There’s quite the battle brewing for the pre-novice ice dance medals at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals in Brampton, Ont.
And Lisa Casselman and Ryan Behnia of the Nepean Skating Club are right in the middle of it. Casselman and Behnia posted a score of 23.55 in Thursday’s compulsories to stand third behind a pair of Quebec teams — Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Anthony Quintal (24.70) and Marie-Philippe Vincent/Kevin Pierro (23.78).
Right behind Casselman and Behnia in fourth are another Quebec couple, Penelope Mondion and Benoit Gagnon (23.25).
That the Nepean duo are in the hunt for the medals shouldn’t be a surprise: They recorded the highest score of any duo at the East and West Challenges back in December. And they got stronger as the day went on Thursday, finishing fourth in the first compulsory and a solid second-best in the other.
We’ll know how it all shakes down later tonight — the free dance final is scheduled for a 5:55 start.
*** They spread the gold medals all around the country in Thursday’s juvenile finals. The new champs included B.C.’s Nam Nguyen (men), Quebec’s Roxanne Rheault (women, with an impressive 43.23 score), Saskatchewan’s Tara Hancherow and Paul-Romi Poulin (pairs), and Elisabeth Dyer and Tayor Dilley of Alberta (ice dance).
*** Nepean’s Sarah and Steven Clarke wound up fifth in juvenile dance, while Elizabeth Comeau of the Gloucester Skating Club placed ninth among juvenile women. Hillary DesRoches of Pembroke and Renfrew’s Spencer Yakaback were seventh in juvenile ice dance.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Taking A Bow
Spotted at the Ottawa Sports Awards dinner on Thursday night — ice dancers Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno.
The reason? Hann-McCurdy, who spent five years training at the Gloucester Skating Club and still represents them, was on hand to receive the sport award for figure skating for 2006. The 19-year-old from Orleans earned the honour — which included a medal and certificate — in great part because of their efforts at last year’s Canadian championships in Ottawa (Coreno made the long drive from his home town of Delhi, Ont., to share the happy moment with his partner).
In only their second year together, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno won the junior ice dance crown (they’d been silver medallists the year before in London, Ont., the same season they reached the Junior Grand Prix final).
The awards circuit isn’t done yet for the promising duo, which finished eighth in their senior debut at the just-completed 2007 nationals in Halifax. On Feb.12, both will receive the B.C. Premier’s Athletic Award for their accomplishments during the 2005-06 season. Then they’ll be special guests at the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Countdown to 2010 luncheon.
Both skaters returned to their home towns — Hann-McCurdy to Ottawa, Coreno to Delhi — for some down time after the Halifax nationals. They tell me they’re headed back to Vancouver next week to begin planning for next season (they train at the B.C. Centre of Excellence in Burnaby under the tutelage of former world champ Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz), when their goal will be a top-five finish (and national team berth) at the 2008 Canadians. No road trip necessary for them: It’s right in Vancouver at Pacific National Exhibition, which will be the venue for the Olympic figure skating competition in 2010.
A stage, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno will tell you, they’d dearly love to dance upon in three years time.
The reason? Hann-McCurdy, who spent five years training at the Gloucester Skating Club and still represents them, was on hand to receive the sport award for figure skating for 2006. The 19-year-old from Orleans earned the honour — which included a medal and certificate — in great part because of their efforts at last year’s Canadian championships in Ottawa (Coreno made the long drive from his home town of Delhi, Ont., to share the happy moment with his partner).
In only their second year together, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno won the junior ice dance crown (they’d been silver medallists the year before in London, Ont., the same season they reached the Junior Grand Prix final).
The awards circuit isn’t done yet for the promising duo, which finished eighth in their senior debut at the just-completed 2007 nationals in Halifax. On Feb.12, both will receive the B.C. Premier’s Athletic Award for their accomplishments during the 2005-06 season. Then they’ll be special guests at the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Countdown to 2010 luncheon.
Both skaters returned to their home towns — Hann-McCurdy to Ottawa, Coreno to Delhi — for some down time after the Halifax nationals. They tell me they’re headed back to Vancouver next week to begin planning for next season (they train at the B.C. Centre of Excellence in Burnaby under the tutelage of former world champ Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz), when their goal will be a top-five finish (and national team berth) at the 2008 Canadians. No road trip necessary for them: It’s right in Vancouver at Pacific National Exhibition, which will be the venue for the Olympic figure skating competition in 2010.
A stage, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno will tell you, they’d dearly love to dance upon in three years time.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Medal Dance?
Will the Nepean Skating Club be in the medals again at the Skate Canada Junior Nationals?
Young ice dancers Sarah and Steven Clarke are certainly in position to challenge for the podium heading into today’s juvenile free dance final at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ont.
The Eastern Ontario Sectional champions stand fourth after Wednesday’s compulsory dances, but it’s a close, close fourth. After finishing fifth and third in the two compulsories, the brother and sister team posted an overall score of 21.98 points. That’s a mere 0.17 behind Jayden Rau of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., and Tyler Grant of Ingersoll, Ont., who currently hold down the bronze-medal position.
Alberta’s Elisabeth Dyer and Taylor Dilley hold a commanding lead with 25.43 points. Currently in second are Edna and Edberg Khong of Ajax, Ont. (22.57).
If the Clarkes climb onto the podium, they’ll follow in the footsteps of Nepean clubmates Brooke Paulin and Nathan Last, who were silver medallists in novice pairs at the 2006 junior nationals in Moncton, N.B.
All the juvenile medals will be handed out today. Here are the times for the free skate finals: pairs, 1:25 p.m.; men, 2:40 p.m.; ice dance, 4:25 p.m., and women, 5:40 p.m.
Young ice dancers Sarah and Steven Clarke are certainly in position to challenge for the podium heading into today’s juvenile free dance final at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ont.
The Eastern Ontario Sectional champions stand fourth after Wednesday’s compulsory dances, but it’s a close, close fourth. After finishing fifth and third in the two compulsories, the brother and sister team posted an overall score of 21.98 points. That’s a mere 0.17 behind Jayden Rau of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., and Tyler Grant of Ingersoll, Ont., who currently hold down the bronze-medal position.
Alberta’s Elisabeth Dyer and Taylor Dilley hold a commanding lead with 25.43 points. Currently in second are Edna and Edberg Khong of Ajax, Ont. (22.57).
If the Clarkes climb onto the podium, they’ll follow in the footsteps of Nepean clubmates Brooke Paulin and Nathan Last, who were silver medallists in novice pairs at the 2006 junior nationals in Moncton, N.B.
All the juvenile medals will be handed out today. Here are the times for the free skate finals: pairs, 1:25 p.m.; men, 2:40 p.m.; ice dance, 4:25 p.m., and women, 5:40 p.m.
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