It's never easy saying goodbye.
But the blog, as it always must, shuts it down when the lights go out on the competition. And so it is with the 2008 HomeSense Skate Canada International, which wrapped up a frenzied run at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa a little more than an hour ago.
This is the part where your humble blogger usually devotes a moment or three to praising the people he's met in a new part of the country that he's discovered. But for reasons detailed earlier, this one is ending a little differently.
No plane to catch. No shuttle bus to the airport. Just the same 25-minute or so drive home from the rink that I've made numerous times over the past 13 months.
That being said, we'd hardly be against another figure skating event of major proportions landing in the building we call home sometime in the near future. While Skate Canada CEO William Thompson noted today the capacity of the NHL-sized rink is probably too steep to place a BMO Canadian championships within its walls anytime soon, he didn't entirely rule out bringing the world to the building.
The world figure skating championships, you see, are a "different animal," with fans travelling from all over the globe to attend. They'd surely travel in greater numbers than the 16,000 plus who turned out over three days for Skate Canada International.
It is almost a certainty that the next worlds held in Canada will occur in the eastern part of the country, given that the last three contested here all took place in Western Canada (Edmonton 1996, Vancouver 2001 and Calgary 2006). Let's just say Scotiabank Place proved it's a worthy candidate to own the host's nod for that worlds, likely in 2012 or 2013.
First things first, though. Next year, this event heads a few hours west to Kitchener, Ont., with dates of Nov. 17-19. That's two weeks later than usual, but the Olympic year has turned the Grand Prix schedule for 2009 on its ear, with a reversal of the usual order of things (it'll start in Asia, with Skate Canada the series finale).
Until then, though, it's au revoir from Ottawa.
We'll see you again soon from the other end of Canada's most populous province.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Silver Lining At The Finish
The whispers were rather audible as thoughts pointed toward the final event of the competition at HomeSense Skate Canada International.
If only Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were here. The reigning world silver medallists, without a doubt, would have assured a Canadian medal in every discipline at Scotiabank Place. Joannie Rochette and Patrick Chan had already banked gold medals for the home team on Saturday; Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison came within a whisker of adding a third in the pairs event.
Virtue and Moir, who are absent here because of injury, would surely have completed the full set of hardware with a dazzling performance of their own.
No reason for worry after all, it turned out. Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier had things in hand Sunday afternoon, climbing from fifth place after the original dance to the silver-medal spot on the podium with a fabulous free dance.
For the teens from Toronto, it was a rather auspicious debut in their first senior Grand Prix event. Only Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White stood above them in the final standings. They finished with 178.89 points; Crone and Poirier totalled 162.13 to edge out France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (159.06) for the bronze.
Needless to see, the young Canadians were tickled pick by all of this.
"We weren't really putting ourselves in position to give ourselves a placement," said Crone. "We just wanted to come out here and do our best and perform the way we do every day in practice and whatever happens happens. But we definitely weren't expecting this at all."
Crone and Poirier skated last in the first of two groups, posted the score on the board, then sat back and watched the drama unfold. With four couples still to skate, the Canucks needed two of them to falter to land on the podium. It wound up even better, with only Davis and White able to better the home team's overall total.
Fans at Scotiabank Place watched Crone and Poirier's every squirm, with television images of them watching backstage prominently displayed on the scoreboard.
"It's always emotionally hard, especially for us because we finished skating before all the other (contenders)," said Poirier. "All we could do was sit there and watch and wait. The waiting sometimes is agonizing. You just sit there and sit there and sit there. At that point, we were really happy with the performance and all the rest depended on how the others skated and what the judges were going to do with the programs."
Turned they did exactly what the Canadians needed. And then some.
If only Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were here. The reigning world silver medallists, without a doubt, would have assured a Canadian medal in every discipline at Scotiabank Place. Joannie Rochette and Patrick Chan had already banked gold medals for the home team on Saturday; Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison came within a whisker of adding a third in the pairs event.
Virtue and Moir, who are absent here because of injury, would surely have completed the full set of hardware with a dazzling performance of their own.
No reason for worry after all, it turned out. Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier had things in hand Sunday afternoon, climbing from fifth place after the original dance to the silver-medal spot on the podium with a fabulous free dance.
For the teens from Toronto, it was a rather auspicious debut in their first senior Grand Prix event. Only Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White stood above them in the final standings. They finished with 178.89 points; Crone and Poirier totalled 162.13 to edge out France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (159.06) for the bronze.
