2020-21 Canadian Men News & Updates

[Sylvia]

Top 3 men at 2020 Nationals qualified for the National Team: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/skate-canada-names-2020-2021-national-team.107539/

Roman Sadovsky, 21: https://skatecanada.ca/roman-sadovsky/
Coaches: Tracey Wainman, Grzegorz Filipowski
Choreographers: David Wilson (FS), Mark Pillay (SP)
2020-21 Music [last season's]
Short Program: Fly Me To The Moon by Chris Mann
Free Program: Bells of Moscow and Schindler’s List

Nam Nguyen, 22: https://skatecanada.ca/nam-nguyen/
Coach: Robert Burk, Doug Leigh, Mitch Islam
Choreographer: Danielle Rose
2020-21 Music [new programs]
Short Program: Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla
Free Program: Mi Mancherai by Josh Groban

Keegan Messing, 28: https://skatecanada.ca/keegan-messing/
Coach: Ralph Burghart
Choreographer: Lance Vipond
2020-21 Music [last season's]
Short Program: Perfect by Ed Sheeran
Free Program: November Rain by Guns N’ Roses

 

[Sylvia]

Mathieu Ostiguy's Au-delà du sport podcast with Nam Nguyen (uploaded Aug. 30):

Épisode 16 - Nam Nguyen

Nam won the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in 2015 and 2019. He is also the 2015 World Junior Champion and recently won the silver medal at the Skate ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Japanfan]

In terms of hating 'Fly Me to the Moon', it is a tie with 'My Way'.

I vastly prefer the endless number of teen girls who skate to 'Carmen', each thinking that they have something novel to bring to the program. A few do, most do not.

Then there is 'Big Spender'. I cringe when I see a teen girl skating to that.

 

[Sylvia]

Conrad Orzel's "new SP entry" (4T clip): https://www.instagram.com/p/CEw7ieBJelr/

 

[shutterbug]

Nic Nadeau's new FP music is a Doors medley, choreo by Scott Moir: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...7219&id=175519695813935&anchor_composer=false

 

[GloriaW]

Nic Nadeau's new FP music is a Doors medley, choreo by Scott Moir: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...7219&id=175519695813935&anchor_composer=false

Scott seems to be getting quite a lot of opportunities as a choreographer

 

[Sylvia]

Joseph Phan's Instagram story clip yesterday showed him landing 4S+3T+2Lo in a FS run through to last season's Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor").

Skate Canada tweeted this TSN video on Sept. 3rd:

Roman Sadovsky Q&A (TSN)

www.youtube.com

 

[shutterbug]

Roman Sadovsky's latest vlog talks about the "unique" new LP he's been working on with Mark Pillay and composer Maxime Rodriguez. He declines to say what the base music is, but it sounds extremely interesting : https://youtu.be/5qyIiqaWN5k?t=535 He and David Wilson have reworked an old program for his SP.

 

[shutterbug]

Roman Sadovsky's latest vlog talks about the "unique" new LP he's been working on with Mark Pillay and composer Maxime Rodriguez. He declines to say what the base music is, but it sounds extremely interesting : https://youtu.be/5qyIiqaWN5k?t=535 He and David Wilson have reworked an old program for his SP.

Roman's music is up on his ISU bio

SP: Exogenesis Symphony Part III by Muse
FP: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol arranged by Maxime Rodriguez

I love both pieces of music so am thrilled with his choices. Also thrilled we won't be subject to Fly Me To The Moon for a third season.......

 

[lurkz2]

Roman's music is up on his ISU bio

SP: Exogenesis Symphony Part III by Muse
FP: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol arranged by Maxime Rodriguez

I love both pieces of music so am thrilled with his choices. Also thrilled we won't be subject to Fly Me To The Moon for a third season.......

Hasn't Vincent Zhou done both Exogenesis and Chasing Cars?

 

[Colonel Green]

Hasn't Vincent Zhou done both Exogenesis and Chasing Cars?

Yes. Though in the latter case, not the version Roman is using; in the former, Roman did it first.

 

[Sylvia]

Stephen Gogolev originally was selected, along with Keegan Messing, to make his Grand Prix debut at Skate America but has withdrawn in the latest ISU GP entries update: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...lections-announced.107631/page-4#post-5873457

The Skate Canada International men were as expected -- Sadovsky, Nguyen, Orzel, Nadeau, Phan (his GP debut), but 4 spots were left open.

