience. I love my country, USA, but I’m really happy to be here in Canada.”
She's going in the opposite direction of Tanith Belbin, who was born in Canada but got U.S. citizenship just in time to skate with Ben Agosto at the 2006 Turin Games.
“This is a little tradeoff for us,” said Poje with a grin.
One that's working quite well for one and all, thank you very much.
A Taste of Halifax
Atlantic Canada is famous for many things, starting (of course) with the warmth and kindness of its people. Which would also help explain something else that's right near the top of the list — the joyful music that comes out in great abundance from this part of our country.
Got a taste of that last night at a character-filled spot called The Split Crow, which is located on the edge of a downtown part of Halifax known as the Historic Properties. One of the lads in our media crowd is a big fan of a locally based band called McGinty which — thanks to the wonders of the Internet — I have learned is a folk grou that is tremendously popular in these parts.
After listening to a set filled with Nova Scotia favourite tunes last night, I have to heartily agree. Or, as this trio might put it, I'll hoist a drink to 'em and offer up a toast of 'sociable!'
(another fun tradition among the folks here, I'm assuming)
The pubs and restaurants are plentiful in the heart of Halifax, many of them carved out of buildings that have been here for centuries. Character is definitely the word.
Was hoping to pay a stop to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic today before getting to the rink — it is celebrating its 25th anniversary today and is noted for, among other things, a Titanic exhibit (many of the dead from the fateful 1912 sinking were buried here). But alas, the museum's doors didn't open until 1 p.m.
And the call of the ice is at hand again.
Maybe next time.
Got a taste of that last night at a character-filled spot called The Split Crow, which is located on the edge of a downtown part of Halifax known as the Historic Properties. One of the lads in our media crowd is a big fan of a locally based band called McGinty which — thanks to the wonders of the Internet — I have learned is a folk grou that is tremendously popular in these parts.
After listening to a set filled with Nova Scotia favourite tunes last night, I have to heartily agree. Or, as this trio might put it, I'll hoist a drink to 'em and offer up a toast of 'sociable!'
(another fun tradition among the folks here, I'm assuming)
The pubs and restaurants are plentiful in the heart of Halifax, many of them carved out of buildings that have been here for centuries. Character is definitely the word.
Was hoping to pay a stop to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic today before getting to the rink — it is celebrating its 25th anniversary today and is noted for, among other things, a Titanic exhibit (many of the dead from the fateful 1912 sinking were buried here). But alas, the museum's doors didn't open until 1 p.m.
And the call of the ice is at hand again.
Maybe next time.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Can't Scuttle Buttle
Let's see now.
Jeffrey Buttle sits out three months waiting for a stress fracture in his lower back to heal. Has to pass on the entire fall season, meaning he won't compete for real until the Canadian championships.
Then the guy goes out and hangs up the highest men's score — a whopping two-program total of 232.83 — ever recorded by a Canadian skater.
Tell me again how there were supposed to be doubts about where he was at?
“For him to come out after three months and put out two solid performances, that just shows you what kind of competitor he is,” said silver-medal winner Christopher Mabee, who should know — he's Buttle's training mate and good buddy.
“He really wants it, so he went out and got it.”
Did he ever. Seven triple jumps later, Buttle blew away the field for his third straight Canadian title. Even when he popped a triple Axel, Buttle was wily enough to throw in a second triple flip later.
So, Mr. Buttle, whaddya think?
“The back definitely feels good,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m definitely happy with the way it went. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, and I think conditioning definitely played a role in that. I felt fine going into the second (triple Axel), but obviously there was a mental block. I’m happy that, after the Axel, I knew that because I singled it, I could add another triple later on. A little bit of number playing, maybe, in the program.”
Not that he was hurting for points. His 153.98-point score for the program was 11.7 better than former champ Emanuel Sandhu, who wound up with the bronze, and more than 20 higher than Mabee posted.
Buttle admitted later he felt comfortable — sort of — that it would hold up, even with Sandhu and Mabee yet to skate.
“I had an inkling (it was good enough),” he said. “But I had seen how Chris had been training at home, doing clean programs, clean run-throughs. He was only three points behind and I knew what I was capable of, so I definitely didn’t think I had it in the bag. (But) I felt pretty confident it would hold up.”
The music for Buttle's entrancing free program, from the movie Ararat, is a tribute to the Armenian coach, Rafael Arutunian, who guides his fortunes along with Lee Barkell at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. Given what Buttle has been through this season, it was kind of appropriate.
“It’s about a struggle, and I was definitely feeling a bit of a struggle at the end of the program (tonight),” he said. “But I fought through that.”
Chris Mabee had it right. That's just what champions do.
Jeffrey Buttle sits out three months waiting for a stress fracture in his lower back to heal. Has to pass on the entire fall season, meaning he won't compete for real until the Canadian championships.
Then the guy goes out and hangs up the highest men's score — a whopping two-program total of 232.83 — ever recorded by a Canadian skater.
Tell me again how there were supposed to be doubts about where he was at?
“For him to come out after three months and put out two solid performances, that just shows you what kind of competitor he is,” said silver-medal winner Christopher Mabee, who should know — he's Buttle's training mate and good buddy.
“He really wants it, so he went out and got it.”
Did he ever. Seven triple jumps later, Buttle blew away the field for his third straight Canadian title. Even when he popped a triple Axel, Buttle was wily enough to throw in a second triple flip later.
So, Mr. Buttle, whaddya think?
“The back definitely feels good,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m definitely happy with the way it went. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, and I think conditioning definitely played a role in that. I felt fine going into the second (triple Axel), but obviously there was a mental block. I’m happy that, after the Axel, I knew that because I singled it, I could add another triple later on. A little bit of number playing, maybe, in the program.”
Not that he was hurting for points. His 153.98-point score for the program was 11.7 better than former champ Emanuel Sandhu, who wound up with the bronze, and more than 20 higher than Mabee posted.
Buttle admitted later he felt comfortable — sort of — that it would hold up, even with Sandhu and Mabee yet to skate.
“I had an inkling (it was good enough),” he said. “But I had seen how Chris had been training at home, doing clean programs, clean run-throughs. He was only three points behind and I knew what I was capable of, so I definitely didn’t think I had it in the bag. (But) I felt pretty confident it would hold up.”
The music for Buttle's entrancing free program, from the movie Ararat, is a tribute to the Armenian coach, Rafael Arutunian, who guides his fortunes along with Lee Barkell at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. Given what Buttle has been through this season, it was kind of appropriate.
“It’s about a struggle, and I was definitely feeling a bit of a struggle at the end of the program (tonight),” he said. “But I fought through that.”
Chris Mabee had it right. That's just what champions do.
Mabee, He Did
There are no maybes about Christopher Mabee anymore.
The young man from Tillsonburg, Ont., stared the big spotlight down tonight in the men's free skate and yes, it is true — he wobbled at a few moments. But this is the new Chris Mabee, as he reminded us again tonight.
So when the Canadian men's team was finally set for the world championships in Tokyo after one dandy night of skating, the list included Mabee's name for the first time.
Relief? You bet.
“I had two big errors,” said Mabee, 21, who popped a triple Axel and triple Salchow. “I just really questioned whether it was enough, and I’m so happy that it was because I’m really ready to go to worlds.”
Jeffrey Buttle, his good friend and training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont., surely agreed.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Buttle. “He’s been capable of that for the past couple of years, so to see him go out there and put down two solid performances like that was really good.”
After Buttle, Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B., and Emanuel Sandhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., all brought the house down with terrific performances, it was all on Mabee, who skated in the final start position.
“Did I feel nervous? Yeah, I did,” Mabee admitted. “Especially after sitting in a room by myself, all the doubts started creeping in. I tried to keep them away and think about what I had to do to give a good performance.”
The magic number to make the team was about 125 points. But Mabee posted 133.63 for his wildly entertaining program, snagged himself another standing ovation, and climbed past Sandhu into the silver medal position. Mabee totalled 209.31, Sandhu 207.49.
The result stung Sandhu, whose medal collection at Canadians, up until now, included three gold and six silver medals as a senior.
“It hurts a little bit, because I was hungry for my title back, I was hungry for a gold medal,” said Sandhu. “I put in the work and I felt I could do it. I was practising like a champion all week and I competed like a champion today. I didn’t compete like a champion yesterday (in the short program) and that’s what took me out of the title position.”
The young man from Tillsonburg, Ont., stared the big spotlight down tonight in the men's free skate and yes, it is true — he wobbled at a few moments. But this is the new Chris Mabee, as he reminded us again tonight.
So when the Canadian men's team was finally set for the world championships in Tokyo after one dandy night of skating, the list included Mabee's name for the first time.
Relief? You bet.
“I had two big errors,” said Mabee, 21, who popped a triple Axel and triple Salchow. “I just really questioned whether it was enough, and I’m so happy that it was because I’m really ready to go to worlds.”
Jeffrey Buttle, his good friend and training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont., surely agreed.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Buttle. “He’s been capable of that for the past couple of years, so to see him go out there and put down two solid performances like that was really good.”
After Buttle, Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B., and Emanuel Sandhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., all brought the house down with terrific performances, it was all on Mabee, who skated in the final start position.
“Did I feel nervous? Yeah, I did,” Mabee admitted. “Especially after sitting in a room by myself, all the doubts started creeping in. I tried to keep them away and think about what I had to do to give a good performance.”
The magic number to make the team was about 125 points. But Mabee posted 133.63 for his wildly entertaining program, snagged himself another standing ovation, and climbed past Sandhu into the silver medal position. Mabee totalled 209.31, Sandhu 207.49.
The result stung Sandhu, whose medal collection at Canadians, up until now, included three gold and six silver medals as a senior.
“It hurts a little bit, because I was hungry for my title back, I was hungry for a gold medal,” said Sandhu. “I put in the work and I felt I could do it. I was practising like a champion all week and I competed like a champion today. I didn’t compete like a champion yesterday (in the short program) and that’s what took me out of the title position.”
Passing The Torch
Almost from the day they were paired, the whispers began.
Junior Grand Prix champs, world junior silver medallists, Canadian junior champions ... it all happened so quickly. And every big leap Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison began to suggest that it just might be true.
That they would be the next ones.
Maybe even (gasp) the next Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.
Isn't it ironic then, don't you think, that the 2002 Olympic gold medallists played a hand in Dube and Davison finally seizing something that had at one time seemed so inevitable: Their first Canadian senior pairs crown.
“We’re almost speechless. This is a real surprise for us,” said Davison, 20, of Cambridge, Ont.
About a month ago, it seemed a real longshot to them. They missed a month of training when Dube had suffered a right knee injury that needed surgery on Sept. 25.
As Christmas approached, the clock was ticking against them. Dube and Davison were wondering if it would run out before they reached Halifax.
But a three-day session they spent with Sale and Pelletier in Edmonton just before Christmas turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
“It opened our eyes to how ready we really were,” said Davison. “We were kind of running around, I guess you could say like chickens with our heads cut off. They screwed our heads back on, and helped us get ready for nationals.”
Sale and Pelletier also added a bit of flair to their programs, flair that veteran skating observers surely noticed in today's free skate final.
“They added detail, basically,” said Davison. “It’s more the way we present to each other, and the chemistry they display on the ice that we’re trying to take from them. The little things, like the way I present my hands to Jessica, those are the little things we’ve learned from Jamie and David.”
When it was over, when they had dethroned three-time champions Valerie Marcoux of Gatineau, Que., and Craig Buntin of Kelowna, B.C., the Dube and Davison camp knew it had one important phone call to make right away.
“I think Annie (Barabe, their coach with Sophie Richard and Yvan Desjardins) already called them to tell them the news,” said Dube, 19, of St. Cyrille de Wendover. Que. “I think (Sale and Pelletier) are very happy for us.”
Junior Grand Prix champs, world junior silver medallists, Canadian junior champions ... it all happened so quickly. And every big leap Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison began to suggest that it just might be true.
That they would be the next ones.
Maybe even (gasp) the next Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.
Isn't it ironic then, don't you think, that the 2002 Olympic gold medallists played a hand in Dube and Davison finally seizing something that had at one time seemed so inevitable: Their first Canadian senior pairs crown.
“We’re almost speechless. This is a real surprise for us,” said Davison, 20, of Cambridge, Ont.
About a month ago, it seemed a real longshot to them. They missed a month of training when Dube had suffered a right knee injury that needed surgery on Sept. 25.
As Christmas approached, the clock was ticking against them. Dube and Davison were wondering if it would run out before they reached Halifax.
But a three-day session they spent with Sale and Pelletier in Edmonton just before Christmas turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
“It opened our eyes to how ready we really were,” said Davison. “We were kind of running around, I guess you could say like chickens with our heads cut off. They screwed our heads back on, and helped us get ready for nationals.”
Sale and Pelletier also added a bit of flair to their programs, flair that veteran skating observers surely noticed in today's free skate final.
“They added detail, basically,” said Davison. “It’s more the way we present to each other, and the chemistry they display on the ice that we’re trying to take from them. The little things, like the way I present my hands to Jessica, those are the little things we’ve learned from Jamie and David.”
When it was over, when they had dethroned three-time champions Valerie Marcoux of Gatineau, Que., and Craig Buntin of Kelowna, B.C., the Dube and Davison camp knew it had one important phone call to make right away.
“I think Annie (Barabe, their coach with Sophie Richard and Yvan Desjardins) already called them to tell them the news,” said Dube, 19, of St. Cyrille de Wendover. Que. “I think (Sale and Pelletier) are very happy for us.”
Fire And Ice
There's a kick in the pants, and then there's this.
When Anabelle Langlois was feeling down in the dumps during the summer, seriously pondering whether there was still a place for her among the best in Canadian pairs skating, a former world champion told Langlois exactly what she needed to hear.
About as bluntly as you can put it.
“Barb Underhill told me I had to get the bitch inside of me back,” said Langlois, 25, of Hull, Que. “That’s what she thought I lost. It kind of shocked me in the beginning when she said that, but I know what she meant.
“I needed to get that fire going again.”
