Lesley Hawker isn't ready to settle for third-best anymore.
Or second, for that matter.
Nope. Mrs. Doherty, who'll always be gold-medal stuff in the blogosphere (as scientific as that sounds), wants to stand on top of the podium at the 2008 Canadian championships in Vancouver.
(and you can all save your 'will that make her the oldest Canadian women's champion ever' thoughts for then, thank you).
"I want to be a major player at Canadians ... Even win it this year," said Hawker, 26, of Alliston, Ont., who was the senior women's bronze medallist at nationals the past two years. "I don't want to just settle for anything. I've been given a great talent, I love what I do and I just want to make sure I use it to my fullest ability."
Hawker finished ninth at HomeSense Skate Canada, which made her the No. 2 Canadian here — behind bronze-medal winner Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., and ahead of Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que., who wound up 10th after Saturday's free skate final.
More importantly, she senses the quality of her skating has taken another leap forward since this time a year ago — and rightly so, we'd add.
"I'm really happy with my skating,” she said.
Now she'd like to rise to the level of Janet Lynn, the 1970s American skating legend who is greatly admired by Hawker, and so many others.
"I'm sure anybody in the skating world knows (Lynn),” she said. "A beautiful smile, her edge quality, her smoothness ... she was just breath-taking to watch.
"I've been watching a lot of old tapes of older skaters — YouTube is great for that — trying to really emulate their softness. I want to be the kind of skater that you watch and say 'oh, that looked so easy, it looks fun.' ”
Fun and first ... now there's a winning ticket, right?
Hey, she's halfway there. At least in our poll — which, of course, is completely unscientific.
Showing posts with label Canadians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canadians. Show all posts
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Dancing Toward A Dream
They had to earn their way to Le Colisee.
But there were Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno on Friday afternoon, basking in the glow of home country support in the senior ice dance compulsories at HomeSense Skate Canada. No wonder the Vancouver-based couple had smiles on their faces as bright as the yellow skirt Hann-McCurdy wore for their rendition of the Yankee Polka.
And that was before they saw the final results sheet. Hann-McCurdy and Coreno stand seventh with 25.51 points. More importantly, it was a hair in front of Kaitlyn Weaver of Houston, Tex., and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont. (25.07).
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno were eighth in their first Canadian championships as senior ice dancers last January in Halifax. That was five spots behind Weaver and Poje, who shocked just about everyone by landing a world team berth.
That's exactly where Hann-McCurdy and Coreno, the national junior champions in 2006, want to be next March, when the 2008 world championships are held in Gothenburg, Sweden. And given the events of the off-season, they've got reason to dream that big.
Five of the top seven finishers in that senior dance event last season in Halifax won't be part of the 2008 Canadian championships in Vancouver. Topping that list are two-time world silver medallists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, who've taken the season off from the eligible skating circuit. Retirements and dissolved partnerships claimed the rest.
Look beyond all of that, and you'll see Hann-McCurdy and Coreno rank third among the returning contenders. And guess how many world team berths there are for Sweden?
"There is a door open," admitted Coreno, 23, of Toronto.
"We're aware of it, and we're totally shooting for that third worlds spot," said Hann-McCurdy, 20, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club in Ottawa. "That's our goal for the season.
"That's what's motivating us, and it's just incredibly special to be here."
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who finished a stunning sixth at the 2007 worlds in Tokyo and are the future of this discipline in Canada, should grab their first national crown in January. After that, though, it's wide open.
"It's an opportunity and we want to take advantage of it," said Hann-McCurdy.
Just like being here this week. While Virtue and Moir, who lead after the compulsories, can clearly shoot for gold, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno are here just to soak up the experience. They weren't assigned to this event until after a fourth-place finish at the Nebelhorn Trophy senior international event in Oberstdorf, Germany.
They know what's needed most to take the next step up in class, and have spent plenty of time working on it under the guidance of their coaches, former world champion Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz.
"We've really, really focused on speed," said Hann-McCurdy. "That was the easiest difference to see between us and all the teams we competed against last year. That was a big focus. Other than that, just more character and energy and personality."
Added Coreno: "That's the big step, learning to do things at high speed and still make it look easy."
Hann-McCurdy, a natural brunette, had a brief fling with going blonde a few years back. Given that blue-eyed blondes are all the rage in Sweden, might Hann-McCurdy go back that way if she and her partner realize that worlds dream?
"I might have to," she said with a laugh. "But there's still a long way to go yet. I don't know ... I'll consider it."
But there were Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno on Friday afternoon, basking in the glow of home country support in the senior ice dance compulsories at HomeSense Skate Canada. No wonder the Vancouver-based couple had smiles on their faces as bright as the yellow skirt Hann-McCurdy wore for their rendition of the Yankee Polka.
And that was before they saw the final results sheet. Hann-McCurdy and Coreno stand seventh with 25.51 points. More importantly, it was a hair in front of Kaitlyn Weaver of Houston, Tex., and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont. (25.07).
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno were eighth in their first Canadian championships as senior ice dancers last January in Halifax. That was five spots behind Weaver and Poje, who shocked just about everyone by landing a world team berth.
That's exactly where Hann-McCurdy and Coreno, the national junior champions in 2006, want to be next March, when the 2008 world championships are held in Gothenburg, Sweden. And given the events of the off-season, they've got reason to dream that big.
Five of the top seven finishers in that senior dance event last season in Halifax won't be part of the 2008 Canadian championships in Vancouver. Topping that list are two-time world silver medallists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, who've taken the season off from the eligible skating circuit. Retirements and dissolved partnerships claimed the rest.
