Chronicles Of The Prairies

London Calling Us Next

2009-01-18T23:46:00.004-05:00

What a scene it was late on this Prairie evening.
A hardy group of skating folk — coaches, fans, parents and such — sat in the terminal at John Diefenbaker Airport weary after an often frenzied week in Saskatoon. And what were we gathered around a flat screen television watching as we waited for late-night flights to take us home to destination points from coast to coast?
CBC's coverage of tonight's men's free skate, of course. Wasn't enough that we'd already seen it live. We just had to hear what Kurt Browning and Tracy Wilson had to say about it all and had to know how the people at home saw it unfold.
Yeah, it's tough to shake the Canadian figure skating championships out of your blood (for the record, your faithful blogger noted it was also available for viewing on the first of three Westjet flights that will eventually get him back to Ottawa).
More precisely, at least from this corner, there is always a touch of sadness when this little family reunion of sorts ends every year. Sure, I'm exhausted and can't wait to relax in my own bed again sometime soon.
But admittedly, there will be a few days of withdrawal ahead.
We may well see grander performances in Los Angeles at the world championships two months from now. There is a Winter Olympics moving closer into view, this one right in our own backyard in Vancouver.
And yet, I can help thinking I won't soon forget the magic that Patrick Chan and Joannie Rochette weaved before our eyes. But they're real people to me, too (lucky person that I am to say that), and it's always a treat to be reminded of that.
They did a rather neat thing today at the Credit Union Centre on the last day of the championships. Before the men's free skate final, the junior medals were presented before the Saskatoon audience. Hanging the hardware around the juniors' necks were the winners of the senior events — the very skaters the young ones certainly admire and may well even idolize. Talk about bringing it all full circle.
But that's the kind of thing you see at this event every year. Everyone who comes to nationals is a member of the Canadian skating family. It's the grandest of reunions when we gather each and every year. It is also a spirit you won't find at any other figure skating competition and it brings me back every year for more.
We head eastward next year to the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont., where not only will national champions be crowned but Olympic dreams will also come true. It should be an exciting time, indeed, and the blog surely intends to be there to chronicle it all one more time.
Thanks again to those who chose to follow this "alternative" path along with me, and especially those who took the time to share your thoughts.
Let's do it all over again in London in 2010, shall we?

Bring On The World

2009-01-18T22:33:00.001-05:00

Patrick Chan can't wait to take on the best in the world.
Question is, is the world ready to handle the new and improved Chan?
The 18-year-old from Toronto left a lot of tongues wagging in Saskatoon after the remarkable show he put on during the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. That Chan would retain his national crown was never in doubt — he was up 17 points on Calgary's Vaughn Chipeur after the short program and widened the margin to 48.52 by the end.
Consider, instead, the 254.82-point overall total Chan hung on the board. Only two skaters in history (Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, 264.41, and former Olympic and world champ Evgeny Plushenko of Russia, 258.33), have ever recorded a higher total since the current judging system was introduced five seasons ago.
While Chan was willing to concede his marks were "inflated" by 5-10 points by home country judges, even a reduced total puts him in the same ballpark as the 245.17 recorded by fellow Canadian Jeffrey Buttle in winning the world title a year ago in Gothenburg, Sweden.
No wonder, then, that Chan is now dreaming bigger than ever.
"This is a good example of what I should be doing every time I’m at a competition," he said. "If I perform two good programs like that (at the upcoming 2009 worlds in Los Angeles), I’m pretty sure I’ll get the same result Jeff did at least year’s worlds."
He quickly backtracked — if only a bit — on what seemed to be a rather loud suggestion he'll bring home a gold medal in March.
"I’m not going to predict a gold, I’m going to predict a medal," he said. "It doesn’t matter which colour."
One thing in particular that has Chan riding so high: He seems to have conquered the triple Axel, the jump that his been his bugaboo this season and led to his downfall at the Grand Prix final in December. Chan went 3-for-3 with the jump over the course of two programs at the Credit Union Centre this week, every one of them landed with ease and supreme confidence. And each one accompanied by a huge ovation.
"It was like they were in my subconscious," said a grateful Chan. "They knew what I was going through. Every time I landed the Axel, the cheer was louder, especially after that second Axel (tonight). I knew everybody was hoping for me to land it."
While the free skate seemed like nothing more than a Chan coronation going in, he did his best to stay away from that kind of thinking.
"A lot of people said to me ‘good luck, but you don’t need it’ the whole time before my long program," he said. "I was like ‘don’t say that.’ I still had the mindset that I’ve got Americans and Japanese and Russians competing after me. So basically I had that mindset and it helped, it really helped."
Now he's ready to go to war with them all. But are they ready for him?
Let's just say he's given his rivals a world of thinking to do.

New Kids On The Block

2009-01-18T21:38:00.003-05:00

Everyone knew the odds were stacked in favour of it.
Now, after a dramatic men's free skate final at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships, we can make it official. Say hello to the two newest members of Canada's world team: Calgary's Vaughn Chipeur and Jeremy Ten of Vancouver.
While most of the folks who came out to Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre tonight no doubt had eyes for Patrick Chan — who made it look easy in successfully defending his national title — there was another more intriguing subplot playing out. Namely, who would fill out the final two spots available for Canadian men at the 2009 worlds in Los Angeles.
There wasn't a lot to choose among about six contenders during Friday night's short program. And it was a blanket finish among four of them (Joey Russell of Labrador City, NL, and Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que., couldn't keep up with the pack) at the end.
First it was former world teamer Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B., moving to the top of the leaderboard by posting a 201.24-point overall total. But the 19-year-old Ten, a former Canadian junior champ, pushed Sawyer down a notch with a sublime effort that included seven clean triple jumps. His overall score: 204.03.
The look of joy and disbelief on the face of the young man whose motto is 'Ten For 2010' (as in the Vancouver Olympics) was utterly priceless.
Then it was the turn of Kevin Reynolds, the gangly jumping bean from Coquitlam, B.C., who ripped up the only two quadruple jumps of the event. But Reynolds tired near the end of his program and managed a 201.97-point total, assuring Ten of a ticket to L.A.
"It has not sunk in yet," a shocked Ten said afterward. "It feels like when I won my national junior title. It’s going to take a while for it to sink in."
Chipeur had the last word in this six-act drama. He wasn't flawless but he was plenty good, especially with an opening triple Axel and followup combination. When the final numbers were posted — 206.30 overall and a second-place finish — Chipeur pumped his fists in celebration. California, here he comes.
"I thought it was a really good fight," said Chipeur, 24. "I made two little mistakes ... It was a good fight for the rest of the program and I’m really satisfied.
"I just wanted to enjoy the ride and enjoy the occasion. And enjoy the fact that the hard work has paid off."
Ten felt for Reynolds, his training mate in Burnaby, B.C. They'd hoped to jet off to the worlds together, but it wasn't to be.
"I was sitting in the kiss ‘n cry cheering him on," said Ten, who shared an emotional hug with Reynolds after it was over. "He’s my teammate. I just wanted him to skate well and he skated brilliantly. Really, it was up to the judges at that point. It was really out of my hands. I would have been happy either way."

It's In The Stars

2009-01-18T17:56:00.008-05:00

If you build them, they will come.
Remember the glory days of Canadian figure skating, when Skate Canada would routinely fill an NHL building in places like Edmonton or Vancouver for its national championships? Putting 17,000 in the house was the norm rather than the exception in the 1990s. Even as recently as 2001, General Motors Place in Vancouver was packed to the rafters for the world championships.
How times have changed. Seven years later, the sport is still trying to recover from the damage done by the judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Long gone are the Kurt Brownings and Elvis Stojkos that filled those buildings. Now times are tough economically.
So when the 2009 BMO figure skating championships come to the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon and 4,092 is the top attendance figure for a session, you know you've still got some rebuilding to do.
"We always want to sell out a venue," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said in assessing this week in Saskatoon. "We're realistic right now. A good-sized venue (for this event) is something in the 6,000-7,000 seat range. We're not ready to go back to an NHL-sized rink yet. We'd love to go back there someday but we'll see how it goes.
"If we continue to produce great skaters and the results are fair, I think the public will get interested."
It's all about the stars in this sport. And Thompson is enthused about the prospects in that area. Canadian skaters won three medals at the 2008 world championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, and two of them — Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (silver, ice dance), along with Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison (pairs) — will be back for more in Los Angeles in March.
With a pair of Grand Prix event victories in the fall, Joannie Rochette showed she's ready to challenge for the women's podium. And the astonishing free skate she delivered here Saturday did nothing but enhance that possibility.
Patrick Chan also won twice during the Grand Prix season and made the series final. He's pushing ever closer to the world's best.
"I think what you saw here is we have athletes in every discipline that are capable of contending for a medal and that, for me, is the key point at this juncture as we head into next year," said Thompson with an eye toward the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Now the key is for the likes of Chan and Rochette and Virtue and Moir to become household names. The countdown to Vancouver should help in that area. So would another raft of medals in Los Angeles.
"Regaining interest in the sport is going to revolve around having great skaters," said Thompson. "We're on track for that and hopefully people will get interested in seeing the Patrick Chans and Tessa and Scotts and Joannie Rochettes. They really are great athletes.
"Given where we are today, I'm feeling really good about where we're headed next year for Olympics. We're looking forward to that."
*****
Gary Lunn, the federal Minister of State for Sport, is in the house today to take in the men's free skate final, which is just under way at the Credit Union Centre.
A CBC radio reporter asked Lunn for his take on the event, which Patrick Chan leads by 17 points after his brilliant short program on Friday night.
"I'm not going to start picking favourites," said Lunn. "There's so many skaters here and they're all giving their best. They've all worked hard. So we're here to cheer them all on.
"Obviously, there's some that stand out. Patrick Chan is doing so well and there's so much energy behind him. But we're here to cheer them all."
And that, my friends, is what we call the politically correct answer.