The fire was back this week in Halifax. And, not coinicidentally, Langlois is going back to the world figure skating championships after she and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta., achieved the necessary third-place finish to make the Canadian world team. They actually finished second in today's free skate final, but wound up third overall behind new Canadian champs Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, and three-time (and now former) pair kings Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin.
Langlois went to worlds three times with former partner Patrice Archetto, their best finish being fifth in 2003 in Washington, D.C. But last season was just like starting over for her, as she teamed up with Hay, who was just up from the junior ranks (they became friends when both were training at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton).
While they finished fourth at last year's Canadians in Ottawa — a fine start for a new team — Langlois said she felt herself paying too much time worrying about how Hay would adapt to the senior ranks.
“I think I tried to shelter him and, in the end, I forgot how I wanted to be in competition,” said Langlois. “I almost stopped after last year because I felt so uncomfortable by the end of the year. Not because of him, but in competition, I felt so out of place.
“But people would tell me, you’re a great pairs skater, one of Canada’s best. It would make me cry when they’d say that because I didn’t feel it anymore.”
Even Hay noticed the change.
“When I was training with Anabelle and she was skating with Patrice, that’s something I always noticed about Anabelle,” said Hay, 23. “She always had a fire inside. She was the one that was driving.
“When I started skating with her, I was so new and she felt like she had to lead me along. She kind of let that (fire) go and was more nurturing. She was trying to bring me along easily. But this summer, it started to come back after her talk with Barb. It was less ‘you can do it, you’re going to work through it,’ and more ‘you’re going to do this.’ ”
The old Anabelle was back this week. And now Hay gets to enjoy a new experience — the world championships in Tokyo.
“This was our goal and we’re both really excited about it,” he said.
When Anabelle Langlois was feeling down in the dumps during the summer, seriously pondering whether there was still a place for her among the best in Canadian pairs skating, a former world champion told Langlois exactly what she needed to hear.
About as bluntly as you can put it.
“Barb Underhill told me I had to get the bitch inside of me back,” said Langlois, 25, of Hull, Que. “That’s what she thought I lost. It kind of shocked me in the beginning when she said that, but I know what she meant.
“I needed to get that fire going again.”
The fire was back this week in Halifax. And, not coinicidentally, Langlois is going back to the world figure skating championships after she and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta., achieved the necessary third-place finish to make the Canadian world team. They actually finished second in today's free skate final, but wound up third overall behind new Canadian champs Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, and three-time (and now former) pair kings Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin.
Langlois went to worlds three times with former partner Patrice Archetto, their best finish being fifth in 2003 in Washington, D.C. But last season was just like starting over for her, as she teamed up with Hay, who was just up from the junior ranks (they became friends when both were training at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton).
While they finished fourth at last year's Canadians in Ottawa — a fine start for a new team — Langlois said she felt herself paying too much time worrying about how Hay would adapt to the senior ranks.
“I think I tried to shelter him and, in the end, I forgot how I wanted to be in competition,” said Langlois. “I almost stopped after last year because I felt so uncomfortable by the end of the year. Not because of him, but in competition, I felt so out of place.
“But people would tell me, you’re a great pairs skater, one of Canada’s best. It would make me cry when they’d say that because I didn’t feel it anymore.”
Even Hay noticed the change.
“When I was training with Anabelle and she was skating with Patrice, that’s something I always noticed about Anabelle,” said Hay, 23. “She always had a fire inside. She was the one that was driving.
“When I started skating with her, I was so new and she felt like she had to lead me along. She kind of let that (fire) go and was more nurturing. She was trying to bring me along easily. But this summer, it started to come back after her talk with Barb. It was less ‘you can do it, you’re going to work through it,’ and more ‘you’re going to do this.’ ”
The old Anabelle was back this week. And now Hay gets to enjoy a new experience — the world championships in Tokyo.
“This was our goal and we’re both really excited about it,” he said.
The Face Of A Champion
If you walked by Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko this week and did the double take, you're not alone.
“Everybody tells me that, I always hear it,” the 15-year-old from Ottawa said yesterday as she talked about her skating idol.
“Either they say I skate like Oksana Baiul or I look like Oksana Baiul.”
Now she's a champion like Oksana Baiul.
While the title isn't world or Olympic champ, it seemed to mean just about as much to Zhalko-Tytarenko, a delightful, incredibly sweet teenager who lived a young girl's dream this morning by winning the junior women's gold medal.
Even a couple of hours later, the joy was still very evident on her face.
It still hadn't sunk in.
“I don't think it will until I get the medal,” said Zhalko-Tytarenko, who will have the gold slipped around her neck during Sunday's medal ceremony.
These are the stories that you love to tell or write about, that make you feel a certain warmth inside. A year ago, Zhalko-Tytarenko finished 14th as a novice at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals. She arrived in Halifax aiming for a top-five finish. Winning a Canadian title? The thought didn't even enter her mind.
Then, after placing third in the short program, she went out and delivered the free skate of her young life. Zhalko-Tytarenko, who skated last in the field, had no idea what went on before her. So when the No. 1 went up beside her name on the scoreboard, her jaw dropped and the cheers began to rise from the Metro Centre seats.
Canadian champion? Who, me?
“I still don't really believe it,” she said as she entered the media room for more interviews in an Eastern Ontario blue and white track suit, her long brown hair a perfect match for the big brown eyes that had a special sparkle on this day.
Zhalko-Tytarenko became the first Canadian junior women's champion from Ottawa since Angela Derochie of the Nepean Skating Club did it in Moncton, N.B., in 1992. Derochie now lives in Halifax and is part of the security staff working at the Civic Centre, the practice arena for this competition.
Zhalko-Tytarenko's story reads like figure skating road map. Her parents, Michael and Natalie, put her into skating on the advice of doctors in Kiev after she developed severe appendicitis before her second birthday. The family moved to Canada when Dana was four and settled in Winnipeg. Her coach there was Heather Kemkaran, a two-time Canadian women's champion.
When her father's job (he's an aerospace engineer) took the family to Washington, D.C. four years later, Kemkaran directed Zhalko-Tytarenko to famed coach Don Laws, who became her coach during her time there.
Two years later, it was off to Ottawa and the Minto Skating Club, where Zhalko-Tytarenko worked with Erik Loucks and Gordon Forbes. This year, she was on the move again, but this time for her skating: Zhalko-Tytarenko went back to the same rink in the Washington suburb of Laurel, Md., this time under the guidance of former Soviet ice dance star Genrikh Sretenski and his wife, Julia (they were her secondary coaches under Laws during her previous time there).
It was in Laurel that Zhalko-Tytarenko believes “everything came together” for her.
“I learned how to work more,” she said. “I’ve always been a hard worker, I don’t waste any time on the ice. But I’ve learned how to make every minute count and how to work on the right things.”
Next up for her will be completing a full set of triples: She wants to have everything up to the triple lutz in her arsenal for next season. Whether she'll stay junior or move up to senior, she doesn't know.
Then again, it's not like she thought she'd have to make that kind of decision this week.
“I really didn’t expect what happened here. I was not planning on this,” said a beaming Zhalko-Tytarenko, who still considers herself very much a proud Canadian.
“We are in Washington now, but I still think of Canada as my home.”
Sunday, they will drape the gold medal around her neck, and Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko will finally know that it's all very real.
That, like another Ukrainian skater she so admires, she is a champion, too.
Kinda looks like her too, don't you think?
“Everybody tells me that, I always hear it,” the 15-year-old from Ottawa said yesterday as she talked about her skating idol.
“Either they say I skate like Oksana Baiul or I look like Oksana Baiul.”
Now she's a champion like Oksana Baiul.
While the title isn't world or Olympic champ, it seemed to mean just about as much to Zhalko-Tytarenko, a delightful, incredibly sweet teenager who lived a young girl's dream this morning by winning the junior women's gold medal.
Even a couple of hours later, the joy was still very evident on her face.
It still hadn't sunk in.
“I don't think it will until I get the medal,” said Zhalko-Tytarenko, who will have the gold slipped around her neck during Sunday's medal ceremony.
These are the stories that you love to tell or write about, that make you feel a certain warmth inside. A year ago, Zhalko-Tytarenko finished 14th as a novice at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals. She arrived in Halifax aiming for a top-five finish. Winning a Canadian title? The thought didn't even enter her mind.
Then, after placing third in the short program, she went out and delivered the free skate of her young life. Zhalko-Tytarenko, who skated last in the field, had no idea what went on before her. So when the No. 1 went up beside her name on the scoreboard, her jaw dropped and the cheers began to rise from the Metro Centre seats.
Canadian champion? Who, me?
“I still don't really believe it,” she said as she entered the media room for more interviews in an Eastern Ontario blue and white track suit, her long brown hair a perfect match for the big brown eyes that had a special sparkle on this day.
Zhalko-Tytarenko became the first Canadian junior women's champion from Ottawa since Angela Derochie of the Nepean Skating Club did it in Moncton, N.B., in 1992. Derochie now lives in Halifax and is part of the security staff working at the Civic Centre, the practice arena for this competition.
Zhalko-Tytarenko's story reads like figure skating road map. Her parents, Michael and Natalie, put her into skating on the advice of doctors in Kiev after she developed severe appendicitis before her second birthday. The family moved to Canada when Dana was four and settled in Winnipeg. Her coach there was Heather Kemkaran, a two-time Canadian women's champion.
When her father's job (he's an aerospace engineer) took the family to Washington, D.C. four years later, Kemkaran directed Zhalko-Tytarenko to famed coach Don Laws, who became her coach during her time there.
Two years later, it was off to Ottawa and the Minto Skating Club, where Zhalko-Tytarenko worked with Erik Loucks and Gordon Forbes. This year, she was on the move again, but this time for her skating: Zhalko-Tytarenko went back to the same rink in the Washington suburb of Laurel, Md., this time under the guidance of former Soviet ice dance star Genrikh Sretenski and his wife, Julia (they were her secondary coaches under Laws during her previous time there).
It was in Laurel that Zhalko-Tytarenko believes “everything came together” for her.
“I learned how to work more,” she said. “I’ve always been a hard worker, I don’t waste any time on the ice. But I’ve learned how to make every minute count and how to work on the right things.”
Next up for her will be completing a full set of triples: She wants to have everything up to the triple lutz in her arsenal for next season. Whether she'll stay junior or move up to senior, she doesn't know.
Then again, it's not like she thought she'd have to make that kind of decision this week.
“I really didn’t expect what happened here. I was not planning on this,” said a beaming Zhalko-Tytarenko, who still considers herself very much a proud Canadian.
“We are in Washington now, but I still think of Canada as my home.”
Sunday, they will drape the gold medal around her neck, and Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko will finally know that it's all very real.
That, like another Ukrainian skater she so admires, she is a champion, too.
Kinda looks like her too, don't you think?
Why Haligonians Rock (Part 73)
After another hard day of being your faithful blogger (cry me a river, right?), I decided to pay a visit to one of this city's more popular 'establishments' the other night.
Turns out there was a $5 cover charge to be paid and, wouldn't you know it, I had exactly three dollars in change in my pocket (debit cards are my life). When I told that to the security guy inside the 'establishment,' he suggested I go talk to one of the bouncers outside.
After explaining my dilemma, the bouncer pulled a $20 bill out of his wallet, handed it to me and said 'just bring me back the change.'
Wait a minute, it gets better.
The lovely young woman collecting the cover hands me back the change — a ten and some coins — and I return it to the bouncer with gratitude. He hands me back the coins and says 'buy yourself a couple of drinks.'
When I related this tale to a couple of local volunteers the next day, the answer was the same: Hey, we're Maritimers.
Yes, they are. The finest people in Canada, I say.
And they keep reminding me why every day I'm here.
Turns out there was a $5 cover charge to be paid and, wouldn't you know it, I had exactly three dollars in change in my pocket (debit cards are my life). When I told that to the security guy inside the 'establishment,' he suggested I go talk to one of the bouncers outside.
After explaining my dilemma, the bouncer pulled a $20 bill out of his wallet, handed it to me and said 'just bring me back the change.'
Wait a minute, it gets better.
The lovely young woman collecting the cover hands me back the change — a ten and some coins — and I return it to the bouncer with gratitude. He hands me back the coins and says 'buy yourself a couple of drinks.'
When I related this tale to a couple of local volunteers the next day, the answer was the same: Hey, we're Maritimers.
Yes, they are. The finest people in Canada, I say.
And they keep reminding me why every day I'm here.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Three's A Charm
Once upon a time, an elegant figure skater from Quebec brought home three Canadian women's titles, and earned the admiration of one young dreamer who shared her heritage.
Joannie Rochette couldn't have been prouder to match her idol tonight.
“That feels pretty good,” a relieved Rochette said after she sweated out a third straight triumph in the senior women's event. “Josee Chouinard did it, too, and she’s my idol in skating ... I’m really glad that I was able to win this. It’s very gratifying.”
It was probably closer than the final score, too. Vancouver's Mira Leung pushed hard to upset the champ and, with a six-triple jump skate that was nothing short of terrific, she almost got it done. Rochette, meanwhile, made enough errors, including two blown jumps, to have a lot of folks — including herself — wondering whether the crown was about to fall off her head.
“Thank God,” Rochette said, when the numbers went her way — 113.76 for the free skate and 170.65 overall, good enough to outlast Leung (159.59).
She admitted afterward it was the toughest test of her reign yet.
“Definitely, I'll tell you that,” said Rochette, 21, of Ile-Dupas, Que. “It’s after an Olympic cycle, and things change a lot after it. You can feel it, the newcomers coming up. (It was) the hardest one, but one that I feel I had to work hard to get.
“It feels good to have. Of course, I know (my) competition is getting closer behind me, but that adds value to my title.”
As the titles keep piling up, it is quite likely little girls everywhere in Quebec will start seeing Rochette as their skating idol. The same way the champ once looked at Chouinard.
Even if she finds that thought a little strange to fathom.
“I don’t see myself as Josee or anyone else,” said Rochette. “I’m a different person. But I do get some letters from (younger) girls, and that's great. You never realize they look up to you like they do. I just hope that I can be a good role model for them, too.”
