By: Pj Kwong

There’s something wonderful about being inside the rink at the start of an event like Skate Canada International. Saskatoon is a great host city, and the athletes are benefiting from the warm western hospitality which is the perfect backdrop for some great skating.

Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud. Photo by Hayley Roberts.

Skate Canada’s High-Performance Director, Michael Slipchuk, weighs in on the importance of the first segment of the competition also known as the Short Program. “Especially in an Olympic season, every competition is an opportunity for the athletes to establish season’s best scores and/or build on the scores they have achieved before. It’s also a chance to show their potential.” It all starts with performing the best short program a skater or team can.

For those who may not know, the short program in figure skating is crucial because it sets the tone for the competition, showcasing a skater’s technical precision and artistry while determining their position and momentum heading into the free skate.

Ontario’s Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud looked confident in their group 2 pair warm-up. All was left was for them to skate the short program the way they do in practice. Canada’s two-time national silver medallists are in Saskatoon for their first trip to the Skate Canada International event.

Coach Alison Purkiss met up with me before the event and said: “for SCI, my strategy as a coach is just to have them go out, stay in their lane and do what they do.” Lia and Trennt did that better then they ever have and posted not only a season’s best but an international competition personal best score of 70.66 which earned them a 3^rd place in the short program.

Also competing their short programs tonight were the women including Madeline Schizas from Milton. This is the 5^th appearance for the two-time national champion. In practice, the skater I saw was relaxed and confident and undoubtedly looking for that to transfer to competition ice.

Madeline Schizas. Photo by Hayley Roberts.

Unfortunately, this was not the performance that Madeline was hoping for. With errors on 2 jump elements, she finished in 12^th place after the short. Always thoughtful, Madeline answered “so much. So much” when I asked her what could be learned from a bad day.

Coach Nancy Lemaire shared that they have been focusing a lot of attention on the free program since earlier competitions this season which will stand her in good stead for the free program tomorrow.

Lots more great skating to come over the weekend. Make sure you follow along with @SkateOntario on social media. And if you want to support our skaters don’t forget we are all #SkateOntarioProud.