Needless to see, the young Canadians were tickled pick by all of this.
"We weren't really putting ourselves in position to give ourselves a placement," said Crone. "We just wanted to come out here and do our best and perform the way we do every day in practice and whatever happens happens. But we definitely weren't expecting this at all."
Crone and Poirier skated last in the first of two groups, posted the score on the board, then sat back and watched the drama unfold. With four couples still to skate, the Canucks needed two of them to falter to land on the podium. It wound up even better, with only Davis and White able to better the home team's overall total.
Fans at Scotiabank Place watched Crone and Poirier's every squirm, with television images of them watching backstage prominently displayed on the scoreboard.
"It's always emotionally hard, especially for us because we finished skating before all the other (contenders)," said Poirier. "All we could do was sit there and watch and wait. The waiting sometimes is agonizing. You just sit there and sit there and sit there. At that point, we were really happy with the performance and all the rest depended on how the others skated and what the judges were going to do with the programs."
Turned they did exactly what the Canadians needed. And then some.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Just An Ordinary Day
Practice, it's often been said, makes perfect.
But while Joannie Rochette was pretty close to that in front of a lot of eyes at HomeSense Skate Canada International on Saturday night, the little charmer from Ile-Dupas, Que., would be the first to say her pre-game skate, so to speak, had almost nothing to do with it.
In the minutes after crushing the field at Scotiabank Place for her second Skate Canada gold in three years, Rochette admitted practice earlier in the day went so poorly, she cut it short and headed back to her hotel room.
Then she fell back into the most familiar of routines.
"I just called my boyfriend (short-track speed skater Francois-Louis Tremblay) and talked about some things," said Rochette, 22. "I just did everything I do on a normal day. If I had a so-so practice at home (in Montreal), I'd go home and put it behind me and not think about it or talk about it. That's exactly what I did. I just moved on, had a quiet dinner and talked with my roommate (pairs skater Mylene Brodeur). We had a fun time together."
All of it seemed to work. By the time Rochette walked by the media room listening to Bon Jovi's Bed of Roses, she'd laid to bed all the bad feelings from earlier in the day. Then she went on and shot the lights out on the ice, landing seven triple jumps in a dazzling display that turned the competition into a rout.
After Rochette was done, she'd racked up an astonishing overall score of 188.89 points, more than 25 better than silver-medal winner Fumie Suguri of Japan. Alissa Czisny of the U.S. (157.92) held off reigning world silver medallist Carolina Kostner of Italy (152.76) for the bronze.
All of this on the backs of a free program Rochette admitted she wanted to dump shortly after she started working with it. Now that thought has done a complete 180.
" I think it really paid off tonight," she said. "I'm telling you, this program this summer, I couldn't get through it. I was dead at the third jump because I didn't have much crosscuts and I didn't see how it was going to work. The first week, I said 'I think we have to change.' It was real different for me to say you only have some round crosscuts and connecting steps, and then you have to jump.
"You have to gain speed with it and just that for me was harder. The work we did on the components really paid off."
While Rochette's performance drew raves all around — not to mention a standing ovation — she wasn't ready to declare it her best performance yet. But clearly, the message has been sent: The is a young woman primed and ready to win her first world championships medal in Los Angeles in March.
"I think this is a goal this season," said Rochette, who finished a career-best fifth at the 2008 worlds in Sweden. "But we don't think of podium specifically. We just talk about building my confidence and improving my components. I want to have the two same performances I had this week. Same thing, same calmness with all my elements and skating it perfectly it worlds.
"That's all I'm asking from myself and then the results will take care of themselves. If it comes, it comes, and I will do everything I can to get on that podium."
That quest, it must be said, is officially off to a rather rousing start.
But while Joannie Rochette was pretty close to that in front of a lot of eyes at HomeSense Skate Canada International on Saturday night, the little charmer from Ile-Dupas, Que., would be the first to say her pre-game skate, so to speak, had almost nothing to do with it.
In the minutes after crushing the field at Scotiabank Place for her second Skate Canada gold in three years, Rochette admitted practice earlier in the day went so poorly, she cut it short and headed back to her hotel room.
Then she fell back into the most familiar of routines.
"I just called my boyfriend (short-track speed skater Francois-Louis Tremblay) and talked about some things," said Rochette, 22. "I just did everything I do on a normal day. If I had a so-so practice at home (in Montreal), I'd go home and put it behind me and not think about it or talk about it. That's exactly what I did. I just moved on, had a quiet dinner and talked with my roommate (pairs skater Mylene Brodeur). We had a fun time together."
