2025-2026 Canadian Figure Skating

[brblja]

Why is it "gone and done"? Is that a Skate Canada decision or was it the LOC who were unable to keep it up? Is it a cost issue? Perhaps ice availability?

As has been mentioned here in the past, it is very expensive to send a skater to Europe. Why not direct some of that money domestically instead to financially assist in putting on an ISU competition. As mentioned, wishing on stars here but feels good (just a little bit) to complain. I feel badly for the skaters but with Skate Canada's management of international opportunities for competition, it isn't a surprise to see the decline of our international results - and reputation with the judges.

First they need to start utilizing what they already have close to home… There’s a senior/junior B right now in Denver with 0 Canadians and even US did not send many skaters, it’s ridiculous. As a result, everyone there can still get the tech minimums, but out of the 4 jr/sr categories only one will get ranking points, because there are not enough athletes participating.

 

[4everchan]

Sure. Denver is a. good option for some. It still does involve a long flight for those in the Eastern part of Canada... not as long as Europe but the disagreement is still there. ACI in Ontario or Québec was a much much much simpler solution for many skaters.

I can see why skaters would skip smaller events like Denver if there are no guarantees that the event will have enough skaters to earn ranking points. Might as well indeed fly to Europe and take part in the challenger series.

 

[saine]

Also it's the part of the season where most of the skaters who aren't assigned to Worlds are getting ready for next season. Sunsational is next month and the skaters usually compete their new programs under the requirements for next season (ie using the required jump/spins in the short for Juniors.)

I do think Canadian skaters are interested in going to US based events. Lake Placid and Cranberry Cup (non-Challenger portion) aren't subject to the score requirements for an international event (they aren't assigned to them by Skate Canada, they get permission to enter it from Skate Canada instead.) They've have been popular with the Canadian skaters. The US domestic events have also been popular, so they're willing to travel to them. Denver probably has awkward timing for skaters who are looking towards next season.

 

[saine]

Robert Brodie interviews Kurt Browning about Stephen Gogolev:

“He’s an interesting dude. Turned down Stars On Ice because of school (Gogolev is a student at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto),” said Browning. “It would have been brutal if he would have brought home bronze (from Olympics) and then he just turned us down. But since he didn’t, not as big a deal. But I think he’s going to do three shows in Ontario as a guest skater.”

 

[4everchan]

Robert Brodie interviews Kurt Browning about Stephen Gogolev:

well I hope Stephen gets a medal from worlds and becomes brutal

 

[soccerjc77]

I truly believe that a Gold Medal for Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier and a Bronze medal for Stephen Gogolev is really possible at the 2026 Worlds Championships.

 

[4everchan]

I truly believe that a Gold Medal for Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier and a Bronze medal for Stephen Gogolev is really possible at the 2026 Worlds Championships.

So refreshing to have optimistic posts in this thread ! Bring them on ! Thank you !

 

[saine]

Funding has come up a few times with the Olympics. The federal government is planning on revamping funding for athletes:

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Ottawa is planning to revamp its funding for Canadian athletes and will tackle the issue "very deliberately" over the next six months — news that comes just before a federal commission on the future of Canadian sport releases its final report.

Carney shared the information to a group of Canadian athletes in Holmenkollen, just north of Oslo, Norway. The athletes are competing in the International Ski Federation Nordic World Cup.

"So we may come to organizers and others to see how to get it right," Carney told the athletes. "Because it's at your level, but it also needs to be a very broad grassroots level. Playground-to-podium type. We'll do it right."

 

[4everchan]

Wow.. two good optimistic posts in one day . we must be Saturday the 14 th

 

[saine]

Gabrielle Daleman posted a 3STh she did with Tristan Taylor:


She does clarify in the comments that they aren't teaming up, he's helping her with re-learning Pairs (they both train in Colorado Springs.)

 

[Chantilly]

Pairs might be a great option for her for the next quad. I just don't think she has the technical prowess to compete in singles anymore.
Although I always thought she had the speed and power to do a triple axel

 

[4everchan]

Gosh... Gabby would be so great at pairs. She is fierce, athletic and fearless.

That throw is impeccable. Tristan is in a good partnership so we will see how he does evolve so I am not hoping they team up just that Gabby considers prolonging her career into her 30s doing pairs She certainly has role models she can look up to.

Also, the best part of this post is not the throw itself but the caption : getting throw into next season.

I am all here for that.