Feeling The Prairie Thaw

2009-01-18T15:51:00.005-05:00

The snow was a little soft under the feet as we went for a brisk Sunday walk around downtown Saskatoon earlier this afternoon.
Must be the annual January thaw. Or "bonspiel thaw," as they call it in these parts as homage to the great Prairie tradition of curling. The roarin' game lives in the hearts of just about everybody in Saskatchewan. The other night, we noticed Folk's Curling Corner, which brings to mind the name of Rick Folk, the last Canadian men's curling (Brier) champion from this province back in 1980 (although it's a relative of Rick's that runs this store in Saskatoon), which I imagine is a bit of a sore spot in The Land of Living Skies.
But we've got ice of a different sort in mind in this space. It was a lovely, mild day for skating outdoors and the Meewasin Outdoor Rink next door to the Delta Bessborough was full of folks earlier today. Reader's Digest has called it "the best outdoor skating spot in Canada" and it's a distinction proudly displayed on banners around the rink.
Another set of banners reminded one and all about the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships, which have just about run their course. Later on this afternoon at the Credit Union Centre, we've got the senior men's free skate final, the gala exhibition and then we shut it down for another year.
So enjoy what's left while it still lasts, won't you?

The Castle By The River

2009-01-18T11:34:00.006-05:00

A few words about our home away from home before departing ...
They've used four hotels, by my count, to house everyone here over the past several days at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. As we've mentioned earlier, our home base has been the Delta Bessborough, known here in Saskatoon as "The Castle By The River" because of its proximity to the South Saskatchewan River.
If you've seen any photos of Saskatoon, you've probably seen The "Bess" — it's the signature landmark in the heart of this lovely Prairie city.
Taking a walk through the hallways of The Bess is like a trip through time. You notice neat old things like mail chutes by the elevators and gorgeous carpeting and chandeliers. Then again, it's what you would expect from one of the grand railway-style hotels built in the early 20th century (think Chateau Frontenac, Chateau Laurier, Hotel Vancouver).
The Canadian National Railway constructed The Bess between 1928 and 1932. The Great Depression kept its doors closed until Harold N. Stovin became the first registered guest on Dec. 10, 1935. (which, by the way, explains the name of Stovin's Lounge just off the main lobby).
Renovations in 1999 and 2003 restored many of the historic features of the hotel, preserving its old grandeur in a much more modern time. Combine that with a healthy dose of Prairie hospitality and it's felt like, well, home for a few days. Who could ask for more?

Back Where They Belong

2009-01-17T23:52:00.005-05:00

It has been anything but a casual waltz, to be sure.
Forgive Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir if they're in need of a deep breath or two. And not just because of the energy they expended in an out-of-this-world free dance Saturday night at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships.
They'll take plenty of time now to savour senior national title No. 2.
"We’re extremely pleased with the way we skated and I’m excited to be a national champion again," Moir said after he and his partner earned 94.68 points for their Pink Floyd-themed free dance and 197.77 overall.
Not exactly best-ever numbers — it was still 22.19 points better than silver medallists Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier — but considering Virtue was off the ice for two months in the fall after double knee surgery, they'll certainly take it.
"I think, given the circumstances, I have to be happy with that skate," said Virtue, 19, of London, Ont. "It’s not necessarily what we’d hoped for at this point in the season but I’m just so pleased with our progress. I’m really grateful to be back here and competing at nationals again. It’s definitely our favourite event and we’re honoured to be on top."
The race to get to this point has been frenzied, to say the least. Virtue had the surgery in early October to relieve pain in her shins caused by chronic exertional compartment syndrome. While she rehabbed at home in London, Moir tried to stay on top of the program by himself at their training base in Detroit, using sandbags at times to simulate his partner.
"Three months ago, I couldn’t walk and that says a lot," said Virtue. "We weren’t able to train exactly the way we wanted to but I think this week will help us in the end and we’re going to be so much stronger because of it."
Moir was filled with admiration for his partner.
"I was pretty proud of her and what she’s accomplished in the last three months," said Moir, 21, of Ilderton, Ont. "It definitely wasn’t an easy road for her. Hopefully, we can stay on the road to recovery and get these programs up to 100 per cent and the way we want them to be."
The free dance was pretty impressive to the folks on hand Saturday night at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre. They were awestruck by the intricate lifts in particular, including one in which Virtue balanced herself on Moir's back with her hands high in the air.
"Most of the pressure is going into his back but I feel like I’m surfing up there," she said. "It’s a balancing act, that’s for sure."
Moir had one stumble along he way — he jokingly called it his "Floydian slip" — but they're on their way again, with the March world championships in Los Angeles clearly in sight. They were No. 2 on the planet at last year's global event in Gothenburg, Sweden, with only one step left to climb.
Safe to say, they managed a pretty big first one this week.

The Kids Are All Right

2009-01-17T23:34:00.005-05:00

This time, they wouldn't allow it to escape their grasp.
Even if a flash fall seconds from the end of their free dance might have given and Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier a bit of a pause for concern.
No worries, as it turned out. The kids were all right and soon enough, they'll dance among the stars at the world figure skating championships in Los Angeles.
"It’s something really exciting," said Poirier after he and Crone secured the silver medals in the senior ice dance event Saturday night at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. "We’ve really been hoping for this for a long time since we started skating. Especially this year, since we knew it was within our grasp. That’s really what motivated us this whole season and kept us going at practices. To finally get here, it’s great."
The 2007 national junior champions nearly made it happen a year ago. In their first year as seniors, they came within less than a point of making a world team that consisted of three Canadian teams. Now they've climbed two more steps in just a year.
Though the call was so close in Vancouver last year, Crone said the heartbreak didn't last long. They knew their time would come.
"Last year was our first year as seniors so going into the competition, we set a goal for top five," said Crone, 18, of Aurora, Ont. "We were just expecting to do clean skates and get ourselves known and out there. But that (result) was kind of a shock for us. We knew that we trained hard enough and we trained to get there and one day we would.
"It was just amazing we did that in our first year of senior."
A silver medal finish at HomeSense Skate Canada earlier this season signalled this was a team that didn't intend to wait long for its day. And with a comfortable 6.37-point edge over Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje heading into the free dance, their moment seemed at hand.
But when Poirier tumbled to the ice near the finish of their free skate, a collective gasp rumbled through the crowd at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre. Had the kids let it slip away?
Not quite. Though Crone and Poirier finished fourth in the free dance, they'd done enough throughout the week to hold their spot with a 175.58-point overall total, 5.35 points better than Weaver and Poje.
"That never crossed our minds," Crone said about possibly letting their world team spot escape their grasp. "We knew what we did and we knew we’d kind of suffer for that and (the judges) had an easy place to put us lower. We were just happy with the way we skated and the exposure and experience we’ve had here has been amazing. It’s been a lot of fun and a great experience for us."
There are plenty more to come. They're thrilled to join Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the reigning world silver medallists, in Los Angeles.
"They're huge role models for us," said Crone. "We’re definitely going to be looking up to them. We’ll be doing our own things but just to be on the world team is amazing."