All of it seemed to work. By the time Rochette walked by the media room listening to Bon Jovi's Bed of Roses, she'd laid to bed all the bad feelings from earlier in the day. Then she went on and shot the lights out on the ice, landing seven triple jumps in a dazzling display that turned the competition into a rout.
After Rochette was done, she'd racked up an astonishing overall score of 188.89 points, more than 25 better than silver-medal winner Fumie Suguri of Japan. Alissa Czisny of the U.S. (157.92) held off reigning world silver medallist Carolina Kostner of Italy (152.76) for the bronze.
All of this on the backs of a free program Rochette admitted she wanted to dump shortly after she started working with it. Now that thought has done a complete 180.
" I think it really paid off tonight," she said. "I'm telling you, this program this summer, I couldn't get through it. I was dead at the third jump because I didn't have much crosscuts and I didn't see how it was going to work. The first week, I said 'I think we have to change.' It was real different for me to say you only have some round crosscuts and connecting steps, and then you have to jump.
"You have to gain speed with it and just that for me was harder. The work we did on the components really paid off."
While Rochette's performance drew raves all around — not to mention a standing ovation — she wasn't ready to declare it her best performance yet. But clearly, the message has been sent: The is a young woman primed and ready to win her first world championships medal in Los Angeles in March.
"I think this is a goal this season," said Rochette, who finished a career-best fifth at the 2008 worlds in Sweden. "But we don't think of podium specifically. We just talk about building my confidence and improving my components. I want to have the two same performances I had this week. Same thing, same calmness with all my elements and skating it perfectly it worlds.
"That's all I'm asking from myself and then the results will take care of themselves. If it comes, it comes, and I will do everything I can to get on that podium."
That quest, it must be said, is officially off to a rather rousing start.
Better To Be Lucky And Good
Sometimes, you just know the gods are smiling down upon you.
Patrick Chan used a couple of different analogies to describe it, but that's essentially the way the young man from Toronto (via Ottawa) put it after he squeaked out a HomeSense Skate Canada International triumph with nary a clean triple Axel on his scorecard.
But add up the final numbers, and they read this way: Chan, 215.45 points, followed by Americans Ryan Bradley (212.75) and Evan Lysacek (209.27). Short program winner Yannick Ponsero of France just missed the podium at 208.97.
Though Chan's victory was a tribute to his overall skating skills, you got the sense afterward that he knew he got away with one. And that he might not be so fortunate the next time given the same set of circumstances.
Let's the say it wasn't the same joyous, elated feeling Chan had last January, when his brilliant free skate catapulted him past Jeffrey Buttle for his first Canadian title.
"I'm really lucky," he said after winning Canada's first gold medal of this competition. "I was telling Don (Laws, his coach) in the kiss 'n cry (area) that cats have nine lives and I just used one of them. Or I just used up one of my lifelines.
"I'm happy but at the same time, I'm really disappointed because I didn't want it to come down like this. I wanted it to be a good ending like nationals (in Vancouver), especially on the home turf. But it's still early in the season and that's what I keep reminding myself."
Chan's victory was a tribute to his superior skating skills — that "in-between" stuff beyond the jumps — and presentation. His program component score of 77.40 was vastly better than anyone else in the field and won him the day.
That's a thought that Chan will happily take with him to Paris in two weeks, where he'll defend his crown at the Trophee Eric Bompard.
"Now I know I don't have to worry about the component (score)," the 17-year-old rising star said. "I can just focus on the technical. Do the program the same way artistic-wise that I did it here but land the jumps. I think I can really focus now on the elements."
Patrick Chan used a couple of different analogies to describe it, but that's essentially the way the young man from Toronto (via Ottawa) put it after he squeaked out a HomeSense Skate Canada International triumph with nary a clean triple Axel on his scorecard.
But add up the final numbers, and they read this way: Chan, 215.45 points, followed by Americans Ryan Bradley (212.75) and Evan Lysacek (209.27). Short program winner Yannick Ponsero of France just missed the podium at 208.97.
Though Chan's victory was a tribute to his overall skating skills, you got the sense afterward that he knew he got away with one. And that he might not be so fortunate the next time given the same set of circumstances.
Let's the say it wasn't the same joyous, elated feeling Chan had last January, when his brilliant free skate catapulted him past Jeffrey Buttle for his first Canadian title.
