HIGH ACHIEVERS WEEKEND WRAP: Fee-Ann Landry, David Shteyngart earn Skate Canada Challenge gold medals

By Martin Cleary

The Canadian figure skating season is heating up.

Internationally, Skate Canada will send eight pairs and dance teams (16 skaters) to the International Skating Union Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals in Beijing. The six-day competition starts Thursday and Canada has qualified three ice dance and two pairs teams in senior, and three ice dance teams in junior.

Domestically, National Capital Region athletes had confidence-building moments at the weekend’s Skate Canada Challenge in Winnipeg, which is a prelude to the Canadian national skating championships in Calgary from Jan. 8-14.

Gatineau Figure Skating Club’s Fee-Ann Landry and Gloucester Skating Club’s David Shteyngart, who are members of Skate Canada’s NextGen team, won their respective women’s senior and men’s junior singles titles.

Making her senior debut, Landry scored first-place marks in both the short program (61.44 points) and free skate (120.61 points) to earn the gold medal with a final mark of 182.05 points.

“I put out two solid programs,” said Landry, who was eighth in Skate Canada Challenge women’s junior singles in 2023, in a Skate Canada press release. “We were really happy about it. We worked really hard.”

At her first Canadian championships last January in Oshawa, Landry was 14th among the women’s junior skaters.

“We’re going to try to fit in some new jumps, probably a triple-triple combo and just keep working on some of the things that I missed in the long program,” she added about the upcoming nationals.

Former Gloucester skater Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary placed second at last weekend’s Skate Canada Challenge in women’s senior singles. Ruiter was second in the short program (60.22 points) and third in the free skate (116.20 points) for a final mark of 176.42 points.

Nepean Skating Club’s Katherine Medland Spence finished 12th overall in women’s senior singles at 146.17 points with a 10th in the short program (51.85 points) and 14th in the free skate (94.32 points).

Shteyngart, the Challenge men’s novice champion two seasons ago, prepared for nationals with two motivating programs. He was second in the men’s junior short program (66.23 points) and won the free skate (120.58 points) for a grand, gold-medal total of 186.81 points.

“David skated two very solid performances and was very pleased to be crowned the 2024 junior men’s Challenge champion,” Gloucester coach Darlene Joseph wrote in an email interview.

“We still have some areas to improve, but David’s season is ticking upwards and we are looking for two personal-best (scores) at nationals in Calgary. Very proud moment and just two years after the novice victory.”

Gloucester clubmates Reese Rose and Lucille Yang were seventh and eighth respectively in the women’s junior singles competition.

Rose was fifth in the short program (53.85 points), but a couple of errors in her 12th-ranked free skate (83.49 points) dropped her to seventh (137.34).

Yang, the 2023 Canadian women’s novice champion, had a strong short program and placed fifth (54.35 points), but she also struggled in the free skate (81.39 points) to finish 15th, which saw her fall to eighth overall at 135.74 points.

OTTAWA, CARLETON BASKETBALL TEAMS CLASH WEDNESDAY

The OUA men’s and women’s basketball seasons are heading into the Christmas break, but not before the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees play host to the Carleton University Ravens in a doubleheader on Wednesday night.

The women’s game between the top two teams in the East Conference – defending U Sports champion Carleton, 8-0, and Ottawa, 7-1, tied with Queen’s University – is set to go at 6 p.m. at Montpetit Hall.

Ottawa is the top-ranked men’s team in the country with an East-Conference-leading 9-0 record. Carleton, the defending national men’s champion, dropped both of its weekend games and is fourth in the East at 5-4. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Teresa Donato started both Carleton women’s basketball games on the bench. But when she got the call, she made the most of her minutes and led the Ravens in scoring in both road games.

She hit eight of her 15 field-goal attempts and finished with 19 points in Carleton’s 107-41 win over the York University Lions. Teammates Jacqueline Urban and Dorcas Buisa had matching 14-point, seven-rebound efforts.

In the game against McMaster University, Donato scored 16 points in 20 minutes, while Urban and Kali Pocrnic had identical 14-point performances.

The Gee-Gees kept pace with the Ravens, defeating York 71-57 and McMaster 62-51.

Ariane Saumure had a complete game with 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals against York. Natsuki Szczokin contributed 14 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals. Melinda De Julio also had 14 points along with four rebounds.

Szczokin was the Gee-Gees’ top player in the McMaster game with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Ottawa men’s team swept its back-to-back games, holding off York 86-75 and McMaster 72-59.

The Gee-Gees’ starting-five hit double figures in scoring as Dragan Stajic led the way for the first time this season with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. He was aided by Brock Newton with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jacques-Melaine Guemeta also notched 14 points and five rebounds.

Newton topped the Gee-Gees’ scoring sheet against McMaster with 17 points and four rebounds, while Justin Ndjock-Tadjore contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

For the second time this season, Carleton lost a pair of OUA weekend games, falling 80-66 to McMaster and 85-78 to York. In both cases, the games were decided in the second and third quarters.

Augustas Brazdeikis had an impressive double-double for Carleton against McMaster with 16 points and 16 rebounds. In the York game, Xavier Spencer recorded 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Wazir Latiff had 15 points.

IVANIE BLONDIN EARNS TEAM SPRINT BRONZE, WEIDEMANN RETURNS HOME

The Ottawa connection on the World Cup long-track speed skating circuit has been reduced to two from three.

Isabelle Weidemann returned home following the first two circuit stops in Obihiro, Japan, and Beijing “to ensure an optimal preparation for the remainder of the international season,” according to a Speed Skating Canada press release.

The ISU world single-distance championships will be staged in Calgary in February.

