OTTAWA, ON (February 2, 2023) – A solid team of eighteen skaters will be competing from February 7-12, 2023 at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®, set to take place in Colorado Springs, USA. Canada will count a total of three entries in each of the women’s, men’s, pair and ice dance disciplines.
In the women’s field, the team will be led by two-time national champion and Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist Madeline Schizas. She will be joined by Sara-Maude Dupuis, who recently placed third at the Skate Canada Challenge – Junior/Senior and fourth at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, as well as the 2022 junior national champion Justine Miclette.
Two-time Olympian and 2023 national champion Keegan Messing will have his sights set on the podium as he competes in his final season. National Team member and Canadian Tire National Skating Championships silver medalist Conrad Orzel will be competing alongside him, as well as Stephen Gogolev, who placed fourth at the same event.
In the pair discipline, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will be looking to add to their growing medal collection after the duo recently won their first national title. The newly formed team of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud will also be competing in the event after placing first at the Skate Canada Challenge – Junior/Senior and third at nationals. Rounding out the team will be Skate America bronze medalists Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier.
Canadian ice dance teams are expected to be very competitive, with all three teams winning medals on the Grand Prix circuit this season. 2023 national champions and Grand Prix finalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will be among the top contenders, with the duo winning their first Grand Prix event last November. Skate Canada International and MK John Wilson Trophy bronze medalists Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha are also on the watch list, as are Skate America bronze medalists Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac. Unfortunately, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have withdrawn in order to prioritize training and recovery leading up to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
The competition kicks off Thursday, February 9, with the women’s and men’s short programs, followed by the pair short program, rhythm dance and women’s free program on Friday. The pair and men’s medals will be awarded the following day, while ice dancers will conclude the event with the free dance on Sunday, February 12.
Women
Sara-Maude Dupuis | 17 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars & Françoise Parisé | Boucherville, Que.
Justine Miclette | 16 | Chambly, Que. | Stéphanie Fiorito & Ian Connolly | Chambly, Que.
Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.
Men
Stephen Gogolev | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Rafael Arutyunyan & Lee Barkell | Irvine, USA
Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA
Conrad Orzel | 22 | Toronto, Ont. | Ravi Walia | Edmonton, Alta.
Pair
Kelly Ann Laurin | 16 | St-Jérôme, Que. & Loucas Éthier | 22 | Deux-Montagnes, Que. | Stéphanie Valois | Rosemère, Que.
Lia Pereira | 18 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 26 | Trenton, Ont. | Alison Purkiss & Nancy Lemaire| Milton, Ont.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 39 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 31 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.
Ice Dance
Laurence Fournier Beaudry | 30 | Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen | 33 | Montreal, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.
Marjorie Lajoie | 22 | Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha | 23 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Romain Haguenauer | Montreal, Que.
Marie-Jade Lauriault | 26 | Ste-Anne-Des-Plaines, Que. & Romain Le Gac | 27 | Laval, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon| Montreal, Que.
Team Leaders – Manon Perron & Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Cole Beavis & Mike McMurray
Officials – Andrea Derby, Lynne Dey, Leslie Keen & Nicole Leblanc-Richard
For more information about the event, click here.