"I'm really lucky," he said after winning Canada's first gold medal of this competition. "I was telling Don (Laws, his coach) in the kiss 'n cry (area) that cats have nine lives and I just used one of them. Or I just used up one of my lifelines.
"I'm happy but at the same time, I'm really disappointed because I didn't want it to come down like this. I wanted it to be a good ending like nationals (in Vancouver), especially on the home turf. But it's still early in the season and that's what I keep reminding myself."
Chan's victory was a tribute to his superior skating skills — that "in-between" stuff beyond the jumps — and presentation. His program component score of 77.40 was vastly better than anyone else in the field and won him the day.
That's a thought that Chan will happily take with him to Paris in two weeks, where he'll defend his crown at the Trophee Eric Bompard.
"Now I know I don't have to worry about the component (score)," the 17-year-old rising star said. "I can just focus on the technical. Do the program the same way artistic-wise that I did it here but land the jumps. I think I can really focus now on the elements."
Better Than A Medal
From the day the announcement first came down, the void was massive.
Not just here this weekend at HomeSense Skate Canada International, but in the ranks of men's figure skating in this country in general.
You can't have a world champion retire unexpectedly and not feel it.
But if Shawn Sawyer can fill the gaping hole left by Jeffrey Buttle's absence as well in the future as he did today at Scotiabank Place, we'll really have something here.
Sawyer astonished everyone by winning the free program with a 142.36-point total that surpassed the number rung up by all three medallists. But because he came into today's proceedings sitting seventh after the short program, the 22-year-old from Edmundston, N.B., couldn't climb any higher than fifth in the final standings. He wound up a little less than three points back of bronze-medal winning Evan Lysacek of the U.S.
"You don't expect to see a score like that go up before the final warmup," said American silver medallist Ryan Bradley (212.75), who used the word "wow" to describe his immediate reaction.
That about summed up Sawyer's thoughts afterward, too.
"When the score came out, I couldn't believe I could get that score with that program," said the 22-year-old from Edmundston, N.B., whose previous personal best with it came a week ago at Skate America (135.84). "That's incredible. I've been third before in segments of the competition but winning a segment of a Grand Prix — and not the short but the long program — that's unbelievable. It's something I didn't think I could achieve.
"It's not a medal but it feels better."
Not bad for a guy who's only here because Buttle bowed out of eligible skating less than two months before this competition.
"At first, I only had one Grand Prix (Skate America in Everett, Wash., where he placed fifth)," said Sawyer. "But I ended up doing something very good with it and used it to my advantage."
After Patrick Chan — who snared the gold today with a 215.45-point overall total) upset Buttle last January at the Canadian championships in Vancouver, it seemed we were on the verge of another of those great men's skating rivalries. But buoyed by his performance here today, Sawyer is game for jumping into that picture.
"Why not?" Sawyer said when asked whether a Canadian title is possible for him in January in Saskatoon. "Patrick is an amazing skater and an amazing competitor. I have a little bit more experience than him and it does cross my mind sometimes but I don't want to put too much emphasis on it.
"But after skating a solid program like that, why not go for it?"
Not just here this weekend at HomeSense Skate Canada International, but in the ranks of men's figure skating in this country in general.
You can't have a world champion retire unexpectedly and not feel it.
But if Shawn Sawyer can fill the gaping hole left by Jeffrey Buttle's absence as well in the future as he did today at Scotiabank Place, we'll really have something here.
Sawyer astonished everyone by winning the free program with a 142.36-point total that surpassed the number rung up by all three medallists. But because he came into today's proceedings sitting seventh after the short program, the 22-year-old from Edmundston, N.B., couldn't climb any higher than fifth in the final standings. He wound up a little less than three points back of bronze-medal winning Evan Lysacek of the U.S.
"You don't expect to see a score like that go up before the final warmup," said American silver medallist Ryan Bradley (212.75), who used the word "wow" to describe his immediate reaction.
That about summed up Sawyer's thoughts afterward, too.
"When the score came out, I couldn't believe I could get that score with that program," said the 22-year-old from Edmundston, N.B., whose previous personal best with it came a week ago at Skate America (135.84). "That's incredible. I've been third before in segments of the competition but winning a segment of a Grand Prix — and not the short but the long program — that's unbelievable. It's something I didn't think I could achieve.
"It's not a medal but it feels better."
Not bad for a guy who's only here because Buttle bowed out of eligible skating less than two months before this competition.
"At first, I only had one Grand Prix (Skate America in Everett, Wash., where he placed fifth)," said Sawyer. "But I ended up doing something very good with it and used it to my advantage."