The Eyes Have It

2009-01-17T20:01:00.007-05:00

The eyes, it's often been said, never lie.
And Bryce Davison, who saw exactly what he needed when he glanced at the brown-eyed girl on the ice beside him, would most heartily agree after the way she skated at the Credit Union Centre today.
Jessica Dube might not always be the straw that stirs the drink in this pairs skating partnership. But she gave Davison all the right cues before they set out on the free skate that would send them to a golden finish at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships.
"I knew just looking at Jess and looking in her eyes that we were going to skate something like that," Davison said after he and Dube regained the Canadian pairs title they surrendered to Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay a year ago in Vancouver. "When she has the confidence that she had today, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to have the confidence that I need. It was really strong and we did it together."
What they did was come up with the kind of world-class free skate they needed to stave off Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin for the gold in Saskatoon. The 126.21 points they racked up — a personal best score — wiped out the slight deficit Dube and Davison faced after Duhamel and Buntin topped the short program on Friday. Dube and Davison finished with 188.43 points overall, 5.93 better than Duhamel and Buntin.
Now they're Canadian champions for the second time in three years. And Dube agreed her head was in the right place to make it happen.
"When I feel good on the ice, it shows in my face," said Dube, 21, of St. Cyrille de Wendover, Que.
"It doesn’t show as much in his face when he feels good."
That it was a battle to the finish suited Dube and Davison just fine. They expected nothing less from Duhamel and Buntin, who finished sixth in their first try at the world championships a year ago in Gothenburg. Dube and Davison were bronze medallists in Sweden, while Langlois and Hay also cracked the top 10.
"Most of the great pair countries have more than one team and it’s great for us to have," said Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont. "We knew coming in that it wasn’t going to be easy at all. There’s always great depth for pair skaters in Canada and just having Anabelle and Cody not here (because of injury) wasn’t any kind of relief for us.
"We knew Meagan and Craig had been training very, very hard and they’ve improved substantially. We’d seen them skate over both seasons and they’ve been doing great things. It’s great for Canadian skating."

More Than A Silver Lining

2009-01-17T18:59:00.004-05:00

A little bit of simple math told Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin that it probably wasn't going to happen on this day. But it never hurts to try.
Duhamel and Buntin had to settle for the silver medals in the senior pairs event at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships at the Credit Union Centre. Although "settle" hugely understates the sentiment they'll carry home with them from Saskatoon.
"We won a silver medal," Duhamel said emphatically after it was over.
That they surely did. But their hopes of a Canadian title pretty much died when Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, the 2007 national champs, skated one mighty fine free skate before them and were rewarded with 126.21 points by the judges.
"It’s hard to start a program hearing somebody else’s scores that good," admitted Duhamel, 23, of Lively, Ont. "They got 126 and our personal best was 109. But we had a job to do. We came here to do two of the best skates that we can and we hoped to be rewarded with a gold medal from those two skates.
"Maybe we didn’t get a gold medal but we fought through."
The 116.76 points they earned for their free program might have one them a Canadian title on another night. Just not this one. Dube and Davison totalled 188.43 points overall, Duhamel and Buntin 182.50.
But if there is indeed victory in the struggle, than Duhamel and Buntin will claim one here.
"Did we come here to be Canadian champions? Yeah," said Buntin, 28, of North Vancouver, B.C. "But at no point in our program did we lose sight of that. I think we fought through everything out there. We fought through like champions, so I’m very happy."
They didn't wilt under the pressure of skating last in the competition
"We’re going to be twice as good next time because of the experience we got here," said Buntin. "We beat our personal best by (7.16) points. We got a world-class score in the short. And now we have this under our belt ... The performance and the drive and the fight was there and that, I think, is our biggest strength as a team and that’s just going to keep us going forward."
*****
For now, they're Canadian senior pairs bronze medallists.
What happens next for Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall, they'll have to wait and see.
Not that they're letting the uncertainty spoil this moment.
"We're honoured to be here," said Mattatall, 26, of Wallace, N.S. "It's pretty special. It's been a long road. Last May, we didn't even think we'd be competing this year. To be here is pretty cool."
Imagine, then, what they'd think about representing Canada at the Four Continents Championship in Vancouver next month or the world championships in Los Angeles in March?
That's still a story for another day.
Skate Canada wants to give Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay — the 2008 national champions who withdrew from this competition because of injury — one last chance to prove their fitness before the two season-ending competition. Technical director Michael Slipchuk said the association expects to decide "within 7-10 days" whether Langlois' ankle injury has recovered sufficiently enough to allow she and Hay to go to Four Continents and worlds.
If the answer is no, those tickets will go to Brodeur and Mattatall.

Give Her A High Five

2009-01-17T17:04:00.005-05:00

Everything in her bones suggested just about anything was possible.
But if Joannie Rochette had even the slightest inkling she was on the verge of unleashing such staggering and utter brilliance, it didn't strike her until the first strains of music began to play.
"Even 10 minutes before I went on the ice, I was nervous," the sensitive 23-year-old from Ile Dupas, Que., would muse later. "But I got out there on the ice and the music started and I felt much better. I could just get immersed in the music and forget about the short."
So deep was her funk after a mistake-riddled short program on Friday that even on the morning after, Rochette still couldn't shake her disappointment. But oh, did she find a way to shake up Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre on Saturday afternoon, delivering a free skate they'll no doubt talk about for years.
Seven triple jumps and an absolutely riveting 4-1/2 minutes later, they hung a whopping 131.77 points on the board — a record total for a Canadian woman in a free skate. Even Rochette was overwhelmed by what she had wrought, clasping her face in her hands in a rare display of emotion as the crowd bathed her in a standing ovation.
"I’m not an emotional skater so much and I’m not someone who usually expresses so much at the end of my performance," she said later. "But tonight, I was really, really proud of myself to pull this off. I think that’s why I was more emotional."
Rochette found herself in an unfamiliar spot after the short program — at least since her national championship reign began in 2005 — sitting second behind Cynthia Phaneuf in the standings and barely ahead of third-place Amelie Lacoste. While she had only 1.58 points to make up to retain her crown and knew she had the arsenal in her free program to make it happen, Rochette couldn't stop fretting about the sub-par short.
"After yesterday, I was sad and disappointed so it was very hard. I put myself in the toughest position I ever had to skate in," said Rochette, who would call today "the hardest test."
No wonder, then, that she could say "tonight, I’m so, so happy. You saw me at the end. I was relieved that I could focus on a day that I was feeling really bad. I was shaking and I didn’t have so much energy. I’m glad that I still did it."
Four years ago in London, Ont., Rochette had her breakout moment in snaring the first of what has now become a five-year run of Canadian titles. The free skate she laid down at the John Labatt Centre was something veteran skating observers were calling the best they'd ever seen from a Canadian woman.
Rochette raised the bar even higher today, with a 185.35-point overall total that surpassed the record she set in London. It was an almost absurd 33.93 points better than the runner-up Phaneuf, who will join Rochette at the world championships in Los Angeles in March.
Oh, yeah, did we mention title No. 5 puts Rochette in an elite group of four that includes only Constance Wilson (9), Jennifer Robinson (6) and Karen Magnussen (5)?
"I’m really proud of that achievement," said Rochette.
Not as proud as she is of the little fighter from Quebec who showed when the going gets toughest, she won't back down.
Anything really is possible, you see, when you do that.

When Silver Is Golden

2009-01-17T15:40:00.007-05:00

To the victor goes the spoils, or so that old saying goes.
But finishing second or third isn't necessarily a mere consolation prize. Just ask Cynthia Phaneuf and Amelie Lacoste, who savoured personal triumphs of their own that were good as gold on Saturday afternoon at the BMO Canadian figure skating championships.
For Phaneuf, the 21-year-old former national champ from Contrecoeur, Que., all that mattered this week was earning a spot on Canada's world team. That was assured when she secured the silver medal position during the women's free skate final at the Credit Union Centre.
Didn't matter a bit to Phaneuf that Joannie Rochette skated a free program for the ages right before her and posted a number (131.77 points) that would be impossible to match. She waded through the huge ovation for Rochette and the teddy bears that littered the ice, steeled her nerves and finished the job.
Only one number mattered to Phaneuf in the end — the '2' beside her name in the final standings, which ensured she'd be joining Rochette on the plane to Los Angeles for the 2009 world championships in March. She pumped her fists with glee and grinned widely it was confirmed.
"I know Joannie is at a (level) that I’m not at right now," said Phaneuf. "I just wanted to be second to go to worlds."
Phaneuf has overcome so much in the time since, as a 15-year-old in Edmonton in 2004, she shocked the Canadian skating world by winning the national title. A 20th place finish at her only previous worlds in 2005 in Moscow, a season wiped out by injury, a massive growth spurt ... all of it tossed obstacles in her way in the years that followed.
Today, Phaneuf finally feels like she is back where she wants to be.
"It means a lot to me because (worlds) is where it started going a little bit bad for me before I injured myself," she said. "For me, it’s a new beginning now and I’m very excited.
"After all that hard work, I just have my answer that I didn’t work for nothing. I have the payback now."
Lacoste, meanwhile, showed up in Saskatoon merely hoping for a top-five finish that would put her back on the national team for the first time since 2006. The former national junior champion heads home with so much more than that. No wonder Lacoste, who battled energy sapping anemia earlier this season, dissolved into tears when it was certain she would stand on the podium for the first time as a senior.
"I can’t believe it. I’m so happy," an emotional Lacoste, 20, of Delson, Que., said afterward. "- I didn’t know it could happen this year."
As she warmed up, she caught a glimpse of five bare-chested male fans who stripped to the waist to show their support for Diane Szmiett, the skater who preceded Lacoste in the competition and finished fourth. Even that wasn't enough to throw her off.
"I was funny, yes, but what could I do?" Lacoste said with a laugh. "I got my focus back."
In the end, she got so much more than she'd hoped.
A bronze medal? In Lacoste's eyes, it was nothing but pure gold.

