Canada’s Lacoste Makes Huge Comeback

Amélie Lacoste returned to skating after a long absence by winning the bronze medal in senior ladies at the 2009 Canadian Nationals.

“I knew it was possible to medal, but it wasn’t my first idea,” she said. “I just wanted to skate two good programs and make the National team.”

After nationals, however, Lacoste became ill with a fever, sinus infection, and bronchitis. “The week after Nationals I didn’t train on or off the ice,” said the 20-year-old.

Back on the ice only four days before the Four Continents, Lacoste finished tenth, even after drawing to skate second in a field of 36 in the short program.

Nevertheless, she accomplished her goal of finishing in the top ten. “My technical score was good, but…

Crone and Poirier Feel Up to Pre-Olympic Challenges

The pressure is on for Canadian ice dancers Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, who won the silver medal in senior dance at the 2009 Canadian Nationals.

Along with Canada’s world silver medalists, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the teenagers are responsible for placing high enough at the 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles in March to give Canada three dance teams for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

“Obviously, there will be a lot of pressure on us at Worlds,” Crone stated, “but we’ll just put ourselves out there and do what we can. If we make the top ten, that’s great. Otherwise, we’ll readjust and try to improve for…

Pang and Tong take fourth 4CC title

In the 11-year history of the Four Continents Championships, China has won 17 of the 33 available medals. The dominance is even more impressive when you consider that skaters representing China have won eight titles in this competition as well.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong are carrying on that legacy, winning their fourth title and second in a row over perhaps the toughest field that this event has ever assembled.

The gold medalists won big this week, placing first in both segments of the competition, and defeating the silver medalists by more than nine points.

“Before we came to this event, we were very excited especially because this is going to be the venue for the 2010 Olympics,” Tong explained. “We tried…

Chan wins gold at Four Continents

The 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships concluded with the Men’s Long Program.

After winning silver medals in the pairs, dance, and ladies competition, Canada’s hope of winning a gold medal rested on the very capable shoulders of 18-year-old Patrick Chan.

The two-time and reigning Canadian champion skated a great program that thrust him into the spotlight, earning the second best short program score in history. Chan had a seven-point lead heading into the freeskate, so he had some room for error.

However, American bronze medalist Evan Lysacek had other plans. A two-time national champion himself, Lysacek threw down the gauntlet immediately with a quadruple toe loop, a move that has been elusive to him all season in competition.

“This is my…

Davis and White edge out Virtue and Moir for 4CC Gold

It was a tight race for the gold medal in Ice Dance at the 2009 Four Continents Championships from start to finish.

Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took a small lead into the free dance over Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White. In the end, however, it truly came down to one level on a dance spin. To put it in sports terms, Virtue and Moir lost by a revolution.

American champs Davis and White have been solid in competition all week, and today they skated a brilliant free dance to music from Samson et Dalila. This week is a coming out of sorts for Davis and White, who broke through with their first international championship title.

“It…

Kim takes gold at 2009 Four Continents

In front of a sold-out crowd, the three ladies with the highest scores so far this season went head to head in a competition for the ages.

It was Joannie Rochette’s home crowd in Vancouver, Canada, but it was hard to tell given the number of fans in the house to support Japan’s Mao Asada and Korea’s Yu-Na Kim.

All three ladies received such boisterous applause that one might think that all three ladies were skating in their hometowns.

“I was surprised that there were so many Korean people in the audience,” Kim said. “I was so happy to see so many faces from overseas. It’s good to perform so well for them.”

Rochette added, “The audience was great. It is sometimes stressful to skate in front of a home audience, but I think that this is good practice for the Olympics next year. Tonight I felt them supporting me, and that inspired me to perform well.”

Asada agreed, “I was so happy to…

Chan leads men at Four Continents

Skaters always dream of that one perfect skate when all of your elements are flawless, the crowd is on your side, and oh yeah – you place first in the competition. Canadian Patrick Chan did all that in the Men’s Short Program in his home country.

The two-time and reigning Canadian champ was clearly the class of the field, landing perhaps the best triple Axel of his young career, along with beautiful spins and textbook perfect step sequences. Chan also landed a great triple flip-triple toe loop combination and a solo triple Lutz in the program.

“I didn’t feel the greatest as I waited for my turn to skate,” admitted Chan. “I didn’t feel as confident as I did at Nationals, but after…

Virtue and Moir maintain lead at Four Continents

The 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continued with the Original Dance, the Pairs Long Program, and the Men’s Short Program.

Ice dance was once a waiting game for skaters as they waited their chance to move up the ranks as the teams ahead of them retired from eligible competition.

It used to be that at the end of an Olympic cycle, you could count on most of the more experienced teams to move on to other things, with the occasional team sticking around for a chance at a world medal.

Under the new judging system, skaters no longer have to wait their turn, and it is providing for some interesting results in a sport that used to be rampant…