Short programs offer steak and sizzle at skating nationals

VANCOUVER — After a day of skating which had me on the edge of my seat at the national figure skating championships, here are the short program moments that caught my eye:

Ladies: Gabrielle Daleman tops Osmond 

After what I would call a hit and miss kind of morning with the ladies' short programs, Daleman took the ice. Skating second last and to Carmen, the power of the music and the character were the perfect backdrop for her clean skate, which is remarkable considering she was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday.

Gabrielle Daleman fights through pneumonia to take lead at skating nationals

7 years ago

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The Newmarket, Ont. native was diagnosed with the illness on Thursday, but it wasn't enough to slow her down as she won the short program at the Canadian figure skating championships on Friday in Vancouver.

The music wasn't even over, and the crowd was on its feet. Let's call this an early birthday present as Daleman turns 20 on Saturday. The result? A six-point lead ahead of final skater and defending champion Kaetlyn Osmond who sits in second.

Kaetlyn Osmond trails after the short program for the first time this season

7 years ago

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The 22-year-old Osmond, from Marystown, N.L., had an uncharacteristic fall on her opening element, but finished her program and scored 71.41 at the Canadian figure skating championships on Friday in Vancouver.

Ice Dance: Virtue, Moir chillin' and thrillin'

Another amazing skate and another standing ovation. Virtue and Moir's short dance was worth the price of admission on anyone's ticket. What stands out for me is the fact that this short dance offers plenty of both sizzle (performance) and steak (the technical prowess). Virtue and Moir's efforts were rewarded with a score of 85 and a special place in my internal catalogue of outstanding skating moments. Chills.

Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir skate to lead in short dance program at nationals

7 years ago

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The pair performed a near-perfect routine, scoring 85.12 to put them in top spot heading into Saturday's free dance event at the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Pairs: Duhamel, Radford capture crowd

My favourite part of the pair's event is easy: the moment the crowd burst into applause and exhaled after collectively holding their breath while Meagan and Eric performed their side-by-side triple Lutz. This was an element that had been giving them grief, but today it was solid. This favourite moment is closely followed by watching them as they savoured the moment, with the crowd on its feet.

Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford take commanding lead at skating nationals

7 years ago

Duration 0:29

The duo had a tremendous pairs short program and hold a 13 point cushion heading into the free skate on Saturday at the 2018 National Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Men: Patrick Chan struggles, Balde shows heart

The three-time world champion and 2014 Olympic silver medallist fought through a tentative short program. While I was glad for Chan, his performance didn't capture my imagination as much as others.

If there was a gold medal for skating with heart it would go to Elladj Balde. In his short program to "The Sounds of Silence," Balde's clean skate, even with no quad, placed the crowd's hearts in his hands. Masterful.

Patrick Chan leads after men's short program at skating nationals

7 years ago

Duration 0:29

The 9-time champion heads into Saturday in first after scoring 90.98 points in the men's short program at the 2018 National Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Honourable mention

Stephen Gogolev, who despite turning 13 in December, has the same tricks as the guys twice his age, namely a quad/triple combination along with solid skating skills. You may want to take note of his name and tuck it away in your "for later" file.