Riding The Scenic Route

2009-01-17T13:25:00.006-05:00

We've all heard about why we should never assume.
(you know the punch line that follows. Ask someone if you don't).
So it was for your intrepid blogger this morning as he climbed on a shuttle bus he thought was headed directly to the Credit Union Centre.
(I assume it's directly. I still have no idea exactly how we're getting there. But we do and that's all that matters).
When a couple of coaches told me "you know this bus is going to the practice rink," I wasn't concerned. After all, the last time the BMO Canadian figure skating championships were held here in 2003, skaters practised nearby at the Agri-Twins complex. Not that I paid much attention to the name then — and now, either, as it turns out.
Anyways, I more or less recognized the route as we headed out beyond the hotel district where we're all staying in downtown Saskatoon. But I began to suspect something was amiss when we headed over one of bridges into what I believe is the east side of the city. Soon enough, I learned this year's practice rink is the ACT Centre, the home of the Saskatoon Figure Skating Club. And it's waaay out there.
We rolled past the campus of the University of Saskatchewan (where many skaters have been fascinated by the cows they see). Saw the stadium where the Saskatchewan Huskies, one of Canadian university's top football teams, plays its games. And on and on we went to a neighbourhood called Sutherland, where the rink is located.
Of course, I had no idea how we were getting to the Credit Union Centre from there. All I knew is we had to traverse the South Saskatchewan River again at some point. Once that happened, we were on our way. Started recognizing a few main street names and some of the airport-area hotels we've passed every day here.
So it wasn't the exact way I figured the day would start. But at least I can say I got a rather scenic tour of Saskatoon before settling in for another day of skating.
At least I assume so. As risky as that might seem.

The Long And The Short Of It

2009-01-17T00:17:00.004-05:00

Well, so much for some closing night drama at these 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships in Saskatoon.
At least at the top of the final standings, that is.
While there is much still to be sorted out below him (see our previous post for more), Patrick Chan pretty much slammed the door on any possible doubt about who'll emerge as the newest king of Canadian men's skating. Turns out it's the same guy who won in Vancouver last year. Although there was nothing the same about the chap who showed up at the Credit Union Centre tonight.
From the moment who floated through the air and stuck the landing of his triple Axel, Chan was the man in this competition. He checked off the rest of his jump repertoire, wowed the crowd with some flashy spins and footwork, then grinned the biggest of grins as he soaked up the standing ovation that enveloped him even before he was done.
With an astonishing 88.89-point score — 7.5 better than his previous personal best — Chan pretty much made it game, set and match for this competition. He's a whopping 17 points ahead of his closest pursuer, Vaughn Chipeur of Edmonton. That isn't just a mountain of a deficit, it's a veritable Mount Everest.
"I was super excited to see that number," said Chan. "88 is just great."
Now here's the scary part. He says we haven't seen his best yet.
"I’m not going to complain," said the 18-year-old from Toronto. "Seriously, that is the best program I’ve ever done. But there’s little things you can work on, like footwork."
Still, he quickly grasped the magnitude of what he had wrought. And what it could help deliver for him at the world championships in March in Los Angeles.
"I just have to repeat the exact same thing," he said. "I’ll probably be a medal contender at worlds (with that performance), I would say."
Chan could only imagine what a similar effort would have done for him last month at the Grand Prix final in Korea, where he couldn't recover from a sub-par program and wound up fifth.
"I wish I knew," he said. "If I did know, I definitely wouldn’t be this hard on myself and I wouldn’t have this much pressure. Too bad we can’t predict the future because things would be much easier.
"But things would have been much different. I think I would have got a medal at the Grand Prix final if I did a short program like that."
The downer in Korea, he acknowledged, likely played in hand in what transpired tonight.
"You have to go on your ups and downs and (the Grand Prix final) was one of those downs," he said. "It was a really bad down. I came home after Korea and I was really upset, depressed. But I think it was good to have that now instead of closer to the (2010) Olympics.
"Hopefully, next year will be different and I won’t have to go through that again. Maybe a smaller down, not such a big down."
For now, though, everything is very much on the up and up.
Who knows where it will lead on Sunday night? It could be quite the finale to this Prairie ice show, indeed.

The Legacy Of Jeffrey Buttle

2009-01-16T23:58:00.000-05:00

Jeffrey Buttle is gone but he's surely not forgotten.
Not by Canadian skating fans. And most definitely not by the young men who hope to make the most of a certain legacy he left behind.
We speak, in both cases, of the world championship Buttle won a year in Gothenburg, Sweden. That result, combined with the ninth-place finish turned in by Patrick Chan, opened up a third men's spot for Canada at the upcoming worlds in Los Angeles.
When Buttle retired in September, one opening became two. And suddenly, there's quite the dogfight to snare a ticket to L.A. One of them is clearly going to Chan, who holds a 17-point lead over the field after a brilliant short program skate to close out Friday night at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. But there is clearly plenty still to be decided in Sunday night's free skate final at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon.
"He definitely opened the door for one more spot this year," Edmonton's Vaughn Chipeur said when asked about the opportunity Buttle created for them all. "It’s great. It’ll be exciting."
Right now, Chipeur is the leader of that pack with 71.89 points, while Vancouver's Kevin Reynolds stands third with an even 70. But the chase group is substantial and includes Vancouver's Jeremy Ten (69.06), Joey Russell of Labrador City, NL (68.27), Shawn Sawyer of Edmundston, N.B. (66.88) and Elladj Balde of Pierrefonds, Que. (65.02).
Chipeur might feel a little more secure if not for a popped triple flip in a short program that had been flying right along until then. But he still likes his position.
"I feel great," he said. "I’d like those points that the triple flip’s worth ... That's seven or eight points. They go a long way.
"My strength is the technical side, so I have to capitalize on that. I think it’s a good spot to be in going into the long. I’ve worked my butt off for the last six weeks but it’s been worth it. It’s going to pay off."
He'll owe a big thank you to Buttle if it does. No doubt about it.

Only One Way To Go

2009-01-16T21:51:00.006-05:00

There is not a hint of doubt anymore about who they are, what they are all about and — perhaps most importantly — where they want to go.
The mad dash is finally over for Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, who now consider themselves precisely on track in their development as a pairs team. Their performance Friday night in the pairs free program at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships couldn't have said it more clearly — or loudly.
It was a supremely confident Duhamel and Buntin who set the pace at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre, hanging a 65.74-point score on the board that couldn't be matched. They'll carry a 3.52-point lead over current world bronze medallists Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison into Saturday's free skate final.
Clearly, this isn't the same team that was merely happy to be a part of the proceedings at the 2008 nationals in Vancouver after putting together their partnership in seven short and frenzied months. They claimed the bronze medals there and went on to place sixth at the world championships two months later in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Things have surely changed in the year since Vancouver.
"We’ve hit a big marker now in that race," said Buntin, 28, of North Vancouver, B.C. "When we first started, our plan was to get here. And this is where we are right now. Some people might say ‘wow, you guys have really taken off’ but no, on paper, this is where we are.
"A little over a year to the (2010) Olympics and those marks are finally starting to look like solid international marks and we were right on track to where we want to be."
They intend to leave Saskatoon as Canadian champions.
"We came here with a plan to do our best short and our best long (programs) and we were hoping we’d be rewarded with first-place marks for both programs," said Duhamel, 23, of Lively, Ont. "One step done and we have to come out tomorrow and stick to our plan."
And where does that plan take them next? Let's the just say this is a pair that isn't exactly thinking small about the year to come.
"Right to the top," said Duhamel, who confidence has blossomed in a noticeable way since she let Buntin do all of the pair's talking a year ago. "You come to a competition to be the best, no matter where you’re going. That’s the only way, whether you win or not, that you’re going to achieve your best result and your best skate."
That kind of thinking goes for the biggest stages of them all, too.
"When we started, the goal was world and Olympic podium," said Buntin. "That is how high we can get. We’ve had stumbling blocks along the way beyond what anyone could have imagined but we’ve managed to stick with our plan and that’s what we’re continuing to do.
"If we come out of this at the end of our careers knowing we did absolutely as best as we could have done and that’s not it, you know what, we’ll have no regrets. But why would we stand here a year before the Olympics and say ‘we’re not going to make the podium?’ Why would we come to this competition and say ‘we’re probably not going to win?’
Good questions. More than ever, they appear to have all the answers.

