On the day I arrived in this wonderful piece of Canada for the first time, I remember asking the question 'what's the best time to visit Quebec City?'
'Any time,' answered the friendly volunteer who brought me to the historic Chateau Frontenac from Jean Lesage Airport, and then back again this morning.
I believe it now, and with all of my heart.
It is always a treat to spend time at a major figure skating competition, and around a group of athletes who do their best to make your time worthwhile. Even better when it's accompanied by the opportunity to discover what makes this land of ours so great.
I have often let it be known that Halifax is one of my favourite cities to visit in Canada. Quite obviously, after a few days here, Quebec City now belongs near the top of that list.
The oldest city in our country is every bit as beautiful as the pictures many of us have seen. The history here is preserved with great care by people who ooze pride about their astounding city. And with good reason, I might add.
While I will spend time, now that I've returned to Ottawa, speaking about the postcard-like beauty I've seen, and the food and hospitality I enjoyed at a grand old hotel that is nothing short of fabulous, that won't be my best and most lasting memory.
Quebec City is filled with so many people with a zest for life that bursts out with each 'bonjour!' you hear at every turn. There is a special sincerity in the tone, something that tells you these people don't just say it, they mean it. That you are most welcome to be a guest in the city they call home.
In 2008, Quebec City celebrates its 400th birthday, and a year-long celebration is being planned. I can only imagine what a festival it will be. With any luck, I will get the chance to be a part of it.
I've often heard the phrase joie de vivre used to describe the Quebecois, and I believe I can truly say now that I know what it means. And, at the risk of sounding political, it must be said that our country is so much richer for what they bring to it.
A big merci to you, Quebec City, for all for the kindness and hospitality you've shown us in the past four or five days. I, for one, will cherish it always.
And to those who logged on to this blog during HomeSense Skate Canada, merci to you as well. The road carries us next to Vancouver, where the BMO Canadian championships will be held in January.
Hope to see you all then.
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Mabee It's His Turn
Christopher Mabee, Canadian champion?
Hey, it could happen. And maybe sooner than some might think.
The Tillsonburg, Ont., native took another step in that direction at HomeSense Skate Canada, posting a fourth-place finish that matches his previous best in a Grand Prix event (NHK Trophy in 2005). And, as Mabee points out, it's a heck a lot better than his showing on the GP circuit a year ago.
"Last year on the Grand Prix, I was ninth and 10th, which are not very good results," said Mabee, 22, who trains at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. "So to come out of this with a top-five finish is a much better result for me. Not only the placement, but the (performances) as well.”
Mabee might have deserved a better fate than the 125.70 points he got for his free skate on Sunday, which was a winner with the loud crowd at Pepsi Colisee. But here's the real encouraging part: He finished just 6.57 points behind bronze-medal winner Jeffrey Buttle, his sometimes training mate. They were almost dead even after the short program.
So what's it going to take to possibly put Mabee, who made his first world team last season, over the top at the 2008 Canadian championships in Vancouver in January?
"Just having a consistent season all around," he said. "Going out and making sure you take advantage of every opportunity that you have. Getting yourself in front of international judges, and performing well on top of that. The (judges) are going to rely on you to have those good performances and give you the marks that you maybe deserve."
In other words, he needs a better pedigree in the minds of the folks who decide who wins titles and who doesn't.
Mabee has no such worries with Canadian fans. They loved him in Halifax back in January, and his high-energy style was a hit at Le Colisee this weekend. And Mabee, showman that he is, knows a winning hand when he's got one.
"This whole (free) program is high energy from start to finish," he said. "There’s no down time, so I think that’s a huge thing for me. It’s the same style, but it’s definitely a step up component wise."
A Canadian championship program? We'll see soon enough.
Hey, it could happen. And maybe sooner than some might think.
The Tillsonburg, Ont., native took another step in that direction at HomeSense Skate Canada, posting a fourth-place finish that matches his previous best in a Grand Prix event (NHK Trophy in 2005). And, as Mabee points out, it's a heck a lot better than his showing on the GP circuit a year ago.
"Last year on the Grand Prix, I was ninth and 10th, which are not very good results," said Mabee, 22, who trains at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont. "So to come out of this with a top-five finish is a much better result for me. Not only the placement, but the (performances) as well.”
