2021/2022 Canadian Men: News and Updates

[Marco]

that it looks like Canadian men will keep two spots because of Roman rather than Keegan. I hope Roman is really proud of how he redeemed himself after the Olympics, especially under the circumstances with worrying about the safety of his family.

So sweet. I am trying to recall if I ever made those "there is no way they are sending him to Worlds now" posts.

 

[dramagrrl]

I'm glad Roman was able to redeem himself and have a good end to his season, but if the Russian and Chinese men had been at Worlds, he likely would have finished out of the top 15, and Keegan would have been around 17th/18th. I know I'm being pessimistic, but that's not a great look for the Canadian men's program. I hope Wesley continues his upward trajectory and that some of the other younger men are able to push forward for better international results.

 

[honey]

I posted this in the men’s FS thread too, but I feel very relieved for Roman that he was able to do that. I think if he’d had another meltdown here, it would have been near impossible to come back from. It’s still important that he figures out completely what happened in Beijing to help prevent anything like that going forward, but I think it was a major step to skate like this at worlds. Hopefully he can establish some consistency going forward, and with that his scores will rise.

Has Roman ever tried quads other than 4S in competition? Looking forward, along with consistency, a second quad would be great to see from him.

 

[manhn]

I wonder why the absence of other skaters always seem to be raised when trying to undermine the results of Canadian skaters, or exacerbate their disappointing placements.

 

[Jammers]

I'm glad Roman was able to redeem himself and have a good end to his season, but if the Russian and Chinese men had been at Worlds, he likely would have finished out of the top 15, and Keegan would have been around 17th/18th. I know I'm being pessimistic, but that's not a great look for the Canadian men's program. I hope Wesley continues his upward trajectory and that some of the other younger men are able to push forward for better international results.

Yeah with a full field Canada probably would have been looking to be down to two Ice Dance teams two Pairs and one in Men's and Ladies. The pandemic didn't really help with the rebuilding in this Olympic cycle since Canada basically didn't compete in the 2020-21 season. At least Russia, Japan and the US held their GP events which included mostly domestic skaters but they still got the chance to compete and their National championships but Canada didn't even have that.

 

[Jonas]

Keegan Messing had a really rough FS here and I think it was the 4Lutz attempt that threw the rest of the program off. Honestly, I don't remember him trying it at any competition after Pyeongchang even though I know he practices it. Maybe he figured the additional 6 points or so plus the mere fact that he has three quads in his FS would increase his medal chances??

Whatever the case I do commend him for trying it even though I don't think it had any value-added benefit. It's telling, to me anyways, that he's still got the competitive juices flowing (to hopefully even see him competing next season)!

Your thoughts...

 

[honey]

Keegan Messing had a really rough FS here and I think it was the 4Lutz attempt that threw the rest of the program off. Honestly, I don't remember him trying it at any competition after Pyeongchang even though I know he practices it. Maybe he figured the additional 6 points or so plus the mere fact that he has three quads in his FS would increase his medal chances??

Whatever the case I do commend him for trying it even though I don't think it had any value-added benefit. It's telling, to me anyways, that he's still got the competitive juices flowing (to hopefully even see him competing next season)!

Your thoughts...

He landed it (or pretty close, just maybe a touch down), at the 2018 GPF in Vancouver IIRC. I don’t think he tried it in competition since that season until putting it in at worlds.

I agree it probably led to some of the other mistakes in the free. But then again, maybe it didn’t. He’s had a pretty uneven free skate history this season. It was a super hard fall though and no doubt shook him up a bit.

 

[Colonel Green]

Has Roman ever tried quads other than 4S in competition? Looking forward, along with consistency, a second quad would be great to see from him.

He was trying the 4T at the start of the 2018/19 season, but ditched it.

Keegan Messing had a really rough FS here and I think it was the 4Lutz attempt that threw the rest of the program off. Honestly, I don't remember him trying it at any competition after Pyeongchang even though I know he practices it.

He tried it at the 2018 Grand Prix Final and the 2019 Autumn Classic; got the rotation both times but couldn’t land it cleanly.

 

[dramagrrl]

I wonder why the absence of other skaters always seem to be raised when trying to undermine the results of Canadian skaters, or exacerbate their disappointing placements.

