HIGH ACHIEVERS WEEKEND WRAP: Katherine Medland Spence earns national figure skating bronze, Four Continents berth

By Martin Cleary

The 2024-25 figure skating season just keeps getting better and better for the Nepean Skating Club’s Katherine Medland Spence.

Less than a day after winning her first senior women’s singles medal at her fourth Canadian figure skating championships, Medland Spence learned she will have at least one more competition, which also will be the second international meet of her season and career.

Skate Canada announced Monday the skater assignments for the final three major championships of the season and Medland Spence was named to the International Skating Union Four Continents championships Feb. 19-23 in Seoul, South Korea.

“It’s very exciting,” Medland Spence said in a phone interview. “It wasn’t in our plan for this season, but it’s great that it has come about. It means our plan is working.”

In November, the 24-year-old won the PGE Warsaw Cup in Poland, which was part of the ISU’s Challenger Series. Her overall point total bettered one of Skate Canada’s criteria items to compete in Four Continents.

Read More: HIGH ACHIEVERS: Focused Katherine Medland Spence wins it all in international figure skating debut at Warsaw Cup

On the weekend, Medland Spence placed second in the women’s senior short program and fourth in the free skating final, which earned her third place, the bronze medal and a berth on her second international team this season.

She will be part of the 18-member Canadian team for Four Continents, which will be a forerunner to the world championships March 25-30 in Boston for 13 skaters. Medland Spence did not qualify for the worlds as Canada had only one quota spot in women’s singles and that was awarded to Canadian champion Madeline Schizas.

Schizas was first in the short program at 70.00 points and free skating final at 133.87 points for a total of 203.87 points. Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal was second at 59.81 points (third) and 122.80 points (second) for 182.61 points.

Medland Spence’s marks were strong and consistent with her season. She opened by skating a clean short program for second place at 61.99 points and was fourth in the free skating final, landing five of her seven triple jumps, at 119.56 points for a total of 181.55 points.

Former Gloucester Skating Club athlete Kaiya Ruiter surged into fourth place with an overall score of 179.41 points, after placing third in the free skate final at 122.24 points. She was eighth following the short program at 57.17 points.

Schizas, who is coached by Nancy Lemaire and Derek Schmidt at the Milton Skating Club, Dupuis and Medland Spence will represent Canada at Four Continents. Schmidt is a former national-level skater for the Gloucester Skating Club.

“I was ready to go and get the job done,” Medland Spence said about her approach to the national championships, which were staged in Laval, PQ. “My training went well and I was feeling confident. I wanted to go out and show the work I had put in.”

She had plenty of adrenalin entering the short program, but was able to handle it because she “didn’t listen to my body and trusted it would do what it knows what to do.”

In her free skate final, she kept attacking.

“I definitely did,” Medland Spence said about pushing ahead. “It was similar to Poland. I stepped out of my (triple) flip (jump), but I kept on attacking, staying in the moment and I was happy.”

Medland Spence, who was troubled last season with a variety of injuries, trusted her game plan this season and has seen it produce excellent results.

“I trusted my coaches that the plan would work. My focus was to have consistent training,” added Medland Spence, who trains with Danielle and Ken Rose of the Richmond Training Centre. “It’s one step at a time. I don’t get carried away with the outcomes.”

In junior singles competition, Gloucester Skating Club athletes Reese Rose and David Shteyngart had impressive free skating finals, which helped to pull them up their respective standings.

Rose was third in the free skate at 98.18 points and finished fourth overall at 148.09 points. She was fifth in the short program at 49.91 points.

Shteyngart was a disappointed ninth after the short program at 52.22 points, but a third-place free skate of 117.81 points left him seventh in the overall standings at 170.03 points. He was the men’s junior bronze medallist in 2024.

“I was prepared and very strong, had perfect practices, nailing all jumps, and perfect warm-ups,” Shteyngart wrote in an email interview. “But unfortunately, I made two major errors in my performance on the first day (short program).

“(Despite a) strong comeback and fight on the second day, it wasn’t enough to cover what I lost. It (was) about four points between my score and the third place (skater).”

SURGERY CURTAILS HANNAH SCHMIDT’S SKI CROSS SEASON

The World Cup season is finished for elite ski cross racer Hannah Schmidt of Dunrobin, ON., after she had surgery at Banff-Mineral Springs Hospital on Monday.

A day after winning her first World Cup race of the season on Thursday, Schmidt crashed with Canadian teammate Brittany Phelan during Friday’s race. Schmidt went to hospital, flew to Calgary on Saturday and had surgery two days later.