Mabee might have deserved a better fate than the 125.70 points he got for his free skate on Sunday, which was a winner with the loud crowd at Pepsi Colisee. But here's the real encouraging part: He finished just 6.57 points behind bronze-medal winner Jeffrey Buttle, his sometimes training mate. They were almost dead even after the short program.
So what's it going to take to possibly put Mabee, who made his first world team last season, over the top at the 2008 Canadian championships in Vancouver in January?
"Just having a consistent season all around," he said. "Going out and making sure you take advantage of every opportunity that you have. Getting yourself in front of international judges, and performing well on top of that. The (judges) are going to rely on you to have those good performances and give you the marks that you maybe deserve."
In other words, he needs a better pedigree in the minds of the folks who decide who wins titles and who doesn't.
Mabee has no such worries with Canadian fans. They loved him in Halifax back in January, and his high-energy style was a hit at Le Colisee this weekend. And Mabee, showman that he is, knows a winning hand when he's got one.
"This whole (free) program is high energy from start to finish," he said. "There’s no down time, so I think that’s a huge thing for me. It’s the same style, but it’s definitely a step up component wise."
A Canadian championship program? We'll see soon enough.
Feeling That Championship Touch
They've been retired from eligible skating for more than four years.
But 2003 world ice dance champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz figure to have more than just a small hand in the composition of the team that will wear the red maple leaf next March in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz, are the coaches guiding the fortunes of Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno, who made a quantum leap this weekend with a fourth-place finish at HomeSense Skating Canada.
And Bourne has become a key addition to the team that's working with Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who wound up sixth in the final standings at Pepsi Colisee.
Both couples figure to be in the middle of the fierce battle to land the second and third Canadian world team berths when the 2008 national championships are held in January in Vancouver.
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno moved to Vancouver in 2005 to train under Kraatz, and quickly won the Canadian junior title that season. They can't say enough good things about Kraatz.
"We have so much faith in him,” said Hann-McCurdy, 20, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club in Ottawa. "It’s been an interesting season, adjusting our goals and trying to improve. Victor has helped us a lot and we really trust him.”
They were eighth at nationals a year ago in Halifax. But Hann-McCurdy and Coreno have made it clear they'll challenge for one of the the three available world team berths in Vancouver. They finished two places ahead of Weaver and Poje, who were third in Halifax.
"Our technical marks here (at Skate Canada) were a big improvement compared to last year,” said Coreno, 23, of Delhi, Ont.
Weaver and Poje, meanwhile, could smile about a free dance that atoned for what she called "mediocre" compulsory and original dances.
"We knew we could come back with a great free dance, and we just kept that in our heads,” said Weaver, 18, a native of Houston, Tex.
They've brought in Bourne as a "finisher" of sorts, someone to work on what Poje calls "those little things that make a difference.”
"She’s definitely been a big help since she started working with us,” said Poje, 20, of Waterloo, Ont.
Weaver, a striking blonde, admits to feeling more than just a little flattered when some suggest she bears a resemblance to Bourne.
"It’s a great compliment, because (Bourne) is gorgeous,” said Weaver. "She’s a great, great role model, and just fabulous to work with and be around."
But 2003 world ice dance champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz figure to have more than just a small hand in the composition of the team that will wear the red maple leaf next March in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz, are the coaches guiding the fortunes of Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno, who made a quantum leap this weekend with a fourth-place finish at HomeSense Skating Canada.
And Bourne has become a key addition to the team that's working with Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who wound up sixth in the final standings at Pepsi Colisee.
Both couples figure to be in the middle of the fierce battle to land the second and third Canadian world team berths when the 2008 national championships are held in January in Vancouver.
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno moved to Vancouver in 2005 to train under Kraatz, and quickly won the Canadian junior title that season. They can't say enough good things about Kraatz.
"We have so much faith in him,” said Hann-McCurdy, 20, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club in Ottawa. "It’s been an interesting season, adjusting our goals and trying to improve. Victor has helped us a lot and we really trust him.”
They were eighth at nationals a year ago in Halifax. But Hann-McCurdy and Coreno have made it clear they'll challenge for one of the the three available world team berths in Vancouver. They finished two places ahead of Weaver and Poje, who were third in Halifax.
