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Who to watch at National Skating Championships in Vancouver

Top Canadian skaters, along with local talent converge at UBC
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
Ice dance pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will look to keep their recently undefeated streak going at the nationals event in Vancouver. Photo Skate Canada/Danielle Earl

Figure skating fans will pack the UBC Sports Centre in the new year to witness some of Canada’s best flip, jump and loop their way onto the Skate Canada National Team.

From Jan. 8 to 14, approximately 250 senior, junior and novice skaters in the men’s, women’s, pair’s and ice dance divisions will compete in the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. On the line is a chance to represent Canada at the 2018 Olympic Games and the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

The biggest names in Canadian figure skating will be on hand to showcase their talents, including three-time World champion Patrick Chan, Olympic silver medalist Kaetlyn Osmond and the recently undefeated ice dance pair of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.

Last chance to see Chan

Chan announced earlier in the year that the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, his third Winter Games, would be his last. He will be going for his 10th Canadian title here in Vancouver, which would break the current record. When speaking with Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet, Chan said that he is partnering with Hockey Canada to create a skating academy based in Vancouver.

 

Patrick Chan
Patrick Chan will retire after 2018 Olympic Games. The nationals event in Vancouver will be last chance for Vancouver fans to see him in person. Photo Skate Canada/Danielle Earl

 

Silver lining

Osmond will look to finish on the podium again after coming second at the World Championships earlier this year in Helsinki. That silver medal finish was the highest result by a Canadian ladies’ single at the World’s since 2009. She also contributed to Canada’s silver medal in the figure skating team event.

Mining for gold

Virtue and Moir, seen as the gold-medal favourites in Pyeongchang, are already Canadian ice dance legends and will put on a show for the crowd in Vancouver before donning the red and white in Korea. The two became the first North Americans to win the gold medal for ice dance, and the youngest to do so, at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Following a two-year break, the pair made an epic return this season by winning all seven events they entered, including their third World title.

Local to look for

The Lower Mainland will be represented by six senior team members; Coquitlam’s Kevin Reynolds and Larkyn Austman, Burnaby’s Haley Sales and Sarah Tamura, Langley’s Nikolas Wamsteeker and North Vancouver’s Shane Firus.

Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe are directors of the Vancouver Ice Dance Academy and competed at the 2006 Olympic Games. They coach the ice dance pair of Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker and are looking forward to the national event coming to Vancouver.

“It’s a great boost for skaters already skating here,” Wing said. “Great for all the upcoming skaters to see this caliber of event.”

Lowe spoke about what it felt like to represent Canada on the Olympic stage.

“To make it was huge for us after years of heartache, pain and turmoil,” Lowe said. “It was an awesome time, friends were made, and times were had.”

This will be the sixth time Vancouver has hosted the National Skating Championships, the last being a decade ago. Tickets are ticketmaster.ca.

Read more Vancouver Courier at vancourier.com.

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