Skate Canada ​ – OTTAWA, ON: Over 500 skaters from across Canada are headed to Montreal, Que., for the 2018 Skate Canada Challenge. This year’s event will be taking place from November 29-December 3, 2017, at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds.

Skate Canada Challenge is the sole qualifying event for novice, junior, and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships taking place in Vancouver, B.C., from January 8-14, 2018. Skaters qualified for the 2018 Skate Canada Challenge by advancing through their local sectional championships.

The 2018 Skate Canada Challenge will also see the crowning of the 2018 Canadian Pre-Novice Champions in men, women, pairs, and ice dance.

Many Skate Canada national team members are entered in the senior competition including:

• 2017 Canadian bronze medallist Nam Nguyen, 19, Toronto, Ont. (senior men)
• Nicolas Nadeau, 20, Boisbriand, Que. (senior men)
• 2017 world bronze medallist Gabrielle Daleman, 19, Newmarket, Ont. (senior women)
• Sarah Tamura, 16, Burnaby, B.C. (senior women)
• Camille Ruest, 24, Rimouski, Que., and Drew Wolfe, 22, Calgary, Alta. (senior pairs)
• Julianne Séguin, 21, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que. (senior pairs)
• Carolane Soucisse, 22, Châteauguay, Que., and Shane Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C. (senior ice dance)
• Haley Sales, 20, Burnaby, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 21, Langley, B.C. (senior ice dance).

Local Montreal skating clubs will have a large representation at the event with a total of 24 entries across all categories and disciplines, including six senior entries, seven junior entries, six novice entries and five pre-novice entries.

For event information including schedule, entries, and start orders please click here. All three competition rinks will be live streamed and can be accessed through the event page or the Skate Canada Dailymotion page.

General admission tickets will be available for purchase at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds throughout the event. All-event tickets are $50, and single-day tickets will be available for purchase for $25. Admission is free for children ages 12 and under.

Media who have not already applied for accreditation are asked to contact Allan Gordon, Communications Coordinator. He will be the media contact at the event and can be reached onsite at 613.697.1354 or at agordon@skatecanada

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