"Our technical marks here (at Skate Canada) were a big improvement compared to last year,” said Coreno, 23, of Delhi, Ont.
Weaver and Poje, meanwhile, could smile about a free dance that atoned for what she called "mediocre" compulsory and original dances.
"We knew we could come back with a great free dance, and we just kept that in our heads,” said Weaver, 18, a native of Houston, Tex.
They've brought in Bourne as a "finisher" of sorts, someone to work on what Poje calls "those little things that make a difference.”
"She’s definitely been a big help since she started working with us,” said Poje, 20, of Waterloo, Ont.
Weaver, a striking blonde, admits to feeling more than just a little flattered when some suggest she bears a resemblance to Bourne.
"It’s a great compliment, because (Bourne) is gorgeous,” said Weaver. "She’s a great, great role model, and just fabulous to work with and be around."
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Dancing With The Stars
A lot of folks might still see them as that pair of cute, cuddly kids.
But ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are aiming to change that perception these days. They see it as a key part of their mission to keep rising up the world rankings.
"Our goal this year is to really make the jump, to compete with the best in the world,” Moir said when asked what comes next after he and Virtue finished an amazing sixth in their very first world championship last spring in Tokyo. "So I think that's where we're going to try to go with it. Obviously, we have a lot to do to compete with those other skaters, but we feel we're going to be ready and we're excited about the opportunity.
"We're working on power and speed, that's what we're trying to do. And just looking mature out on the ice, looking like adults.”
Legally, at least, they're already there. Check the birth certificates of the London, Ont., duo, and you'll see it's true: Moir is now 20, Virtue is 18. Yes, they're growing up right before our eyes.
And with Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon on sabbatical from eligible skating this season, Virtue and Moir now become the hunted for the first time: Heavy favourites to claim their first Canadian senior title in January in Vancouver.
"It definitely is more pressure on us,” said Virtue. "But it's motivating and it's exciting. It's what helps us get through every day of training, and we're ready to take that next step.”
Added Moir: "It's completely different. There's a lot of pressure being on top, because you have a lot of expectations. At the same time, that's why we compete, because everyone wants to be the best.”
Apparently, they can't get there fast enough. The answer comes quick and surely when they're asked what's next on the global stage.
"Five more steps," Virtue said with a smile.
And if you think this is all happening rather fast ... well, guess again.
"We're just very goal oriented,” said Moir. "We're always trying to go for the next step. It feels like the years go by pretty slow, so (to us) it's not really going by that fast.”
They're all but guaranteed to add a Skate Canada gold medal to their growing collection on Sunday, when the free dance final helps ring down the curtain on the competition at Pepsi Colisee. Virtue and Moir hold a commanding 11.32-point lead over Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.
But ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are aiming to change that perception these days. They see it as a key part of their mission to keep rising up the world rankings.
"Our goal this year is to really make the jump, to compete with the best in the world,” Moir said when asked what comes next after he and Virtue finished an amazing sixth in their very first world championship last spring in Tokyo. "So I think that's where we're going to try to go with it. Obviously, we have a lot to do to compete with those other skaters, but we feel we're going to be ready and we're excited about the opportunity.
"We're working on power and speed, that's what we're trying to do. And just looking mature out on the ice, looking like adults.”
Legally, at least, they're already there. Check the birth certificates of the London, Ont., duo, and you'll see it's true: Moir is now 20, Virtue is 18. Yes, they're growing up right before our eyes.
And with Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon on sabbatical from eligible skating this season, Virtue and Moir now become the hunted for the first time: Heavy favourites to claim their first Canadian senior title in January in Vancouver.
"It definitely is more pressure on us,” said Virtue. "But it's motivating and it's exciting. It's what helps us get through every day of training, and we're ready to take that next step.”
Added Moir: "It's completely different. There's a lot of pressure being on top, because you have a lot of expectations. At the same time, that's why we compete, because everyone wants to be the best.”
Apparently, they can't get there fast enough. The answer comes quick and surely when they're asked what's next on the global stage.
"Five more steps," Virtue said with a smile.
And if you think this is all happening rather fast ... well, guess again.
"We're just very goal oriented,” said Moir. "We're always trying to go for the next step. It feels like the years go by pretty slow, so (to us) it's not really going by that fast.”