Weidemann was part of Canada’s second-place team pursuit squad in Obihiro and had top-10 results (a sixth and a ninth) in two 3,000-metre races.

She was ranked No. 2 in World Cup long-distance races in 2022-23, but didn’t approach that standard in her early races this season.

“World Championships are the most important event of our season, and I’d like to be well prepared to perform at my best during that competition,” Weidemann said in the press release.

“Together with my coaches and support staff, we made the decision that additional rest and time at home would be more valuable for my preparation than competing at World Cups 3 and 4 in Europe.”

A request by High Achievers for an interview with Weidemann was denied.

During the third World Cup stop this weekend in Stavanger, Norway, Ivanie Blondin continued to push the pace by competing in five races over three days. She emerged with one medal in her final test.

Blondin, Carolina Hiller of Prince George, B.C., and Maddison Pearman of Ponoka, AB., won the bronze medal in the women’s team sprint in one minute, 28.34 seconds. Canada was paired with the United States, which won gold in 1:27.92.

In her four other races, Blondin had three top-10 finishes – seventh in the 1,500 metres, 1:58.39, and eighth in the 1,000 metres in 1:16.47 and the 5,000 metres in 7:14.42. She was lapped near the end of the mass start race, which levelled her a disqualification result.

The World Cup standings show Blondin, 33, second in team pursuit, third in mass start, sixth in team sprint and long-distance racing, and seventh in the 1,000 and 1,500 metres.

Vincent De Haître of Cumberland placed 17th in the men’s A 1,000 metres in 1:10.09. He had the fastest time in the opening three timing intervals for the men’s 1,500-metre B final, but finished 12th in 1:49.37 before he was disqualified. He was also fifth with the Canadian men’s sprint team.

NAKKERTOK SKIERS EARN BRONZE MEDAL AT WESTERN CANADA CUP

Nakkertok Ski Club racers Ann Stewart and Luke Allan reached the podium after their respective women’s and men’s classic sprint races at the Western Canada Cup in the Sovereign Lake, B.C. region.

Mats Halvorsen of Chelsea, PQ, was sixth in the men’s classic sprint.

Clara Hegan of Nakkertok also posted a third-place result as she earned the bronze in the women’s U20 10-kilometre skate race.

On the World Cup circuit, Katherine Stewart-Jones of Nakkertok was 33rd in the women’s 10-kilometre skate in Gallivare, Sweden, while Antoine Cyr of Club Skinouk was 47th in the men’s 10-kilometre interval start free skate.

DOZEN NEPEAN KNIGHTS JUNIOR B GRADS ON NLL ROSTERS

The National Lacrosse League opened its 2023-24 season on Friday and there were a dozen Nepean Knights junior B grads on team rosters.

Callum Crawford, a forward with the Panther City Lacrosse Club, is starting his 18th season in the NLL with his 10th team. In his 244 league games, he has scored 454 goals and added 739 assists for 1,193 points. Crawford, 39, is seventh in NLL career assists and eighth in points.

The other Knights players on NLL rosters are: Kyle Buchanan (Buffalo Bandits), Jordan Trottier (Halifax Thunderbirds), Sam Firth (Albany FireWolves), Nathan Grenon (Albany FireWolves), Tyler Hendrycks (Toronto Rock), Cam Wyers (Buffalo Bandits), Ty Thompson (Panther City), Corson Kealey (New York Riptide), Will Johnston (New York Riptide), Austin Madronic (New York Riptide) and Thomas Kiazyk (Saskatchewan Rush).

OLIVIA DE COUVREUR HELPS CANADA TO BEST POST-COVID RUGBY SEVENS FINISH

Ottawa’s Olivia De Couvreur was part of the best Canadian result since 2020 on the Rugby Sevens Women’s World Series on the weekend in Dubai. She appeared in Canada’s first two matches of the season-opening event – a 29-0 loss to France and a big 15-10 victory over USA.

Canada then downed Spain 38-12 in pool play, beat Ireland 14-12 in the quarter-finals, lost to reigning Series champion New Zealand 21-19 in the semis and then 26-5 to France in the third-place match to take fourth.

Ottawa Irish product Pam Buisa, who competed for Canada at the Tokyo Olympics, was recently cleared to resume full practice following a springtime meniscus knee surgery, but did not appear at the tournament in Dubai.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

· In the first World Cup alpine ski race at Mont-Tremblant in 40 years, Valerie Grenier of St-Isidore, ON., was sixth in the women’s giant slalom on Sunday, after an eighth-place GS showing on Saturday. She was only 0.73 seconds behind double-winner Federica Brignone of Italy in Sunday’s two-run race.

· Isaiah Ibit of Ottawa and Carlee Meilleur of Lansdowne, ON., have been named to Golf Canada’s NextGen team for 2024. The Team Ontario golf roster will include Ben Sheridan, Chase Jerome and Graydon Laughlin, all of Ottawa.

· Merivale High School grad Kiana Gibson and St. Peter Catholic High School grad Katie Newlove have been named to Athletics Canada’s team for the World Athletics cross-country running championships in Belgrade, Serbia, in March. They will run in the women’s open race and represent Vancouver Thunderbirds.

· The Ava Acres rink of the RCMP Curling Club finished first with the most competition points in the Trillium Team Ranking System and earned a berth in the 2024 Ontario women’s U18 curling championship Jan. 10-14 at the RCMP.

· World silver medallist Eric Peters of Ottawa is one of five athletes in contention for the World Archery men’s recurve athlete of the year award. Voting is done by the public, press and executive board. The public can vote through Sunday at www.worldarcheryawards.com.