Canada

Finns take early lead at Junior World Challenge Cup

Finland’s Fintastic and Musketeers lead the pack after the short program competition at the Junior World Challenge Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden. The only two teams in the event to crack the 50-point barrier, they sit first and second with 55.90 and 54.04 points respectively going into tomorrow’s free program. USA’s Team Braemar are third after the short program with 49.94 points, and Canada’s Les Supremes are close behind in fourth place with 48.64 points. They’re followed by Skyliners (USA), Convivium (SWE), Nexxice (CAN), and Spartak Junost (RUS). Full results are here.

Though the Finnish teams may appear to have a comfortable lead, the free program presents opportunities for trailing teams to make up ground. Valuable points can be gained in the free program: more elements are included, and whereas some elements in the short program are restricted to specific difficulty levels, that’s not the case in the free. Teams will need to be at their best tomorrow to remain in the fight for medals.

The free program begins at 10:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow. Links to live streaming (which was of excellent quality today!), results, and starting orders are available here.

Best of luck to all teams!

Nexxice and Les Supremes headed to Worlds

Nexxice and Les Supremes were named to the World team today in Windsor, ON, where the 2012 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships wrapped up after three days of competition. The Junior and Senior podiums were identical, with Nexxice taking the gold, Les Supremes the silver, and Xcellence the bronze in both events.

The win by Nexxice Senior was their 6th Canadian title in a row, tying the record black ice set when they won their 6th consecutive Canadian Championship in 2002.

Les Supremes and Nexxice Junior were previously selected as Canada’s representatives for the Junior World Challenge Cup based on their results at the Junior World Challenge Cup Qualifier held in January.

Medalists in each category were as follows:

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2012 Canadian Championships quick links

Skate Canada Synchronized Championships
February 23-25, 2012
Windsor, Ontario

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Canadian, Finnish, and U.S. teams to compete for World berths

You can’t become a World Champion without getting to the World Championships.

Sounds painfully obvious, no? While true, it is the most important consideration for Senior teams headed to their respective National Championships in Canada, Finland, and the U.S.A. this week and next. Each country will qualify two teams to compete at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in April. But while it will be considered an upset if Nexxice (CAN) and the Haydenettes (USA) don’t earn berths to represent their countries at Worlds, Finnish Nationals is anyone’s game. (more…)