They're all but guaranteed to add a Skate Canada gold medal to their growing collection on Sunday, when the free dance final helps ring down the curtain on the competition at Pepsi Colisee. Virtue and Moir hold a commanding 11.32-point lead over Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.
Looking Out For No. 1
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.
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.
A World Of Change
It's a whole new world for Meagan Duhamel.
And not just on the ice, where she's working on a new pairs career with former world team member Craig Buntin.
Duhamel grew up in Lively, Ont., a small town of "about 1,000-1,500 people" near Sudbury. But when she decided to team up with Buntin, it meant moving away from home for the first time. And to a city, Montreal, where the population is largely French-speaking — a language that, despite her last name, Duhamel neither speaks or really comprehends.
"I understand some, but I can't conjugate verbs or anything like that," said Duhamel, 21.
Nobody is more impressed about Duhamel's moxie in making the move than her partner, for whom the former Canadian junior women's champion has truly been a career saver.
"What can't I say about her?" said Buntin, 27, of North Vancouver, B.C. "She's more than I could have hoped for. She has no friends in Montreal, she's living in a community where she doesn't speak the (predominant) language, she lives alone, she works 40 hours a week and trains on top of that ... and she brings a smile to the rink every day
"Then she comes out here (at HomeSense Skate Canada) and performs like a champ. She's unbelievable."
It's certainly quite the mix of cultures, to be sure. Duhamel's mother is Finnish, so she has a Scandinavian upbringing. Now she works in an Italian bakery (or boulangerie) 10 minutes from the rink where she and Buntin train in St-Leonard, Que.
The language spoken there is "mostly Italian and English," Duhamel said, "but if I have a shift, there's always somebody who speaks French there in case I run into trouble. Or I just talk with my hands."
A far cry from home, to be sure, where the Duhamel clan is literally everywhere.
"My sister lives in Oshawa, but my parents and my brother, every one of them, and my uncles and aunts and cousins and grandparents, they live in Lively," said Meagan.
"We take over the whole town."
Duhamel and Buntin wound up sixth at Le Colisee. Unless there's some sort of an ISU rule change to allow them to fill in for a couple withdrawing from a future Grand Prix event — as a new team, they have no world ranking points — then this was pretty much it until the Canadian championships in January in Vancouver.
"We've decided to do the Eastern Challenge (in December in Mississauga, Ont.), just to have another competition under our belts before then," said Buntin. "But we're crossing our fingers (about the Grand Prix events)."
And not just on the ice, where she's working on a new pairs career with former world team member Craig Buntin.
Duhamel grew up in Lively, Ont., a small town of "about 1,000-1,500 people" near Sudbury. But when she decided to team up with Buntin, it meant moving away from home for the first time. And to a city, Montreal, where the population is largely French-speaking — a language that, despite her last name, Duhamel neither speaks or really comprehends.
"I understand some, but I can't conjugate verbs or anything like that," said Duhamel, 21.
Nobody is more impressed about Duhamel's moxie in making the move than her partner, for whom the former Canadian junior women's champion has truly been a career saver.
"What can't I say about her?" said Buntin, 27, of North Vancouver, B.C. "She's more than I could have hoped for. She has no friends in Montreal, she's living in a community where she doesn't speak the (predominant) language, she lives alone, she works 40 hours a week and trains on top of that ... and she brings a smile to the rink every day
"Then she comes out here (at HomeSense Skate Canada) and performs like a champ. She's unbelievable."
It's certainly quite the mix of cultures, to be sure. Duhamel's mother is Finnish, so she has a Scandinavian upbringing. Now she works in an Italian bakery (or boulangerie) 10 minutes from the rink where she and Buntin train in St-Leonard, Que.
The language spoken there is "mostly Italian and English," Duhamel said, "but if I have a shift, there's always somebody who speaks French there in case I run into trouble. Or I just talk with my hands."
A far cry from home, to be sure, where the Duhamel clan is literally everywhere.
"My sister lives in Oshawa, but my parents and my brother, every one of them, and my uncles and aunts and cousins and grandparents, they live in Lively," said Meagan.
"We take over the whole town."