Joannie Rochette couldn't have been prouder to match her idol tonight.
“That feels pretty good,” a relieved Rochette said after she sweated out a third straight triumph in the senior women's event. “Josee Chouinard did it, too, and she’s my idol in skating ... I’m really glad that I was able to win this. It’s very gratifying.”
It was probably closer than the final score, too. Vancouver's Mira Leung pushed hard to upset the champ and, with a six-triple jump skate that was nothing short of terrific, she almost got it done. Rochette, meanwhile, made enough errors, including two blown jumps, to have a lot of folks — including herself — wondering whether the crown was about to fall off her head.
“Thank God,” Rochette said, when the numbers went her way — 113.76 for the free skate and 170.65 overall, good enough to outlast Leung (159.59).
She admitted afterward it was the toughest test of her reign yet.
“Definitely, I'll tell you that,” said Rochette, 21, of Ile-Dupas, Que. “It’s after an Olympic cycle, and things change a lot after it. You can feel it, the newcomers coming up. (It was) the hardest one, but one that I feel I had to work hard to get.
“It feels good to have. Of course, I know (my) competition is getting closer behind me, but that adds value to my title.”
As the titles keep piling up, it is quite likely little girls everywhere in Quebec will start seeing Rochette as their skating idol. The same way the champ once looked at Chouinard.
Even if she finds that thought a little strange to fathom.
“I don’t see myself as Josee or anyone else,” said Rochette. “I’m a different person. But I do get some letters from (younger) girls, and that's great. You never realize they look up to you like they do. I just hope that I can be a good role model for them, too.”
That's One Sweet Reward
It was a headline that just begged to be written.
“Mrs. Doherty goes to Tokyo.”
(you know, kinda like that old movie, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington)
Alas, for Lesley Hawker, Canada's two women's tickets to the world championships in Japan are going to Joannie Rochette — now a three-time champion — and teen dynamo Mira Leung, who won the night in the court of public opinion (the standing ovation being the ultimate statement in that regard).
But Hawker is hardly going home empty-handed. There's a second straight bronze medal to savour, and another opportunity to skate in Sunday's closing gala. Her best overall performance at Canadians, with a boatload of personal best scores to prove it. Probably a trip to the Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs, too.
Still ...
“A trip to Tokyo on the world team. That’s what I wanted,” said Hawker, who had a Metro Centre crowd wanting for her so badly tonight. “But I gave it everything I had here, so that’s the best that I can ask for.”
“I’m going to get there. Jo and Mira are a great team to send (to worlds), and hopefully they can get three spots for us for next year.”
More than ever, Hawker is certain her day is coming to come.
“Don’t worry, this is not going to be a habit. I promise,” she said with a laugh. “I’m close. I need to keep pushing the technical (side), and really go home and keep smoothing things out. I like where I’m heading as a skater.”
The technical boost might well come in the form of a triple Axel. Hawker has been working on them, and wants to put one in her program. Sooner rather than later.
“It's been a dream of mine for a long time ... I'm really happy with the way it's coming,” she said. “I’m going to go for it. You need to — the Japanese girls are doing them now.”
The 25-year-old left the media zone with a smile on her face and her skating dreams still very much alive. And a favourite treat awaiting her as a reward for a job well done. Chocolate bars, precisely lined up in her hotel room, and ...
“Oatmeal cookies!,” she said. “If I have oatmeal cookies and tea, I’m in heaven. I’m an easy girl to please.”
Bon appetit, Mrs. Doherty. You've earned it.
“Mrs. Doherty goes to Tokyo.”
(you know, kinda like that old movie, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington)
Alas, for Lesley Hawker, Canada's two women's tickets to the world championships in Japan are going to Joannie Rochette — now a three-time champion — and teen dynamo Mira Leung, who won the night in the court of public opinion (the standing ovation being the ultimate statement in that regard).
But Hawker is hardly going home empty-handed. There's a second straight bronze medal to savour, and another opportunity to skate in Sunday's closing gala. Her best overall performance at Canadians, with a boatload of personal best scores to prove it. Probably a trip to the Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs, too.
Still ...
“A trip to Tokyo on the world team. That’s what I wanted,” said Hawker, who had a Metro Centre crowd wanting for her so badly tonight. “But I gave it everything I had here, so that’s the best that I can ask for.”
“I’m going to get there. Jo and Mira are a great team to send (to worlds), and hopefully they can get three spots for us for next year.”
More than ever, Hawker is certain her day is coming to come.
“Don’t worry, this is not going to be a habit. I promise,” she said with a laugh. “I’m close. I need to keep pushing the technical (side), and really go home and keep smoothing things out. I like where I’m heading as a skater.”
The technical boost might well come in the form of a triple Axel. Hawker has been working on them, and wants to put one in her program. Sooner rather than later.
“It's been a dream of mine for a long time ... I'm really happy with the way it's coming,” she said. “I’m going to go for it. You need to — the Japanese girls are doing them now.”
The 25-year-old left the media zone with a smile on her face and her skating dreams still very much alive. And a favourite treat awaiting her as a reward for a job well done. Chocolate bars, precisely lined up in her hotel room, and ...
“Oatmeal cookies!,” she said. “If I have oatmeal cookies and tea, I’m in heaven. I’m an easy girl to please.”
Bon appetit, Mrs. Doherty. You've earned it.
Mabee He Will
Christopher Mabee didn't exactly show up in Halifax with thoughts of a Canadian championship dancing in his head.
But he'll have a hard time fending off that sentiment now.
Mabee had the Metro Centre crowd in the palm of his hands with a bouncy, exhilirating — and, oh yes, clean as a whistle — performance that brought 'em to their feet after he was done. Suddenly, the perennial bridesmaid from Tillsonburg, Ont., has a national title clearly in his sights.
“It's always been in my head, it's always been a goal of mine,” admitted Mabee, 21. “It's very close right now, but my focus isn't on winning, it's getting the performance done. Then you'll receive the reward afterward.”
Mabee surely got his last night — first from the audience, which enveloped Mabee (who couldn't stop smiling) with a standing ovation. Then the judges handed him 75.68 points, a personal best by a whopping seven points.
“I had a blast out there,” said Mabee, who seems to earn a standing ovation at just about every Canadians he enters. “I finally put it out in competition like I know I can.”
For three years now, Mabee has been chugging close to the medal podium: Sixth in 2004, then fifth, then fourth. With a 10.47-point edge over third-place Emanuel Sandhu and nearly 12 over the rest, Mabee is looking good to secure one of Canada's three men's berths for the world championships in Tokyo. He seems completely relaxed on the ice, and has found the right comfort zone mentally.
“I tell myself to be confident in myself,” said Mabee, who's drawn the final start position for Saturday night's free skate final. “Know that I can do it, don't just tell myself that I think I can ... that's when doubts creep in. I think that's what I did during the short program. I went out and said 'I know I can do this clean.' ”
While Mabee held court with the media, his friend Jeffrey Buttle stood off to the side, waiting his turn. Buttle couldn't stifle a grin or two while Mabee spoke, then gave him a warm hug afterward.
“We're pretty much best friends, we hang out all the time,” said Buttle, 24, the two-time defending champ from Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. “I didn't see (Mabee's skate), but I heard (the ovation) and I watch him every day and he does it well.
“That was really cool to skate after that.”
Despite falling on a triple Axel, Buttle posted a 78.85-point score to build a slim lead over Mabee, his training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. Given the fact he's missed most of the season recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back, Buttle admits a third title would be particularly sweet.
“It would mean a lot, especially considering the circumstances this year,” said Buttle, who declared himself in “the best shape of my life” after being off the ice for three months because of the injury. “It would be a big confidence booster for me (to win again).”
His good buddy Christopher Mabee, no doubt, can tell him how much that can mean.
But he'll have a hard time fending off that sentiment now.
Mabee had the Metro Centre crowd in the palm of his hands with a bouncy, exhilirating — and, oh yes, clean as a whistle — performance that brought 'em to their feet after he was done. Suddenly, the perennial bridesmaid from Tillsonburg, Ont., has a national title clearly in his sights.
“It's always been in my head, it's always been a goal of mine,” admitted Mabee, 21. “It's very close right now, but my focus isn't on winning, it's getting the performance done. Then you'll receive the reward afterward.”
Mabee surely got his last night — first from the audience, which enveloped Mabee (who couldn't stop smiling) with a standing ovation. Then the judges handed him 75.68 points, a personal best by a whopping seven points.
“I had a blast out there,” said Mabee, who seems to earn a standing ovation at just about every Canadians he enters. “I finally put it out in competition like I know I can.”
For three years now, Mabee has been chugging close to the medal podium: Sixth in 2004, then fifth, then fourth. With a 10.47-point edge over third-place Emanuel Sandhu and nearly 12 over the rest, Mabee is looking good to secure one of Canada's three men's berths for the world championships in Tokyo. He seems completely relaxed on the ice, and has found the right comfort zone mentally.
“I tell myself to be confident in myself,” said Mabee, who's drawn the final start position for Saturday night's free skate final. “Know that I can do it, don't just tell myself that I think I can ... that's when doubts creep in. I think that's what I did during the short program. I went out and said 'I know I can do this clean.' ”
While Mabee held court with the media, his friend Jeffrey Buttle stood off to the side, waiting his turn. Buttle couldn't stifle a grin or two while Mabee spoke, then gave him a warm hug afterward.
“We're pretty much best friends, we hang out all the time,” said Buttle, 24, the two-time defending champ from Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. “I didn't see (Mabee's skate), but I heard (the ovation) and I watch him every day and he does it well.
“That was really cool to skate after that.”
Despite falling on a triple Axel, Buttle posted a 78.85-point score to build a slim lead over Mabee, his training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. Given the fact he's missed most of the season recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back, Buttle admits a third title would be particularly sweet.
“It would mean a lot, especially considering the circumstances this year,” said Buttle, who declared himself in “the best shape of my life” after being off the ice for three months because of the injury. “It would be a big confidence booster for me (to win again).”
His good buddy Christopher Mabee, no doubt, can tell him how much that can mean.
Maritime Pride
They're mighty proud of Joey Russell in Newfoundland and Labrador. But his well of support runs much deeper than just his home province, as he's quickly finding out.
Every time Russell skates at the Canadian championships here in Halifax, the Metro Centre fans keep showing him that he's a favoured son all across Atlantic Canada. And Russell will tell you, quite frankly, that he's taken aback by all the fuss.
“There’s a certain amount of pride that comes with being from Labrador,” said Russell, a poised 18-year-old from Labrador City. “Not only Labrador, but Newfoundland and the Maritimes. I never expected an audience reaction like that one out there (today). Everyone is great in Canada and everyone is supportive, but when you’re back home in the Maritimes, it’s that much more, and they’re so happy to see you do well.
“The immense support I get, not only from Newfoundland and Labrador, but Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and New Brunswick ... they’re all helping me be my best.”
Russell was just that in tonight's senior men's short program. With a 59.84-point score, the first-year senior stands an impressive seventh going into Saturday night's free skate final.
“It’s always a blessing when you skate a good program but even if I didn’t, all I wanted was to look like I belonged with most of the guys out there,” he said.
That he did, though Russell knows he doesn't quite have the ammunition yet that he needs to contend with the best of the best yet. But give him a triple Axel and perhaps a quad — jumps he aims to conquer in the next year or so — and the young lad from Labrador will be in the hunt for a Vancouver 2010 Olympics berth.
Maybe someday he'll even put himself on the same plane as Newfoundland and Labrador's biggest sports heroes, the 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue curling rink.
“Two of the guys on that team (Mark Nichols, Mike Adam) are from my home town,” said Russell. “They’re just a huge, huge inspiration to everybody, not only athletes, not only curlers. But everybody in our sport looks up to those guys and we all think they’re the most amazing people.
“Coming from such a small town, it’s going to make me think it’s possible for me someday.”
Every time Russell skates at the Canadian championships here in Halifax, the Metro Centre fans keep showing him that he's a favoured son all across Atlantic Canada. And Russell will tell you, quite frankly, that he's taken aback by all the fuss.
“There’s a certain amount of pride that comes with being from Labrador,” said Russell, a poised 18-year-old from Labrador City. “Not only Labrador, but Newfoundland and the Maritimes. I never expected an audience reaction like that one out there (today). Everyone is great in Canada and everyone is supportive, but when you’re back home in the Maritimes, it’s that much more, and they’re so happy to see you do well.
“The immense support I get, not only from Newfoundland and Labrador, but Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and New Brunswick ... they’re all helping me be my best.”
Russell was just that in tonight's senior men's short program. With a 59.84-point score, the first-year senior stands an impressive seventh going into Saturday night's free skate final.
“It’s always a blessing when you skate a good program but even if I didn’t, all I wanted was to look like I belonged with most of the guys out there,” he said.
That he did, though Russell knows he doesn't quite have the ammunition yet that he needs to contend with the best of the best yet. But give him a triple Axel and perhaps a quad — jumps he aims to conquer in the next year or so — and the young lad from Labrador will be in the hunt for a Vancouver 2010 Olympics berth.
Maybe someday he'll even put himself on the same plane as Newfoundland and Labrador's biggest sports heroes, the 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue curling rink.
“Two of the guys on that team (Mark Nichols, Mike Adam) are from my home town,” said Russell. “They’re just a huge, huge inspiration to everybody, not only athletes, not only curlers. But everybody in our sport looks up to those guys and we all think they’re the most amazing people.
“Coming from such a small town, it’s going to make me think it’s possible for me someday.”
One For The Home Side?
Halifax can claim at least a piece of one of the junior ice dance medals.
Ottawa's Sophie Knippel, who won the bronze with Matthew Doleman of Dundas, Ont., was born in the Nova Scotia capital.
Vanessa Crone of Aurora, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., won the gold, while the silver went to Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam.
*** Edmonton's Aaron Van Cleave, who won the junior pairs bronze medal with Sarah McCoy of Calgary, didn't have much time to celebrate. Less than 2-1/2 hours after their pairs free skate, Cleave was due to hit the ice for the senior men's short program. That's a busy day.
