2018-19 Canadian figure skating | Page 18 | Golden Skate

2018-19 Canadian figure skating

Krunchii

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Thank you for the list!

Stephen is competing as a junior internationally for the first time; iirc there is a rule that allows him to compete as a senior at Nats, which he did the last couple years afaik.

I see Conrad is still listed as YRSA. Did the entry deadline come before the (presumed) switch to TCC? I see Corey and Bruce (both as single and dance as usually) are also representing TCC.

Stephen only competed senior nationally last season, previously he was junior :)

Also about the ACI tickets, check back periodically, 2 hours after pre-sale opened it looked sold out, but then a few hours later someone alerted me that there were more available so they could keep releasing bit by bit.

I found it a bit extreme that one person could buy 8 tickets at once, people could hoard tickets pretty easily that way. Is 4 as a limit too little?
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
Thank you for the list!

Stephen is competing as a junior internationally for the first time; iirc there is a rule that allows him to compete as a senior at Nats, which he did the last couple years afaik.

I see Conrad is still listed as YRSA. Did the entry deadline come before the (presumed) switch to TCC? I see Corey and Bruce (both as single and dance as usually) are also representing TCC.
Conrad will need to file a change of club with Skate Canada. Likely would not have processed at the time of entry for Minto, but we can expect to see updated information later.
 

Scout

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
I would assume that Amelia would move to TCC with Conrad...it this true? I'm interested to see how she'll develop at TCC, as I think they can really help with her PCS.
 

SnowWhite

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 30, 2016
Country
Canada
I would assume that Amelia would move to TCC with Conrad...it this true? I'm interested to see how she'll develop at TCC, as I think they can really help with her PCS.

Not necessarily. In fact, I don't think she has. One of the first signs that Conrad had moved was that he wasn't in the YRSA show this spring, but Amelia was.
 

Bluediamonds09

Medalist
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Any upcoming senior Canadian ladies to fill Kaetlyn’s spots? If ever there was a time to turn senior, it’s now!! We don’t know the status of Larkyn, Roxanne, and Michelle, do we?????
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
Any upcoming senior Canadian ladies to fill Kaetlyn’s spots? If ever there was a time to turn senior, it’s now!! We don’t know the status of Larkyn, Roxanne, and Michelle, do we?????
Sigh...

Something doesn't seem to be working in the system.

I'm just not seeing any of them reaching what Kaetlyn, Gabby or even Alaine have done.

At the novice level there are innumerable flights of promising young women (as we call them officially in Canada.) In the summer series competitions we see 7 or more flights of 30 or more skaters.

Some sections and training centres push jumps while others push pretty, clean skating with good SS.

All sections seem to think the deficiencies, whatever they may be, can be addressed later and focus instead on the strengths that will let a skater win a flight and advance competitively.

But instead these deficiencies become fatally transparent when these skaters advance to the JPG or seniors.

So many promising ones just don't ever get it together. And I'd have to put Alaine in that category to be honest.

Perhaps instead of the old "wait your turn", we've got instead an intensity of competition at the pre-novice and novice levels that's not actually developing women skaters.

And I have to also wonder if the skaters that should be advanced are somewhere back in the pack, never getting out of their sections, discouraged or not being able to justify the cost of moving to the elite training centres.

Or if there is still a ways to go before modern technique and training philosophy are not only disseminated, but also but into practice to develop skaters in smaller clubs.

Skate Canada upended the system from the bottom up at the beginning of the last quadrennial. We will begin to see the impact of that at the competitive level in this quadrennial.

Here's hoping it will produce the needed results.
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
I think Alicia Pineault has all it takes to get there... Aurora was not far... and she was still a junior... perhaps she is getting ready during the time off... Other than those two, there are a couple girls in juniors from Quebec who have good jumps.
 

Scout

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
I feel like 9-10 years ago, top novice/junior girls were only doing 2 different triples (Alexandra Najarro comes to mind, where I believe she won novice with only 3S and 3T). A triple flip or lutz in juniors was so rare, never mind at the novice level. Now, we're seeing more advanced triples in novice and juniors, and some 2a-3T and 3T-3T combos. Amelia Orzel (ironically coached by Najarro's mother) landed a whole slew of different triples to win novice this past season, so that was really exciting to see. She needs to develop her PCS though.

And even though Canadian women can't keep up with the Russians on the junior circuit (and really, who can right now?), Canadians seem to come into their own in the senior circuit. Neither Kaetlyn nor Gabby had medal-filled junior careers, but both managed to get on the senior World podium.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I really thought Aurora was the next big one, but her JW performances were disappointing. Perhaps her nerves got to her as they did in the SP at Nationals. It might be a good idea to send her to a Challenger or a B event and get her more used to international competition.
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
I feel like 9-10 years ago, top novice/junior girls were only doing 2 different triples (Alexandra Najarro comes to mind, where I believe she won novice with only 3S and 3T). A triple flip or lutz in juniors was so rare, never mind at the novice level. Now, we're seeing more advanced triples in novice and juniors, and some 2a-3T and 3T-3T combos. Amelia Orzel (ironically coached by Najarro's mother) landed a whole slew of different triples to win novice this past season, so that was really exciting to see. She needs to develop her PCS though.

And even though Canadian women can't keep up with the Russians on the junior circuit (and really, who can right now?), Canadians seem to come into their own in the senior circuit. Neither Kaetlyn nor Gabby had medal-filled junior careers, but both managed to get on the senior World podium.
Not so concerned about "keeping up" on the Juniors circuit as a system that appears to be promoting skaters at the novice or junior level that have big gaps in either SS or jump technique.