Duhamel and Buntin wound up sixth at Le Colisee. Unless there's some sort of an ISU rule change to allow them to fill in for a couple withdrawing from a future Grand Prix event — as a new team, they have no world ranking points — then this was pretty much it until the Canadian championships in January in Vancouver.
"We've decided to do the Eastern Challenge (in December in Mississauga, Ont.), just to have another competition under our belts before then," said Buntin. "But we're crossing our fingers (about the Grand Prix events)."
Friday, November 2, 2007
Better Now Than Later
Is there such a thing as too good, too soon?
Jeffrey Buttle surely subscribes to that theory. And not just because his short program Friday night at HomeSense Skate Canada was, shall we say, a little rough around the edges.
The three-time Canadian men's champion has some work to do to hold on for a podium finish when the men's free skates are presented Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi Colisee. With 66.85 points in the bank, the native of Smooth Rock Falls, Ont., is a mere 0.35 points ahead of Christopher Mabee of Tillsonburg, Ont., his training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.
Belgium's Kevin van der Perren (66.11) and Vaughn Chipeur of Edmonton (65.65) are also within striking distance. The gold? That's a virtual lock for reigning world champ Brian Joubert of France, whose powerful display earned 78.05 points.
But back to this 'peaking theory,' if you will. While Buttle says he always goes on the ice aiming for a top performance, he admits he might be a little concerned if he turned in the skate of his life at a Grand Prix event in early November.
"It would be really hard to maintain that," said Buttle, a bronze medallist at the 2006 Torino Olympics. "I don't expect to be perfect (at this time of year), that's for sure.
"If I'm going to make a mistake like almost falling on a crosscut (which happened Friday night, along with a fall on a triple lutz), then I'd rather it be now than later. Of course I want to skate well no matter what time of year it is. But I definitely want to build instead of peaking now and dying later."
A classic example of that line of thinking: Skate Canada in 2000 in Mississauga, Ont., when Russia's Alexei Yagudin delivered a world championship-level performance of his Gladiator program to win the gold. Yagudin never matched it the rest of the season, although injuries were a major factor by the time the 2001 world championships in Vancouver rolled around.
One thing we'd hope to see maintained: The closeness of the competition between Buttle, Mabee and Chipeur. Wouldn't it be something if we could see that kind of battle for the men's crown at the Canadian championships in Vancouver in January?
If Buttle's right, the best is definitely yet to come.
Jeffrey Buttle surely subscribes to that theory. And not just because his short program Friday night at HomeSense Skate Canada was, shall we say, a little rough around the edges.
The three-time Canadian men's champion has some work to do to hold on for a podium finish when the men's free skates are presented Sunday afternoon at the Pepsi Colisee. With 66.85 points in the bank, the native of Smooth Rock Falls, Ont., is a mere 0.35 points ahead of Christopher Mabee of Tillsonburg, Ont., his training mate at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont.
Belgium's Kevin van der Perren (66.11) and Vaughn Chipeur of Edmonton (65.65) are also within striking distance. The gold? That's a virtual lock for reigning world champ Brian Joubert of France, whose powerful display earned 78.05 points.
But back to this 'peaking theory,' if you will. While Buttle says he always goes on the ice aiming for a top performance, he admits he might be a little concerned if he turned in the skate of his life at a Grand Prix event in early November.
"It would be really hard to maintain that," said Buttle, a bronze medallist at the 2006 Torino Olympics. "I don't expect to be perfect (at this time of year), that's for sure.
"If I'm going to make a mistake like almost falling on a crosscut (which happened Friday night, along with a fall on a triple lutz), then I'd rather it be now than later. Of course I want to skate well no matter what time of year it is. But I definitely want to build instead of peaking now and dying later."
A classic example of that line of thinking: Skate Canada in 2000 in Mississauga, Ont., when Russia's Alexei Yagudin delivered a world championship-level performance of his Gladiator program to win the gold. Yagudin never matched it the rest of the season, although injuries were a major factor by the time the 2001 world championships in Vancouver rolled around.
One thing we'd hope to see maintained: The closeness of the competition between Buttle, Mabee and Chipeur. Wouldn't it be something if we could see that kind of battle for the men's crown at the Canadian championships in Vancouver in January?
If Buttle's right, the best is definitely yet to come.
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