*** Speculation is in overdrive among us media types about where this event is headed next year (the 2008 site will be announced Sunday). We pretty certain it's heading west after three years in the east. A few of us had Winnipeg (which last played host to Canadians in 2001) and its sparkling MTS Centre as the frontrunner, but we've since figured out curling's Brier is there next year. So scratch the Manitoba capital. Calgary held worlds just last year and Edmonton was the Canadians host in 2004. Hmmm, that means Alberta's probably out, too. Which makes us ask: Come Sunday, will it be hello B.C.?
*** It's a grey, rainy day outside (so much for that bitter cold. For today, anyways). Should mean a boom in sales for those Skate Canada-logoed sou'westers you can snap up for ten bucks inside the Metro Centre. No souvenir in this building says Nova Scotia quite like it.
Ottawa's Sophie Knippel, who won the bronze with Matthew Doleman of Dundas, Ont., was born in the Nova Scotia capital.
Vanessa Crone of Aurora, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., won the gold, while the silver went to Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam.
*** Edmonton's Aaron Van Cleave, who won the junior pairs bronze medal with Sarah McCoy of Calgary, didn't have much time to celebrate. Less than 2-1/2 hours after their pairs free skate, Cleave was due to hit the ice for the senior men's short program. That's a busy day.
*** Speculation is in overdrive among us media types about where this event is headed next year (the 2008 site will be announced Sunday). We pretty certain it's heading west after three years in the east. A few of us had Winnipeg (which last played host to Canadians in 2001) and its sparkling MTS Centre as the frontrunner, but we've since figured out curling's Brier is there next year. So scratch the Manitoba capital. Calgary held worlds just last year and Edmonton was the Canadians host in 2004. Hmmm, that means Alberta's probably out, too. Which makes us ask: Come Sunday, will it be hello B.C.?
*** It's a grey, rainy day outside (so much for that bitter cold. For today, anyways). Should mean a boom in sales for those Skate Canada-logoed sou'westers you can snap up for ten bucks inside the Metro Centre. No souvenir in this building says Nova Scotia quite like it.
Promising Pair
Carolyn MacCuish and Andrew Evans surely felt plenty of those moments of awe, as some of the champions they've looked up to passed them in the hallways of the Metro Centre.
Now they own Canadian championships gold medals of their own.
MacCuish and Evans didn't wait long to make a splash at their first Canadians, winning the junior pairs crown this afternoon. The first-year juniors were tops in both the short program and the free skate, with their 122.02-point total edging out Montrealers Amanda Velenosi and Mark Fernandez (119.07) for the gold.
“Honestly, we're surprised,” said Evans, 18, of Caledon East, Ont. “We came in hoping to be top five, make the junior national team and get some trips around the world.”
That's a given now, considering Skate Canada sent them to a pair of Junior Grand Prix events this season. They finished sixth in Oslo and seventh in Liberac, Czech Republic.
“They have a great future,” said Jacinthe Lariviere, a former Canadian pairs champion (with Lenny Faustino) who coaches the young team at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. with Lee Barkell and Shane Dennison. “They work really hard at home ... They know what they want, and they have a lot of confidence in each other.”
MacCuish and Evans previously trained in Toronto with coach Kim Hanford. But when Hanford retired, she directed them to the Mariposa camp. It meant MacCuish had to leave home in Burlington, Ont., at the tender age of 13 (she's 14 now).
“It's really young (to leave home),” said Lariviere. “I can tell you her mom misses her a lot, but she knows she's happy.”
Never more so than yesterday.
“Sometimes, it's a bit difficult,” said a smiling MacCuish, who boards with a family in Barrie. “But winning today makes it all worthwhile.”
(An aside: Dennison's wife, Jennifer Robinson, left Windsor, Ont., when she was 13 to move to Barrie, and has told the story many times of crying in the back seat of the car almost all the way on the drive to her new home. Six Canadian titles, and top-10 finishes at the Olympics and world championships later, things worked out rather well in the end, we think. Oh, yeah ... she still happily lives in Barrie).
The last two years, MacCuish and Evans were medallists at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals — silver as pre-novices in 2005, and bronze in novice a year ago. So this was their first trip to the “big Canadians,” as Evans called it.
“It's so much different but it's so much more fun,” he said. “We see all the people we idolized and watch them go by and just go 'wow.' ”
Welcome to the Canadian champions' club, kids.
Now they own Canadian championships gold medals of their own.
MacCuish and Evans didn't wait long to make a splash at their first Canadians, winning the junior pairs crown this afternoon. The first-year juniors were tops in both the short program and the free skate, with their 122.02-point total edging out Montrealers Amanda Velenosi and Mark Fernandez (119.07) for the gold.
“Honestly, we're surprised,” said Evans, 18, of Caledon East, Ont. “We came in hoping to be top five, make the junior national team and get some trips around the world.”
That's a given now, considering Skate Canada sent them to a pair of Junior Grand Prix events this season. They finished sixth in Oslo and seventh in Liberac, Czech Republic.
“They have a great future,” said Jacinthe Lariviere, a former Canadian pairs champion (with Lenny Faustino) who coaches the young team at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. with Lee Barkell and Shane Dennison. “They work really hard at home ... They know what they want, and they have a lot of confidence in each other.”
MacCuish and Evans previously trained in Toronto with coach Kim Hanford. But when Hanford retired, she directed them to the Mariposa camp. It meant MacCuish had to leave home in Burlington, Ont., at the tender age of 13 (she's 14 now).
“It's really young (to leave home),” said Lariviere. “I can tell you her mom misses her a lot, but she knows she's happy.”
Never more so than yesterday.
“Sometimes, it's a bit difficult,” said a smiling MacCuish, who boards with a family in Barrie. “But winning today makes it all worthwhile.”
(An aside: Dennison's wife, Jennifer Robinson, left Windsor, Ont., when she was 13 to move to Barrie, and has told the story many times of crying in the back seat of the car almost all the way on the drive to her new home. Six Canadian titles, and top-10 finishes at the Olympics and world championships later, things worked out rather well in the end, we think. Oh, yeah ... she still happily lives in Barrie).
The last two years, MacCuish and Evans were medallists at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals — silver as pre-novices in 2005, and bronze in novice a year ago. So this was their first trip to the “big Canadians,” as Evans called it.
“It's so much different but it's so much more fun,” he said. “We see all the people we idolized and watch them go by and just go 'wow.' ”
Welcome to the Canadian champions' club, kids.
Thrills Near Citadel Hill
They sure know how to build drama at Canadians.
Take a look at the draw for tonight's senior women's free skate at the Metro Centre: The final three skaters (in order) are Vancouver's Mira Leung (currently 3rd after the short program), Lesley Hawker of Barrie, Ont. (2nd) and two-time defending champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., who closes the show.
It'll be the same deal in Saturday's pairs free skate: Toronto's Kyra and Dylan Moscovitch, a surprising 4th in Thursday night's short program, followed by Jessica Dube of St. Cyrille de Wendover, Que., and Bryce Davison of Cambridge, Ont. (1st after short), Anabelle Langlois of Hull, Que., and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta. (3rd), and Valerie Marcoux of Gatineau, Que., and Craig Buntin, of Kelowna, B.C. (2nd), who are aiming for their fourth straight title.
We know one thing: CTV and TSN have to be loving this.
*** We're guessing the Canadian championships remains necessary programming for the folks at Jack Astor's in Barrie. When Hawker worked there, her fellow staffers were always sure to tune in (as CBC showed during a special it filmed last season). As Lesley once put it (as only Lesley can), “they discovered the girls wear short skirts when we skate.” Now Langlois is a waitress there (taking the torch from Hawker, no doubt), so it's a good bet the pairs short program was on at least one TV in the joint Thursday night.
*** A most reliable Halifax source informs your faithful blogger that a 'pole dancing' fitness class that's just started up in this fine city teaches participants a move called 'the skater.' Nice to see they've caught the spirit of the week, one might say.
Take a look at the draw for tonight's senior women's free skate at the Metro Centre: The final three skaters (in order) are Vancouver's Mira Leung (currently 3rd after the short program), Lesley Hawker of Barrie, Ont. (2nd) and two-time defending champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., who closes the show.
It'll be the same deal in Saturday's pairs free skate: Toronto's Kyra and Dylan Moscovitch, a surprising 4th in Thursday night's short program, followed by Jessica Dube of St. Cyrille de Wendover, Que., and Bryce Davison of Cambridge, Ont. (1st after short), Anabelle Langlois of Hull, Que., and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta. (3rd), and Valerie Marcoux of Gatineau, Que., and Craig Buntin, of Kelowna, B.C. (2nd), who are aiming for their fourth straight title.
We know one thing: CTV and TSN have to be loving this.
*** We're guessing the Canadian championships remains necessary programming for the folks at Jack Astor's in Barrie. When Hawker worked there, her fellow staffers were always sure to tune in (as CBC showed during a special it filmed last season). As Lesley once put it (as only Lesley can), “they discovered the girls wear short skirts when we skate.” Now Langlois is a waitress there (taking the torch from Hawker, no doubt), so it's a good bet the pairs short program was on at least one TV in the joint Thursday night.
*** A most reliable Halifax source informs your faithful blogger that a 'pole dancing' fitness class that's just started up in this fine city teaches participants a move called 'the skater.' Nice to see they've caught the spirit of the week, one might say.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
All Right, We'll Call It A Draw
The champs face an uphill climb to run their streak to four.
But it isn't exactly a mountain standing in front of Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin.
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison were the winners of the senior pairs short program tonight at the Metro Centre. But their edge over three-time Canadian champions Marcoux and Buntin is razor thin: 59.94 points to 59.01.
“It's within a point, so basically it's going to be whoever goes out there and does it Saturday (in the free program),” said Buntin, 26, of Kelowna, B.C. “So we're ready to go out there and do our jobs.”
The champs had it going last night until their bugaboo element of the moment — the throw-triple loop, which has been a bit of an albatross for them lately.
“I guess it's one of those things that's not working,” said Marcoux, 26, of Gatineau, Que. “This is four competitions in a row that I've missed it. I don't know what to tell you, but I know tonight we felt good out there.”
Said Buntin: “That element, for us, is just now maybe becoming a bit of a mental block. When we set it up, we got this feeling that 'we have to do this because we've missed it.' As competitors, you can never have that in the back of your mind. So we're going to do some work over the next couple of weeks to get that (thought) out of there and get this going, because it is consistent in practice.”
After going to the Turin Olympics and Calgary worlds together last season, the top two pairs have become rather friendly. They got a little too close in warmups: Buntin nearly collided with Dube and Davison as they flashed by him.
“I just warming up a double toe and I turned around and there were two skaters speeding at me. I have no idea where they came from,” said Buntin. “It happens. It was neither of our fault and we apologized.“
But, he quipped, “it would have been a different story if Bryce pulled my shirt over my head and started punching me hockey style.”
Uh-huh.
Both put themselves in solid position to head to another world championships together, in March in Tokyo. Their efforts in Calgary opened up a third pairs spot for Canada at these worlds and right now, Anabelle Langlois of Hull, Que. and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta., hold the lead in the chase for it.
Langlois and Hay skated a clean program and earned 55.36 points, about two better than the surprise fourth-place finishers, the brother-sister team of Kyra and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto (53.34). St-Leonard, Que. based Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau are also in hailing distance at 52.48.
But it isn't exactly a mountain standing in front of Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin.
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison were the winners of the senior pairs short program tonight at the Metro Centre. But their edge over three-time Canadian champions Marcoux and Buntin is razor thin: 59.94 points to 59.01.
“It's within a point, so basically it's going to be whoever goes out there and does it Saturday (in the free program),” said Buntin, 26, of Kelowna, B.C. “So we're ready to go out there and do our jobs.”
The champs had it going last night until their bugaboo element of the moment — the throw-triple loop, which has been a bit of an albatross for them lately.
“I guess it's one of those things that's not working,” said Marcoux, 26, of Gatineau, Que. “This is four competitions in a row that I've missed it. I don't know what to tell you, but I know tonight we felt good out there.”
Said Buntin: “That element, for us, is just now maybe becoming a bit of a mental block. When we set it up, we got this feeling that 'we have to do this because we've missed it.' As competitors, you can never have that in the back of your mind. So we're going to do some work over the next couple of weeks to get that (thought) out of there and get this going, because it is consistent in practice.”
After going to the Turin Olympics and Calgary worlds together last season, the top two pairs have become rather friendly. They got a little too close in warmups: Buntin nearly collided with Dube and Davison as they flashed by him.
“I just warming up a double toe and I turned around and there were two skaters speeding at me. I have no idea where they came from,” said Buntin. “It happens. It was neither of our fault and we apologized.“
But, he quipped, “it would have been a different story if Bryce pulled my shirt over my head and started punching me hockey style.”
Uh-huh.
Both put themselves in solid position to head to another world championships together, in March in Tokyo. Their efforts in Calgary opened up a third pairs spot for Canada at these worlds and right now, Anabelle Langlois of Hull, Que. and Cody Hay of Grande Prairie, Alta., hold the lead in the chase for it.
Langlois and Hay skated a clean program and earned 55.36 points, about two better than the surprise fourth-place finishers, the brother-sister team of Kyra and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto (53.34). St-Leonard, Que. based Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau are also in hailing distance at 52.48.
Cheers To You, Mrs. Doherty
Yes, that was me.
I made Lesley Hawker cry.
I'm the (choose you own adjective) guy who, after the “awful” (to use her word) short program that crushed her Olympic dreams in Ottawa last year, asked Hawker the dreaded 'so, that's not what you expected' question (perhaps you saw it on a CBC mini-documentary that aired just before the Turin Games). Then watched her dissolve into tears before saying emphatically 'I'm so much better a skater than that.'
Mrs. Doherty, I'm happy to report, was in much better spirits tonight.
She skated the short program of her 25-year-old life. And, after being bathed in her second-ever standing ovation at Canadians (and oh, how the only one of the night was so richly deserved), she talked about how that devastating night at the Civic Centre motivated her so much.
