Skate Canada announces figure skating teams for ISU Championships

[4everchan]

Here is the press release

2025 ISU FOUR CONTINENTS FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
SEOUL, KOREA / FEBRUARY 19-23, 2025
Women
Sara-Maude Dupuis
Katherine Medland Spence
Madeline Schizas
Men
Wesley Chiu
Aleksa Rakic
Roman Sadovsky
Pairs
Kelly Ann Laurin & Loucas Éthier
Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud
Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps
Ice Dance
Alicia Fabbri & Paul Ayer
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier
Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha


2025 ISU WORLD JUNIOR FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
DEBRECEN, HUNGARY / FEBURARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2025
Women
Lulu Lin
Kara Yun
Men
David Bondar
Anthony Paradis
Pairs
Martina Ariano Kent & Charly Laliberté-Laurent
Jazmine Desrochers & Kieran Thrasher
Ava Kemp & Yohnatan Elizarov
Ice Dance
Sandrine Gauthier & Quentin Thieren
Chloe Nguyen & Brendan Giang


2025 ISU WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOSTON, USA / MARCH 25-30, 2025
Women
Madeline Schizas
Men
To be announced after 4CC
Pairs
Kelly Ann Laurin & Loucas Éthier
Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud
Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps
Ice Dance
Alicia Fabbri & Paul Ayer
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier
Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha

 

[NanaPat]

Pretty much as expected. Nothing for Lauriault/LeGac, but I understand; Fabbri/Ayer need the 4CC exposure.

I think they should have just gone ahead and named Romsky to Worlds, but at least they announced their plan in advance, so it isn't so personal.

I'll have to read the press release to see if they have named the alternates.
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ETA: they didn't name alternates. Sure there will be some; will probably have to wait for official entries to find out.

 

[4everchan]

Pretty much as expected. Nothing for Lauriault/LeGac, but I understand; Fabbri/Ayer need the 4CC exposure.

I think they should have just gone ahead and named Romsky to Worlds, but at least they announced their plan in advance, so it isn't so personal.

I'll have to read the press release to see if they have named the alternates.
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ETA: they didn't name alternates. Sure there will be some; will probably have to wait for official entries to find out.

I don't think they announce the alternates often, do they? We usually find out when the entries are published... and of course, we don't know in which order they are...

 

[SubRosa]

Lulu Lin, based on . . . what? Her placement at Jr Worlds last year?

 

[4everchan]

Lulu Lin, based on . . . what? Her placement at Jr Worlds last year?

Probably her 4th place at JGP Latvia ?

 

[NanaPat]

I don't think they announce the alternates often, do they? We usually find out when the entries are published... and of course, we don't know in which order they are...

The US makes a bid deal of their alternates; I think being an alternate affects skaters' funding. Canada, not so much.

 

[4everchan]

The US makes a bid deal of their alternates; I think being an alternate affects skaters' funding. Canada, not so much.

Indeed. Alternates for worlds in single skating are 4CC members most likely anyway. In pairs, I believe Canada has only one eligible alternate with scores Ben and Fiona. In dance, I think it's just Marie-Jade and Romain. Not sure Hensen Lickers got minimums for worlds.

4CC alternates are more interesting perhaps. In men, not many options I believe only Matthew. In women, a few more options but none of them performed that well at Nationals, except perhaps for Kaiya coming back in the free...

 

[saine]

Alternates will probably be the top finishers at Nationals with the minimums in each category.

Hensen/Lickers don't have Worlds, they are so close to it. I'd like them to get a Senior B, Skate Canada saw how that worked for Fabbri/Ayer. It'd be good to have more options for alternates for Worlds.

David Li is another one who I hope gets a B competition. I was hoping he'd get one in the fall. I do agree with the Junior Worlds choice (very proud of David Bondar for getting it ), and I do want Li to get a reward for getting the bronze that was wide open. He will be on the National Team and it should give him a boost to getting a JGP next season.

 

[Cutting the ice]

Just a few thoughts

Glad Lulu is doing sufficiently better to give SC confidence in her recovery. Sandrine is doing better than earlier in the season but not sure she is ready. I would be okay with Uliana going to junior worlds if either Kara or Lulu can't go. Kara definitely deserves to go!

Glad that David Bondar gets to go. Too bad that John Kim didn't make a case for himself in the FS but perhaps he is more focussed in developing as a senior. Looking forward to seeing how he does next year - he is my wild card. I hope Anthony gets his triple axel stable before Junior worlds or I am not sure he has a chance at a top 10 finish. Has he landed it yet in competition?

Very glad that Alicia and Paul are going to 4C and Worlds. Canada has to think post Piper and Paul retirement (I am assuming right after the Olympics) and A&P need more support from SC to move up the rankings. As much as I love the unique style of M-J and Romain (not so much this year's FD tho), they may not have the same scope for advancement that A&P do (in my humble non-technically informed opinion)

On men's selection for Worlds, I think Aleksa and Wesley both deserve an opportunity to show what they can do healthy. And Roman needs to prove that he can repeat a good performance. Fingers crossed for them all. They will get buried at 4C otherwise.

