By: Pj Kwong

This weekend’s Skate Canada International Grand Prix event has wrapped up in Halifax, with athletes from Ontario competing in all disciplines except Pairs.

Stephen Gogolev

Lessons were learned for Canada’s Stephen Gogolev, who told CBC Sports that he had not been as focused in the free as the short, but nevertheless showed glimpses of the amazing talent that we all know him to possess. Stephen’s final placing was 9th place, while fellow Canadian Roman Sadovsky had to withdraw from the free program.

In the women’s event, Maddie Schizas had posted a fifth-place short program in what can only be described as a great performance with a season’s best score. Maddie went on to take fourth in the free program, and with the points total, settled for fifth place overall. Those who watch skating know that Maddie can be a fierce competitor against the reigning World Champion Kaori Sakamoto. We saw that she can hold her own!

Madeline Schizas

Ice dance was the crowning jewel of this competition for me, with Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier donning the Skate Canada International  crown for the fifth consecutive time. The news is all good with respect to their material this year – from the Beach Boys Rhythm Dance to their A Whiter Shade of Pale, nay, Whiter Shade of Fabulous, Free Dance. Coach Carol Lane shared with me that A Whiter Shade of Pale was her adored Dad’s favourite song, and she asked the skaters if they would be willing to skate to it. The twist? Carol saw it as a tango. The final music cut included an original composition for the bridge by their music magician Rob Colling in Finland, as well as additional musicians in Argentina. According to Carol, “this was truly a global collaboration.”

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier

The skaters and coaches were thrilled, but the real winners were the audience who got to see something special; where art meets skating, and not just skating looking to meet some points. We are #SkateOntarioProud to the nth degree.

If you want more great content like this, make sure to keep an eye on the In The Loop page on our website (skateontario.org/intheloop), and make sure to follow Skate Ontario on all your social media platforms. #SkateOntarioProud