2019-20 Canadian ladies news and updates

I am as impressed by the continued improvement in her skating skills as I am with the 3F+3T. It’s really quite amazing when you compare her basics to just a year and a half ago. Impressive because sometimes that’s just not something that can be improved relatively late in a skater’s development. She has been putting in the time and it’s visible. Of course a ways to go still, but major kudos to her and her team. And more kudos on the combo...hope she stays healthy and can build into the year from this!
 
honey said:
I am as impressed by the continued improvement in her skating skills as I am with the 3F+3T. It’s really quite amazing when you compare her basics to just a year and a half ago. Impressive because sometimes that’s just not something that can be improved relatively late in a skater’s development. She has been putting in the time and it’s visible. Of course a ways to go still, but major kudos to her and her team. And more kudos on the combo...hope she stays healthy and can build into the year from this!
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I definitely agree. I remember after 2018 Canadians,mwe were criticizing her choppy skating skills and she's working on it. I think Ravi will do great things with her. I'm glad she got Skate Canada.
 
coppertop1 said:
I definitely agree. I remember after 2018 Canadians,mwe were criticizing her choppy skating skills and she's working on it. I think Ravi will do great things with her. I'm glad she got Skate Canada.
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She has a much leaner, more flowing look this year. Kudos to her strength trainer for lengthening out her previously more compact muscles..
 
honey said:
I am as impressed by the continued improvement in her skating skills as I am with the 3F+3T. It’s really quite amazing when you compare her basics to just a year and a half ago. Impressive because sometimes that’s just not something that can be improved relatively late in a skater’s development. She has been putting in the time and it’s visible.
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When I interviewed her at 2019 Nationals she said that Ravi had her spend much more time on stuff like that than on jumping.
 
DimaToe said:
The team of Cotop and Walia has always had me expecting great things. While I’m not expecting Osmond level success this Olympic cycle I believe Aurora is on her way to being Canada’s undisputed top female skater for the 2022 Olympics.
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I'm very much looking forward to Cotop's reign as top Canadian lady. May she stay healthy and continue improving.

(Choreographing the step sequence to the fast section of Moonlight Sonaata was a mistake. It's always going to look as if she can't keep up with the music.)
 
Colonel Green said:
Aurora's free skate, which is more the norm for a Canadian lady at this point in the season.;) Let's just call that leaving room for improvement later, like Kaetlyn did.

I think her layout is supposed to be:

3F-3T
3Lz
2A-Eu-3S
3Lo-2T
3S
3Lo
2A
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I believe she's wearing Kaetlyn's La Vie en Rose dress. :)

Overall, a very good start for Aurora. She's obviously been working hard. The SP is understandably a little further ahead than the FP, but everything is coming along nicely. She's on the list to compete at BC Summerskate in a couple of weeks, so we'll get chance to have another look. Any idea who choreographed her programs this season? I'm seeing some very Kaetlyn-esque movements.
 
Cotop’s skating has improved a lot. I prefer the SP as I’m over with Nino Rota’s Romeo and Juliet.

@shutterbug I don’t know who the choreographer was but wouldn’t be surprised if she worked with Vipond.
 
Doing an almost clean SP with that content is huge. I hope Cotop goes to two Bs (Oakville/Finland?) since she's only getting one GP. She needs to be prepped for what might be a second trip to world's this year.

I think she has special qualities. I'm disappointed to find that she's been genericized this year with programming choices. I'd like to see her team work harder at finding her skating voice after this year's focus on upgrading her TES.
 
Rock2 said:
I think she has special qualities. I'm disappointed to find that she's been genericized this year with programming choices. I'd like to see her team work harder at finding her skating voice after this year's focus on upgrading her TES.
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Agreed. She has a special way of moving and expressing herself but with these programs they're turning her into a generic skater. Myke Gillam is listed as her choreographer for last year's programs and he seemed to 'get' Aurora much better than whoever her choreographer(s) are this year.
 
Top summer scores

SENIOR LADIES
Aurora Cotop 167
Emily Bausback 161
Hannah Dawson 157
Michelle Long 150
Alicia Pineault 146
Sarah Tamura 145
Kim Decelles 142
Olivia Farrow 140
Olivia Gran 135 (jr score)
Allison Schumacher 134 (jr score)

TBD: Daleman, Mallet

JUNIOR LADIES
Kayla Ruiter 149
Alexa Matveev 137
Amelia Orzel 135
(no other scores over 130 thus far?)
 
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Zazy said:
Agreed. She has a special way of moving and expressing herself but with these programs they're turning her into a generic skater. Myke Gillam is listed as her choreographer for last year's programs and he seemed to 'get' Aurora much better than whoever her choreographer(s) are this year.
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It's not like Blackbird and W.E. are uncommon choices either.
 