Here We Go Again

2009-01-16T21:30:00.006-05:00

Stop me if you've heard this one before.
The pairs short program at the BMO Canadian figure skating championships goes into the books. And when the results are posted, Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison find themselves staring up at someone else at the top of the leaderboard.
Yeah, the reigning world bronze medallists know this story.
Dube and Davison stand second after Friday night's proceedings in Saskatoon, earning 62.22 points for their efforts at the Credit Union Centre. Ahead of them are Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, who'll carry 65.74 points — and a 3.52-point edge — into Saturday's free skate final. Well below them in third are Quebec's Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall of Nova Scotia (55.63).
For Dube and Davison, it's a familiar refrain, although this time the situation isn't nearly as dire. A year ago in Vancouver, then finished a shocking fifth in the short program but rallied strongly in the free and came within less than a point of overhauling Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay for the gold. So they know the drill for Saturday.
"We would have liked to be first after the short," said Dube, 21, of St-Cyrille de Wendover, Que. "But we know we can do it and we’re going to come back strong for the long."
Dube's fall on their side-by-side triple Salchows made the difference between first and second. But Davison called it a "huge improvement" over short programs they performed at two Grand Prix events earlier this season.
"We really can't even compare them," said Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont. "Other than the (Salchow), everything else was very smooth ... With a short like that, I hope people noticed a difference in quality of our skating, especially. We just really look forward to getting back out on the ice (for the free program)."
Added Dube: "The rest of our program was pretty good so we can’t be disappointed with that. I am a little bit for my jump — I know I can do it — so the next time I’m going to land it."
They look forward to a duel for the gold with Duhamel and Buntin, who have clearly taken their game up a notch since last season.
"It’s good to see for them and it’s great to have competition inside our nation," said Davison. "It forwards our sport."

One For The Home Team

2009-01-16T19:49:00.006-05:00

Now on the ice, representing Saskatchewan ...
After that, it was pretty much a blur for Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers, the home province kids and the clear favourites of the Saskatoon crowd during the early stages of the pairs short program Friday night at the Credit Union Centre.
They roared almost from the second Lawrence and Swiegers appeared on the ice for their six-minute warmup. Another big ovation followed as they glided into the starting position, then once more after the duo from the tiny Wawota Skating Club were done. Many of them stood proudly holding Saskatchewan flags as they cheered.
You betcha these two were still bouncing off the walls about their debut at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships.
"It was amazing," a still wide-eyed Lawrence, 18, said as she tried to put the moment into words. "Oh my goodness, that was the most fun we've had since last Canadians (in Vancouver in 2008). Surreal. I've never had an experience like that before."
The 21-year-old Swiegers was equally taken aback.
"Even on the warmup, they announced our names and the crowd went wild," he said. "We were like 'is that for us?' We always knew it was going to be a good home crowd because a lot of friends from home were going to come here. But we didn't expect it that loud."
In truth, Lawrence and Swiegers have had this night in mind since the 2008 nationals in Vancouver, when they were the surprise silver medallists in the junior pairs event. While being in Saskatchewan this week is reason enough to feel at home, their success of a year ago has given this young team a new sense of belonging.
"We got to know the national team a lot more and different members of the team," said Swiegers. "Now that we're here at nationals, we find ourselves talking to more skaters from other provinces. We're starting to fit in more here because we know everybody now. It's a big difference."
Lawrence and Swiegers are both studying at Brandon University, so they spend most of their time in neighbouring Manitoba. But it's a short drive home to their hometowns of Kennedy (Lawrence) and Kipling (Swiegers), which they make just about every weekend.
"We always love coming home to Saskatchewan because we love Saskatchewan as a province," said Swiegers.
Safe to say that feeling is pretty mutual, don't you think?

The Best Birthday Gift

2009-01-16T18:23:00.009-05:00

They serenaded the birthday girl with a rendition of the song that makes just about every birthday boy or girl break out the widest of smiles.
Cynthia Phaneuf, all 21 years of her, sat across the way at the Credit Union Centre and positively beamed when she heard the familiar refrain. As if her special day wasn't, well, special enough already.
"It feels good for my birthday," Phaneuf said after performing her short program at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. "Even if I know I did make a mistake in my program, I was just feeling so good on the ice and having so much fun on my birthday.
"This was the best gift that I could give myself."
This was before Phaneuf even knew she'd skated well enough to land on top of the leaderboard with 56.16 points, just ahead of a pair of fellow Quebecers — four-time defending champion Joannie Rochette (53.58) and Amelie Lacoste (53.55). She's right in the hunt to regain the Canadian title she first won back in 2004 at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
But as Phaneuf spoke afterward, she made it clear such things wouldn't be on her mind during Saturday night's short program. She is after exactly the same thing she came to Saskatoon this week to claim — one of two women's spots on Canada's team for the 2009 world championships in Los Angeles.
"Even I know if my goal is not to win the gold medal, just to be on the world team, I don’t have a lot of pressure on myself," she said. "I just want to have fun on the ice on Saturday, just like I did today."
She will tell you this is the new Cynthia Phaneuf, finally free of the demons in her head that thwarted her dreams over the past few years. With the help of a sports psychologist, she now skates on the ice with everything in the right perspective.
"It was my confidence," Phaneuf said of her struggles to regain her standing as a women's contender . "When I was going on the ice, I wasn’t feeling good. I was all stressed out and I wasn’t using the stress well. I was using my stress in a bad way. Now I’m trying to use it the right way."
Certainly, it hasn't been the road Phaneuf imagined since the night in Edmonton when, at 15 years old, she became the youngest women's champion in Canadian figure skating history. Two days shy of her 16th birthday, everything seemed possible for the young girl who left everyone at Rexall Place breathless with her performance.
In London, Ont., a year later, all eyes turned instead toward Rochette, who seized the national crown with the best display of women's skating in years. An injury-shortened season followed, wiping out any chance of making the 2006 Turin Olympics team. Then a huge growth spurt that forced Phaneuf to pretty much start from scratch.
"A very bad period of my life," she called it. "I had to learn to jump all over again. For sure, I had some days when I wanted to quit because it will have been the easiest way."
Her deep love of skating simply wouldn't allow it and Phaneuf returned to the national championship stage in Halifax in 2007 with a fourth-place finish. Last year in Vancouver, she quietly climbed back onto the podium as the bronze medallist behind Rochette and Mira Leung. None of it, however, was seen as a sign she might contend again.
"I don’t think I’m worse than I was before because I’m doing the same jumps and everything is going as well as before," she said today. "What I had to work on was my head and my confidence and this is what I did before I came here to nationals. My new psychologist helped me a lot to be here and to be proud of myself at each competition."
Most of all, she is smiling again. Even after a short program which included a blown program, Phaneuf left the ice at the Credit Union Centre grinning widely as she hugged her coaches. She knows it is simply the way it has to be.
"I want to go out on the ice (Saturday) with the same smile I had today," she said with an eye toward Saturday's free skate final.
In that alone, Phaneuf is sure, she will have found her biggest victory.
Some birthday gift, indeed, we'd have to say.

