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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kitchener-Waterloo Pair Figure Skaters Head to Junior Worlds

Waterloo, ON, Mar-01-2010 – Local pair figure skaters Brittany Jones and Kurtis Gaskell will represent Canada at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, to be held next week in the Netherlands.

The couple--who began skating together 3 years ago--placed second nationally at the novice level in 2008, then won the Canadian Junior national title in 2009. Following an impressive bronze medal finish at their international debut in Poland last year, 14-year-old Jones and 19-year-old Gaskell competed for the first time at the senior level this past January at the 2010 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships held in London, Ontario.

Gaskell hopes his recent experiences competing at the senior level will bolster his performance at the junior international level. "I found it to be very different going from junior to senior", says Gaskell. "It felt so much better in senior because I was competing against the best in the country and it made me perform at a higher level. I also learned how to act more mature and that gave me a better look on the ice".

Following their recent ninth place finish at senior nationals, Jones and Gaskell hope to improve their program component scores, which include marks for performance/execution, interpretation, and transitions between elements, as opposed to executed elements such as jumps, spins and lifts. "We have been trying to really work on our second mark, by getting more into character with our programs, and working on stroking. All the pair teams at Junior Worlds will be able to do the elements, but it is the artistry and skating skills that will define the top place teams", says Jones.

Although one goal is to improve their component scores, the couple is also banking on strong results for executed elements. "Overall most teams have the same elements as each other, but the triple twist is one element that most teams do not have but Kurtis and I do", says Jones. "We are fast and we have big and solid elements. In competition we tend to really perform and give 100%", says Gaskell. On his younger teen partner, Gaskell comments "she is a fierce competitor and she gives everything in training and competition."

Jones and Gaskell hope to skate two strong programs at Junior Worlds. They also plan on enjoying themselves during what Jones describes as "the experience of a lifetime."

The 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships take place March 8-14 in The Hague, Netherlands. More information can be found on the International Skating Union website at www.isu.org.

Brittany Jones and Kurtis Gaskell are members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club. They train at RIM Park in Waterloo, and are coached by two-time Canadian Champions and two-time Olympians Kris Wirtz and Kristy Sargeant-Wirtz.

Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club - The Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club (KWSC) is one of the largest figure skating clubs in Canada. The club--which has existed for over 70 years--is based in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, 100 km west of Toronto. The club operates competitive programs that have sent singles skaters, dance pairs, freeskate pairs, and synchronized teams to compete in the Canadian Championships, as well as international competitions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

K-W figure skaters to represent Canada at Four Continents

Waterloo, ON, Jan-20-2010 – Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club member Andrew Poje and partner Kaitlyn Weaver will be competing in the ice dance event at the 2010 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, which will take place January 25-31 in Jeonju City, Republic of Korea.

The couple earned the bronze medal last week at the BMO Canadian Figure Championships in London, Ontario. Their total score of 184.40 fell a mere 0.3 points short of securing a spot for the pair on the Canadian Olympic team, but earned the duo the right to represent Canada at Four Continents. This will be Weaver and Poje’s third trip to Four Continents, having placed 5th in both 2008 and in 2009. The pair has previously competed at two World Championships, and was World bronze medalists at the 2007 Junior World Championships.

Also making the trip to Korea for the 2010 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships are Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, who qualified in the senior pair event after finishing 5th last week in London.

"We achieved our personal goals of skating clean and having fun, which is all we wanted to do", says Moore-Towers of the pair’s performance at Nationals. "We knew we had no say in placements, but if I was to make a placement goal; top five is exactly what I hoped for. Of course a standing ovation is fun also."

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch train at RIM Park in Waterloo, and are coached by former Olympians Kris Wirtz and Kristy Sargeant-Wirtz. The team was a new partnership formed in the spring of 2009. This will be Moore-Towers and Moscovitch’s second international event, and their first ISU championship event. 

Moscovitch is hoping for a repeat of his team’s recent successes. "Our goals for Four Continents are to continue skating the way we have been skating and deliver two strong performances as well as gain more international exposure and experience", says Moscovitch.

Former Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club members Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno will also represent Canada in the ice dance event.

The Canadian team will consist of 18 skaters who qualified based on their results at nationals. Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club coach Carolyn Allwright will serve as team manager for Team Canada in Jeonju City.

Allwright has served as a team manager for Canada at more than 10 international events including Junior Grand Prix, Senior Grand Prix, and various ISU Championship events. This is her third trip to the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships as Canada's team manager.

The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual event organized by the International Skating Union for skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Skaters compete in the categories of men's singles, ladies’ singles, pairs, and ice dance.

Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club - The Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club (KWSC) is one of the largest figure skating clubs in Canada. The club--which has existed for over 70 years--is based in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, 100 km west of Toronto. The club operates competitive programs that have sent singles skaters, dance pairs, freeskate pairs, and synchronized teams to compete in the Canadian Championships, as well as International Competitions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

K-W figure skaters advance to nationals

Waterloo, ON, Jan-09-2010 – Skaters from the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club will compete against Canada's best during next week's national championships. The BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships and BMO Skate Canada Junior Nationals will take place in London Ontario beginning Monday.

The outcome of these events will determine who will compete at the next ISU World Figure Skating Championships, ISU Four Continents Championships, and ISU World Junior Championships. This year's Figure Skating Championships has additional importance because results will also play a large role in determining the Canadian Olympic figure skating team to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club members scheduled to compete at the BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships include Erin Scherrer, who will compete in the Senior Women event. Competing in the Senior Pair event are reigning Canadian Junior Pair Champions Brittany Jones and Kurtis Gaskell. Also competing in Senior Pairs are Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, who recently placed sixth at Skate Canada International in Kitchener. Competing in Senior Dance are Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who secured their first Senior Grand Prix medal at Skate Canada International last November. The recently-formed team of Sarah Arnold and Justin Trojek will also compete in the Senior Dance event.  The senior-level championships will take place January 14-17 at the John Labatt Centre.

Scheduled to compete at the BMO Skate Canada Junior Nationals are reigning Canadian Novice Pair Champions Katherine Bobak and Matthew Penasse, as well as Andrea Tou and Garnet Suidy in Junior Pairs, and Olga Lioudvinevitch and Thomas Williams in Junior Dance. Competing in Novice Pairs are Mary Orr and Anthony Furiano, Aveline Pearson and Alexander Sheldrick, as well as reigning Canadian Juvenile Pairs Champions Shalena Rau and Phelan Simpson. Competing in the Novice Dance event are Michaela Botsford and Scott Botsford, Victoria Coulthard and Peter Ahluwalia, Jade Marrow and Allan Stoll, as well as Kylie Knight and Benjamin Mulder. Junior Nationals will take place January 11-14 at the Western Fair Sports Centre.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.johnlabattcentre.com, by phone at 1-866-455-2849, or in person at the John Labatt Centre box office.

The CBC will be providing coverage for the BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships. For their complete broadcasting schedule, visit www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskating.

Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club - The Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club (KWSC) is one of the largest figure skating clubs in Canada. The club--which has existed for over 70 years--is based in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, 100 km west of Toronto. The club operates competitive programs that have sent singles skaters, dance pairs, freeskate pairs, and synchronized teams to compete in the Canadian Championships, as well as International Competitions.

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