Zazy said:
I know, it's not about the music but the choreography.
The Blackbird program was terrific, one of my favourites in any discipline last year.
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...and I know they are generally positive and supportive, but the British commentators liked her at world's with that program last year.

My take is that her style sweet-spot is ethereal (although she has capacity to do other things); Blackbird points more in that direction vs the programs this year.
 
My guess would be that they're going full-warhorse while focusing on the technical area (though the "Moonlight Sonata" is actually challenging to skate to at various points), but I would hope for something a bit more distinctive in future seasons.

Kaetlyn was a cabaret performer at heart; Aurora is much more of a traditional ice ballerina, which in a lot of ways is harder to make stand out.
 
Top summer scores

SENIOR LADIES
Aurora Cotop 167
Emily Bausback 161
Kim Decelles 158
Hannah Dawson 157
Alicia Pineault 152
Michelle Long 150
Sarah Tamura 145
Olivia Farrow 140
Viviane Maltais 140
Olivia Gran 135 (jr score)
Allison Schumacher 134 (jr score)
Veronik Mallet 134
Valerie Giroux 133
Beatrice Lavoie-Leonard 132
Katherine Medland Spence 131

TBD: Daleman

JUNIOR LADIES
Sarah-Maude Blanchard 152
Kaiya Ruiter 149
Alexa Matveev 137
Amelia Orzel 135
Michelle Rivest 131
Mia-Catherine Lussier 130
 
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Daleman, Mallet and Long are on the autumn classic entries! So happy Michelle Long is getting another shot.
Based on summer scores I hope we see Kim Decelles and Hannah Dawson getting assignments (and of course Cotop).
 
Sarah-Maude Blanchard article after she won Junior Ladies at the Quebec Summer Championships (56.89 SP, 95.52 FS, 152.41 total): https://www.sherbrookerecord.com/sh...e-quebec-figure-skating-summer-championships/
“Changing age groups is going to be a challenge, but I think I have what it takes,” said the part-time Cégep de Sherbrooke student. “The long program lasts even longer in this category. I’ll have to go back to Toronto to meet with my choreographer, Joey Russell, to make some arrangements,” she explained. “My new long program is with a song by Lorde [her cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"], and I’ve received a lot of great comments. It’s different than what you usually see in long program skating, it’s really intense.”
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Can anyone can read today's longer version online?

ETA: Since she already made her senior national debut at 2019 Canadians (13th), does she mean she will be making her senior international debut this fall rather than competing on the JGP?

Olivia GRAN is listed for JGP #4 in Russia (she placed 9th in her JGP debut in St. Gervais FRA back in 2016). The 2 listed subs are Amelia ORZEL and Doriela LUGO-MAYRAND.

JGP assignments as of today:
FRA: Alison Schumacher
USA: Emily Bausback
LAT: Kaiya Ruiter
RUS: Olivia Gran
CRO: A. Schumacher
POL:
ITA:
 
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Sylvia said:
Sarah-Maude Blanchard article after she won Junior Ladies at the Quebec Summer Championships (56.89 SP, 95.52 FS, 152.41 total): https://www.sherbrookerecord.com/sh...e-quebec-figure-skating-summer-championships/

Can anyone can read today's longer version online?

ETA: Since she already made her senior national debut at 2019 Canadians (13th), does she mean she will be making her senior international debut this fall rather than competing on the JGP?
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Sarah-Maude Blanchard is in her last year of junior eligibility and already has a qualifying score for JW this season. Since after this year she ages out, getting a qualifying score on JGP this year won't help her any time in the future.

Hannah Dawson is in the same situation but was smart enough to compete senior this summer to line herself up for senior Bs.

I am sure SC's strategy involves maximizing the number of ladies who have the JW and senior minimums as well.
 
Lots of updates on the Skate Canada assignments page.

Pineault and Dawson to US Classic.

Autumn Classic entries confirmed. (Daleman, Mallet, Long)

Cotop to Nebelhorn.

JGP updated to match ISU assignments so far, with Orzel getting Poland and Ruiter getting a second assignment (Italy).

Per Instagram Schumacher is getting Croatia so it seems JGP are full.

I hope I didn’t make any mistakes as I’m away and using my phone.

On another note I hope Blanchard and Decelles get something. Maybe Finlandia or Warsaw, which are on the assignments page as of now.
 
So it seems the contenders for Skate Canada TBD are Mallet (already assigned Skate America), Long, Pineault, and Dawson. Not sure when they have to finalise the spot. I hope they will give it to whoever scores highest at the first two assigned challenger events.
 
When is Skate Canada's HP Camp this year? I would think the remaining SCI host spots would be filled by or around then.
 
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