Champ Facing A Fight

2009-01-16T16:59:00.008-05:00

They showed a lovely video earlier today on the Credit Union Centre scoreboard, highlighting and paying tribute to the Jennifer Robinson era in Canadian women's skating.
One thing you had to say (and admire) about Robinson: She knew how to get it done in her own country. From 1999 in Ottawa all the way through 2003 in Saskatoon, Robinson was unbeatable at the Canadian championships. Five straight titles, six in all (her first coming in 1996, also at the Ottawa Civic Centre).
Graceful and classy? You bet. But one helluva competitor, too.
Fast forward to the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships here in Saskatoon. We're smack dab in the middle of the Joannie Rochette era, with the comely lass from Ile Dupas, Que. on a four-title run of her own. No. 5, it appears, is going to take a bit of work.
Rochette finds herself standing second after Friday's short program with a 53.58-point total. That's 1.58 points back of leader Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que. (55.16) and a hair in front of Amelie Lacoste of Delson, Que. (53.55).
Not exactly where the reigning queen of Canadian skating — who's being touted as a contender for a world championship medal, and rightly so — expected to find herself. Especially in the wake of a fall campaign in which she was golden at both her Grand Prix events (HomeSense Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard) and made the series final.
However, after singling a double Axel and falling on a triple lutz, Rochette has some catching up to do. With seven triples planned in her free program, she surely has the arsenal to get it done on Saturday afternoon. But after today's stumble, Rochette would be the first to say there are no guarantees at all.
"It’s a competition, so (winning) is not for granted," said the 23-year-old Rochette. "I still have to do a good long (program)."
Rochette has already shown she has it in her to rally from behind. She had a similar "disaster" in her short program at the Grand Prix final in Korea just before Christmas that buried her 12 points beyond a podium position. With a strong free skate, she made almost all of it up, missing out on a medal by less than two points.
"I love my long program and I can’t wait to perform it tomorrow," said Rochette, who believes its overall package makes it "competitive with the top three in the world."
And make no mistake about it, there is a bigger picture at play here. Everything Rochette is doing this week and up until the middle of March is being targeted at giving her the best shot at landing on the world podium in Los Angeles.
The memory of the 2008 worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden, tells her that another Canadian title isn't exactly a necessity to make that happen.
"It doesn’t mean anything at all," said Rochette. "Last year, you saw Jessica (Dube) and Bryce (Davison) were second at nationals (in pairs) and ended up third at worlds. Jeff Buttle was second at nationals and still went and won worlds."
But know this much for sure. Rochette loves the idea of being Canadian champion and wants to leave Saskatoon with the crown still sitting firmly on her head.
"It means a lot," she said. "I really want to keep my title. I’m confident for tomorrow but still mad at myself for today."
We'll see soon enough what that does to bring out the competitor inside.

On The Edge Of A Dream

2009-01-16T13:49:00.004-05:00

Imagine being one good sleep away from achieving one of your life's biggest dreams, being so close that you can almost touch it.
Say hello, then, to Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, who have only one free dance standing between them and a first trip to the world figure skating championships. This is giddy stuff for an 18-year-old (Crone) and her 17-year-old partner, to be sure. Not that they're planning on losing any sleep tonight on the eve of the free dance final at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships.
"It’s very exciting," said Crone, of Aurora, Ont. "It’s what we hoped for. This is what we tried to do all year. For us to just know that what we practised all year and what we’ve done all year has paid off ... We just hope we can continue with that much success."
In Friday's original dance, Crone and Poirier clearly separated themselves from the pack chasing Canada's second available berth for the 2009 worlds in Los Angeles. With 91.18 points through two phases of the competition, they own a comfortable 6.37-point edge over third-place Kaitlyn Weaver of Houston, Tex., and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont.
While their ticket to L.A. is all but punched, Crone and Poirier don't see it that way just yet. Then again, this is a young couple who missed a trip to worlds by less than a point a year ago.
"We definitely are not going to take anything for granted at this point," said Poirier, of Unionville, Ont. "It’s especially important that we keep our focus for the free dance tomorrow. It’s a nice lead to have but we know we need to have another solid performance tomorrow if we want to clinch that world spot."
It's quite the show of poise, given their tender age and just how close Crone and Poirier are to hitting the big show. Even reigning world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir — who have a hammerlock on the gold here with 103.09 points so far — can't help but be impressed. Especially when they know full well the range of emotions that are bouncing around inside Crone and Poirier right now.
"It’s really exciting and it’s hard to sort of stay in your skin and stay calm on the ice," said Virtue, 19, of London, Ont. "I think that’s something we had to learn, when you get so excited and you almost try too hard that you throw things off. I’m just amazed at how they’re handling the pressure and they’re really rising to the occasion. It’s great skating with them out there. We’re learning from them, too, and we just want to help them."
Funny thought though, isn't it? Virtue and Moir, 21, of Ilderton, Ont. — who are still relative youngsters on the global ice dance scene — mentoring the new kids on the block, so to speak.
"It’s hard to feel old at 21 and 19," said Moir with a wry grin. "Being in Saskatoon the second time around (they were seventh as juniors in 2003) and seeing a new cycle coming around, it’s kind of making us feel a little bit older. But we’re still really far from being old.
"It’s so encouraging to see such good young talent in ice dance, especially in our own country. It definitely is exciting."

Now There's A Revealing Thought

2009-01-16T13:19:00.003-05:00

Sequins?
Chances are, if you posed that one-word question to Shae-Lynn Bourne today, she knew exactly what you meant. And would immediately burst into that infectious laughter we know and love so much.
Kind of the way the former world ice dance champion did yesterday, when an enterprising Saskatoon Star-Phoenix reporter asked Bourne "what's the most fun you've had while wearing sequins?"
"I did a photo shoot with just sequins once," she responded.
"Just sequins," asked the clearly astonished reporter.
(it's amazing what one learns by asking just the right question).
"Just sequins," said Bourne. "It was for a skating magazine. The sequins were used later for a skating costume. I did the photo shoot and they ended up using that photo in the magazine. I wasn't wearing anything."
Oooookay.
Naturally, when your faithful blogger spotted Bourne this morning — we've known each other for years, by the way — he just had to ask. And apparently, I wasn't the first.
"I've been getting that all morning" said a laughing Bourne, who is here in Saskatoon at these 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championship as a coach for senior ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.
And that, as the old saying goes, is indeed the naked truth.

A Slice Of Saskatoon

2009-01-16T12:26:00.007-05:00

Sometimes, when you're trying read the barometer of a new city, it's helpful to use your own familiar surroundings as a point of comparison.
With that in mind, a few things we've gleaned about our host city for the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships:
*** We've all noticed the frozen, rather bumpy roads in front of the Delta Bessborough, our stately hotel home for the week. Not a bare piece of pavement in sight. Then again, the word is road salt loses its ability to melt ice once the temperature drops below a certain level. And from what I've heard, this has been a brutally cold winter so far on the Prairies, with wind chills in the -40s almost the norm rather than the exception. Maybe it really is that simple.
*** Further to that point ... on the way to the Credit Union Centre today, noticed somebody had thrown a red sweater over one of the statues you'll find in the park that sits alongside the South Saskatchewan River, which winds its way through the heart of Saskatoon. Now that's telling you that it's been some kind of cold here.
*** Regular unleaded gas is going for 89.8 cents a litre today at most stations. Being that it was selling in the low 70s when I left Ottawa earlier this week, I'd say we're getting a rather good deal. Then again, I've heard and read that us folks in the nation's capital have been enjoying the country's lowest gas prices for awhile now.
*** Last night, as we made our way back to the Bessborough, picked up on an affliction most familiar to anyone who lives on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River: Heavy bridge traffic at the end of the work day. In all, seven bridges span the South Saskatchewan here, which (sensibly enough) is why Saskatoon has aquired the moniker "The Bridge City."
*****
You've got to love the volatility of the code of points judging system (which a lot folks still call the "new system," even if it really isn't).
Take the results in the junior men's event, which wrapped up late Thursday night. Andrei Rogozine of Richmond Hill, Ont., took the gold medal with a total overall score of 149.77 points. While Rogozine stood second after the short program, Paul Parkinson of the Nepean Skating Club in Ottawa made a mighty leap from 10th to claim the silver medal (141.46) by placing second in the free skate.
That kind of movement was simply unheard of in the "old" days. But while it's becoming somewhat common now, it's still an eye-opener every time you see it. And a rather subtle reminder that it really isn't over until its over.
Quebec's Sebastien Wolfe took home the bronze medal (140.60).

