Skate Canada – OTTAWA, ON: Canada will have eight entries, for a total of 11 skaters at the 2016 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, the second event on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) 2016 Challenger Series. Canada will have three entries in men’s, two entries per discipline in ladies and ice dance, and one entry in pair at the event which runs from September 14-18, 2016, in Salt Lake City, UT.

Nam Nguyen, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the first of three Canadian entries in men’s. This will be the 2015 Canadian Champion’s first time competing at this event. Last season, Nguyen placed fifth at Skate Canada International, seventh at the Rostelecom Cup, 27^th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by David Glynn in San Jose, CA, USA.

Elladj Baldé, 25, Montreal, Que., will be the second Canadian entry in the men’s category and will also be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, he won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed 11^th at both the Cup of China and NHK Tophy, and placed seventh at the Canadian championships. Baldé trains in Montreal, Que., with coaches Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron.

Mitchell Gordon, 20, Vancouver, B.C., will be the third entry in men’s for Canada. Last season, Gordon placed eighth at the 2015 Autumn Classic International and 13^th at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Gordon is coached by Joanne McLeod, Neil Wilson, Eileen Murphy and Keegan Murphy and represents the Connaught Skating Club.

Véronik Mallet, 22, Sept-Îles, Que., is one of two Canadian entries in the ladies division. Mallet finished ninth at this event in 2015. Last season, the representative of CPA Sept-Îles also placed 10^th at Skate Canada International, 14^th at the ISU Four Continents championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Mallet is coached by Annie Barabé at CTC Varennes.

Kim Decelles, 18, Baie-Comeau, Que., is the second Canadian entry in the ladies discipline. Last season, she placed ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Croatia. The representative of CPA Baie-Comeau also placed 10^th in the junior women’s category at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Yvan Desjardins and Violaine Émard at CPA Baie-Comeau.

Brittany Jones, 20, Toronto, Ont., and Joshua Reagan, 26, Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in pair. Jones and Reagan placed fourth at this event in 2014. Last season, they placed fourth at the 2015 Autumn Classic International and sixth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Jones and Reagan are coached by Bryce Davison and represent Hamilton SC.

Three-time Canadian bronze medallists Alexandra Paul, 24, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 26, Barrie, Ont., are one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. This will be their first time competing at this event. Last season, Paul and Islam won silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed sixth at the 2015 Skate Canada International, and placed fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. The representatives of Barrie SC train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.

Canadian junior champions Mackenzie Bent, 19, Uxbridge, Ont., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 19, Ajax, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. In their first season competing together, the representatives of Uxbridge SC and Scarboro FSC won silver at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States, placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain, and placed ninth at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, and Juris Razgulajevs at Ice Dance Elite at Scarboro FSC.

Paige Lawrence of Kennedy, Sask., will be the Canadian team leader at the event and physiotherapist Karen Seymour of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., and Pam Chislett of Grand Prairie, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

The event will be streamed live on icenetwork.com. For more information and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 U.S. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CLASSIC

DISCIPLINE	NAME	AGE	HOMETOWN	CLUB	COACH
Men’s	Nam Nguyen	18	Toronto, Ont.	Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club	David Glynn
Men’s	Elladj Baldé	25	Montreal, Que.	CPA Anjou Kinsmen	Bruno Marcotte/ Manon Perron
Men’s	Mitchell Gordon	20	Vancouver, B.C.	Connaught Skating Club	Joanne McLeod/ Neil Wilson/ Eileen Murphy/ Keegan Murphy
Ladies	Véronik Mallet	22	Sept- Îles, Que.	CPA Sept-Îles	Annie Barabé/ Maximin Coïa
Ladies	Kim Decelles	18	Baie-Comeau, Que.	CPA Baie Comeau	Yvan Desjardins/ Violaine Émard
Pair	Brittany Jones/ Joshua Reagan	20/26	Toronto, Ont./ Toronto, Ont.	Hamilton SC/ Hamilton SC	Bryce Davison
Ice Dance	Alexandra Paul/ Mitchell Islam	24/26	Midhurst, Ont./ Barrie, Ont.	Barrie SC/ Barrie SC	Marie-France Dubreuil/ Patrice Lauzon/ Romain Haguenauer
Ice Dance	Mackenzie Bent/ Dmitre Razgulajevs	19/19	Uxbridge, Ont./ Ajax, Ont.	Uxbridge SC/ Scarboro FSC	Carol Lane/ Jon Lane/ Juris Razgulajevs

 

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Skate Canada has a National Service Centre in Ottawa, marketing headquarters in Toronto and high performance facilities in Toronto and Calgary.

For Information:

 

Emma Bowie
Communications Manager
+1 (613) 747-1007 ext. 2547
ebowie@skatecanada.ca