The 2018 Canadian Championships take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, January 8-14 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Shae-Lynn Bourne, who won 10 Canadian ice dance titles during her career with Victor Kraatz, is the athlete ambassador for these Championships.
Patrick Chan, heading into the final Olympic Games of his career, said it has been “an interesting path to the Olympics.” He left his Michigan training base after Skate Canada in late October and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. “Coming back to Canada after seven years of training in the U.S., I am happy to find a new stride and strategy heading into the Olympics,” he said. “Just to get away on the weekends and have a totally different environment…and getting some inspiration from my environment.. .”
Chan has been working with Ravi Walia (Kaetlyn Osmond’s coach) in Edmonton on occasion. Former Canadian pairs skater, Elizabeth Putnam, is part of his training group in Vancouver.
Walia will be Chan’s official coach at nationals and Oleg Epstein will be at the boards with him at the Olympic Games in February.
Chan has confirmed he only plans one quad in the short and two in the free — all quad toes. “It is the best strategy to execute the content I have,” he said. His main focus is the Team Event, where he believes Canada has the best shot of any nation to win the gold medal.
Kaetlyn Osmond is primarily focused on the individual ladies competition, but is also looking forward to the Team Event in PyeongChang. She said it was one of favourite experiences at the 2014 Games.
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are looking to close out their final competitive season on a high note in PyeongChang. Both intend to remain involved in figure skating following their retirement. Duhamel said she “can’t wait to become a technical specialist so I can give back to the sport, and skate in shows with Eric.” Radford plans to embark on a new career as a choreographer and coach of a new generation of skaters.
Skate Canada will announce the team that will compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games at the conclusion of the competition. Canada will send two men, three ladies, three pairs and three ice dance teams to PyeongChang.
The IFS team is covering the Championships live in Vancouver. Stay connected for our daily reports, updates and photos from the competition.
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