I don't think this is specific to Canadian skaters at all. I personally am Canadian and always want Team Canada to do as well as possible (with the exception of J/R, sorry not sorry ), but to look at this years Worlds results without considering the many missing players is just not realistic, especially when looking towards the future. I would say the same thing about most of the skaters from other countries who had higher than usual placements or even won medals that likely would not be repeated if there was a full field. That doesn't mean I'm undermining their accomplishments; it means that I am looking realistically at where they may have placed in order to see what the near future might look like.

 

[shutterbug]

Canada will be sending a number of men to the Egna Spring Trophy taking place in Egna, Italy from April 7 - 10/22 : https://www.fisg.it/upload/result/5612/online/index.htm

Junior Men

Grayson Long (J2)
David Shteyngart (N1)

No Anthony Paradis?

Advanced Novice Boys

David Bondar (N5)
David Li (N6)
Edward Nicholas Vasii (N2)

Roman looked at peace during warm up. I don’t know what he did between Olympics and worlds, but it worked for him. Hope he gives us some insight during his next YT video.

In Roman’s latest Instagram post he mentions he “almost withdrew”, so it sounds like his process may have been pretty involved. Details are coming in his next vlog of course.

 

[barbarafan]

Canada will be sending a number of men to the Egna Spring Trophy taking place in Egna, Italy from April 7 - 10/22 : https://www.fisg.it/upload/result/5612/online/index.htm

Junior Men

Grayson Long (J2)
David Shteyngart (N1)

No Anthony Paradis?

Advanced Novice Boys

David Bondar (N5)
David Li (N6)
Edward Nicholas Vasii (N2)



In Roman’s latest Instagram post he mentions he “almost withdrew”, so it sounds like his process may have been pretty involved. Details are coming in his next vlog of course.

Yes...where is Anthony Paradis?

 

[manhn]

I am just watching it now, he is really quite endearing. And OMG, all that Lulu merch!

 

[Judy]

I'm glad Roman was able to redeem himself and have a good end to his season, but if the Russian and Chinese men had been at Worlds, he likely would have finished out of the top 15, and Keegan would have been around 17th/18th. I know I'm being pessimistic, but that's not a great look for the Canadian men's program. I hope Wesley continues his upward trajectory and that some of the other younger men are able to push forward for better international results.

Does anyone even trust the Russian skaters though with the doping? By state sponsored sponsored drugging? Along with other sports.

I found this worlds far more relaxing then the Olympics.

 

[victorskid]

Canada will be sending a number of men to the Egna Spring Trophy taking place in Egna, Italy from April 7 - 10/22 : https://www.fisg.it/upload/result/5612/online/index.htm

Junior Men

Grayson Long (J2)
David Shteyngart (N1)

No Anthony Paradis?

Advanced Novice Boys

David Bondar (N5)
David Li (N6)
Edward Nicholas Vasii (N2)

Thanks for letting me know about this event - I will be watching Grayson's results with interest. I have been following him for a number of years, after first meeting him and his mother at a Minto Summer Skate.

 

[clairecloutier]

Here is a piece I did about Keegan Messing and his performances at Worlds. Lots of quotes from Keegan and his longtime coach, Ralph Burghart.

"Everything he does is extreme": Keegan Messing - A divine sport

Last week, Keegan Messing competed in his fourth ISU World Championships in Montpellier, France. Messing’s 14th-place finish in Montpellier was well off his career-best 6th place at 2021 Worlds in Stockholm last year. However, the Canadian skater was unfazed. “It’s always a pleasure to represent...

adivinesport.com

 

[overedge]

Here is a piece I did about Keegan Messing and his performances at Worlds. Lots of quotes from Keegan and his longtime coach, Ralph Burghart.

"Everything he does is extreme": Keegan Messing - A divine sport

Last week, Keegan Messing competed in his fourth ISU World Championships in Montpellier, France. Messing’s 14th-place finish in Montpellier was well off his career-best 6th place at 2021 Worlds in Stockholm last year. However, the Canadian skater was unfazed. “It’s always a pleasure to represent...

adivinesport.com

This is great, Claire! Thank you for posting this.

