One of my favourite events that I've ever covered was the 2004 Skate Canada Junior Nationals, which were held at the Nepean Sportsplex right here in Ottawa.
It was truly a treat to see the real future of skating in our country, from the juvenile through novice levels. A couple of the medallists from that year — Diane Szmiett of Watford, Ont., and Vancouver's Jeremy Ten — have since gone on to bigger and better things, each having progressed to a Canadian junior title (Szmiett a year ago in Ottawa; Ten this year in Halifax).
The 2007 version of Junior Nationals gets under way today at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ont. There's only one event today — juvenile compulsory dance — but they'll keep two ice pads hopping from Thursday through Saturday.
If you're in the Brampton area, it's worth your time to give it a look.
*** Taking care of my own backyard ... here are the Ottawa-area entries at this week's junior nationals:
Juvenile — Elizabeth Comeau, Gloucester Skating Club, women; Sarah and Steven Clarke, Nepean Skating Club, ice dance; Hillary Desroches, Pembroke, and Spencer Yakaback, Renfrew, pairs.
Pre-Novice — Lisa Casselman and Ryan Behnia, Nepean, ice dance; Chelsi Fahrngruber and David Leenen, Nepean, pairs.
Novice — Paul Parkinson, Nepean, men.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
She's Still A Champion
The folks at IMG got the ball rolling this week for Stars On Ice Canada with the news that Canadian champions Joannie Rochette, Jeffrey Buttle, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon will all participate in the 13-city tour, which begins March 29 in Halifax.
For Dubreuil and Lauzon, the five-time Canadian ice dance champs, it's their SOI debut.
The 2007 extravaganza almost marks the national tour farewell for Brian Orser, who's immersed himself into coaching big-time at the Toronto Cricket Curling and Skating Club.
Long-time Canadian favourite Kurt Browning (skating's Mr. Entertainment) and Olympic pairs champs Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are also on board again.
The theme this year is Double Exposure: The Many Lives of Figure Skaters. My pal (and aspiring journalist) Jennifer Robinson, who's currently with the tour south of the border, tells me it's definitely worth a look.
(Jen's again penning a journal about the 'behind the scenes' stuff that goes on with SOI. It's on the U.S. tour website, which you'll find under our 'skating links.').
Conspicuous by her absence this year is former world champion ice dancer Shae-Lynn Bourne, who has lent her talents to SOI Canada the past few years as a solo dancer.
Shed no tears for Shae, though. She'll be plenty busy soon enough: She tells me she's signed a two-year contract with Tom Collins' Tour of Champions.
“I wasn't asked (to join SOI),” Bourne said recently in Halifax after she and partner Victor Kraatz were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. “So I thought, okay, Champions (tour) ... I'm going to be doing that through the summer.”
Hey, once a champion, always a champion, right?
For Dubreuil and Lauzon, the five-time Canadian ice dance champs, it's their SOI debut.
The 2007 extravaganza almost marks the national tour farewell for Brian Orser, who's immersed himself into coaching big-time at the Toronto Cricket Curling and Skating Club.
Long-time Canadian favourite Kurt Browning (skating's Mr. Entertainment) and Olympic pairs champs Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are also on board again.
The theme this year is Double Exposure: The Many Lives of Figure Skaters. My pal (and aspiring journalist) Jennifer Robinson, who's currently with the tour south of the border, tells me it's definitely worth a look.
(Jen's again penning a journal about the 'behind the scenes' stuff that goes on with SOI. It's on the U.S. tour website, which you'll find under our 'skating links.').
Conspicuous by her absence this year is former world champion ice dancer Shae-Lynn Bourne, who has lent her talents to SOI Canada the past few years as a solo dancer.
Shed no tears for Shae, though. She'll be plenty busy soon enough: She tells me she's signed a two-year contract with Tom Collins' Tour of Champions.
“I wasn't asked (to join SOI),” Bourne said recently in Halifax after she and partner Victor Kraatz were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. “So I thought, okay, Champions (tour) ... I'm going to be doing that through the summer.”
Hey, once a champion, always a champion, right?
Beyond The Chronicles ...
What's a skating blogger to do when the event he just had so much fun blogging at doesn't happen again for another year.
Start up a brother (or sister) blog, of course.
And so, welcome to Breaking The Ice.
(catchy title, huh?)
What will you find here? Well, if you're looking for the definitive be-all and end-all blog filled with every shred of figure skating news and gossip that's out there ... sorry, but that's for somebody else to write. The parameters of my day job (they expect me to earn my pay) just don't allow me to spend that kind of time digging up that volume of ice-breaking stuff (see, there is a reason for that title).
Rather, what you'll find here are a mix of interesting tidbits I run across and some occasional commentary and views on the sport, with a dash of whimsy mixed in now and then.
Kinda like the recipe that made The Halifax Chronicles such a hit at the just-completed Canadian figure skating championships (hey, that's not just me talking. Ask the people who flattered the heck out of me with their compliments during my stay in Nova Scotia — the link is off to the right if you haven't seen that blog for yourself).
Being that I'm from Ottawa (see bio), naturally there will be more of an Eastern Ontario slant to things every once in awhile — it is, after all, my backyard rink, so to speak.
But I'll keep it fun and keep my blogging itch going. After all, 12 months (give or take a week or so) is just way too long to be away from skating posts, don't you agree?
Enjoy!
Start up a brother (or sister) blog, of course.
And so, welcome to Breaking The Ice.
(catchy title, huh?)
What will you find here? Well, if you're looking for the definitive be-all and end-all blog filled with every shred of figure skating news and gossip that's out there ... sorry, but that's for somebody else to write. The parameters of my day job (they expect me to earn my pay) just don't allow me to spend that kind of time digging up that volume of ice-breaking stuff (see, there is a reason for that title).
Rather, what you'll find here are a mix of interesting tidbits I run across and some occasional commentary and views on the sport, with a dash of whimsy mixed in now and then.
Kinda like the recipe that made The Halifax Chronicles such a hit at the just-completed Canadian figure skating championships (hey, that's not just me talking. Ask the people who flattered the heck out of me with their compliments during my stay in Nova Scotia — the link is off to the right if you haven't seen that blog for yourself).
Being that I'm from Ottawa (see bio), naturally there will be more of an Eastern Ontario slant to things every once in awhile — it is, after all, my backyard rink, so to speak.
But I'll keep it fun and keep my blogging itch going. After all, 12 months (give or take a week or so) is just way too long to be away from skating posts, don't you agree?
Enjoy!
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