2017 Skate Canada Challenge | Golden Skate

2017 Skate Canada Challenge

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
Taking place November 30 - December 4 at Sportplexe Pierrefonds in Pierrefonds, Québec.

Challenge, as it's known, is the largest gathering of skaters in Canada. At this event the pre-novice Canadian champions in all four disciplines are decided. Qualifiers for Nationals are taken from the top finishers in categories at the novice, junior, and senior levels. The number of qualifiers varies depending on how many skaters have a bye to Nationals due to things like a Grand Prix assignment. To get to Challenge, skaters have to qualify through sectionals or the National Summer Series, though athletes with byes can also compete.

Website: https://skatecanada.ca/event/2017-skate-canada-challenge/
Tentative schedule: https://skatecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2017-Challenge-Block-Schedule.pdf
Live streaming: http://www.dailymotion.com/SkateCanada

More info to come!

Golden Skate Challenge Results thread
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?61743-2017-Challenge-Results

Golden Skate Challenge Video thread
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?61744-2017-Challenge-Videos
 
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Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
Sectionals are happening this weekend as well. According to the site: Start orders will be posted the week of November 21, 2016
 

Sabrina

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Sectionals are happening this weekend as well. According to the site: Start orders will be posted the week of November 21, 2016

Nationals are in January, in Ottawa. Where and when is scheduled this Canada Challenge?
 
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sowcow

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Nationals are in January, in Ottawa. Where and when is scheduled this Canada Challenge?

Is this the info you're looking for?...:

2017 Skate Canada Challenge

Taking place November 30 - December 4 at Sportplexe Pierrefonds in Pierrefonds, Québec.

Website: https://skatecanada.ca/event/2017-skate-canada-challenge/
Tentative schedule: https://skatecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2017-Challenge-Block-Schedule.pdf
Live streaming: http://www.dailymotion.com/SkateCanada
 

Sabrina

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Thank you so much! I was quite confused, as I got an email from Skate Canada, about the Nationals. I checked this forum and I found the Challenge posted, but I didn't realize the original post showed all the links. As far as I understand, sectionals start today.
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
As mentioned in the state of Canadian skating thread Kirsten Moore-Towers & Michael Marinaro will be competing here.

Gabrielle Daleman also announced she will be competing at Challenge.
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
Thank you so much! I was quite confused, as I got an email from Skate Canada, about the Nationals. I checked this forum and I found the Challenge posted, but I didn't realize the original post showed all the links. As far as I understand, sectionals start today.

Sabrina I'll make another post for Nationals if you like. :) Everyone except those with a bye have to go through Challenge to even get to Nationals, which is why Challenge is a big deal to many skaters.
 

Sabrina

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
I know that they need to qualify for nationals and this Challenge gives them a chance, but do Gaby and KMT/M need to come to Challenge in order to qualify to nationals? Or they just come to have a competition under their belt. Or it's more complex...as in challenge you need a certain place in order/marks to qualify.
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
I know that they need to qualify for nationals and this Challenge gives them a chance, but do Gaby and KMT/M need to come to Challenge in order to qualify to nationals? Or they just come to have a competition under their belt. Or it's more complex...as in challenge you need a certain place in order/marks to qualify.

Gabby does not need to go to Challenge as she competed on the Grand Prix. I am not sure about KM-T/MM but they may also have a bye due to getting an assignment. But Kirsten is unable to attend NHK because her concussion recovery does not allow her to travel long distances. So even if they have a bye to Nationals, it's smart of them to come back to competition in a lower pressure environment like Challenge.

Placement at Challenge matters more than marks. If you take out the skaters with byes to nationals then the remaining spots are filled with the top skaters from Challenge. For example there are 18 spots for senior ladies at Nationals. Right now, Alaine, Gabby, and Kaetlyn have byes to Nationals. That leaves 15 spots up for grabs. Now Gabby is competing at Challenge so excluding her, the rest of the top 15 senior ladies skaters at Challenge will get to go to Nationals.
 

sowcow

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Placement at Challenge matters more than marks. If you take out the skaters with byes to nationals then the remaining spots are filled with the top skaters from Challenge. For example there are 18 spots for senior ladies at Nationals. Right now, Alaine, Gabby, and Kaetlyn have byes to Nationals. That leaves 15 spots up for grabs. Now Gabby is competing at Challenge so excluding her, the rest of the top 15 senior ladies skaters at Challenge will get to go to Nationals.

Thanks for the explanation!

Things have definitely changed since the days of SectionalsDivisionalsNationals !!

Using the 'Skate Canada Challenge' placements to select who gets to move on to Nationals seems like it would be a much more fair method as compared to the old system! As I recall, with the old system...

  • Certain 'Divisional' competitions (e.g. 'Eastern Divisionals' with competitors from the old CO + WO + ½QC Sections) were almost always 'more difficult' to progress through to Nationals as compared to other Divisional competitions (e.g. 'Atlantic Divisionals' with competitors from ½QC + NS + PEI + NB + NL).
  • In fact, I remember hearing rumors that some QC skaters would purposely make errors at QC-Sectionals to try to "game the system" so they'd be sent to the Atlantic Divisionals; since...
    • 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th place finishers at QC-Sectionals went to Eastern Divisionals; whereas
    • 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th place went to Atlantic Divisionals.
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
Thanks for the explanation!