 

[Andrea82]

Indeed. Alternates for worlds in single skating are 4CC members most likely anyway. In pairs, I believe Canada has only one eligible alternate with scores Ben and Fiona. In dance, I think it's just Marie-Jade and Romain. Not sure Hensen Lickers got minimums for worlds.

Hensen/Lickers are a few cents below the Worlds' minimum.
Bashynska/Beaumont have the minimums.

 

[4everchan]

Hensen/Lickers are a few cents below the Worlds' minimum.
Bashynska/Beaumont have the minimums.

I doubt BB are going anywhere at this point. They need to move on to next season. Hensen lickers were very good this weekend. I wish they got another assignment to get their ctes

 

[Andrea82]

I doubt BB are going anywhere at this point. They need to move on to next season. Hensen lickers were very good this weekend. I wish they got another assignment to get their ctes

I hope they won't need to go down to second or third alternate.

 

[FlossieH]

I agree with all of those selections except for junior women. Lulu has generally been weaker this season, with the exception of JGP Latvia, and is still recovering from injury. Despite her poor short programme this weekend, which was very uncharacteristic for her, I would have sent Uliana. She is normally the most consistent of the skaters with the junior worlds mins - but perhaps she had indicated that she did not want to develop a junior FP and would prefer to just focus on seniors.

I have a suspicion that there may have been illness going round the Champs skaters, affecting Uliana at nationals as well as Aleksa.

It will be interesting to see which skaters get named as substitutes.

 

[saine]

I agree with all of those selections except for junior women. Lulu has generally been weaker this season, with the exception of JGP Latvia, and is still recovering from injury. Despite her poor short programme this weekend, which was very uncharacteristic for her, I would have sent Uliana. She is normally the most consistent of the skaters with the junior worlds mins - but perhaps she had indicated that she did not want to develop a junior FP and would prefer to just focus on seniors.

The selection criteria for Junior Worlds does have a monitoring session between February 3-14 for all the selected skaters. Injured skaters do have to have clearance from Skate Canada's Chief Medical Advisor 14 days before the first event starts. So Lulu is selected, but if she can't show that she's ready to compete during that time then she may not end up going.

 

[NanaPat]

The press release was issued in Ottawa, even though Nationals were in Laval. So I wouldn't put any credence in the speculation that next year's Nationals would be in Ottawa, based on information that the Olympic team would be announced in Ottawa. But I do believe in the dates of Nationals, based on the published date of the O-team announcement.

 

[4everchan]

The press release was issued in Ottawa, even though Nationals were in Laval. So I wouldn't put any credence in the speculation that next year's Nationals would be in Ottawa, based on information that the Olympic team would be announced in Ottawa. But I do believe in the dates of Nationals, based on the published date of the O-team announcement.

dang that's too bad... btw... also, they should have announced the location of the next Nationals on Sunday... it's good marketing to say " see you next year in ...."

 

[NanaPat]

dang that's too bad... btw... also, they should have announced the location of the next Nationals on Sunday... it's good marketing to say " see you next year in ...."

the wording was

"The final selection of the Olympic Team will be made following the completion of the Canadian National Skating Championships in Ottawa, Ontario on January 11, 2026."

The "in Ottawa on Jan 11" may refer to the announcement or to the championships. Since the date clearly refers to the announcement, the Ottawa probably does as well.

It would have been clear if they had said
"The final selection of the Olympic Team will be made in Ottawa, Ontario on January 11, 2026, following the completion of the Canadian National Skating Championships."
If that's indeed what they meant.

As it's written, we have no idea what Ottawa is referring to.

 

[saine]

I went onto Internet Archive to find the wording for the 2018 selection document since those Nationals didn't take place in Ottawa (here):

The Skate Canada High Performance Development Committee (HPDC) will nominate to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) the selection of athletes at the conclusion of the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Vancouver, BC in January 2018.

I wouldn't be surprised though if Ottawa had been taken accidentally from the 2022 selection document since those Nationals did take place in Ottawa.

 

[4everchan]

the wording was

"The final selection of the Olympic Team will be made following the completion of the Canadian National Skating Championships in Ottawa, Ontario on January 11, 2026."

The "in Ottawa on Jan 11" may refer to the announcement or to the championships. Since the date clearly refers to the announcement, the Ottawa probably does as well.

It would have been clear if they had said
"The final selection of the Olympic Team will be made in Ottawa, Ontario on January 11, 2026, following the completion of the Canadian National Skating Championships."
If that's indeed what they meant.

As it's written, we have no idea what Ottawa is referring to.

i had understood

 

[vigo]

I agree with all of those selections except for junior women. Lulu has generally been weaker this season, with the exception of JGP Latvia, and is still recovering from injury. Despite her poor short programme this weekend, which was very uncharacteristic for her, I would have sent Uliana. She is normally the most consistent of the skaters with the junior worlds mins - but perhaps she had indicated that she did not want to develop a junior FP and would prefer to just focus on seniors.

I have a suspicion that there may have been illness going round the Champs skaters, affecting Uliana at nationals as well as Aleksa.

It will be interesting to see which skaters get named as substitutes.