Doctors treated Schmidt for a broken tibial plateau on her right leg and a small broken bone in her right ankle. She will not compete in the final nine World Cup races, which included two scheduled tests for Craigleith, ON.

Schmidt competed in the first seven World Cup races this season and was in fourth place in the overall women’s standings. She won the Big Final in Reiteralm, Austria, last week and was awarded third in the second race on Friday, despite crashing and not finishing the race. Schmidt and Phelan were placed third and fourth respectively by race officials based on their World Cup qualifying times.

In the 2023-24 World Cup season, Schmidt had three first-place finishes and two third-place results, which were key in her finishing fourth overall. She missed the final four World Cup races.

Schmidt is scheduled to travel to Calgary on Tuesday and return home later this week.

“Her season is over,” said L.A. Schmidt, who is Hannah’s mother. “She has had amazing results, so positive. She’s resilient and will be back at it in no time. She’s leading the charge. She’s more positive than anyone.”

Schmidt is familiar with recovering from injuries, having had her 2018-19 end sooner than expected, taking time off in 2020 and missing the last three races of last season with an ankle injury.

HASSELBORG TOPS HOMAN IN GRAND SLAM CURLING FINAL

Rachel Homan’s masterful season continued, but there was a different twist at the end of the WFG Masters Grand Slam in Guelph.

Homan and her rink of third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes reached its fourth consecutive women’s Grand Slam final, but this time the Ottawa Curling Club rink was the finalist and not the champion.

After winning three of four round-robin games as well as its quarterfinal and semifinal matches, Homan fell 7-5 in the championship game, when Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg used the hammer to score two in the eighth end for the decisive points.

The Hasselborg rink earned its eighth Grand Slam title, while Homan owns the record of 17 titles, including four Masters championships. Homan had won the previous six meetings with Hasselborg.

In the round-robin, Homan defeated Seungyoun Ha of Korea 7-4, Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg 7-6 in an extra end and Kerri Einarson of Gimli, MB, 6-2 before losing to Isabella Wrana of Sweden 7-4. The loss broke Homan’s 26-game winning streak.

Needing only three ends to score all her points in the quarterfinals, Homan defeated Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 8-4 in seven ends. Homan scored four in the eighth and final end to hold off Eunjung Kim of Korea 10-7 in the semifinals. Kim led throughout most of the match.

Ottawa’s Danielle Inglis finished tied for second in her round-robin pool at 2-2 with Tirinzoni. In a playoff tiebreaker, Inglis lost 6-4 to Japan’s Momoba Tabata and missed an opportunity to reach the quarterfinals. The match was tied 4-4 after seven ends, but Tabata scored two in the eighth for the victory.

RAVENS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM UNDEFEATED IN 15 GAMES

The undefeated and No. 1-ranked Carleton University Ravens women’s basketball team stretched its OUA regular-season win streak to 15 games with a pair of comfortable decisions in Northern Ontario.

The Ravens blew past Nipissing University Lakers 88-53 and the Laurentian University Voyageurs 69-42.

Four different players led the charge for the Ravens. Tatyanna Burke notched 28 points and eight rebounds, while Kyana-Jade Poulin tossed in 15 points and added seven rebounds against the Lakers.

Dorcas Buisa had a remarkable game against the Voyageurs with 20 points, eight steals, six assists and five rebounds. Jacqueline Urban had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double.

The 13-2 University of Ottawa Gee-Gees stayed close to the 15-0 Ravens in the East Division with similar wins over Laurentian (74-52) and Nipissing (91-51).

Natsuki Szczokin had a strong presence in both games, combining for 30 points, 12 steals, 10 assists and six rebounds. Bailey Russell came off the bench against the Voyageurs for 13 points, four steals and three rebounds. Allie McCarthy had a sharp eye for the basket with 25 points against the Lakers as well as four rebounds.

On the men’s side, the second-place Gee-Gees (13-2) used strong third-quarter efforts to turn back Laurentian 59-51 and Nipissing 84-66. Ottawa outscored the Voyageurs 14-6 and the Lakers 18-5 in the third quarter to break open tight games.

Dragan Stajic stepped up against the Voyageurs with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals. The Gee-Gees had six players in double figures for scoring. Owen Kenney came off the bench to lead the way with 17 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes, while Ankit Choudhary added 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.

The Ravens remained in third place at 12-3, after defeating Nipissing 82-77 and Laurentian 70-54. Aubrey Dorey-Havens, the Carleton male athlete of the week, was prominent in both games with a total of 37 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Xavier Spencer was the Ravens’ top scorer against the Lakers with 25 points along with six rebounds and two assists. In 22 minutes against the Voyageurs, Marjok Okado came off the bench for 19 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists.