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-15T18:30:00.005-05:00

You can go home again. Just ask Kate Charbonneau, who might still be pinching herself a few days from now, just to make sure it's all real.
"I still can’t believe it. I really can’t," the 15-year-old Winnipeg native said after claiming the junior women's title earlier today at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. "I have no idea what I’m going to do now."
That Charbonneau rose from fifth after the short program to the top of the podium might be a quite the story in itself. But this is a tale that runs much, much deeper than that.
When she was four years old, Charbonneau's family moved from Manitoba across the border to Savage, Minn. (just south of Minneapolis) because her father, Dan, changed jobs. Since then, she's trained in nearby Bloomington with her mother, Lorie, on the other side of the boards as her coach (she also works part-time with Robert Tebby at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont).
Three years ago, Charbonneau finished fourth in the intermediate category (the equivalent of pre-novice in Canada) at the U.S. Junior Nationals. Things were going well. But all along the way, she harboured a dream that just wouldn't go away. To return to the land of her birth and skate in Manitoba colours at the Canadian championships.
"This is really what I always wanted to do. Always," she said.
Finally, Charbonneau made the plunge this season. The emotion of the moment overwhelmed her Wednesday just before she glided onto the ice at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre to skate her short program.
"Before I skated, I came back here and I cried," she said. "I was so nervous. I couldn’t believe it and I still can’t believe it. I went out there and I did what I could do. It was all I had to do, I guess."
While most of the field above her after the short program faltered, Charbonneau did just enough to hold off Cambria Little of Kelowna, B.C., for the gold. Charbonneau totalled 120.41 points; Little wound up with 119.18. The bronze went to Rylie McCulloch-Casarsa of Burlington, Ont. (114.82).
On this day, the gold almost seemed secondary for a young girl from Manitoba who never stopped believing in her dream.
"I’ve always wanted to skate for Canada since I was about four years old," said Charbonneau, who had 10 relatives in the stands to cheer her on. "My dream is finally coming true."
There is something about the junior women's event at this competition, it seems. Two years ago, Ottawa's Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko skated the performance of her young life to win the gold, an astonishing feat considering she'd been 15th as a novice at junior nationals in 2006.
Last year, it was Kelsey McNeil of tiny Salisbury, N.B., breaking through as a first-year junior after placing seventh in novice the year before.
All surprising winners, all of them 15 years old.
Who says dreams can't come true?

Chan's Time Is At Hand

2009-01-15T17:31:00.006-05:00

Already, he's becoming one of the faces of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. One of many Canadian athletes charged with upholding the host country's honour at the biggest show on earth.
Patrick Chan, all 18 years of him, doesn't shy away from any of it. Bring it on, says the reigning national senior men's champion, who fully embraces the opportunity to put figure skating in the biggest sporting spotlight of them all.
"Every night, I think about it," said Chan, whose face lights up at the mere mention of the Vancouver Games. "It’s huge just to think about it. I’ve been to Vancouver and I’ve seen the construction going on. To think that in a year’s time I’ll be in that construction area and living in that space and being at the opening ceremony … that’s always in my mind.
"What’s going to happen? That is the question, what’s going to happen in a year when I’m there and what’s going to be different? It’s a lot of questions and I wish I could read the future."
A little sooner than he'd planned, Chan is suddenly the man in Canadian men's skating. There is no shadow of Jeffrey Buttle to hide behind, not since the 2008 world men's champion announced his retirement from eligible skating last September. But Chan is clearly ready to accept whatever torch is being passed his way.
"I think I’m doing the job of trying to promote figure skating," said Chan, whose face you may have already seen on a few pre-Olympic commercials and ad spots. "I want to sort of be what Jeff was, a spokesman for figure skating. It is good timing for me ... to have all that attention now because it’s so close to the Olympics and that’s when most of the attention is. I want to do my best to promote figure skating and really bring it back up as it was before."
Without a doubt, another Chan-Buttle showdown at these BMO Canadian figure skating championships would have done a lot in that area. Especially with the men's final receiving prime time live television exposure on Sunday night on CBC.
"I knew this nationals would have been very exciting — a world champion and a national champion both fighting for it," said Chan, who upset Buttle to seize the Canadian title a year ago in Vancouver. "It was going to be an epic battle."
Instead, all eyes will be on Chan, who knows full well what's at stake.
"I have to make it to the world team," he said. "Last year, it was ‘I want to make it.’ Now, it’s not an option. I have to make it, especially if I want to be an Olympic athlete."
Through it all, Chan manages to maintain a balance in his life. He is clearly enthused about returning to Ecole Etienne-Brule in Toronto next month to finish high school and graduate with his class. School is also the place that helps him stay grounded as the road toward Vancouver grows ever shorter.
"You have to really look at the bigger picture and say ‘do I really want that much attention?’ " he said. "There's just the initial ‘oh, my God, I’m famous, I feel like a rock star,’ But you have to realize there’s much more than that. You’ve got your friends and other people. You always have to remember your friends. One thing that Kurt (Browning) taught me is try not to get a big ego and try to stay as grounded as possible. Keep your best friends closest to you.
"That’s what I love about school. You just go in the first day and they say ‘congratulations, we know you did great, I saw you on TV.’ And the next day they forget about it and treat me like a normal kid."
Even if the thoughts that run through his head are often anything but.

She's All Grown Up Now

2009-01-15T15:27:00.008-05:00

She is every bit the vision of maturity, this four-time Canadian champion with goals and dreams of conquering the world before she finally hangs up her blades.
But you should know this assured sense of self didn't happen overnight for Joannie Rochette, an observation that, it must be said, is oh so very clear to anyone who has known this petite young charmer from Ile Dupas, Que., for any length of time.
It is as simple as drawing a line between her first appearance at a BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Saskatoon (way back in 2003) and today, when Rochette stands head and shoulders above the rest of the women's skating field in this country. The journey from then to now? Even Rochette herself can tell you just how very far she's come.
"Back then, I think I fell on my double lutz," the just-turned 23-year-old said with a knowing laugh. "I could not even do all the triples and I was still fixing my “flutz” (a term skaters use to describe doing a triple lutz off the wrong edge). Thank God I did, because now you get a big deduction for that. Artistically, I watch old programs from when I was a junior and my first year of senior and oh my God, I’ve made a great progression in that area."
She's quite the different person, too, it must be said. Back in 2003, Rochette arrived in Saskatoon as a painfully shy 16-year-old but with a resume that including Canadian junior and novice titles in back-to-back seasons. Even then, everyone already was pointing toward Rochette as the one to take the torch from Jennifer Robinson and move Canadian women's skating to a new and higher level.
Not that it was easy for her to talk about any of it. Rochette, who had little command of the English language at the time, can giggle now as she recalls the press conference that followed the 2003 women's event at Saskatchewan Place (now the Credit Union Centre).
"I was very shy to speak English," said Rochette. "Annie Bellemare was helping me a lot with that. She was speaking for me."
(an aside: Rochette won the silver medal that year, while Bellemare — Skate Canada's ever busy manager of marketing and sponsorship — took the bronze, the last of her five career medals at Canadians).
More often, it was coach Manon Perron holding Rochette's hand through it all. It was a common sight: Reporter would ask Rochette a question and she'd immediately turn to Perron and converse with her coach in French before responding (if Perron didn't do it for her, that is).
"I could understand but I wasn’t really sure of the questions, so I would speak to her," said Rochette while smiling about the memory.
Today, she speaks almost flawless English and does it with the confidence that befits a young woman who should own a fifth straight Canadian crown by week's end. In March, she'll jet off to Los Angeles believing full well she can be the first Canadian woman in 21 years to stand on the podium at the world figure skating championships.
She's all grown up, that much is true. And what a sight it is to see.

L.A. Means The World

2009-01-15T14:45:00.007-05:00

A world of possibilities await Canada's finest skaters in Los Angeles.
And we're not just talking about the 2009 world figure skating championships, which are set for March 23-29 at the Staples Center. Let's just say the ramifications of that event will be felt all the way to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
It's those results in La-La Land, you see, that determine the size of team Canada can enter to defend its home turf in Vancouver in a year's time. And being that it's right in its backyard, Skate Canada wants its squad to be as close to the max (three entries per discipline) as possible.
With that thought in mind, Skate Canada will break from the norm and hold off naming its full Los Angeles team until after the Four Continents Championship, to be held Feb. 2-8 in Vancouver. That also happens to be the Olympic test event for Pacific Coliseum, which will be the Games venue for figure skating in 2010.
"We intend to name some members of that (2009 world) team here in Saskatoon, but the majority of that team will not be named until after Four Continents," said Skate Canada technical director Mike Slipchuk. "We're going to get a good overview of the season and how our athletes are doing. This event (in Saskatoon) goes a long way in deciding those thoughts but these world championships are very key for us and will determine our Olympic team size."
Canada can send one of its largest contingents in recent memory to the Los Angeles worlds: Three men, three pair teams, two women and two ice dance couples. While a lot of the credit for that rests with the three medals Canadian skaters earned at the 2008 worlds in Sweden, Slipchuk rightly pointed out it took more than that.
"The key spots that will decide those (Olympic) entries are the second and third spots in each discipline," he said.
For example, while Jeffrey Buttle won the world men's title in Gothenburg, it was Patrick Chan's ninth-place finish that secured the third men's spot for L.A. It was the same drill in pairs: Bronze medallists Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison teamed up with Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin (sixth in Gothenburg) to secure the third ticket.
The Four Continents team, meanwhile, will be named on Sunday at the conclusion of the event, but Slipchuk said allowances will be made "for skaters who may have been injured (read: Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay) or may not have been able to compete fully this season."
In other words, expect the drama to last well beyond the final bows on Sunday here at the Credit Union Centre.
*****
The first medallists have been declared at these championships.
Take a bow, Karen Routhier and Eric Saucke-Lacelle, who claimed the junior ice dance gold medals this morning. The Quebec couple won all three phases of the competition, including today's free dance final at the Credit Union Centre.
Routhier, 17, of Stoneham, Que., and Saucke-Lacelle, 19, of Sherbrooke, Que., settled for the silver medals at year ago in Vancouver. With the 2008 champs, Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill, now skating senior, the stage was clearly set for the Quebecers to take the next step.
Rounding out the podium were Vancouver-based Tarrah Harvey and Keith Gagnon (silver, 156.75), and Alexandra Paul and Jason Cheperdak of Barrie, Ont.(bronze, 150.26).
Harvey and Gagnon, by the way, are coached by a pair of familiar names — 10-time Canadian medallists Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe.