“I do not like to make the same mistake twice,” she said. “I like to learn from them.”
This is one spunky lady, you should know, without an ounce of quit in her.
“I'm from tough stock,” she said with a big grin. “I'm the oldest of 10 children. You don't just quit because you fall on your butt a couple times, that's for sure. My parents say when you start something, you want to finish it.
“More than one of my old coaches, and the one I have now (Richard Callaghan), said to me, 'you don't want to go out like that.' You want to show them you can go out on top.”
She just might. With an exquisite skate to music from Les Miserables (“my all-time favourite musical”), Hawker earned a personal best score of 53.57 — the No. 2 performance of the night behind two-time defending champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., who totalled 56.89.
Hawker also squeezed a hair in front of Vancouver teen Mira Leung — who was pretty terrific herself with a joyful skate to Pink Panther music — to grab temporary hold on the second Canadian women's ticket to the world championships in Tokyo. Although it's a tenuous edge over Leung, who scored 52.50. Former national junior champ Myriane Samson, of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is also in the mix at 51.94.
But Hawker, who married Jamie Doherty in June (and became Mrs. Doherty), seems to have the mental strength she needs this time to fight for that coveted world berth in Friday night's free skate final.
“That kind of stuff doesn't come overnight,” she said. “I'm surrounded by people who are willing to be real patient with me and work with me, perservere if you will. Now, it's all starting to show.
“When I skate, I don't skate for medals. I don't skate for anyone else. (Skating) makes me happy. And when you're nervous, you're not happy doing it. I just want to enjoy myself out there and be as good as I can be.”
A standing ovation was the icing on the cake. Hawker's first at this level came at her first Canadians in 2002 in Hamilton.
“I drew inspiration from that,” she said. “A couple of days ago, I thought about it and remembered that was a great moment, and that it would be nice to have one again. But they do say standing ovations can be addictive, so I'll have to be careful about that.”
Then Mrs. Doherty smiled that 100-watt smile of hers.
I'll take that moment over last year's any day.
I made Lesley Hawker cry.
I'm the (choose you own adjective) guy who, after the “awful” (to use her word) short program that crushed her Olympic dreams in Ottawa last year, asked Hawker the dreaded 'so, that's not what you expected' question (perhaps you saw it on a CBC mini-documentary that aired just before the Turin Games). Then watched her dissolve into tears before saying emphatically 'I'm so much better a skater than that.'
Mrs. Doherty, I'm happy to report, was in much better spirits tonight.
She skated the short program of her 25-year-old life. And, after being bathed in her second-ever standing ovation at Canadians (and oh, how the only one of the night was so richly deserved), she talked about how that devastating night at the Civic Centre motivated her so much.
“I do not like to make the same mistake twice,” she said. “I like to learn from them.”
This is one spunky lady, you should know, without an ounce of quit in her.
“I'm from tough stock,” she said with a big grin. “I'm the oldest of 10 children. You don't just quit because you fall on your butt a couple times, that's for sure. My parents say when you start something, you want to finish it.
“More than one of my old coaches, and the one I have now (Richard Callaghan), said to me, 'you don't want to go out like that.' You want to show them you can go out on top.”
She just might. With an exquisite skate to music from Les Miserables (“my all-time favourite musical”), Hawker earned a personal best score of 53.57 — the No. 2 performance of the night behind two-time defending champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., who totalled 56.89.
Hawker also squeezed a hair in front of Vancouver teen Mira Leung — who was pretty terrific herself with a joyful skate to Pink Panther music — to grab temporary hold on the second Canadian women's ticket to the world championships in Tokyo. Although it's a tenuous edge over Leung, who scored 52.50. Former national junior champ Myriane Samson, of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is also in the mix at 51.94.
But Hawker, who married Jamie Doherty in June (and became Mrs. Doherty), seems to have the mental strength she needs this time to fight for that coveted world berth in Friday night's free skate final.
“That kind of stuff doesn't come overnight,” she said. “I'm surrounded by people who are willing to be real patient with me and work with me, perservere if you will. Now, it's all starting to show.
“When I skate, I don't skate for medals. I don't skate for anyone else. (Skating) makes me happy. And when you're nervous, you're not happy doing it. I just want to enjoy myself out there and be as good as I can be.”
A standing ovation was the icing on the cake. Hawker's first at this level came at her first Canadians in 2002 in Hamilton.
“I drew inspiration from that,” she said. “A couple of days ago, I thought about it and remembered that was a great moment, and that it would be nice to have one again. But they do say standing ovations can be addictive, so I'll have to be careful about that.”
Then Mrs. Doherty smiled that 100-watt smile of hers.
I'll take that moment over last year's any day.
The Joannie Rochette Experience
Joannie Rochette admits she's doesn't know a lot about Jimi Hendrix, but she can tell you this much.
“I know a couple of songs by him,” said the 21-year-old from Ile-Dupas, Que. “Not too much. Oh, I knew he was playing a reverse way on the chords, and the chords were reversed, too. That's about it.”
While the Jimi Hendrix Experience died long before Rochette was born, she knows how to groove to the man's music. Good thing, too. Her sophisticated presentation level to Hendrix' Little Wing (a Sandra Bezic creation) might be the biggest thing that kept Rochette on top in tonight's women's short program, given the technical gaffes she made.
A double on a triple lutz was the obvious mistake. But while her triple flip-double toe combination was clean and technically not an error, it wasn't what Rochette wanted. She badly hoped to turn the back end of the combo into a second triple, giving her the triple-triple she knows she needs to move up on the world stage.
“My goal here was to try that triple-triple combination, whether I landed it on my bum or not,” said the two-time national champ. “I just wanted to try it to get it done, but it didn't happen tonight. I was disappointed ... The landing on the first jump wasn't good enough.”
With a 56.49-point total, Rochette still won the night. But that didn't make her performance any easier to take.
“I don't consider it a consolation at all,” she said. “I don't care about the result, I care about what I do in the program. Yes, I improved it in practice, but tonight showed it only matters if you do it when it counts.”
Rochette's coach, Manon Perron, said the aim now is to take another run at the triple-triple at the Four Continents Championship next month in Colorado Springs.
“She's going to go to Four Continents and try it again, and at worlds she'll will be ready with it,” said Perron. “She has the jump in her pocket, she just has to show it in the program.
“We need it in the short and she knows it. She's able to do it but not tonight. Next time.”
“I know a couple of songs by him,” said the 21-year-old from Ile-Dupas, Que. “Not too much. Oh, I knew he was playing a reverse way on the chords, and the chords were reversed, too. That's about it.”
While the Jimi Hendrix Experience died long before Rochette was born, she knows how to groove to the man's music. Good thing, too. Her sophisticated presentation level to Hendrix' Little Wing (a Sandra Bezic creation) might be the biggest thing that kept Rochette on top in tonight's women's short program, given the technical gaffes she made.
A double on a triple lutz was the obvious mistake. But while her triple flip-double toe combination was clean and technically not an error, it wasn't what Rochette wanted. She badly hoped to turn the back end of the combo into a second triple, giving her the triple-triple she knows she needs to move up on the world stage.
“My goal here was to try that triple-triple combination, whether I landed it on my bum or not,” said the two-time national champ. “I just wanted to try it to get it done, but it didn't happen tonight. I was disappointed ... The landing on the first jump wasn't good enough.”
With a 56.49-point total, Rochette still won the night. But that didn't make her performance any easier to take.
“I don't consider it a consolation at all,” she said. “I don't care about the result, I care about what I do in the program. Yes, I improved it in practice, but tonight showed it only matters if you do it when it counts.”
Rochette's coach, Manon Perron, said the aim now is to take another run at the triple-triple at the Four Continents Championship next month in Colorado Springs.
“She's going to go to Four Continents and try it again, and at worlds she'll will be ready with it,” said Perron. “She has the jump in her pocket, she just has to show it in the program.
“We need it in the short and she knows it. She's able to do it but not tonight. Next time.”
Leaders Of The (Younger) Pack
It's always been the natural order of things in the figure skating world.
You hold a Winter Olympics, then wait for the expected retirements to start rolling in.
Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon obviously didn't get the memo.
And to hear one of their young contempories tell it, nobody's the least bit unhappy that the four-time Canadian champions didn't pack it in to make way for the next generation.
“We're so lucky to have them,” said Tessa Virtue, 17, of London, Ont. “As amazing as they are on the ice, they're even more incredible off the ice.
“We really appreciate all their help and advice.”
Virtue and her partner, Scott Moir, would probably be celebrating their first Canadian senior title this week if Dubreuil and Lauzon had moved on. With a 34.98-point score for their Golden Waltz compulsory today, they were head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
But while others might suggest Virtue and Moir should be miffed that their turn is being put on hold by the No. 2-ranked team in the world, they say it simply isn't so. Even if Dubreuil and Lauzon are still there when the Vancouver 2010 Games roll around.
“People thought that we would be a little angry that they were staying,” said Moir, 19. “But we'll definitely be glad if they stay another four years. They're such great, great skaters and do such good things for our country.
“Our goal is to be world and Olympic champions someday. Whether it happens before they retire, we don't know.”
Dubreuil, 32, and Lauzon, 31, look at all the younger skaters battling the make their mark in the ice dance discipline and can't help but smile.
“We feel a little bit like parents,” said Dubreuil. “We know we're the veteran team here and we feel excited about what is under us.”
They'll be the champions for a fifth time by Sunday. With a 41.16-point compulsory score, that's pretty much assured. But they've got much bigger fish to fry before this season is over.
“Our goal this year is to win worlds, and everything we do is done in that regard,” said Lauzon.
You hold a Winter Olympics, then wait for the expected retirements to start rolling in.
Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon obviously didn't get the memo.
And to hear one of their young contempories tell it, nobody's the least bit unhappy that the four-time Canadian champions didn't pack it in to make way for the next generation.
“We're so lucky to have them,” said Tessa Virtue, 17, of London, Ont. “As amazing as they are on the ice, they're even more incredible off the ice.
“We really appreciate all their help and advice.”
Virtue and her partner, Scott Moir, would probably be celebrating their first Canadian senior title this week if Dubreuil and Lauzon had moved on. With a 34.98-point score for their Golden Waltz compulsory today, they were head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
But while others might suggest Virtue and Moir should be miffed that their turn is being put on hold by the No. 2-ranked team in the world, they say it simply isn't so. Even if Dubreuil and Lauzon are still there when the Vancouver 2010 Games roll around.
“People thought that we would be a little angry that they were staying,” said Moir, 19. “But we'll definitely be glad if they stay another four years. They're such great, great skaters and do such good things for our country.
“Our goal is to be world and Olympic champions someday. Whether it happens before they retire, we don't know.”
Dubreuil, 32, and Lauzon, 31, look at all the younger skaters battling the make their mark in the ice dance discipline and can't help but smile.
“We feel a little bit like parents,” said Dubreuil. “We know we're the veteran team here and we feel excited about what is under us.”
They'll be the champions for a fifth time by Sunday. With a 41.16-point compulsory score, that's pretty much assured. But they've got much bigger fish to fry before this season is over.
“Our goal this year is to win worlds, and everything we do is done in that regard,” said Lauzon.
Same Old Song And Dance
Siobhan Karam and Joshua McGrath are right where they want to be at the Canadian figure skating championships.
In more ways than one.
The Minto Skating Club duo finds itself in fifth place after today's senior compulsory dance. Keep it up, and the second-year seniors — who finished seventh at home in Ottawa last year — are right in target to hit their goal this week in Halifax.
“We want to get on the national team, and skate our best, as always,” said McGrath, 21.
Their seventh-place finish a year ago meant no senior Grand Prix assignments in the fall. But Karam said that wasn't exactly a bad thing.
“We've been together so long, if we compete once in a year or 10 times a year, it still feels the same,” she said. “It really doesn't make a difference. It just gave us more time to train.”
It wouldn't be a Canadians without a Karam and McGrath travel adventure story. At least Karam, who owns one of the best smiles in figure skating, can grin about it now.
“We're used to that,” she said.
Karam's flight from their training base in Detroit was delayed and she missed her connection to Halifax. So she found herself stuck at the airport in Newark, N.J., for nine hours. She finally got here after 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
“I just did homework,” she said. “I brought all my books, thank God. If not, I would have wasted my whole day.”
Did she run out?
“Oh no, I could do it forever,” said Karam, 20, a third-year student at the University of Windsor, although she admits the extra study time has her ahead of the game.
“We have 40 hours a week of homework,” said McGrath, also in third year.
McGrath's flight was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but his was delayed, too. So rather than endure a long airport wait, he went back home and hopped on the plane the next morning. He got here Wednesday afternoon.
“We just changed our practice time, so it all worked out,” said Karam.
Now they can focus on making it all work out on the ice.
So far, so good in that area. And it could get better. With 29.00 points in the bank, Karam and McGrath are just 1.82 out of the bronze-medal position now occupied by Chantal Lefebvre of LaSalle, Que., and Moscow-born Arseniy Markov, who represents the Prescott Figure Skating Club. In between them, in fourth, are Lauren Senft of West Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason (30.70).
Worth noting: Canada can send three ice dance teams to the 2007 worlds in Tokyo.
In more ways than one.
The Minto Skating Club duo finds itself in fifth place after today's senior compulsory dance. Keep it up, and the second-year seniors — who finished seventh at home in Ottawa last year — are right in target to hit their goal this week in Halifax.
“We want to get on the national team, and skate our best, as always,” said McGrath, 21.
Their seventh-place finish a year ago meant no senior Grand Prix assignments in the fall. But Karam said that wasn't exactly a bad thing.
“We've been together so long, if we compete once in a year or 10 times a year, it still feels the same,” she said. “It really doesn't make a difference. It just gave us more time to train.”
It wouldn't be a Canadians without a Karam and McGrath travel adventure story. At least Karam, who owns one of the best smiles in figure skating, can grin about it now.
“We're used to that,” she said.
Karam's flight from their training base in Detroit was delayed and she missed her connection to Halifax. So she found herself stuck at the airport in Newark, N.J., for nine hours. She finally got here after 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
“I just did homework,” she said. “I brought all my books, thank God. If not, I would have wasted my whole day.”
