Canadian skaters in Japan for fourth stop on 2017 ISU Grand Prix circuit
Skate Canada – OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have five entries, for a total of seven skaters competing at the 2017 NHK Trophy, the fourth event on the 2017 ISU Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have one entry per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance, and two entries in the men’s discipline. The event takes place from November 10-12, 2017, in Osaka, Japan.
Canadian bronze medallist Nam Nguyen, 19, Toronto, Ont., will be the first of two Canadian men’s entries. Last year, he came eighth at this event. Nguyen placed seventh at his first ISU Grand Prix assignment this season, the Rostelecom Cup. He is coached by Tracey Wainman and Gregor Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Keegan Messing, 25, Girdwood, AK, USA, is the second Canadian men’s entry. This will be his first time competing at this event. Messing placed eighth at his first Grand Prix this season, Skate Canada International. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, USA.
Canadian bronze medallist Alaine Chartrand, 21, Prescott, Ont., is the Canadian entry in ladies. She placed 10th at this event last year. Chartrand finished in 11th place at her first Grand Prix this season, Skate Canada International. She is coached by Michelle Leigh and Christy Krall.
Julianne Séguin, 21, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will represent Canada in pairs and will be competing at this event for the first time in their career. This season, they placed fifth at their first Grand Prix, the Rostelecom Cup. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.
Olympic champions and three-time world champions Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They are the defending champions at this event and also won the silver medal at this event in 2007. Virtue and Moir won the gold medal at Skate Canada International in their first Grand Prix this season. The seven-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.
Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will travel with the team as team leaders. Dr. Albert Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., and physiotherapist Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., and Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.
For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org or the official event website. For photos of Canadian entries, please contact media@skatecanada.ca.
For broadcast and live streaming schedules, click here.
CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 NHK TROPHY
DISCIPLINE |
NAME |
AGE |
HOMETOWN |
CLUB |
COACH |
Men |
Nam Nguyen |
19 |
Toronto, Ont. |
York Region Skating Academy |
Tracey Wainman/ Gregor Filipowski |
Men |
Keegan Messing |
25 |
Girdwood, Alaska, USA |
Sherwood Park FSC |
Ralph Burghart |
Ladies |
Alaine Chartrand |
21 |
Prescott, Ont. |
Prescott FSC |
Michelle Leigh/ Christy Krall |
Pairs |
Julianne Séguin/ Charlie Bilodeau |
21/24 |
Longueuil, Que./ Trois-Pistoles, Que. |
CPA Longueuil/ CPA Chambly |
Josée Picard |
Ice Dance |
Tessa Virtue/ Scott Moir |
28/30 |
London, Ont./ Ilderton, Ont. |
Montreal International Skating School/ Montreal International Skating School |
Marie-France Dubreuil/ Patrice Lauzon/ Romain Haguenauer |
-30-
Skate Canada is the nation’s governing body for competitive figure skating and is dedicated to creating a nation of skaters, both recreationally and competitively. At 130 years old, Skate Canada is the world’s oldest skating organization and Canada’s preeminent leader in skating instruction and education. Over 170,000 Canadians participate in Skate Canada educational programs each year, including our flagship CanSkate program that teaches beginners of every age the basic skills of skating and fundamental movements.
As one of Canada’s most successful sport governing bodies, Skate Canada athletes have won 25 Olympic medals and 36 world championship titles. Today’s Canadian world and Olympic medallists all began at one of our 1,200 local Skate Canada clubs or skating schools. Through our programs, more than 5,500 certified professional coaches encourage Canadians of all ages to skate together as a family, pursue competitive ice sports and enjoy an active lifestyle.
Skate Canada has a National Service Centre in Ottawa and high performance facilities in Toronto and Montreal.
For Information:
Emma Bowie, Communications Manager
+1 (613) 747-1007 ext. 2547
ebowie@skatecanada.ca