On a lighter note, Polina Edmunds recently chatted with her buddy Nam on her new podcast: https://bleav.com/podcast/chatting-with-nam-nguyen/

 

[Alvyne]

Joseph Phan interview, in French

https://www.ledroit.com/sports/phan-patinera-devant-des-estrades-vides-a-ottawa-63d68560fe36c681f93d5c2f7e2d7b2f

 

[Sylvia]

Nam shared a clip of his Tango SP: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGVzhnLlyhs/

Hi there, it’ll probably be a while before I get to show you my full programs so I thought I’d share a little section that the great, @oniceperspectives filmed two weeks ago

These ISU bios were updated before Skate Canada International was canceled earlier today:

Nicolas NADEAU
SP: Don't fall in love while I'm away by Wake Child
FS: Medley by The Doors: Roadhouse Blues / People are Strange / Break on Through

Nam NGUYEN
SP: Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla
FS: Mi Mancherai performed by Josh Groban

Conrad ORZEL
SP: Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen
FS: Les Miserables - Symphonic Suite by Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Boublil / Comme un homme (from "Les Miserables")

Joseph PHAN
SP: Money by Pink Floyd
FS: 5th Piano Concerto 'Emperor' by Ludwig van Beethoven (last season's)

Roman SADOVSKY
SP: Exogenesis Symphony Part III by Muse
FS: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol arranged by Maxime Rodriguez

 

[Sylvia]

Roman Sadovsky is featured in the latest episode of the Beyond The Rink podcast with Mitch Islam & Kevin Wu (taped a few weeks before SCI was cancelled & before he revealed his FS music): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1258361/5850220-beyond-the-rink-episode-7-featuring-roman-sadovsky

2020 Canadian National Champion Roman Sadovsky hops on to chat C*VID, his career leading up to finishing last season atop the podium and the inspiration behind his popular Youtube channel.

ETA that it was interesting to hear his thoughts on his coaching change to the Cricket and why he went back to his original coaches.
Catch up on the latest ROMSKY vlogs here:

Romsky

20. Canadian Figure Skater. Spitting out random videos for your viewing pleasure. P.O. Box if you want send me stuff 😁 YRSA Winter Club Bayview Hill Postal O...

www.youtube.com

Article on Keegan Messing who arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday (re-posting here from the Skate America news thread in Kiss & Cry):

Keegan Messing, lone Canadian figure skater on Grand Prix circuit, grateful for the chance

Keegan Messing has never felt more grateful to have a complete stranger stick a long swab up his nose.

torontosun.com

Excerpts:

The flight from Anchorage to Las Vegas was Messing’s first since the Four Continents championship in Korea last February. All spring shows and training trips were cancelled, so the pandemic played havoc with his preparation for this year.
“There’s not that many high-performance athletes in the skating world in Alaska. I’ve been skating alone for, gosh, since February. There is no motivation at the rink. Our rink is pretty cold, dark, it doesn’t have the greatest sound system. There’s no one to really push me, to motivate me. So Nam and I have been face-timing each other three times a week, whether we’re on the ice or not.
“It’s like, ‘hey buddy, watch this jump.’ We do that so we get a sense of one, to show off for a second, two, to have a high competitor watch you do something, and three, to motivate the other guy. I haven’t had this kind of problem with motivation in a very long time.”

After skating for 25 years, he’s determined to “see it through,” which means making an attempt at another Olympic team and challenging for a national title.
But for now, he’s truly happy to be skating when no other Canadian has the chance, even if it means performing for empty seats in Orleans Arena.
“That will be weird. I am one who likes to take energy from the fans. I love watching their faces when you do something cool. That will be missed. We’ll land a jump and there won’t be any applause. There won’t be any push when you get tired in the middle of your program. It will really come down to who is mentally strongest.”

 

[Colonel Green]

And Keegan wins bronze at Skate America!

From his interviews last season it seems like the free skate became a huge mental challenge for him after his brother's death, so it was so satisfying (and I'm sure for him especially) to see a clean-ish version of it. And doing both quads at the start of the program was a change I thought he should have made a long time ago.