How Times Have Changed

2009-01-15T13:06:00.000-05:00

They've just turned up the lights in the media centre at the Credit Union Centre. And maybe that can serve as a rather appropriate segue toward the topic of our latest post.
Namely, the bright mood that today surrounds these 2009 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships and the sport in general across our fair land. Let's just say it's like night and day, so to speak, since we all convened here the last time.
Allow me, for a moment, to refresh your memory about the 2003 nationals at Saskatchewan Place (as this building was named back then). The figure skating world was still reeling from the judging scandal involving Canadian heroes Jamie Sale and David Pelletier at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, a sordid affair that literally brought the sport to its knees.
That dark cloud was still very much hanging in the air as Canada's best gathered on the Prairies a year later and did their best to put the focus and all that is right and good about figure skating. It was never more of a chore in that regard, to be sure.
Yet, here we are five years later in that same building — it's now called the Credit Union Centre — and the focus hasn't changed all that much. Only this time, there is nothing forced about it. You look to the left during the opening press conference for the 2009 Canadians and you see a pair of world bronze medallists (Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison) and a young woman who's determined to join them herself in a few months time (Joannie Rochette). It's much the same scene on the other side — reigning world ice dance silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir sitting beside Patrick Chan, one of the top young stars in men's skating.
Skate Canada CEO William Thompson talks with pride about a championships in which "the categories are very, very wide open. This is the way we like it. We want to see competition."
The explanation behind that sentiment is perhaps the thing that counts the most of all at this point in time.
"What's critical for our sport is that the results are fair and that they reflect what happens on the ice," said Thompson. "That is what we want our officials to do and that is what we want every athlete to know when they come to this event, that they have a shot at getting on (Canada's) world team."
Five years later, isn't that the most wonderful of thoughts? And proof that, indeed, the cloud that darkened this event in 2003 is long, long in our past.
*****
Some things just take some getting used to when you move into a different time zone. Like, for example, looking out the window from our home base at the Delta Bessborough and still seeing darkness (and street lights in full glare) at 8:30 a.m.
It's enough to make a person crawl back under the covers. Especially when he knows the chill is very much still in the air outside.

Dancing Back Into The Spotlight

2009-01-14T23:17:00.009-05:00

Sometimes, a girl's just gotta dance. And if you're Tessa Virtue and you haven't been able to do that for real for waaay too long, it feels oh so good just to get those feet moving again.
That Virtue and partner Scott Moir will win their second straight senior ice dance crown isn't the question at the 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships. Bank on the reigning world silver medallists standing on the top step of the podium when all is said and done after Saturday's free dance final at the Credit Union Centre.
Rather, it's all about just getting a chance to see this enchanting young couple for the first time this season. Back in October, you may recall, Virtue needed surgery on both her knees to relieve pain caused by chronic exertional compartment syndrome, an overuse injury that affected her shins. That put a halt to the fall portion of their season.
So tonight's compulsory dance, which Virtue and Moir won handily with a 39.33-point score, marked their first real taste of competition since the 2008 world championships last March in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Needless to say, they're excited just to be back at it again.
"It was really nice ... It's been a very long time," said a grinning Virtue, 19, of London, Ont. "After 10 months of not competing, it feels really great to be in this atmosphere."
Her partner seconded that thought.
"Just being back (was the big thing)," said Moir, 21, of Ilderton, Ont. "We've kind of been craving this for the last little while and we're really, really looking forward to Friday (original dance) and Saturday (free dance). To get a little taste of it tonight was nice."
CBC's crew here in Saskatoon thought so, too. Tracy Wilson, Kurt Browning and Scott Russell made a quick trip in through the evening's bitter cold just to see these rather special prodigies do their thing.
While Virtue and Moir are a virtual lock for gold, the real action is right below them. Canada has only two ice dance berths for the 2009 worlds in Los Angeles and there's already quite the battle brewing. Rising young stars Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, the silver-medal winners at HomeSense Skate Canada in Ottawa back in November, currently stand second (35.62), followed by Ottawa's Siobhan Karam and Kevin O'Keefe (31.97) and Andrea Chong and Guillaume Gfeller (31.92). Reigning national silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje (31.89) are currently fourth, just ahead of last year's bronze-medal winners, Allie-Hann McCurdy and Michael Coreno (30.95), whose golden skate blades might have made the fashion statement of the night.
But leave it to Virtue and Moir to make the biggest statement of them all. They're back and really, that's all that needed be said on this rather frigid evening.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2009-01-14T21:11:00.006-05:00

It hits you like a ton of bricks from the moment you begin to feel it.
I'm told it's been a long, cold winter on the Prairies already. And if today's bitter temperatures — minus-33 degrees when we landed in Saskatoon earlier today — are any evidence of it, we won't contest that claim (and that's without a wind chill, by the way).
"But it's a dry cold" is a phrase you may hear in these parts on occasion. Believe me, it's hardly (ahem) cold comfort. Bone chilling doesn't begin to describe Old Man Winter's icy grip.
Even inside the Credit Union Centre, where the 2009 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships are slowly kicking into gear, the chill is in the air. I'm wearing a coat in the media centre as a type this and let me assure you, I'm not alone.
Good news is on the way, though. A cab driver assured me today it's "warming up" to minus-15 on Thursday. The mercury is expected to climb above zero by the weekend.
Sounds like a veritable heat wave if you ask me.
Imagine that.

Saskatoon, Here We Come

2009-01-14T11:12:00.004-05:00

The friendly young lad at the Westjet counter at the Ottawa airport didn't hear the word quite right. But given winter's severe bite in the air, I had to agree his response sure made a heck of lot more sense.
"Where are you headed?" he asked.
Your friendly blog correspondent's answer came across as muffled, given the fact he's been nursing a rather nasty cold for a few days now.
"Cancun?" he asked.
"I wish," came the caustic reply, no doubt brought about by the bitter winds that all but froze my face on the walk into the terminal.
Nope, Saskatoon is hardly Cancun. But that's where we find ourselves headed today. And you know what, nothing against the warmth in that favourite holiday hotspot, but we're quite happy to say we'll be in Saskatchewan in a few short hours.
The 2009 BMO Canadian figure skating championships await us and, if you're familiar with the yarns spun here in the past couple of years, you know this is one of our favourite weeks of any year. Granted, we could do without the minus-27 temperatures (the bitter winds no doubt making it much worse) that will greet us, but this is an event that does a lot of warm the heart each and every year.
Want to see a cross-section of where this sport stands in Canada as we sit a year out from what will be the biggest Olympic party our fair land has ever seen? Cast your eyes toward the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, where you'll see the stars of today and tomorrow. And we are happy to report there are plenty of both.
Birthday girl Joannie Rochette (happy 23rd!) is gunning for a Canadian fifth straight senior women's crown. Patrick Chan has to be favoured to make it back-to-back senior men's titles. And finally, after an autumn wiped out by injury, ice dance phenoms Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are ready to put on the grandest of shows again, starting with the senior compulsory dance later on tonight.
Sadly, the surprising pairs champs from Vancouver 2008 won't be with us. Anabelle Langlois' ailing ankle hasn't healed quite enough, so she and partner Cody Hay will have to take a pass this week. But look no further than reigning world bronze medallists Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison for some star power in that event.
The junior ice dancers are on the ice right now, with the men, pairs and women to follow. If you're looking for the next wave of Canadian talent, there's no better place to start.
We'll be here all week to chronicle it all, as we have been since the blog made a rather auspicious debut in Halifax in 2007. Mostly, it'll be about the skaters, but we'll try to give you a bit of Prairie flavour as well. Read us often and post your thoughts about anything you read here. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Most of all, enjoy what you see on the ice. It's more than reason enough to say you'd really rather be in Saskatoon.