GEE-GEES MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM STRONG ON OFFENCE, DEFENCE

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees swept a pair of OUA men’s hockey games, blanking Nipissing University Lakers 3-0 and outscoring the University of Windsor Lancers 7-1. The Gee-Gees are third in the East Division.

Guy Gauvreau, Peter Stratis and Mathieu Desgagnes scored in the win over the Lakers, while Jean Philippe Tourigny earned the shutout. Zach Giroux and Mitch Martin counted two goals each against the Lancers and single markers went to Brad Chenier, Charles-Antoine Roy and Marc-Antoine Seguin. Chenier and Seguin also added two assists apiece.

After losing 5-3 to Windsor, the seventh-place Carleton University Ravens rebounded to beat Nipissing 6-4.

Gio Morneau, Alex Fournier and Nick Mccarry scored for the Ravens against the Lancers. Felix Bedard had a two-goal game against the Lakers and single goals went to Morneau, Oliver Castleman, Alex Johnston and Reese Belton.

Kaitlyn Langille was named Carleton’s female athlete of the week after posting the shutout in the Ravens’ 4-0 decision over the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold. The Carleton goal scorers were Aoife Mahaffy, Justina Beard, Victoria Kay and Shae Laprade.

In Carleton’s other OUA women’s hockey game, the Ravens were blanked 3-0 by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

The Gee-Gees are in third place in the OUA East standings, while the Ravens are tied for sixth place.

CANADA FACES U.S. IN FISU MEN’S HOCKEY SEMIFINAL

Canada is scheduled to play the United States on Tuesday in the men’s hockey semifinal at the FISU World Winter University Games in Turin, Italy.

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières’ Conor Frenette of Gatineau scored one goal and added two assists as Canada defeated Japan 9-1 in the quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s Kai Edmonds of Ottawa played the first two periods in goal for Canada.

In cross-country skiing, Carleton University’s Helen McCulligh of Kanata and Nicholas Randall of Lakehead University were 12th in the mixed team sprint free race. The Canada 2 team was timed in 24 minutes, 4.29 seconds. Germany 1 was first in 22:46.41.

The University of Calgary’s Stella Duncan of Chelsea, PQ, qualified for the quarterfinals of the cross-country skiing women’s sprint in 28th place. Duncan, however, was sixth in her quarterfinal and eliminated.

Carleton University’s Sophia Giangrande of Whitehorse and the University of Calgary’s Sienna Brennan-Raab of Chelsea were 38th and 46th respectively in qualifying. Laval University’s Mats Halvorsen of Chelsea was 59th in the men’s qualifying race.

In biathlon, the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s Ella Niedre of Kars, ON, and Gatineau’s Isabelle Gaza of CEGEP de l’Outaouais were lapped in the women’s 10-kilometre pursuit and didn’t receive an official result. In the 7.5-kilometre sprint, Niedre was 43rd and Gaza took 46th.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

· Katherine Stewart-Jones of Chelsea, PQ, and Nakkertok Nordic continued her World Cup cross-country season of consistency with 14th-place results in the 10-kilometre free and the 20-kilometre classic mass start. She has six top-15 results in her last seven races.

· Ellie McGregor of the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club placed fifth in the girls’ 800 metres in two minutes. 13.41 seconds at the University of Michigan High School Showcase track and field meet. A Grade 10 student at Immaculata High School, she was the youngest in the field of 59 starters.

· Driver Pat Norton of Carleton Place, Mike Evelyn O’Higgins of Ottawa, Keaton Bruggeling of Ottawa and Shaq Murray-Lawrence of Toronto recorded a personal-best World Cup bobsleigh result, finishing sixth overall after two runs at Igls, Austria.

· Nakkertok Nordic’s Luke Allan of Dartmouth College won the men’s cross-country ski races over 7.5 and 20 kilometres during the St. Lawrence University Carnival, which was staged in Lake Placid, New York. Nakkertok’s Clara Hegan of the University of New Hampshire was second in the women’s 7.5-kilometre race.

· Defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor recently announced he will play one more year of college football with the University of Miami Hurricanes.

· Kalle Ericsson of Kimberley, B.C., and guide Sierra Smith of Ottawa won a women’s giant slalom in the visually impaired class on the FIS World Cup para alpine circuit in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

· Former St. Patrick’s High School student-athlete Neville Gallimore was credited with a two-point safety in the Los Angeles Rams’ 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL quarterfinals. Gallimore also had one tackle to complement his QB sack of Jalen Hurts.