 

[Sylvia]

Good job, Keegan!

He said last year he ran out of energy because he couldn't train his FS as well as he had hoped in the wake of Paxon's death.

He fell on both 4T in his partial FS run through earlier today (almost hit his head, IIRC, on the boards on the first fall) so it was great to see him land both in his FS in competition when it counted.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting Asher Hill's video interview with Keegan here (thanks @DreamSkates):

Interview with Keegan Messing after Skate America. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1812...wx2wO1cu77WuE_R6xIi1rgI8bMyvttUbg9CALvtnSDDD0

 

[Sylvia]

12 Senior men registered for Skate Ontario Sectionals (programs are being recorded in various rinks this month):

Corey Circelli Toronto CS & CC
Max Denk Granite Club
Jack Dushenski Granite Club
Stephen Gogolev (Bye) Granite Club
Iliya Kovler Granite Club
Alistair Lam Hamilton SC
Matthew Markell Prescott FSC - he shared this 1-minute SP clip before he taped his program in Milton this past Thursday:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHLUXWkF7Rr/
Nam Nguyen (Bye) Richmond Training Centre
Conrad Orzel Toronto CS & CC
Roman Sadovsky (Bye) YRSA WC
Bennet Toman Skate Oakville
Bruce Waddell Toronto CS & CC

Sadovsky's latest Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHUM4G8pFPs/
"Long program reveal [Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" arranged by Maxime Rodriguez] will be up on YouTube this Monday 11am EST. See you on the other side #romsky"

Romsky

20. Canadian Figure Skater. Spitting out random videos for your viewing pleasure. P.O. Box if you want send me stuff 😁 YRSA Winter Club Bayview Hill Postal O...

www.youtube.com

ETA direct link to watch Sadovsky's FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P7KTKt6Fj0

 

[haribobo]

Thanks Sylvia! Gotta love Roman, basically the only Canadian that gives us any info at all!

 

[puglover]

Still no word on our boy Stephen? If he does sectionals wouldn't it be Ontario?

 

[Colonel Green]

Still no word on our boy Stephen? If he does sectionals wouldn't it be Ontario?

Seeing as he had to withdraw from SkAm, I wouldn’t expect to see him at sectionals even if it made sense to travel there (which I don’t think it does).

Roman’s free skate:

 

[puglover]

Could Stephen not submit a video to stay in the narrative? I think Roman is making wise choices by putting his videos out there. I guess I am just concerned about so little information about Stephen and his current situation.

 

[Colonel Green]

Could Stephen not submit a video to stay in the narrative? I think Roman is making wise choices by putting his videos out there. I guess I am just concerned about so little information about Stephen and his current situation.

There’s never much information about Gogolev, so that’s nothing new. You pretty much only learn things when he shows up at an event.

 

[wickedwitch]

Seeing as he had to withdraw from SkAm, I wouldn’t expect to see him at sectionals even if it made sense to travel there (which I don’t think it does).

Roman’s free skate:

I didn't expect to like this that much, because I'm not crazy about the music, but I completely got caught up in the program and completely forgot about the elements.

 

[Jislav]

That toe tap at 2:04 . His musicality has improved so much!

 

[shutterbug]

Roman’s free skate:

I can't stop watching this. I feel like I did when Kaetlyn debuted her Black Swan program - this is perfectly, exactly right for him. I even like the longer hair blowing in his eyes as he skates which usually drives me bonkers. I do wonder though how many takes he needed to get the jumps so clean.

 

[JoannaLouise]

I loved it too! (I actually really like that song, even though it's cheesy - probably just because I watch too much Grey's Anatomy. )

But I loved seeing how happy and free he looked while he was skating.

 

[puglover]

Beautiful program. I like the song as well. Nice to see the transition from the young Roman skating to Les Miz with such feeling now able to carry a love ballad.

 

[geoskate]

I do wonder though how many takes he needed to get the jumps so clean.

No idea, but an aside - I actually wish more skaters would do this. Even if they did have to use editting of more than one take to put together an overall clean skate, the result would give us the opportunity to see programs that were never skated cleanly in competition as they were meant to be skated.

Plus, the video work on this was far superior to what we normally see in broadcasts. It really gives an idea of the speed of the skating.