After Patrick Chan — who snared the gold today with a 215.45-point overall total) upset Buttle last January at the Canadian championships in Vancouver, it seemed we were on the verge of another of those great men's skating rivalries. But buoyed by his performance here today, Sawyer is game for jumping into that picture.
"Why not?" Sawyer said when asked whether a Canadian title is possible for him in January in Saskatoon. "Patrick is an amazing skater and an amazing competitor. I have a little bit more experience than him and it does cross my mind sometimes but I don't want to put too much emphasis on it.
"But after skating a solid program like that, why not go for it?"
Take A Deep Breath
It took a while for a lot of folks who follow this sport — including yours truly — to get a handle on the "code of points" judging system.
Even now, a quick look at a detailed scoresheet can boggle the minds of anybody except perhaps the most seasoned of observers.
One thing you have to love though, if you're a fan: There's no question about the separation between one team and the next. If it's really close, you know it.
Today's pairs free skate final at HomeSense Skate Canada was one of those nailbiters.
Even the quickest of mathematicians might have had to wait until the final standings were posted on the Scotiabank Place scoreboard to know for sure that Russia's Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov had indeed hung on for the gold.
The Russians' final overall total — 176.97 points — was a scant 0.43 better than Canada's Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, the reigning world bronze medallists. Now, a guy (or a girl) could drive themselves batty trying to figure out where they might have gained the extra point between winning and losing. But Dube and Davison, who trailed by 4.88 points after the short program, didn't even try to go there.
"It was super tight and we couldn't have asked for more," said Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont. "I thought it was fair. We didn't see all of the Russians' skate but they're very good skaters and we know what they can do. Unless I sit down and go over every little detail with a fine-toothed comb ... no, it was fair. It was exactly what we expected and five points is a lot to make up.
"We did our job and they did theirs and they came out on top today."
For Dube and Davison, it meant a second straight silver medal. But the Canadians, who stood third behind Americans Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, didn't give up the gold without a fight.
"I think we're really proud about how we came out," said Davison. "We attacked that long really well and stayed in the character of that program (skated to music from Carmen) better than we thought we would . To be honest, that was a better long that we were expecting."
The Carmen theme was a departure of sorts from the style Dube and Davison usually present on the ice. But 18 months out from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, they're in a bit of an experimental mood.
"We wanted to see going into next year, the Olympics, what kind of programs suit us best," said Davison. "We thought something aggressive would be good for us. We really like the program. It's fun to work on and I think it's something that's very interesting for us because we're seen as a classical, romantic team. It's fun to skate outside of our box."
It was almost good enough for gold here, too.
Yeah, we'll agree. That was super close. And exciting, don't you think.
Even now, a quick look at a detailed scoresheet can boggle the minds of anybody except perhaps the most seasoned of observers.
One thing you have to love though, if you're a fan: There's no question about the separation between one team and the next. If it's really close, you know it.
Today's pairs free skate final at HomeSense Skate Canada was one of those nailbiters.
Even the quickest of mathematicians might have had to wait until the final standings were posted on the Scotiabank Place scoreboard to know for sure that Russia's Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov had indeed hung on for the gold.
The Russians' final overall total — 176.97 points — was a scant 0.43 better than Canada's Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, the reigning world bronze medallists. Now, a guy (or a girl) could drive themselves batty trying to figure out where they might have gained the extra point between winning and losing. But Dube and Davison, who trailed by 4.88 points after the short program, didn't even try to go there.
"It was super tight and we couldn't have asked for more," said Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont. "I thought it was fair. We didn't see all of the Russians' skate but they're very good skaters and we know what they can do. Unless I sit down and go over every little detail with a fine-toothed comb ... no, it was fair. It was exactly what we expected and five points is a lot to make up.
"We did our job and they did theirs and they came out on top today."
For Dube and Davison, it meant a second straight silver medal. But the Canadians, who stood third behind Americans Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, didn't give up the gold without a fight.
"I think we're really proud about how we came out," said Davison. "We attacked that long really well and stayed in the character of that program (skated to music from Carmen) better than we thought we would . To be honest, that was a better long that we were expecting."
The Carmen theme was a departure of sorts from the style Dube and Davison usually present on the ice. But 18 months out from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, they're in a bit of an experimental mood.
"We wanted to see going into next year, the Olympics, what kind of programs suit us best," said Davison. "We thought something aggressive would be good for us. We really like the program. It's fun to work on and I think it's something that's very interesting for us because we're seen as a classical, romantic team. It's fun to skate outside of our box."