Look beyond all of that, and you'll see Hann-McCurdy and Coreno rank third among the returning contenders. And guess how many world team berths there are for Sweden?
"There is a door open," admitted Coreno, 23, of Toronto.
"We're aware of it, and we're totally shooting for that third worlds spot," said Hann-McCurdy, 20, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club in Ottawa. "That's our goal for the season.
"That's what's motivating us, and it's just incredibly special to be here."
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who finished a stunning sixth at the 2007 worlds in Tokyo and are the future of this discipline in Canada, should grab their first national crown in January. After that, though, it's wide open.
"It's an opportunity and we want to take advantage of it," said Hann-McCurdy.
Just like being here this week. While Virtue and Moir, who lead after the compulsories, can clearly shoot for gold, Hann-McCurdy and Coreno are here just to soak up the experience. They weren't assigned to this event until after a fourth-place finish at the Nebelhorn Trophy senior international event in Oberstdorf, Germany.
They know what's needed most to take the next step up in class, and have spent plenty of time working on it under the guidance of their coaches, former world champion Victor Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz.
"We've really, really focused on speed," said Hann-McCurdy. "That was the easiest difference to see between us and all the teams we competed against last year. That was a big focus. Other than that, just more character and energy and personality."
Added Coreno: "That's the big step, learning to do things at high speed and still make it look easy."
Hann-McCurdy, a natural brunette, had a brief fling with going blonde a few years back. Given that blue-eyed blondes are all the rage in Sweden, might Hann-McCurdy go back that way if she and her partner realize that worlds dream?
"I might have to," she said with a laugh. "But there's still a long way to go yet. I don't know ... I'll consider it."
Bonjour, Quebec!
No Bonhomme in sight here.
Oh, sure, there's a bit of a nip in the air on this crisp, gorgeous autumn day. But Carnaval — and the accompanying snow and winter's bite — are still many months away in this historic Quebecois city.
(insert requisite sigh of relief here).
A carnival of patinage artistique (as the French-speaking majority here would put it), though ... well, that awaits us all this weekend during HomeSense Skate Canada, which has chosen to visit Le Colisee (where the NHL's Quebec Nordiques once ruled the ice) for the annual fall event which offers the obvious reminder that a new season has indeed begun.
You are greeted by history everywhere you turn in this city (and not just the old pipes hanging over our heads in the media centre). A friendly volunteer (who, I must confess, wisely cheers for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox like moi), points out the famed Plains of Abraham on the drive in from Jean Lesage Airport.
We see the oldest active fort in North America.
Then, the narrow streets of Old Quebec that wind their way toward the majestic Chateau Frontenac, which is home base for us all this weekend.
The fun on the ice begins in a few hours with the dance compulsories. And while the two-time world silver medallists from Montreal, the elegant and charming Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, have been spotted at the hotel, they're not in the field here (actually, they won't be seen anywhere but on the tour circuit this season).
So who to watch?
Most of the top Canadians are here, including reigning national champions Jeffrey Buttle, Joannie Rochette and Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, fresh off a breakthrough triumph at Skate America in Reading, Pa.
The event also gives skating fans here a glimpse of some of the best from the rest of the world. Start with the current king of the men, France's Brian Joubert. Throw in Japan's Mao Asada (she of the effortless triple Axels) and Emily Hughes of the U.S., to name two.
We'll get to the rest as the weekend progresses (check the entry list off to the right if you can't wait).
If you followed our Halifax Chronicles at Canadians last January, you know what you'll find here. A little less of the hard-news descriptive stuff, a bit more of the human touch.
With the odd touch of whimsy thrown in here and there.
Stop by often during the weekend.
We'll do our best to make it worth your time.
Oh, sure, there's a bit of a nip in the air on this crisp, gorgeous autumn day. But Carnaval — and the accompanying snow and winter's bite — are still many months away in this historic Quebecois city.
(insert requisite sigh of relief here).
A carnival of patinage artistique (as the French-speaking majority here would put it), though ... well, that awaits us all this weekend during HomeSense Skate Canada, which has chosen to visit Le Colisee (where the NHL's Quebec Nordiques once ruled the ice) for the annual fall event which offers the obvious reminder that a new season has indeed begun.
You are greeted by history everywhere you turn in this city (and not just the old pipes hanging over our heads in the media centre). A friendly volunteer (who, I must confess, wisely cheers for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox like moi), points out the famed Plains of Abraham on the drive in from Jean Lesage Airport.
We see the oldest active fort in North America.
Then, the narrow streets of Old Quebec that wind their way toward the majestic Chateau Frontenac, which is home base for us all this weekend.
The fun on the ice begins in a few hours with the dance compulsories. And while the two-time world silver medallists from Montreal, the elegant and charming Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, have been spotted at the hotel, they're not in the field here (actually, they won't be seen anywhere but on the tour circuit this season).
So who to watch?
Most of the top Canadians are here, including reigning national champions Jeffrey Buttle, Joannie Rochette and Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, fresh off a breakthrough triumph at Skate America in Reading, Pa.
The event also gives skating fans here a glimpse of some of the best from the rest of the world. Start with the current king of the men, France's Brian Joubert. Throw in Japan's Mao Asada (she of the effortless triple Axels) and Emily Hughes of the U.S., to name two.
We'll get to the rest as the weekend progresses (check the entry list off to the right if you can't wait).
If you followed our Halifax Chronicles at Canadians last January, you know what you'll find here. A little less of the hard-news descriptive stuff, a bit more of the human touch.
With the odd touch of whimsy thrown in here and there.
Stop by often during the weekend.
We'll do our best to make it worth your time.
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