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?
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Sunday, January 18, 2009
New Kids On The Block
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."
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."
Friday, January 16, 2009
Only One Way To Go
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.
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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Chan's Time Is At Hand
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.
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.
L.A. Means The World
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.
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
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.
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.
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