Things have definitely changed since the days of SectionalsDivisionalsNationals !!

Using the 'Skate Canada Challenge' placements to select who gets to move on to Nationals seems like it would be a much more fair method as compared to the old system! As I recall, with the old system...

  • Certain 'Divisional' competitions (e.g. 'Eastern Divisionals' with competitors from the old CO + WO + ½QC Sections) were almost always 'more difficult' to progress through to Nationals as compared to other Divisional competitions (e.g. 'Atlantic Divisionals' with competitors from ½QC + NS + PEI + NB + NL).
  • In fact, I remember hearing rumors that some QC skaters would purposely make errors at QC-Sectionals to try to "game the system" so they'd be sent to the Atlantic Divisionals; since...
    • 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th place finishers at QC-Sectionals went to Eastern Divisionals; whereas
    • 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th place went to Atlantic Divisionals.

Wow, that sounds nuts. Thanks for the history lesson and explanation. Skate Canada has detailed explanations on its site and I've majorly simplified it so I apologize, but I hope it gave a basic overview.

More detailed info here:
https://info.skatecanada.ca/hc/en-ca/sections/201869473-2017-Skate-Canada-Challenge
https://info.skatecanada.ca/hc/en-ca/articles/203055260-525-Skate-Canada-Challenge
 

Sackie

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Gabby does not need to go to Challenge as she competed on the Grand Prix. I am not sure about KM-T/MM but they may also have a bye due to getting an assignment. But Kirsten is unable to attend NHK because her concussion recovery does not allow her to travel long distances. So even if they have a bye to Nationals, it's smart of them to come back to competition in a lower pressure environment like Challenge.

Placement at Challenge matters more than marks. If you take out the skaters with byes to nationals then the remaining spots are filled with the top skaters from Challenge. For example there are 18 spots for senior ladies at Nationals. Right now, Alaine, Gabby, and Kaetlyn have byes to Nationals. That leaves 15 spots up for grabs. Now Gabby is competing at Challenge so excluding her, the rest of the top 15 senior ladies skaters at Challenge will get to go to Nationals.

So Mallet and Long have to skate at the Challenge?
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
So Mallet and Long have to skate at the Challenge?

I think so. Long did poorly at her only international assignment and was not named as a replacement for Mallet. Mallet only competed in the summer and did poorly there. As she didn't even compete at sectionals I have doubts about whether she'll be at Challenge. I feel Skate Canada may give her a bye to Nationals if they think she's healthy enough to compete based on her track record.
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
Start orders are up!

Notable entries
Senior men: Liam Firus, Nam Nguyen, Joseph Phan, Bennet Toman
Senior ladies: Gabby Daleman, Michelle Long, Eri Nishimura, Larkyn Austman, the Decelles twins, Sarah Tamura, Megan Yim, Kelsey Wong
Senior pairs: Ruest/Wolfe, Jones/Reagan, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Séguin/Bilodeau (I think they didn't realize their GPF qualification?)
Senior dance: Soucisse/Firus, Sales/Wamsteeker, Arnold/Williams, Gilles/Poirier :yahoo:

All the great juniors, pre-novice, and novice skaters are there too. If you're in the area go watch!
 

tinnychan

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 13, 2015
I can't find Nicolas Nadeau in the entries list. It means that he have no chance to qualify for National or Junior Worlds?

So sad for his injury?:cry:
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
I can't find Nicolas Nadeau in the entries list. It means that he have no chance to qualify for National or Junior Worlds?

So sad for his injury?:cry:

Nic's actually going to be at 2016 Golden Spin of Zagreb, a Challenger Series event happening December 7-10. He'll be there with Keegan Messing and Roman Sadovsky, competing in his first senior international event.
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
I can't find Nicolas Nadeau in the entries list. It means that he have no chance to qualify for National or Junior Worlds?

So sad for his injury?:cry:

I'm inferring from the timing that Skate Canada has decided to give all three (Nadeau, Sadowsky, and Messing) byes to nationals.

It's so important for them to get the additional international experience in the ISU Challenger series at Golden Spin. I believe most of us are very encouraged by this approach to increase competitive depth in our senior men.
 

Sackie

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
'Senior pairs: Ruest/Wolfe, Jones/Reagan, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Séguin/Bilodeau (I think they didn't realize their GPF qualification?)'
Do you think that Sequin/Bilodeau will still compete here now that they are in the GPF? Unless they see it as a warm up to the final!
 

Mango

Royal Chinet 👑🍽️
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2016
'Senior pairs: Ruest/Wolfe, Jones/Reagan, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Séguin/Bilodeau (I think they didn't realize their GPF qualification?)'
Do you think that Sequin/Bilodeau will still compete here now that they are in the GPF? Unless they see it as a warm up to the final!

I'd love to see them compete this weekend! To test their prep, mainly. The event is in Montreal and they train there so it wouldn't be tough for them to go. But if they want to maximize their prep time then they may WD. They're still on the entry list so far.
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
The live scoring tab has been added to the Challenge page.

Best to open it in a separate tab in your browser as Daily motion rink livestreams don't always reload quickly.
 
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