It was almost good enough for gold here, too.
Yeah, we'll agree. That was super close. And exciting, don't you think.
A First Time For Everything
There's only one first time at HomeSense Skate Canada.
All the more reason for a couple of pairs teams to savour their first opportunity to wear the red maple leaf in front of the home country crowd this weekend at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.
No wonder, then, and Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall wore the widest of smiles after one fine free skate that lifted them into fourth place in the final standings. Their total score (149.14 points) topped their previous best number by nearly eight points.
"Yesterday (short program) was more stressful than today," said Brodeur, 21, of St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. "In the long, we feel more comfortable and it's less stressful. Today, it's so great."
Brodeur and Mattatall were originally slated to make their senior Grand Prix debut next weekend at the Cup of China in Beijing. But when Canadian champions Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay were forced to withdraw because of injury, Brodeur and Mattatall got the call to fill in.
"It was really nice to have (Cup of China)," said Mattatall, 26, of Wallace, N.S. "Knowing that we could have another one ... it was just kind of a waiting game to see if anything was going to happen. It's kind of a horrible situation to be brought in when someone gets hurt but at the same time, just to be here and be part of all of this is pretty amazing, for sure."
Now the Montreal-based duo has to come down from this high, board the plane to China on Monday morning and do it all over again next weekend.
"Next week, we're going to know more about a Grand Prix," said Brodeur. "We're just ready to go. We're anxious to do the next one, too, and we're going to get some sleep on the plane and it's going to be fine."
The new experience was also special for Rachel Kirkland and Eric Radford, who also got their introduction to the senior Grand Prix circuit on home soil.
"Definitely a special experience for us, being in front of a home crowd for our first Grand Prix," said Radford, 23, of Toronto.
The 16-year-old Kirkland couldn't say enough about the home support.
"The energy out there is incredible and feeding off the energy of the crowd really takes your skating to another level," she said.
All the more reason for a couple of pairs teams to savour their first opportunity to wear the red maple leaf in front of the home country crowd this weekend at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.
No wonder, then, and Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall wore the widest of smiles after one fine free skate that lifted them into fourth place in the final standings. Their total score (149.14 points) topped their previous best number by nearly eight points.
"Yesterday (short program) was more stressful than today," said Brodeur, 21, of St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. "In the long, we feel more comfortable and it's less stressful. Today, it's so great."
Brodeur and Mattatall were originally slated to make their senior Grand Prix debut next weekend at the Cup of China in Beijing. But when Canadian champions Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay were forced to withdraw because of injury, Brodeur and Mattatall got the call to fill in.
"It was really nice to have (Cup of China)," said Mattatall, 26, of Wallace, N.S. "Knowing that we could have another one ... it was just kind of a waiting game to see if anything was going to happen. It's kind of a horrible situation to be brought in when someone gets hurt but at the same time, just to be here and be part of all of this is pretty amazing, for sure."
Now the Montreal-based duo has to come down from this high, board the plane to China on Monday morning and do it all over again next weekend.
"Next week, we're going to know more about a Grand Prix," said Brodeur. "We're just ready to go. We're anxious to do the next one, too, and we're going to get some sleep on the plane and it's going to be fine."
The new experience was also special for Rachel Kirkland and Eric Radford, who also got their introduction to the senior Grand Prix circuit on home soil.
"Definitely a special experience for us, being in front of a home crowd for our first Grand Prix," said Radford, 23, of Toronto.
The 16-year-old Kirkland couldn't say enough about the home support.
"The energy out there is incredible and feeding off the energy of the crowd really takes your skating to another level," she said.
Wish You Were Here
All eyes are naturally pointed toward the ice today at Scotiabank Place.
That is, after all, where you'll find the action at HomeSense Skate Canada International throughout the entire weekend, for that matter.
But we've heard a couple of reminders this morning about some rather prominent folks who should have been here — at least in a competitive capacity — but aren't for a variety of reasons.
Tried out one of those Skate Bug devices this morning during the original dance (and if you haven't given one a whirl yourself, please do. It's quite the nice addition to your viewing experience) and whose voice did I hear doing commentary? None other than Jeffrey Buttle, the reigning world champion who was supposed to be a major headliner this weekend but put the brakes on that by announcing his retirement from competitive skating about two months ago.
Ottawa folks will have to wait until the annual Stars On Ice tour hits Scotiabank Place in April to see him once again.