Did she run out?
“Oh no, I could do it forever,” said Karam, 20, a third-year student at the University of Windsor, although she admits the extra study time has her ahead of the game.
“We have 40 hours a week of homework,” said McGrath, also in third year.
McGrath's flight was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but his was delayed, too. So rather than endure a long airport wait, he went back home and hopped on the plane the next morning. He got here Wednesday afternoon.
“We just changed our practice time, so it all worked out,” said Karam.
Now they can focus on making it all work out on the ice.
So far, so good in that area. And it could get better. With 29.00 points in the bank, Karam and McGrath are just 1.82 out of the bronze-medal position now occupied by Chantal Lefebvre of LaSalle, Que., and Moscow-born Arseniy Markov, who represents the Prescott Figure Skating Club. In between them, in fourth, are Lauren Senft of West Vancouver, B.C., and Winnipeg's Leif Gislason (30.70).
Worth noting: Canada can send three ice dance teams to the 2007 worlds in Tokyo.
Stepping Up In Class
Two straight years, they arrived at the Canadian figure skating championships awash in expections.
Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno didn't disappoint. They grabbed the silver medal in junior dance in 2005 in London, Ont., in their first nationals together. A year ago in Ottawa, they rose to the top of the podium in Ottawa — a golden homecoming of sorts for Hann-McCurdy, who's from Orleans and represents the Gloucester Skating Club.
But it's a whole new world now for this promising young dance duo, which now calls Vancouver home and is coached by former world champion Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz. They're first-year seniors just trying to get noticed this year in Halifax.
“It's much less nerve-wracking being in senior,” said Hann-McCurdy, 19. “Nobody expects anything from you ... Our goals are just based on our performances. Performing well and making people notice us. We'll talk about (placement) numbers next year.”
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno got a major introduction to the senior world in the fall with their first two senior Grand Prix assignments. They finished 10th at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris and 11th at Skate America in Hartford, Conn. The field at both events included reigning world champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria.
“That definitely helped the transition to senior,” said Hann-McCurdy.
Added Coreno, 22, of Delhi, Ont.: “It's funny because there was less pressure doing that. You just want to showcase your skills and see what happens and get feedback.”
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno posted a score of 25.29 points for their Golden Waltz compulsory dance yesterday. That leaves them in ninth place out of 17 couples, just 0.24 points behind veteran seniors Mylene Lamoureux and Michael Mee of Quebec.
Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno didn't disappoint. They grabbed the silver medal in junior dance in 2005 in London, Ont., in their first nationals together. A year ago in Ottawa, they rose to the top of the podium in Ottawa — a golden homecoming of sorts for Hann-McCurdy, who's from Orleans and represents the Gloucester Skating Club.
But it's a whole new world now for this promising young dance duo, which now calls Vancouver home and is coached by former world champion Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz. They're first-year seniors just trying to get noticed this year in Halifax.
“It's much less nerve-wracking being in senior,” said Hann-McCurdy, 19. “Nobody expects anything from you ... Our goals are just based on our performances. Performing well and making people notice us. We'll talk about (placement) numbers next year.”
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno got a major introduction to the senior world in the fall with their first two senior Grand Prix assignments. They finished 10th at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris and 11th at Skate America in Hartford, Conn. The field at both events included reigning world champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria.
“That definitely helped the transition to senior,” said Hann-McCurdy.
Added Coreno, 22, of Delhi, Ont.: “It's funny because there was less pressure doing that. You just want to showcase your skills and see what happens and get feedback.”
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno posted a score of 25.29 points for their Golden Waltz compulsory dance yesterday. That leaves them in ninth place out of 17 couples, just 0.24 points behind veteran seniors Mylene Lamoureux and Michael Mee of Quebec.
Ten For 2010?
One of the handy things Skate Canada prepares for the media at each major competition, such as this one, is a set of brief biographical sketches of every competitor. Besides the standard birthdate, home town, coach and club details, skaters are asked to supply a thought about their short and long-term goals.
I still smile when I think about a long-term goal a 14-year-old Vancouver skater expressed back at the 2004 Skate Canada Junior Nationals in Ottawa: “Ten for 2010.”
Jeremy Ten, who's 17 now and keeps rapidly moving up the ranks, took another impressive step toward his biggest goal with a supreme performance in the junior men's free skate today. Ten landed six triple jumps and posted a personal best score of 112.68 to blow away the field in what had been a close competition after the short program.
Ten, second after the short, finished with a 165.96 overall total— nearly 20 points better than silver medallist Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. Short program winner Jean-Simon Legare of Beauport, Que., took the bronze, while Nathan Last of the Nepean Skating Club wound up 14th.
“I'm so proud of what I did out there today,” said Ten of his fourth straight national medal (gold as pre-novice in 2004, silver in novice in 2005, silver in junior behind Labrador City's Joey Russell a year ago).
That catchy phrase he offered up three years ago?
Oh, it's still very much alive, too.
“We say that to him,” said Jill Marie Harvey, who coaches Ten with Joanne McLeod and Bruno Marcotte at the B.C. Centre of Excellence in Burnaby.
“It makes it seem more achievable.”
Ten's skating keeps doing a lot to make it seem possible, too.
I still smile when I think about a long-term goal a 14-year-old Vancouver skater expressed back at the 2004 Skate Canada Junior Nationals in Ottawa: “Ten for 2010.”
Jeremy Ten, who's 17 now and keeps rapidly moving up the ranks, took another impressive step toward his biggest goal with a supreme performance in the junior men's free skate today. Ten landed six triple jumps and posted a personal best score of 112.68 to blow away the field in what had been a close competition after the short program.
Ten, second after the short, finished with a 165.96 overall total— nearly 20 points better than silver medallist Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. Short program winner Jean-Simon Legare of Beauport, Que., took the bronze, while Nathan Last of the Nepean Skating Club wound up 14th.
“I'm so proud of what I did out there today,” said Ten of his fourth straight national medal (gold as pre-novice in 2004, silver in novice in 2005, silver in junior behind Labrador City's Joey Russell a year ago).
That catchy phrase he offered up three years ago?
Oh, it's still very much alive, too.
“We say that to him,” said Jill Marie Harvey, who coaches Ten with Joanne McLeod and Bruno Marcotte at the B.C. Centre of Excellence in Burnaby.
“It makes it seem more achievable.”
Ten's skating keeps doing a lot to make it seem possible, too.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Junior Achievement
The medal picture in the junior ice dance event came into rather clear focus this afternoon.
With an impressive victory in the original dance, Vanessa Crone of Aurora and Unionville's Paul Poirier put a virtual hammerlock on the battle for the gold medal. With a 77.03 overall point total, Crone and Poirier stretched their lead to 3.4 points over Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam. That's a mountain in ice dance.
Lenko and Islam, meanwhile, are 3.74 points in front of third-place Sophie Knippel of Ottawa and Matthew Doleman of Dundas, who in turn are 4.11 better than the duo in fourth, Quebec's Karen Routhier and Eric Saucke-Lacelle.
In other words, you can pretty much guess the composition of the podium when the medals get handed out after Friday morning's free dance.
The first medals of the 2007 Canadian championships will be presented Thursday morning, after the junior men's free skate. The leaders in the chase for the medals after today's short program: Jean-Simon Legare of Beauport, Que. (54.25 points); Vancouver's Jeremy Ten (53.28), and Moscow-born Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. Nathan Last of the Nepean Skating Club stands 13th.
ON THE HOME FRONT:
*** Maybe this is finally Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko's turn. And what a place for it to happen for her. The petite 15-year-old from the Minto Skating Club has put together a strong competitive season from start to finish, but spent much of it playing bridesmaid. She finished second behind Nepean's Brooke Paulin (by a mere 0.03 points) at the Eastern Ontario Sectionals in November at the Nepean Sportsplex, and just missed a medal at the Eastern Challenge in Moncton, N.B., in December, winding up fourth behind clubmate Annie Claire Bergeron-Oliver by just 0.89 points.
But Zhalko-Tytarenko warmed to the big stage at the Metro Centre today, skating a confident short program to put herself in third place behind B.C.'s Kathryn Kang and Cecylia Witkowski. Kang scored 41.16 points, Witkowski 40.60 and Zhalko-Tytarenko 38.14. The Minto skater holds a 1.3-point edge over fourth-place Karine Chevrier of Pincourt, Que.
The free skate final is Saturday morning, and Zhalko-Tytarenko will close the show. She has drawn the final start position in the last of four flights.
Zhalko-Tytarenko, who was born in Kiev, switched her training base to Laurel, Md. this season. She is now coached by former Soviet ice dance star Genrikh Sretenski.
Bergeron-Oliver, who's battled an assortment of injuries this season, stands ninth after a solid skate today. With a 35.05-point total, she is less than two points away from cracking the top five. Bergeron-Oliver placed seventh in her junior debut at Canadians at home in Ottawa last year.
The third Minto skater in the event, Alexandrine Chong, placed 14th in the short.
*** You no doubt have noticed the look of this blog has changed. I thought the old template was a little tough on the eyes, so I changed it to something that's cleaner and (I hope) easier to read. Your comments on the new look are welcome, as always.
With an impressive victory in the original dance, Vanessa Crone of Aurora and Unionville's Paul Poirier put a virtual hammerlock on the battle for the gold medal. With a 77.03 overall point total, Crone and Poirier stretched their lead to 3.4 points over Barrie's Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam. That's a mountain in ice dance.
Lenko and Islam, meanwhile, are 3.74 points in front of third-place Sophie Knippel of Ottawa and Matthew Doleman of Dundas, who in turn are 4.11 better than the duo in fourth, Quebec's Karen Routhier and Eric Saucke-Lacelle.
In other words, you can pretty much guess the composition of the podium when the medals get handed out after Friday morning's free dance.
The first medals of the 2007 Canadian championships will be presented Thursday morning, after the junior men's free skate. The leaders in the chase for the medals after today's short program: Jean-Simon Legare of Beauport, Que. (54.25 points); Vancouver's Jeremy Ten (53.28), and Moscow-born Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. Nathan Last of the Nepean Skating Club stands 13th.
ON THE HOME FRONT:
*** Maybe this is finally Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko's turn. And what a place for it to happen for her. The petite 15-year-old from the Minto Skating Club has put together a strong competitive season from start to finish, but spent much of it playing bridesmaid. She finished second behind Nepean's Brooke Paulin (by a mere 0.03 points) at the Eastern Ontario Sectionals in November at the Nepean Sportsplex, and just missed a medal at the Eastern Challenge in Moncton, N.B., in December, winding up fourth behind clubmate Annie Claire Bergeron-Oliver by just 0.89 points.
But Zhalko-Tytarenko warmed to the big stage at the Metro Centre today, skating a confident short program to put herself in third place behind B.C.'s Kathryn Kang and Cecylia Witkowski. Kang scored 41.16 points, Witkowski 40.60 and Zhalko-Tytarenko 38.14. The Minto skater holds a 1.3-point edge over fourth-place Karine Chevrier of Pincourt, Que.
The free skate final is Saturday morning, and Zhalko-Tytarenko will close the show. She has drawn the final start position in the last of four flights.
Zhalko-Tytarenko, who was born in Kiev, switched her training base to Laurel, Md. this season. She is now coached by former Soviet ice dance star Genrikh Sretenski.
Bergeron-Oliver, who's battled an assortment of injuries this season, stands ninth after a solid skate today. With a 35.05-point total, she is less than two points away from cracking the top five. Bergeron-Oliver placed seventh in her junior debut at Canadians at home in Ottawa last year.
The third Minto skater in the event, Alexandrine Chong, placed 14th in the short.
*** You no doubt have noticed the look of this blog has changed. I thought the old template was a little tough on the eyes, so I changed it to something that's cleaner and (I hope) easier to read. Your comments on the new look are welcome, as always.
Have Skates, Will Travel
Somewhere in Germany, a young woman with small feet — and we mean really small feet — is no doubt enjoying the use of a comfortable, well broken-in pair of figure skates.
At least Anabelle Langlois figures that what had to have happened to her custom made pride and joys, which still haven't caught up with her since her Lufthansa flight left Toronto on Nov. 21 for the Cup of Russia Grand Prix event in Moscow. Langlois watched them make their way along the luggage conveyor belt at Pearson Airport in T.O., and knows they got as far as Frankfurt.
After that ... well, it couldn't be a bigger mystery.
She's been to Russia and back. The skates — not to mention a bunch of jewelry and competition makeup, a national team track suit and several pairs of skating tights — long ago lost touch with her.
“I have no idea where my skates are,” said Langlois, 25, of Hull, Que. “I was looking at pictures from Skate America that I was signing (autographs on) and I was saying 'those are my skates, those are my skates that are gone!' ”
Lufthansa has offered to reimburse her $500 for her losses, but the skates alone are worth $2,700.
“That ($500) wouldn't even cover what was in my makeup case, or a (skate) blade,” said Langlois.
Ordinarily, you might think getting a new pair would be easy enough. But Langlois takes a tiny 3-1/2 skate size, and the pair she lost had to be custom made.
“I'm not very tall ... they don't come much smaller than me,” said Langlois, who stands a mere 4-foot-11. “I'd look really silly if I had big feet.”
“They're almost not there,” said Cody Hay, her pairs partner from Grande Prairie, Alta.
Fortunately, Jackson Skates was able to get Langlois a new pair, but not until they lost three weeks of training. Then there was the painful process of breaking them in — something Langlois normally starts in the spring, not a month before the Canadian championships.
“As much as I was trying not to build up any anger over this, when I had to break in the new ones ...,” she said. “Let me tell you, the first couple of blistering days and bruising days and weekends ... poor Cody had to deal with me.”
It certainly gave him a new perspective on pain.
“Any time I felt like complaining, I'd look at her trying to break in her skates and thought 'maybe this isn't the best time to complain,' ” said Hay, 23. “It helped me with my training, seeing what she was going through.”
