Chan wins fifth consecutive title at Canadian Nationals

It comes as no surprise that Patrick Chan (CO) won his fifth consecutive national title at the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. The surprise was his score—before Patrick Chan skated on Sunday afternoon in Moncton, N.B., who knew that 300 points was a possibility?

Chan’s score of 302.14 was nearly unfathomable before this event, but he succeeded in starting the “300 Club” with two quadruple toe loops, a fantastic triple Axel, and incredible skating skills paired with intricate choreography. His Aranjuez free skate has given him trouble this season; although he won his competitions, he continued to make errors, opening him up to quite a bit of criticism and questions of over-scoring. He wanted to change that today.

“I was a little nervous going into it, because I thought…

Virtue and Moir win fourth title at Canadian Nationals

The outcome of the senior free dance at the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships was one of the most predictable results of the event, but it was also one of the strongest and most exciting competitive segments thus far. All five dancers in the top flight gave fantastic performances to stay in the top five, securing their placements on the National Team.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (WO) won their fourth Canadian championship, and of course they did so with a beautiful free dance and a huge score of 111.61. Initially, the Olympic champions seemed a little disappointed with their score—they had topped 112 at the Grand Prix Final last month—but Moir put the moment into perspective.

“We didn’t really care ,…

Duhamel and Radford win pairs gold in Moncton

While aspects of the senior ladies free skate were exciting, it was the senior pairs skate that really brought some magic into the Moncton Coliseum at the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships on Saturday evening.

Responsible for the magic were the new Canadian champions, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford (QC), Canada’s top pair internationally this year and now the top ranked team domestically. Their score of 129.19 brings them to a new level, putting them on par with some of the world’s top teams in just their second season together.

With a tight landing on the throw triple Salchow and a downgrade call on their triple Lutz combination, Duhamel and Radford could have still topped 130 points—a true benchmark of excellence—but they were…

Lacoste wins ladies title at Canadian Nationals

In the most unpredictable result of Saturday’s events at the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Amélie Lacoste (QC) dethroned Cynthia Phaneuf (QC) to take over the title of ladies champion.

Winning the national title was Lacoste’s major goal for this season, but she did not come into these championships as the favorite. After a second-place short program, the two-time Canadian bronze medalist was prepared to fight for the top spot.

Although Lacoste’s routine to Don’t Cry for Me Argentina was not without errors, she never gave up on her performance. The 23-year-old popped her two most difficult jumps, an intended triple Lutz and flip, but she landed a solid triple loop-double loop-double loop combination after the halfway point, which earned 10.27 points.

Lacoste’s second-ranked free skate earned 107.08 points, and with…

Chan takes comfortable lead at Canadian Nationals

The 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships continued Saturday with the men’s short program. Patrick Chan (CO) took a comfortable lead ahead of Kevin Reynolds (BC/YT) and Jeremy Ten (BC/YT).

After being under fire all season for receiving high marks despite inconsistency, Chan reminded everyone in attendance that he is the reigning world champion. The 21-year-old earned a jaw-dropping mark of 101.33 with a flawless program in Moncton, N.B.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking since I hadn’t done a good short all season long,” admitted Chan. “Last year at Nationals, I did the exact same thing—put out a strong short program—and I had a great World Championships, so hopefully this is a sign that it’s on the right track.”

The defending champion seemed as though he could not put a foot wrong in…

Virtue and Moir take narrow lead at Canadian Nationals

No one predicted that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (WO), the 2010 Olympic champions, could be upset at the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, but that is nearly what happened in the short dance.

In the end, the three-time national champs hung on to the lead by the skin of their teeth, earning 68.41 points in their recently revamped program. In a rare moment of weakness, Virtue got her feet tangled at the end of the first twizzle in their sequence and nearly fell. Showing their experience, Moir was able to hesitate on one foot long enough for her to get her legs back under her, and they completed the rest of the twizzle sequence very well.

The quick thinking and composure to regroup in…

Duhamel and Radford lead pairs in Moncton

At the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, the senior pairs short program ended in a virtual three-way tie, setting things up nicely for an exciting final flight on Saturday evening.

Despite completely missing credit for their lift, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford (QC) are at the top of the leader board with a score of 60.92. Duhamel caught a toe pick on their lift entrance which disrupted their timing. After two attempts, Radford was able to hoist her up and the lift was completed quite well considering that he almost had to bench press her above his head. However, the first lift attempt was counted as their lift, and was scored without a level and a base value.

“It’s a little disappointing for us,”…

Osmond surprises at Canadian Nationals

The senior ladies event in Canada always has the potential to be unpredictable. Without a consistent competitor leading the pack, an underdog who rises to the occasion has the chance to play spoiler. At the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Kaetlyn Osmond (AB/NWT/NU) was that underdog.

A huge double Axel opened her program, but it was the following element, a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, that propelled Osmond to the front. This was the first time she had landed the combination in competition, and only the second time that she had tried it.

With the highlight element behind her, the 16-year-old was able to relax and entertain in her Bollywood-themed program that scored 56.94.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything,” Osmond said. “I just wanted to go out there and skate like I have…