 

[Skater Boy]

well I hope Stephen gets a medal from worlds and becomes brutal

I hope so too. It would be nice for Canada and their high performance director who honestly hasn't been able to get any "new" blood for the last two plus quadrennials. Gogo is a light - unlike the ladies where Madi the Jennifer Robinson of today without top ten seems litheless. The glimmer is a skater who won the bronze in ladies in 2017 - 9 years ago. Go Gabby go. (I saw a clip of her doing pairs - interesting!) I am not sure how realistic it is for Gogo to get a bronze even wihtout a few top skaters. He still has Ilia, Egaze, three Japanese men, Jason Brown, Adam, Kevin, Cha, Andrew T, Selvko all who could beat him so top ten is still a challenge.

 

[4everchan]

I hope so too. It would be nice for Canada and their high performance director who honestly hasn't been able to get any "new" blood for the last two plus quadrennials. Gogo is a light - unlike the ladies where Madi the Jennifer Robinson of today without top ten seems litheless. The glimmer is a skater who won the bronze in ladies in 2017 - 9 years ago. Go Gabby go. (I saw a clip of her doing pairs - interesting!) I am not sure how realistic it is for Gogo to get a bronze even wihtout a few top skaters. He still has Ilia, Egaze, three Japanese men, Jason Brown, Adam, Kevin, Cha, Andrew T, Selvko all who could beat him so top ten is still a challenge.

Gogo had all the same skaters at the Olympics and finished 5th, couple points away from bronze. Of course, it's possible. Is it a given ? Well, we know what happened to the given winner of the gold medal for the Olympics.

So sure, it's not a done deal and perhaps won't happen but the hope for a top ten is very viable.

 

[Sackie]

GOGO should be top 10 as long as the judges mark correctly and don't go back to holding up their Favs. At the Olympics I think Gogo did so well to be top 5 because he was back in the short and not seen as a threat to beat the favs. The judges marked him on what he skated that night because they did not expect a bunch of top skaters to do so poorly.

 

[discodisco]

GOGO should be top 10 as long as the judges mark correctly and don't go back to holding up their Favs. At the Olympics I think Gogo did so well to be top 5 because he was back in the short and not seen as a threat to beat the favs. The judges marked him on what he skated that night because they did not expect a bunch of top skaters to do so poorly.

Hmmm... I'm the first to call out Skater Boy on his perpetually critical and pessimistic comments about Canadian skaters.

HOWEVER, his post above makes a reasonable point, and the list of skaters he gave does demonstrate that Stephen is not a shoe-in for a top 10, even. Just looking at that list, it struck me that along with having probably the most dominant male skater I have ever seen in four decades of following skating, the current crop of men is also filled with an incredible level of talent to spread across so many skaters. There really are 10 to 15 men who could win the bronze medal - and that is really unheard of.

We have to remember that although Steven was solidly in 15th, it was the result of him skating flawlessly, and everybody falling apart in a way that I haven't seen in a men's competition probably ever, unless you go back to the early 90s, maybe.

So, while I absolutely have my fingers crossed for him, it is definitely not a guarantee that he finishes top 10, let alone top five or three. I believe that his program is excellent this year in terms of all of the creative and complex choreography and absolutely chock-full of difficult transitions - but he is still slower than most of the other men doesn't get as much height or flow out of his jumps as many of the others and really needs to work on his presentation and expression, because the choreography is doing all the work in his programs, not him. That's not a criticism - I was blown away by his Improvement this year and it is largely due to the incredibly complex choreography in his programs.

He isn't quite at the level where skating skills or presentation are on par with the composition/ choreography, which is I think where most of the other contenders surpass him. So it's going to take another example of him skating lights out, and upping his salesmanship a bit more, and the other men falling apart of it, for a top 10/top 5 to happen.

However, it's happened once before, and I absolutely think it's possible a second time! I really really hope it does!

 

[4everchan]

Hmmm... I'm the first to call out Skater Boy on his perpetually critical and pessimistic comments about Canadian skaters.

HOWEVER, his post above makes a reasonable point, and the list of skaters he gave does demonstrate that Stephen is not a shoe-in for a top 10, even. Just looking at that list, it struck me that along with having probably the most dominant male skater I have ever seen in four decades of following skating, the current crop of men is also filled with an incredible level of talent to spread across so many skaters. There really are 10 to 15 men who could win the bronze medal - and that is really unheard of.

We have to remember that although Steven was solidly in 15th, it was the result of him skating flawlessly, and everybody falling apart in a way that I haven't seen in a men's competition probably ever, unless you go back to the early 90s, maybe.