Heard a few minutes ago that the current Canadian pairs champs, Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, are in the house today. They were supposed to be a part of the pairs field at Skate Canada but the clock ran out on them as Langlois worked her hardest to recover from a broken ankle she suffered in the summer.
You know it was disappointing in a major way for Langlois, whose family happens to live across the river in Gatineau. It would have been quite the homecoming for the little dynamo but if you're not ready, you're not ready. No sense risking an entire season for that.
There's also a gaping hole in the ice dance event, with world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir absent, also because of injury (she had surgery on both her knees earlier this month to repair one of those overuse-type ailments).
While Virtue is well on the road to recovery, she sounded positively heartbroken about missing this competition when I spoke to her on a phone a few days ago.
"Tell everyone there I'll be cheering from home," she said.
Consider it done.
*****
Speaking of absences ...
The blog is being forced to soldier on without the presence of Lesley Hawker, one of its biggest supporters — and most willing contributors — since it was first birthed almost two years ago at the 2007 Canadian championships in Halifax.
Mrs. Doherty retired from competitive skating over the summer and is now coaching and generally enjoying her married life in south Florida, where husband Jamie (that's Mr. Doherty to you) is continuing his studies at the University of Miami.
While we'd like to suggest, in true Mrs. D fashion, that she's lounging by the pool with a bowl of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by her side, she tells me that's not true (well, the pool part, that is).
Apparently, coaching — and sharing that wonderful love for skating she'll no doubt always have — is keeping the young lady very busy these days.
Needless to say, though, she's very much missed in this space.
Though she's always welcome to toss a comment our way, of course.
Yes, Mrs. D, that's a rather loud hint ...
That is, after all, where you'll find the action at HomeSense Skate Canada International throughout the entire weekend, for that matter.
But we've heard a couple of reminders this morning about some rather prominent folks who should have been here — at least in a competitive capacity — but aren't for a variety of reasons.
Tried out one of those Skate Bug devices this morning during the original dance (and if you haven't given one a whirl yourself, please do. It's quite the nice addition to your viewing experience) and whose voice did I hear doing commentary? None other than Jeffrey Buttle, the reigning world champion who was supposed to be a major headliner this weekend but put the brakes on that by announcing his retirement from competitive skating about two months ago.
Ottawa folks will have to wait until the annual Stars On Ice tour hits Scotiabank Place in April to see him once again.
Heard a few minutes ago that the current Canadian pairs champs, Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, are in the house today. They were supposed to be a part of the pairs field at Skate Canada but the clock ran out on them as Langlois worked her hardest to recover from a broken ankle she suffered in the summer.
You know it was disappointing in a major way for Langlois, whose family happens to live across the river in Gatineau. It would have been quite the homecoming for the little dynamo but if you're not ready, you're not ready. No sense risking an entire season for that.
There's also a gaping hole in the ice dance event, with world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir absent, also because of injury (she had surgery on both her knees earlier this month to repair one of those overuse-type ailments).
While Virtue is well on the road to recovery, she sounded positively heartbroken about missing this competition when I spoke to her on a phone a few days ago.
"Tell everyone there I'll be cheering from home," she said.
Consider it done.
*****
Speaking of absences ...
The blog is being forced to soldier on without the presence of Lesley Hawker, one of its biggest supporters — and most willing contributors — since it was first birthed almost two years ago at the 2007 Canadian championships in Halifax.
Mrs. Doherty retired from competitive skating over the summer and is now coaching and generally enjoying her married life in south Florida, where husband Jamie (that's Mr. Doherty to you) is continuing his studies at the University of Miami.
While we'd like to suggest, in true Mrs. D fashion, that she's lounging by the pool with a bowl of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by her side, she tells me that's not true (well, the pool part, that is).
Apparently, coaching — and sharing that wonderful love for skating she'll no doubt always have — is keeping the young lady very busy these days.
Needless to say, though, she's very much missed in this space.
Though she's always welcome to toss a comment our way, of course.
Yes, Mrs. D, that's a rather loud hint ...
A Sharp-Dressed Gang
The streets of Ottawa were awash with some rather, um, interesting sights as I headed home from Scotiabank Place on Friday night.
Halloween, of course, was the annual call to arms for ghosts and goblins (and a policeman or two, no doubt) to make their appearance once more. They were pretty much everywhere you turned and if you didn't see something, well, just peek around the next corner.
