By: Pj Kwong

The first in the seven-event ISU Junior Grand Prix series series kicked off over the weekend in Xi’an, China. The goal for all skaters is to make the top six in their discipline which would qualify them for the ISU (Junior) Grand Prix Final in December.

In a quirky twist of fate, all the skaters were from Ontario: one woman, one man, two pairs and one ice dance team. They came to play and without exception demonstrated the kind of confidence that will stand them in good stead moving forward.

“It was fantastic to see so many Ontario athletes step onto the international stage in Xi’an and compete with such confidence and determination,” said Lisa Alexander, Skate Ontario’s Executive Director. “Their performances are a great reflection of the talent, hard work and dedication of our skaters, coaches and clubs across the province. We are incredibly proud of how they represented Ontario and Canada.”

Photo credit: ISU Figure Skating

Canada’s national junior silver medallist Victoria Barakhtina’s emotional and layered performance to Evita in the free skate was a highlight for me. “I was happy once the jumps were finished to be able to just perform,” said Victoria. A top ten finish in a very competitive field of 34 women is an accomplishment.  This is a promising and poised skater to watch out for.

Grayson Long, Skate Canada’s 2026 NextGen competition gold medallist proved that he had the goods in a short program that earned him a third place in a very tough field where many of the skaters could hold their own in a senior event. His free program had a couple of errors that in a less strong field would not have mattered but did not take away from the overall quality of Grayson’s skating. A top-ten finish for him and a slot on the list in my brain of skaters to watch.

Brianna Dion and Jacob Cote are Canada’s national silver medallists who were joined in the pair competition by Skate Canada’s 2026 NextGen silver medallists Alia Tang and William Bocskay. In both cases what struck me was the technical ability and the emerging presentation skills which are what they will need as they continue along their respective competitive journeys.

Coach Ryan Arnold offered this perspective: “I am proud of Brianna and Jacob’s work to get here. This experience in Xi’an will be invaluable as they continue through the season and beyond.”

The Canadian ‘jewel’ in this competition crown came with a bronze medal in ice dance for Summer Homick and Nicholas Buelow. From the moment they took the ice in their Rhythm Dance to Prince and continued with a beautiful presentation to music from Evita, I was struck by their maturity and ability to capture and hold the audience’s attention. When you match that with terrific technical skills, you have the potential to go a very long way.

Photo credit: ISU Figure Skating

“This season’s first Junior Grand Prix in Xi’an has proven to be an illuminating example of just how talented our competing Juniors are,” said Laurene Collin-Knoblauch, Skate Canada’s NextGen Senior Manager who was on site as part of the Canadian support staff. “Figure skating’s future is being built on a solid foundation.”

Way to go skaters and coaches! We are #SkateOntarioProud! For this and other great stories follow us on social media @SkateOntario or visit our In The Loop page. (www.skateontario.org/intheloop)