So, while I absolutely have my fingers crossed for him, it is definitely not a guarantee that he finishes top 10, let alone top five or three. I believe that his program is excellent this year in terms of all of the creative and complex choreography and absolutely chock-full of difficult transitions - but he is still slower than most of the other men doesn't get as much height or flow out of his jumps as many of the others and really needs to work on his presentation and expression, because the choreography is doing all the work in his programs, not him. That's not a criticism - I was blown away by his Improvement this year and it is largely due to the incredibly complex choreography in his programs.

He isn't quite at the level where skating skills or presentation are on par with the composition/ choreography, which is I think where most of the other contenders surpass him. So it's going to take another example of him skating lights out, and upping his salesmanship a bit more, and the other men falling apart of it, for a top 10/top 5 to happen.

However, it's happened once before, and I absolutely think it's possible a second time! I really really hope it does!

I think my point is going to be simpler... I was writing a long post and decided to reframe

The discussion shouldn't be about who is better and who may place ahead or not. Some will do well and place ahead because they are better, and some of the better men may do badly, as it always happens in men competitions. Stephen is above average in TES and is now right in the middle of the pack in PCS. If he does skate the same way he did at the Olympics, it should be enough for top ten, because statistically, that's how it goes. It doesn't really matter if Cha or Brown or anyone have much better skating skills. If they do not jump well, they won't win either.

At this point, what matters is not even our perception of other skaters but the scoring the judges are willing to give Stephen. His PCS scores have improved every performance he did at the Olympics. Judges are giving him credit for consistency and warming up to his very well built programs. He is not expressive. OK. That's a fair comment. Only a handful of skaters are and one of them will probably not make the LP.

Let's not be too critical here. Stephen needs to skate well. That's the only thing he can control. Others ? May fall may land quads and quints Judges, may like or dislike him.

But the point is simple : with what he brings to the ice, at this precise moment is top ten worthy.

Sure, it may not happen for a whole lot of reasons. We have seen stars not making the LP in the past. But why not just acknowledge that Canada has a real chance of top ten finish this year, which hasn't been the case since Messing retired. We can cry in a couple weeks if this doesn't happen but on paper, it should happen.

I mean, we have to consider the simple fact that this season has been all over the place and what is the most important is what Stephen has shown, consistency.

 

[ladyjane]

Don't forget Stephen's step sequence...I loved that bit. It moves me every time (of course the music plays its part but that's definitely not all).

 

[labgoat]

I think my point is going to be simpler... I was writing a long post and decided to reframe

The discussion shouldn't be about who is better and who may place ahead or not. Some will do well and place ahead because they are better, and some of the better men may do badly, as it always happens in men competitions. Stephen is above average in TES and is now right in the middle of the pack in PCS. If he does skate the same way he did at the Olympics, it should be enough for top ten, because statistically, that's how it goes. It doesn't really matter if Cha or Brown or anyone have much better skating skills. If they do not jump well, they won't win either.

At this point, what matters is not even our perception of other skaters but the scoring the judges are willing to give Stephen. His PCS scores have improved every performance he did at the Olympics. Judges are giving him credit for consistency and warming up to his very well built programs. He is not expressive. OK. That's a fair comment. Only a handful of skaters are and one of them will probably not make the LP.

Let's not be too critical here. Stephen needs to skate well. That's the only thing he can control. Others ? May fall may land quads and quints Judges, may like or dislike him.

But the point is simple : with what he brings to the ice, at this precise moment is top ten worthy.

Sure, it may not happen for a whole lot of reasons. We have seen stars not making the LP in the past. But why not just acknowledge that Canada has a real chance of top ten finish this year, which hasn't been the case since Messing retired. We can cry in a couple weeks if this doesn't happen but on paper, it should happen.

I mean, we have to consider the simple fact that this season has been all over the place and what is the most important is what Stephen has shown, consistency.

I think Stephen is coming along nicely. It is a very good thing to have your technical skills difficult and consistent. His programs this year were a step forward in style and complexity. I look forward to him developing his own voice post-Olympics and maturing on the artistic side. I am very much looking forward to seeing him next season.

 

[soccerjc77]

I like how we stay silent for Madeline Schizas. I will break that silence
She had a season where she was a rollercoaster, alternating between good and bad competitions throughout. So, in my opinion, on a positive note for her, since her last competition was bad, she will probably do well at the World Championships.