But if you've been to a figure skating competition or two, you know ice dancers have it over just about anyone when it comes to costumes. Flamboyant doesn't even begin to describe some of the garb but mostly, the idea is to match the outfit to the music. And let's face it, we've run quite the gamut when it comes to our tastes in that area over the years.
Take the Canadian duo of Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, for example, who broke out a snappy ragtime theme for Saturday morning's original dance (the theme for this season is the Charleston or Foxtrot) at HomeSense Skate Canada International. Crone's attire included a bold plaid skirt and something you rarely see on a skater (at least a competitive one) — a hat.
"This is actually my first year doing that," said Crone, 18, of Aurora, Ont. "At the beginning of the year, we had a different hat which was too big, so we had to go to a little hat. It's a little hard sometimes but it's not much different."
Added the Ottawa-born Poirier, 16: "We've practised with the hat lots of times. We've been doing it in practice so we know exactly what it's going to feel like when we skate in a competition."
And if you're wondering, no, Crone hasn't lost the hat when it counts. A clear strap holds it snugly in the place (oh, those tricky ice dancers).
But Crone and Poirier are about more than just fancy duds. This is an ice dance team clearly on the rise. They were second at the world junior championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, last season and also came within a hair of qualifying for THE worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Clearly, that's the young couple's goal this season. And with world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir forced to withdraw from this weekend's proceedings because of injury, it's a great opportunity for Crone and Poirier to bask in the spotlight.
"There's definitely a little bit more pressure but the Canadian crowd is amazing," said Crone. "Once you get onto the ice and you hear them, everything goes away and you don't think about anything. Then we're just happy to be representing our country."
There's more than just a chance they'll do the red maple leaf proud before this event ends. While Crone and Poirier had one stumble today and slipped a spot to fifth, the silver and bronze-medal spots are wide open behind favoured Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S., who have totalled 90.65 points through the first two phases of the competition.
Behind them, though, it's a logjam. France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat currently stand second (81.27), but the margin is slim over Americans Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (80.35), Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov of Russia (80.32) and Crone and Poirier (80.24).
Meaning we're in for some free dance finale here on Sunday.
Or, dare we say it, spook-tacular?
Halloween, of course, was the annual call to arms for ghosts and goblins (and a policeman or two, no doubt) to make their appearance once more. They were pretty much everywhere you turned and if you didn't see something, well, just peek around the next corner.
But if you've been to a figure skating competition or two, you know ice dancers have it over just about anyone when it comes to costumes. Flamboyant doesn't even begin to describe some of the garb but mostly, the idea is to match the outfit to the music. And let's face it, we've run quite the gamut when it comes to our tastes in that area over the years.
Take the Canadian duo of Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, for example, who broke out a snappy ragtime theme for Saturday morning's original dance (the theme for this season is the Charleston or Foxtrot) at HomeSense Skate Canada International. Crone's attire included a bold plaid skirt and something you rarely see on a skater (at least a competitive one) — a hat.
"This is actually my first year doing that," said Crone, 18, of Aurora, Ont. "At the beginning of the year, we had a different hat which was too big, so we had to go to a little hat. It's a little hard sometimes but it's not much different."
Added the Ottawa-born Poirier, 16: "We've practised with the hat lots of times. We've been doing it in practice so we know exactly what it's going to feel like when we skate in a competition."
And if you're wondering, no, Crone hasn't lost the hat when it counts. A clear strap holds it snugly in the place (oh, those tricky ice dancers).
But Crone and Poirier are about more than just fancy duds. This is an ice dance team clearly on the rise. They were second at the world junior championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, last season and also came within a hair of qualifying for THE worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Clearly, that's the young couple's goal this season. And with world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir forced to withdraw from this weekend's proceedings because of injury, it's a great opportunity for Crone and Poirier to bask in the spotlight.
"There's definitely a little bit more pressure but the Canadian crowd is amazing," said Crone. "Once you get onto the ice and you hear them, everything goes away and you don't think about anything. Then we're just happy to be representing our country."
There's more than just a chance they'll do the red maple leaf proud before this event ends. While Crone and Poirier had one stumble today and slipped a spot to fifth, the silver and bronze-medal spots are wide open behind favoured Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S., who have totalled 90.65 points through the first two phases of the competition.
Behind them, though, it's a logjam. France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat currently stand second (81.27), but the margin is slim over Americans Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (80.35), Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov of Russia (80.32) and Crone and Poirier (80.24).
Meaning we're in for some free dance finale here on Sunday.
Or, dare we say it, spook-tacular?
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