Added Langlois: “One day, he tried to tell me his foot was hurting and just gave him this glare (think Barbara Fusar-Poli giving Maurizio Margaglio the death stare after their original program flop at the Turin Olympics) ... The skin on my feet was ripped, I had bruises all over my ankles.”
The boots fit fine now, and Langlois says she's well stocked again in the makeup department.
“Everybody gave me gift certificates for makeup for Christmas,” she said. “I was in Russia with nothing but the lip gloss in my purse. No mascara, no nothing ... it was very tragic.”
The latter line was followed with a laugh. Then again, with Langlois, it's always something and she's gotten pretty used to that fact.
“Someday, I'll write a book ... The Adventures of Anabelle,” she said. “I love drama.”
Sounds like a good read to me.
Hell, I'd make myself available to write it. You just can't make this kind of stuff up.
At least Anabelle Langlois figures that what had to have happened to her custom made pride and joys, which still haven't caught up with her since her Lufthansa flight left Toronto on Nov. 21 for the Cup of Russia Grand Prix event in Moscow. Langlois watched them make their way along the luggage conveyor belt at Pearson Airport in T.O., and knows they got as far as Frankfurt.
After that ... well, it couldn't be a bigger mystery.
She's been to Russia and back. The skates — not to mention a bunch of jewelry and competition makeup, a national team track suit and several pairs of skating tights — long ago lost touch with her.
“I have no idea where my skates are,” said Langlois, 25, of Hull, Que. “I was looking at pictures from Skate America that I was signing (autographs on) and I was saying 'those are my skates, those are my skates that are gone!' ”
Lufthansa has offered to reimburse her $500 for her losses, but the skates alone are worth $2,700.
“That ($500) wouldn't even cover what was in my makeup case, or a (skate) blade,” said Langlois.
Ordinarily, you might think getting a new pair would be easy enough. But Langlois takes a tiny 3-1/2 skate size, and the pair she lost had to be custom made.
“I'm not very tall ... they don't come much smaller than me,” said Langlois, who stands a mere 4-foot-11. “I'd look really silly if I had big feet.”
“They're almost not there,” said Cody Hay, her pairs partner from Grande Prairie, Alta.
Fortunately, Jackson Skates was able to get Langlois a new pair, but not until they lost three weeks of training. Then there was the painful process of breaking them in — something Langlois normally starts in the spring, not a month before the Canadian championships.
“As much as I was trying not to build up any anger over this, when I had to break in the new ones ...,” she said. “Let me tell you, the first couple of blistering days and bruising days and weekends ... poor Cody had to deal with me.”
It certainly gave him a new perspective on pain.
“Any time I felt like complaining, I'd look at her trying to break in her skates and thought 'maybe this isn't the best time to complain,' ” said Hay, 23. “It helped me with my training, seeing what she was going through.”
Added Langlois: “One day, he tried to tell me his foot was hurting and just gave him this glare (think Barbara Fusar-Poli giving Maurizio Margaglio the death stare after their original program flop at the Turin Olympics) ... The skin on my feet was ripped, I had bruises all over my ankles.”
The boots fit fine now, and Langlois says she's well stocked again in the makeup department.
“Everybody gave me gift certificates for makeup for Christmas,” she said. “I was in Russia with nothing but the lip gloss in my purse. No mascara, no nothing ... it was very tragic.”
The latter line was followed with a laugh. Then again, with Langlois, it's always something and she's gotten pretty used to that fact.
“Someday, I'll write a book ... The Adventures of Anabelle,” she said. “I love drama.”
Sounds like a good read to me.
Hell, I'd make myself available to write it. You just can't make this kind of stuff up.
They Pay Me For This?
Today is 'junior day' at Canadians, meaning it's the younger set's turn in the spotlight while the big guns cool their heels away from competition ice for a day.
Which means, for lot of them, the highlight of the day (of course, right?) is the opening press conference at the Metro Centre. What skater doesn't relish the thought of spending as much time as possible talking with us ink-stained wretches (to coin an old phrase)?
Fortunately, in this sport, that statement isn't too much of a stretch. One thing you have to say about figure skaters: With very few exceptions, they're wonderfully nice people who do a lot to make our job easier.
Put it this way: If someone asked me to put together a top 20 list of my favourite athletes that I've dealt with over the years, I'd bet half of them (at least) would be figure skaters. And I hope some of the ones who'd be on that list know who they are (they should).
Let's just say there are a lot worse things a guy could get paid to do for a living.
NEWS AND NOTES
*** Skate Canada CEO William Thompson announced yesterday that Sony has inked a four-year deal as a major association sponsor. That would explain the Sony Bravia signs on the rinkboards. Which begs the question: When can we get one of those HD beauties in the media room? TSN is shooting the event in high def, after all. And trust me, it doesn't get much better than TV in HD. Then again, we might never leave our little workspace.
*** Speaking of TSN ... the network plans to offer Internet streaming of the winning performances of all the senior free skates and short programs, and the free and original dance on TSN Broadband. All will be up and running by the end of the dance event Sunday.
*** They do a really neat thing at the welcome reception at Canadians. All the skaters are paraded in as provincial teams, just like at the Canada Games, each with a 'flag bearer' (okay, sign carrier). Annie Claire Bergeron-Oliver of the Minto Skating Club did the honours for Eastern Ontario.
*** Couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness — as many no doubt did — when the late, great Osborne Colson's image was displayed during a video from last year's Canadians in Ottawa that was shown during the ceremony. Patrick Chan, his former pupil, no doubt misses Ozzie every day and thinks of him plenty. This event, and the sport in Canada, just won't be the same without 'the wizard of Os.' (as former Sun colleague Barre Campbell — brother of Skate Canada media manager Melanie — called Colson in a fab piece last year).
Which means, for lot of them, the highlight of the day (of course, right?) is the opening press conference at the Metro Centre. What skater doesn't relish the thought of spending as much time as possible talking with us ink-stained wretches (to coin an old phrase)?
Fortunately, in this sport, that statement isn't too much of a stretch. One thing you have to say about figure skaters: With very few exceptions, they're wonderfully nice people who do a lot to make our job easier.
Put it this way: If someone asked me to put together a top 20 list of my favourite athletes that I've dealt with over the years, I'd bet half of them (at least) would be figure skaters. And I hope some of the ones who'd be on that list know who they are (they should).
Let's just say there are a lot worse things a guy could get paid to do for a living.
NEWS AND NOTES
*** Skate Canada CEO William Thompson announced yesterday that Sony has inked a four-year deal as a major association sponsor. That would explain the Sony Bravia signs on the rinkboards. Which begs the question: When can we get one of those HD beauties in the media room? TSN is shooting the event in high def, after all. And trust me, it doesn't get much better than TV in HD. Then again, we might never leave our little workspace.
*** Speaking of TSN ... the network plans to offer Internet streaming of the winning performances of all the senior free skates and short programs, and the free and original dance on TSN Broadband. All will be up and running by the end of the dance event Sunday.
*** They do a really neat thing at the welcome reception at Canadians. All the skaters are paraded in as provincial teams, just like at the Canada Games, each with a 'flag bearer' (okay, sign carrier). Annie Claire Bergeron-Oliver of the Minto Skating Club did the honours for Eastern Ontario.
*** Couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness — as many no doubt did — when the late, great Osborne Colson's image was displayed during a video from last year's Canadians in Ottawa that was shown during the ceremony. Patrick Chan, his former pupil, no doubt misses Ozzie every day and thinks of him plenty. This event, and the sport in Canada, just won't be the same without 'the wizard of Os.' (as former Sun colleague Barre Campbell — brother of Skate Canada media manager Melanie — called Colson in a fab piece last year).
Married and Lovin' It
A Halifax Chronicle-Herald story the other day referred to Lesley Hawker as 'Mrs. Jamie Doherty,' a reference to the fine young Kanata lad she married back in June.
While such a term might seem just a trifle (or more) old fashioned in this day and age, Hawker admits to being a 'traditional' lady. And she didn't mind it one bit.
“It doesn't bother me at all,” said 25-year-old favourite of us media types (hey, how could you not like her?) from Barrie, smiling as usual.
(Lesley reports that Mr. Doherty got quite the kick out of it when he read it online).
Canadians this week offers a rare treat for Hawker — quality time with her new hubby at a skating event. They don't see a lot of each other during the season: Hawker trains in Detroit with coach Richard Callaghan, while Doherty is doing stem cell research at the University of Toronto (she thinks the 'scientist and skater' thing is a rather perfect match, by the way).
Basically, it's weekends together and that's about it, which isn't exactly the ideal way to begin a marriage. But Hawker calls her husband “a super supporter” of her skating dreams, which are far from done yet even though her age might suggest otherwise to some (worth noting: She was asking yesterday if anyone knew yet where next year's Canadians are. Yes, she plans to be there. And yes, as a competitor).
While Hawker admits the figure skating world she inhabits “is not his world in the least,” Doherty will no doubt be her No. 1 fan in the Metro Centre later this week when the women's event gets going for real (with all due respect to her parents, of course, who are also making the trip).
And for those of you who were all out of sorts about the nasty weather you had to fight through to get here on Monday, the other side of the story: Hawker flew from Detroit to Toronto on her way here, but her flight to Halifax got cancelled until Tuesday. So she got to spend a precious extra night with Jamie in Toronto before leaving.
Now, doesn't that newlywed thought make you all feel a little bit better?
While such a term might seem just a trifle (or more) old fashioned in this day and age, Hawker admits to being a 'traditional' lady. And she didn't mind it one bit.
“It doesn't bother me at all,” said 25-year-old favourite of us media types (hey, how could you not like her?) from Barrie, smiling as usual.
(Lesley reports that Mr. Doherty got quite the kick out of it when he read it online).
Canadians this week offers a rare treat for Hawker — quality time with her new hubby at a skating event. They don't see a lot of each other during the season: Hawker trains in Detroit with coach Richard Callaghan, while Doherty is doing stem cell research at the University of Toronto (she thinks the 'scientist and skater' thing is a rather perfect match, by the way).
Basically, it's weekends together and that's about it, which isn't exactly the ideal way to begin a marriage. But Hawker calls her husband “a super supporter” of her skating dreams, which are far from done yet even though her age might suggest otherwise to some (worth noting: She was asking yesterday if anyone knew yet where next year's Canadians are. Yes, she plans to be there. And yes, as a competitor).
While Hawker admits the figure skating world she inhabits “is not his world in the least,” Doherty will no doubt be her No. 1 fan in the Metro Centre later this week when the women's event gets going for real (with all due respect to her parents, of course, who are also making the trip).
And for those of you who were all out of sorts about the nasty weather you had to fight through to get here on Monday, the other side of the story: Hawker flew from Detroit to Toronto on her way here, but her flight to Halifax got cancelled until Tuesday. So she got to spend a precious extra night with Jamie in Toronto before leaving.
Now, doesn't that newlywed thought make you all feel a little bit better?
This Land Is Our Land
You bring together a couple hundred or so folks from across the country, you quickly find out what a vast land it is that we all call home.
It's a virtual geography lesson everywhere you turn.
Jeffrey Buttle's home town is listed as Smooth Rock Falls, a small burg in northern Ontario. Fellow Canadian champ Joannie Rochette hails from Ile-Dupas, a tiny village of about 500 about an hour this side of Montreal. And on and on it goes.
Just last night, I learned all about the famed Cherry Festival in Blenheim, a town of 4,800 in southwestern Ontario, not far from Chatham (Shae-Lynn Bourne's home town, don't ya know). The highlight of the festival is the Pit Spitting Contest, from which a winner emerges to contest a world championship somewhere in Michigan.
Of course, all of this was amusing to moi because I spent a number of years working in St. Thomas, which happens to be about an hour's drive east of Blenheim (with hotspots such as Dutton, West Lorne, Rodney and Ridgetown along the way).
St. T was a major railway hub back in the day, and its biggest claim to fame is that P.T. Barnum's largest elephant (the aptly named Jumbo) met its demise on the Grand Trunk line there in 1885. There is even a life-sized statue in the west end of the city that was erected in memory of the giant pachyderm. A former mayor once had 'Jumbo' as his licence plate (no, I'm not making any of this up).
But I digress ...
My source for the Blenheim gem was none other than Skate Canada's fine young 'facility manager' at the Halifax Civic Centre (a.k.a. the Forum), which is serving as the practice rink here. The word is that, like most practice rinks at Canadians, it's colder than ... well, outside ... there. In other words, like a lot of the small-town iceboxes I used to cover junior hockey in during my St. T. life.
I don't doubt the Forum fits into the same category, given the source.
After all, Sarah is from Blenheim.
(though she happily — and wisely, I might add — now calls Ottawa home).
It's a virtual geography lesson everywhere you turn.
Jeffrey Buttle's home town is listed as Smooth Rock Falls, a small burg in northern Ontario. Fellow Canadian champ Joannie Rochette hails from Ile-Dupas, a tiny village of about 500 about an hour this side of Montreal. And on and on it goes.
Just last night, I learned all about the famed Cherry Festival in Blenheim, a town of 4,800 in southwestern Ontario, not far from Chatham (Shae-Lynn Bourne's home town, don't ya know). The highlight of the festival is the Pit Spitting Contest, from which a winner emerges to contest a world championship somewhere in Michigan.
Of course, all of this was amusing to moi because I spent a number of years working in St. Thomas, which happens to be about an hour's drive east of Blenheim (with hotspots such as Dutton, West Lorne, Rodney and Ridgetown along the way).
St. T was a major railway hub back in the day, and its biggest claim to fame is that P.T. Barnum's largest elephant (the aptly named Jumbo) met its demise on the Grand Trunk line there in 1885. There is even a life-sized statue in the west end of the city that was erected in memory of the giant pachyderm. A former mayor once had 'Jumbo' as his licence plate (no, I'm not making any of this up).
But I digress ...
My source for the Blenheim gem was none other than Skate Canada's fine young 'facility manager' at the Halifax Civic Centre (a.k.a. the Forum), which is serving as the practice rink here. The word is that, like most practice rinks at Canadians, it's colder than ... well, outside ... there. In other words, like a lot of the small-town iceboxes I used to cover junior hockey in during my St. T. life.