One problem with the bonus system is that, with luck, a skater with inconsistent triples or 3-2 combos with less-than-ideal technique can leap ahead in the series or sectionals if they sufficiently land the bonus BV elements on the day.

And some promising early jumpers, like the Decelles twins, are facing injury as they've moved up to senior.

So, I see the system as it concerns women and girls as a work in progress.

I'm concerned that there isn't an obvious next skater coming up after Kaetlyn and Gabby. It's not like someone has been held back from opportunity at the upper junior or senior level due to the depth of field.

But am hoping that the deep changes will start showing through in this quadrennial. It may be that there are still too few girls who get both the necessary jump and SS technique locked in before peak growth and puberty. One can build on those, but Skate Canada's own guidance is really clear that there is a floor of skating-specific skill that needs to be laid down early.

By contrast on the men's side, despite the relatively smaller numbers, we see a lot of promising guys coming up with good foundations. Surviving peak growth seems the challenge there.

But the new StarSkate seems to be making progress in attracting and retaining boys in the sport. Which is critical for 3 of 4 disciplines and will provide a deep pool.
 

SarahSynchro

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Country
Canada
Yuzurudaughter is now skating out of the Hamilton FSC. Bryce Davison is the club’s head coach and director of skater development, and I can confirm the truth in what TGee said in her last paragraph above. Bryce has held this position in Hamilton since his 2011 retirement, and one of his goals was to promote figure skating as an “acceptable” sport for young boys to take up at the competitive level. I’m not implying any homophobia or “sissy” sport mentality when I say this; Of course, it’s the 21st century, figure skating SHOULD be seen by society of a unisex sport. Fortunately, as mature, educated, rationally thinking adults who are accepting of all genders and sexualities, we know that just because something SHOULD be one way, doesn’t mean it actually IS that way.

Back to my discussion involving Bryce, he’s definitely succeeded with this goal in Hamilton. They have so many young, talented male skaters at all the levels, many of whom took the high performance development track, competing in singles in the pre-juvenile, juvenile, pre-novice, novice, junior and senior levels. Bryce has also revived the interest of training both male and female skaters in competitive pairs, and we all know the pairs discipline is not very deep in Canada. It’s great to see half a dozen male skaters on the ice with Yuzudaughter during her sessions, and this is at just the STAR 3-5 level.

Unfortunately, with a height of exactly five feet at the tender age of nine, Yuzudaughter is already taller than Meagan Duhamel, Wenjing Sui, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Aljona Savchenko, so it’s likely safe to say that becoming a pairs girl isn’t in the cards for her. :laugh:
 

Colonel Green

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Country
Canada
At the end of the day, there's only so much the system can do. Comparatively few skaters will put it all together and reach true star status. Canada has gone stretches without even one such lady, and the current situation of having two really top-drawer talents both competing at the same time is even rarer.
 

4everchan

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Country
Martinique
Yuzurudaughter is now skating out of the Hamilton FSC. Bryce Davison is the club’s head coach and director of skater development, and I can confirm the truth in what TGee said in her last paragraph above. Bryce has held this position in Hamilton since his 2011 retirement, and one of his goals was to promote figure skating as an “acceptable” sport for young boys to take up at the competitive level. I’m not implying any homophobia or “sissy” sport mentality when I say this; Of course, it’s the 21st century, figure skating SHOULD be seen by society of a unisex sport. Fortunately, as mature, educated, rationally thinking adults who are accepting of all genders and sexualities, we know that just because something SHOULD be one way, doesn’t mean it actually IS that way.

Back to my discussion involving Bryce, he’s definitely succeeded with this goal in Hamilton. They have so many young, talented male skaters at all the levels, many of whom took the high performance development track, competing in singles in the pre-juvenile, juvenile, pre-novice, novice, junior and senior levels. Bryce has also revived the interest of training both male and female skaters in competitive pairs, and we all know the pairs discipline is not very deep in Canada. It’s great to see half a dozen male skaters on the ice with Yuzudaughter during her sessions, and this is at just the STAR 3-5 level.

Unfortunately, with a height of exactly five feet at the tender age of nine, Yuzudaughter is already taller than Meagan Duhamel, Wenjing Sui, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Aljona Savchenko, so it’s likely safe to say that becoming a pairs girl isn’t in the cards for her. :laugh:

at that height, she will be yuzurudaughtersyncrho ;) or she can find herself a poje boy to waltz her all night long ;)

if i were a young man, i would totally want to train with bryce.... where was he when the harem was built?
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
You guys bring up some good points and inside info.

As an outsider I see that the formation of the NextGen Team and all the technical criteria along with international assignments in the spring seem to be making somewhat of a difference. We've seen Lajoie/Lagha and Joseph Phan benefit from this. It may also have given Conrad the perspective to make the switch to Cricket Club.

I think it will take time for change to roll about. But is it so bad to be a bit patient? I mean when Joannie won a bronze medal in Vancouver I'd say Kaetlyn Osmond was on few people's radars. Now she's Joannie's successor. She was able to get to where she is because she was given opportunities and had strong coaching support. We need to make sure young athletes have both. Which is another good thing about NextGen - the opportunity to work with other coaches. As Scott says, teamwork makes the dream work!
 

lovaticcanada

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
So, the Jr Grand Prix event in China (including Pairs) will now be relocated to Vancouver (Sep. 12-15) this season. Hopefully, Skate Canada will be able to send a possible medal contender to a rare 'home' junior event.
 
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