2025-26 Skate Canada Challenge | Nov 27-30

[4everchan]

WEB
The 2025-2026 Skate Canada Challenge features junior and senior skaters from across the country competing in women, men, pairs, and ice dance and serves as a qualifying event for the Canadian National Skating Championships.

November 27-30, 2025
Calgary, AB
Seven Chiefs Sportsplex

Schedule
Entries/Start orders/ Results
Rink 1
Rink 2

 

[saine]

According to the site, admission will be free again this year

Schedule as of November 14 - https://skatecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2026-CHA-JR-SR-Schedule-Nov-14.pdf

Some provincial team updates that should confirm some of the entries:

Team Alberta/NWT/NT - https://skateabnwtnun.ca/athletes/select-team-members/

Rena Wang and Addison Wolsey got two of the additional Junior Women spots for Challenge.

Team BC/YT - https://www.skatinginbc.com/provincial-team

 

[saine]

More provincial teams while waiting for the start orders to be posted.

Equipe du Quebec has been updated for 2025-26 - https://patinage.qc.ca/equipe-du-quebec/

Logane Boulay and Eva Sicurella picked up two more of the additional Junior Women spots. Tommy Liu isn't listed for Junior Men, so I think he's out. Edit: Junior Pairs are missing, so maybe it isn't complete yet

Team Manitoba was posted on Instagram, Breken is on it so I assume she'll be in for Challenge

 

[saine]

Start orders/results - https://scitops.blob.core.windows.n...detailLocation=https://skatecanada.ca/results

They're using the same scoring software BC was using for sectionals. Also Wesley on the start order, he would qualify for a bye due to Warsaw Cup.

I'll go through who should have a bye and who doesn't after work.

 

[saine]

Discipline	Challenge Entries	Nationals Byes	Byed Entries*	Nationals Spots	Spots Available	# Not Advancing
Senior Men	17​	6​	4​	18​	12​	1​
Senior Women	34​	4​	1​	18​	14​	19​
Senior Pairs	2​	5​	0​	12​	7​	0​
Senior Ice Dance	13​	4​	2​	15​	11​	0​
Junior Men	23​	0​	0​	18​	18​	5​
Junior Women	37​	0​	0​	18​	18​	19​
Junior Pairs	7​	1​	0​	12​	11​	0​
Junior Ice Dance	15​	1​	0​	15​	14​	1​

* Placement at Challenge will not affect their bye or start order in the short program at Nationals

Skaters competing with Byes:

Senior Men
Aleksa Rakic
David Li
Anthony Paradis
Wesley Chiu (competed at Warsaw Cup within 7 days of Challenge, may withdraw)

Senior Women
Uliana Shiryaeva

Senior Ice Dance
Fabbri/Ayer
Lauriault/Le Gac

Categories without cut-offs this season are Junior/Senior Pairs and Senior Ice Dance. Senior Ice Dance should have the full 15 entries at Nationals this season.

 

[RatedPG]

This is the reason the Senior Women and Junior Women are the most interesting categories for me. Just knowing 19 of our skaters will be eliminated makes the competition that more interesting.

Senior Men
I have a feeling Wesley will pull out.
To me, this will be a battle between Keegan, Grayson, Aleksa and Matthew for gold.

Also, the junior boys: David, Anthony, and Edward battle will be interesting

Also, I have my faves: David S (go to pairs please, but, I will cheer for you while you remain in singles) and David Howes to cheer for

Senior Women
Minsol will be here
The battle for silver intrigues me.
To me, it will be a battle between Gabby, Kaiya and Uliana

I’m interested to see if all Quebec Senior Women will qualify. Also, Megan, Sandrine, Lulu and Hetty (Hetty may not qualify with the depth we have this season).

Im going to miss my Grace Johnson
My fave, Amy from BC (defending champion). I hope she does enough to qualify to Nationals. She pulled out of free skate at Sectionals and changed her jump layout to just toes and salchows

Senior Pairs
Only two teams. I love the team from SK

Senior Dance
The two bye teams will battle for gold. Should be an easy win for the QUE team. I’m curious to see how Nadiia and Peter will do here. Let’s see who made the better move

 

[Cutting the ice]

Wondering about Rui Qin. He did not compete in October or November Ontario sectionals. Perhaps not since the Cranberry Cup. Is he injured? Would he be entitled to a spot at nationals with an injury bye? Hope he is okay. He is a wonderful skater.

 

[Heather T]

Looking ahead to the schedule for this next competition, I see that there are entries for Senior Pairs but I am unable to find the Senior Pairs on the schedule.

 

[4everchan]

Looking ahead to the schedule for this next competition, I see that there are entries for Senior Pairs but I am unable to find the Senior Pairs on the schedule.

They are on the colour schedule I posted in the OP

Thursday and Friday. (green, juniors then seniors)

 

[Heather T]

They are on the colour schedule I posted in the OP

Thursday and Friday. (green, juniors then seniors)

Wow, I was wondering what was printed there, way too tiny a font size for me! Thanks!

 

[RatedPG]

I don’t like it when two events are going on at two different rinks.

I’m going to miss Thursday. But, will be here to watch Friday - Sunday

 

[4everchan]

I don’t like it when two events are going on at two different rinks.

I’m going to miss Thursday. But, will be here to watch Friday - Sunday

Yeah. it sucks big time. Thankfully we have archives

 

[saine]

News release confirms Wesley is competing. I hope he takes the bye and withdraws.

 

[FlossieH]

Senior women looks brutal. There may be some big casualties there, with skaters who would normally expect to be at Nationals not making it this year. Some of the junior-eligible girls may end up regretting skating as seniors here - it would only take a couple of falls for someone like Hetty Shi or Megan Woodley to miss out. I am concerned about Sandrine, too.

 

[4everchan]

The most at risk from the juniors is hetty I think.

 

[FlossieH]

The most at risk from the juniors is hetty I think.

It's only a couple of years since she was on the podium. I know that she has been struggling lately, but I do think it says something about the current standards as well.

 

[RatedPG]

News release confirms Wesley is competing. I hope he takes the bye and withdraws.

I think he has to compete to be considered for a potential 4CC slot.

 

[RatedPG]

Senior women looks brutal. There may be some big casualties there, with skaters who would normally expect to be at Nationals not making it this year. Some of the junior-eligible girls may end up regretting skating as seniors here - it would only take a couple of falls for someone like Hetty Shi or Megan Woodley to miss out. I am concerned about Sandrine, too.

I agree about Hetty. She is borderline.
Megan and Sandrine should be fine. But, Sandrine is an emotional up or down skater. She competed in free skate portion of the exhibition at Sectionals and scored 105 in this free skate portion

 

[saine]

I think he has to compete to be considered for a potential 4CC slot.

Good point, 4CC entries are due December 24th. The selection criteria doesn't say they'll choose 4CC before Nationals, but they do require a visa to be chosen so I think they'll have some idea of who's going before then.

 

[RatedPG]

Good point, 4CC entries are due December 24th. The selection criteria doesn't say they'll choose 4CC before Nationals, but they do require a visa to be chosen so I think they'll have some idea of who's going before then.

Yup. I think plan A was to skate well at Warsaw and cement his position with a 230+ score there. He scored this at the domestic event. So, he was probably disappointed with his Warsaw result and I guess plan B is to skate well here, as this is his only way to prove to Skate Canada that he is worthy of one of those three spots. But, skating back to back events may be too much. We will see.