I don't doubt the Forum fits into the same category, given the source.
After all, Sarah is from Blenheim.
(though she happily — and wisely, I might add — now calls Ottawa home).
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Joey Rocks The House
If you listened closely last night, you might have heard them cheering all the way from Labrador City.
Joey Russell, well on his way to becoming the biggest name the province has ever had in this sport (if he isn't already), drew a well-earned standing ovation during the men's qualifying session at the Metro Centre last night. Russell landed seven triples jumps — including a pair of impressive triple-triple combinations — in a fine display of improvement. His score of 117.63 was a personal best by nearly 13 points, a whopping improvement.
It was the performance of the night until Edmonton's Vaughn Chipeur went a tad better, posting a 117.94 score to win the night. Everyone goes back to zero, though, for Friday's short program.
Russell, who won the junior men's title a year ago at the Ottawa Civic Centre, has seen his star has continue its rapid ascent since he set up camp at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie under the tutelage of Lee Barkell — the same coach who guides the fortunes of Olympic bronze medallist Jeffrey Buttle.
The 18-year-old Russell should be a skater to watch in the years to come.
They're surely paying big attention back home in Lab City.
ON THE HOME FRONT
*** Ottawa's Sophie Knippel and partner Matthew Doleman of Dundas stand third after the compulsories in what is shaping up to be a tight race for the podium in the junior ice dance event. Two Quebec teams are within 0.30 points of the Knippel/Doleman duo heading into today's original dance.
*** It was a good day for three Eastern Ontario skaters in men's qualifying. Brennan Martin (11th) of the Minto Skating Club, and Kingston's Jamie Forsythe (12th) and Tyler Cochrane (13th) all advanced to Thursday's short program. Minto's Michael Elias (19th) was eliminated.
Joey Russell, well on his way to becoming the biggest name the province has ever had in this sport (if he isn't already), drew a well-earned standing ovation during the men's qualifying session at the Metro Centre last night. Russell landed seven triples jumps — including a pair of impressive triple-triple combinations — in a fine display of improvement. His score of 117.63 was a personal best by nearly 13 points, a whopping improvement.
It was the performance of the night until Edmonton's Vaughn Chipeur went a tad better, posting a 117.94 score to win the night. Everyone goes back to zero, though, for Friday's short program.
Russell, who won the junior men's title a year ago at the Ottawa Civic Centre, has seen his star has continue its rapid ascent since he set up camp at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie under the tutelage of Lee Barkell — the same coach who guides the fortunes of Olympic bronze medallist Jeffrey Buttle.
The 18-year-old Russell should be a skater to watch in the years to come.
They're surely paying big attention back home in Lab City.
ON THE HOME FRONT
*** Ottawa's Sophie Knippel and partner Matthew Doleman of Dundas stand third after the compulsories in what is shaping up to be a tight race for the podium in the junior ice dance event. Two Quebec teams are within 0.30 points of the Knippel/Doleman duo heading into today's original dance.
*** It was a good day for three Eastern Ontario skaters in men's qualifying. Brennan Martin (11th) of the Minto Skating Club, and Kingston's Jamie Forsythe (12th) and Tyler Cochrane (13th) all advanced to Thursday's short program. Minto's Michael Elias (19th) was eliminated.
And Now For Something Completely Different ...
When you're a reporter on the road, you always hope to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing time in the places you're fortunate to visit.
Which is why it's especially fun when you hit a spot like Halifax — it may just be my favourite Canadian city outside of the one I live in. Love the people, love the nightlife (at least the part I get to sample in the downtown core), love the scenery.
On, and speaking of scenery ... had to chuckle when I saw this little item at a downtown newsstand: The Nova Scotia University Girls Calendar, with the subhead '12 reasons to go to university in Nova Scotia.' Call it their version of a Sunshine Girl Calendar (there's no Sun newspaper out here, by the way).
And I'm betting that the high school lads back where I'm from might well decide Saint Mary's, Dalhousie, Acadia, St. FX, etc., just could be the place to continue their education if they catch a glimpse of this — ahem — recruiting brochure.
More info at http://www.universitygirlscalendar.com if you want to 'judge' for yourself.
And now we return to you to our regularly scheduled figure skating programming ...
Which is why it's especially fun when you hit a spot like Halifax — it may just be my favourite Canadian city outside of the one I live in. Love the people, love the nightlife (at least the part I get to sample in the downtown core), love the scenery.
On, and speaking of scenery ... had to chuckle when I saw this little item at a downtown newsstand: The Nova Scotia University Girls Calendar, with the subhead '12 reasons to go to university in Nova Scotia.' Call it their version of a Sunshine Girl Calendar (there's no Sun newspaper out here, by the way).
And I'm betting that the high school lads back where I'm from might well decide Saint Mary's, Dalhousie, Acadia, St. FX, etc., just could be the place to continue their education if they catch a glimpse of this — ahem — recruiting brochure.
More info at http://www.universitygirlscalendar.com if you want to 'judge' for yourself.
And now we return to you to our regularly scheduled figure skating programming ...
A New Beginning
Every time I walked past Amanda Billings at last year's world championships in Calgary, I couldn't help feeling a touch of sadness.
Not that Billings didn't have a blast playing volunteer at such a big event in her home town (she'll tell you she soaked up every minute of it). But you know, somewhere deep down inside, she wished it was her out there on the ice, living the biggest of dreams in the arena first made famous by the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The poor girl just never had a chance.
Billings showed up injured at the Canadian championships two months earlier in Ottawa, having badly sprained an ankle during a freak off-ice accident. The gutsy Albertan gave it a shot anyways, but the pain was too great after she endured the qualifying session. So up went the WD beside her name. Not to suggest Mira Leung wasn't a deserving world team member (with two-time national champ Joannie Rochette), but a healthy Billings certainly would have been a worthy challenger in Ottawa for both the Olympic and world teams.
It's with that backdrop that a smiling Billings talked yesterday about being happy to be back in the game again.
“It's just great to be injury free,” said Billings, 20, who finished fifth in yesterday's women's qualifying session to advance to Thursday's short program. “It was a whole different experience, not to have to be worrying about an injury in the back of your mind.
“Just to get back here was a great experience.”
One final women's qualifying note: Gatineau's Kim Caissy, a former Canadian juvenile and pre-novice champ, snagged the 14th of 15 available spots for the short program.
Not that Billings didn't have a blast playing volunteer at such a big event in her home town (she'll tell you she soaked up every minute of it). But you know, somewhere deep down inside, she wished it was her out there on the ice, living the biggest of dreams in the arena first made famous by the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The poor girl just never had a chance.
Billings showed up injured at the Canadian championships two months earlier in Ottawa, having badly sprained an ankle during a freak off-ice accident. The gutsy Albertan gave it a shot anyways, but the pain was too great after she endured the qualifying session. So up went the WD beside her name. Not to suggest Mira Leung wasn't a deserving world team member (with two-time national champ Joannie Rochette), but a healthy Billings certainly would have been a worthy challenger in Ottawa for both the Olympic and world teams.
It's with that backdrop that a smiling Billings talked yesterday about being happy to be back in the game again.
“It's just great to be injury free,” said Billings, 20, who finished fifth in yesterday's women's qualifying session to advance to Thursday's short program. “It was a whole different experience, not to have to be worrying about an injury in the back of your mind.
“Just to get back here was a great experience.”
One final women's qualifying note: Gatineau's Kim Caissy, a former Canadian juvenile and pre-novice champ, snagged the 14th of 15 available spots for the short program.
Nineteen Candles
There are those teenage girls who always seem to find a way to come up with some rather elaborate birthday plans.
And then there is Cynthia Phaneuf, whose 19th birthday wish was a rather simple one.
“That was my gift to me,” the former national champion from Contrecoeur, Que., said after celebrating her big day by laying down the best skate of women's qualifying yesterday at the Canadian figure skating championships.
The crowd was sparse at the Metro Centre, but it didn't matter to Phaneuf, who hadn't skated in a major competition since the 2005 world championships in Moscow. First a stress fracture in her ankle wiped out her 2005-06 season, then a wonky right knee made this season start to seem iffy (she didn't start full training until late August) until she finally hit the competition ice in November for Quebec sectionals in Gatineau.
The road back has been long and hard for Phaneuf, who seemed like the next big thing in Canadian women's skating when she won the Canadian title at age 15 in Edmonton in 2004 (she turned 16 the following week). But it's literally been just like starting over for the ex-champ, who's had to deal with the normal body changes of a teenage girl and a three-inch growth spurt (she's now 5-foot-6) while trying to get past the injuries.
“I cried a lot,” she said of literally having to regain all her triple jumps. “When I started back, nothing was working. And I definitely didn't want my career to stop. I worked a lot, a lot, a lot. Sometimes it was very hard, but my goal was to get back here.”
Phaneuf still isn't confident enough in her triple loop or triple flip to put them in her programs (coach Annie Barabe said her skater is probably “six months away” from being in top form again). She only landed three triples cleanly yesterday, and put a hand down on a triple lutz. But given everything she's been through, no wonder Phaneuf could smile afterward and say “I'm very proud of what I did.”
Her goal this week is a modest one — top five, which would put her back on the national team, and into the international mix again next fall.
Let's just say this birthday gift was a great way for her to start.
And then there is Cynthia Phaneuf, whose 19th birthday wish was a rather simple one.
“That was my gift to me,” the former national champion from Contrecoeur, Que., said after celebrating her big day by laying down the best skate of women's qualifying yesterday at the Canadian figure skating championships.
The crowd was sparse at the Metro Centre, but it didn't matter to Phaneuf, who hadn't skated in a major competition since the 2005 world championships in Moscow. First a stress fracture in her ankle wiped out her 2005-06 season, then a wonky right knee made this season start to seem iffy (she didn't start full training until late August) until she finally hit the competition ice in November for Quebec sectionals in Gatineau.
The road back has been long and hard for Phaneuf, who seemed like the next big thing in Canadian women's skating when she won the Canadian title at age 15 in Edmonton in 2004 (she turned 16 the following week). But it's literally been just like starting over for the ex-champ, who's had to deal with the normal body changes of a teenage girl and a three-inch growth spurt (she's now 5-foot-6) while trying to get past the injuries.
“I cried a lot,” she said of literally having to regain all her triple jumps. “When I started back, nothing was working. And I definitely didn't want my career to stop. I worked a lot, a lot, a lot. Sometimes it was very hard, but my goal was to get back here.”
Phaneuf still isn't confident enough in her triple loop or triple flip to put them in her programs (coach Annie Barabe said her skater is probably “six months away” from being in top form again). She only landed three triples cleanly yesterday, and put a hand down on a triple lutz. But given everything she's been through, no wonder Phaneuf could smile afterward and say “I'm very proud of what I did.”
Her goal this week is a modest one — top five, which would put her back on the national team, and into the international mix again next fall.
Let's just say this birthday gift was a great way for her to start.
The Clouds Have Lifted
As I sit here at the first Canadians of a new quadrennial, I can't help thinking about how far this sport has moved beyond its darkest moment.
I refer, specifically, to the chill that surrounded the 2003 nationals in Saskatoon — and I'm not just talking about the -30C temperatures that greeted us on the Prairies for most of that week. It was the first Canadians after Salt Lake City 2002 and the worst judging scandal figure skating had ever seen (we'll spare you a recounting of the details of the Jamie Sale-David Pelletier mess, which has been told more than enough).
Anyways, let's just say not a lot of positive feeling was floating around Saskatoon that week.
Fast forward to this week and Halifax, where Canadians is getting a bright new makeover in terms of presentation. There's a flashy new logo and lots of buzz already about Vancouver 2010, which will be our first 'home' Olympics in 22 years.
Oh, yeah ... more spots for the world championships are at stake this week then we've seen in years. Three of everything except the women's discipline, which gets two. In other worlds, almost the largest team possible that will wear the red and white maple leaf in Tokyo in March.
Now that's something to shout about. And in a very good way, too.
NEWS AND NOTES
As a top 12 finisher last year, Ashton Tessier of the Minto Skating Club was exempt from the qualifying round.
***Skate Canada will announce the site of the 2008 Canadian championships on Sunday, after the conclusion of this event. Expect a western venue, given that the last three nationals have been held in London (2005), Ottawa (2006) and Halifax.
I refer, specifically, to the chill that surrounded the 2003 nationals in Saskatoon — and I'm not just talking about the -30C temperatures that greeted us on the Prairies for most of that week. It was the first Canadians after Salt Lake City 2002 and the worst judging scandal figure skating had ever seen (we'll spare you a recounting of the details of the Jamie Sale-David Pelletier mess, which has been told more than enough).
Anyways, let's just say not a lot of positive feeling was floating around Saskatoon that week.
Fast forward to this week and Halifax, where Canadians is getting a bright new makeover in terms of presentation. There's a flashy new logo and lots of buzz already about Vancouver 2010, which will be our first 'home' Olympics in 22 years.
Oh, yeah ... more spots for the world championships are at stake this week then we've seen in years. Three of everything except the women's discipline, which gets two. In other worlds, almost the largest team possible that will wear the red and white maple leaf in Tokyo in March.
Now that's something to shout about. And in a very good way, too.
NEWS AND NOTES
***Amelie Lacoste of Delson, Que., who finished fifth in the senior women's event a year ago, withdrew on the weekend. Lacoste has been battling a foot ailment for much of the season, which led to her dropping out of a scheduled Junior Grand Prix assignment in the Czech Republic in October. A few weeks before Christmas, she was hopeful she'd skate here in Halifax, but the injury clearly didn't respond in time.
***Kanata's Mandy Valentine, a former Canadian novice women's champ who's been battling injuries for much of the past two seasons, also dropped out of the senior event. She has been training in Vancouver with coach Joanne McLeod for much of this season.As a top 12 finisher last year, Ashton Tessier of the Minto Skating Club was exempt from the qualifying round.
***Skate Canada will announce the site of the 2008 Canadian championships on Sunday, after the conclusion of this event. Expect a western venue, given that the last three nationals have been held in London (2005), Ottawa (2006) and Halifax.
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