 

[clairecloutier]

At Worlds, I talked with Roman Sadovsky and his coach Tracey Wainman about his performances in Montpellier and Beijing. Here's what they said:

Roman Sadovsky: "I'm proud that I finished the season well" - A divine sport

For 22-year-old Roman Sadovsky of Canada, the Olympic season was one of peaks and valleys. The peaks included qualifying a second men’s Olympic spot at Nebelhorn Trophy in September and placing fourth at Rostelecom Cup in November. Unfortunately, the low point came at the Olympic Games in...

adivinesport.com

 

[kwanfan1818]

Another in a wonderful series of interviews, @clairecloutier !

 

[dramagrrl]

Does anyone know why Nam has been posting so much about hockey on IG lately? I'm assuming he's just been playing for fun, but it seems like all on-ice clips he's posted for the last month or so have been hockey rather than figure skating.

 

[greenapple]

Does anyone know why Nam has been posting so much about hockey on IG lately? I'm assuming he's just been playing for fun, but it seems like all on-ice clips he's posted for the last month or so have been hockey rather than figure skating.

Nam is working as a power skating coach with young hockey players in Toronto. He started this new career last year.

 

[dramagrrl]

Nam is working as a power skating coach with young hockey players in Toronto. He started this new career last year.

It's interesting to see a lot of figure skaters going in this direction. I believe Vanessa Crone has made a career of teaching skating skills to hockey players as well, and Victor Kraatz has definitely made a full-time international career doing the same.

 

[Colonel Green]

It's interesting to see a lot of figure skaters going in this direction. I believe Vanessa Crone has made a career of teaching skating skills to hockey players as well, and Victor Kraatz has definitely made a full-time international career doing the same.

Lots of money in hockey, and the modern game puts a lot of emphasis on skating skills.

Underhill’s work to overhaul Brayden Point’s skating is the gold standard.

 

[shutterbug]

Lots of money in hockey, and the modern game puts a lot of emphasis on skating skills.

Underhill’s work to overhaul Brayden Point’s skating is the gold standard.

David Pelletier is the Edmonton Oilers' skating coach: https://www.nhl.com/oilers/team/coaches-management (scroll to the bottom of the page).

 

[livetoskate]

Michael Weiss has also been teaching hockey players in northern Virginia.

 

[Sylvia]

From Skate Canada's April 6th team press release for Egna: https://skatecanada.ca/2022/04/canadas-future-stars-travel-to-egna-italy/

2 men in Junior:

Grayson Long, 14, Toronto, Ont., will be the first entry in junior men. Long finished second at both the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge and 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.
David Shteyngart, 16, Ottawa, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in junior men. Domestically Shteyngart competed at the novice level. At both the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge and 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships Shteyngart captured gold. He is coached by Darlene Jospeh in Ottawa, Ont.

(For those who can't access the 2022 Egna Spring Trophy competition thread in Kiss & Cry, the results/protocols link is in post #700 above.)
5 David SHTEYNGART CAN 167.65 4 7 (65.81 SP, 101.84 FS)
6 Grayson LONG CAN 162.44 7 5 (54.12 SP, 108.32 FS)

3 in Adv. Novice:

David Bondar, 15, Richmond Hill, Ont., is the first Canadian entry in novice men. Domestically Bondar has had two top five placements as he finished second at the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge and fifth at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Bondar is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.
David Li, 14, Vancouver, B.C., will be the second entry in novice men. Li had a good Skate Canada Challenge where he brought home a bronze medal. Li is coached by Eileen Murphy and Keegan Murphy and in Richmond, B.C.
Edward Nicholas Vasii, 15, Montreal, Que., is the third and final Canadian entry in novice men. Nicholas Vasii placed in the top four at both the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge and the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. He is coached by Yvan Desjardins in Montreal, Que.

GOLD David LI CAN 126.82 1 2 (47.10 SP, 79.72 FS)
BRONZE David BONDAR CAN 118.08 4 3 (40.57 SP, 77.51 FS)
5 Edward Nicholas VASII CAN 111.58 6 5 (37.08 SP, 74.50 FS)

Cute photo of David Li with the Canadian flag in Skate Canada's recap of the competition:

David Li Highlights Four-Medal Day for Canadian Figure Skaters

EGNA, Italy – David Li of Vancouver highlighted a four-medal [...]

skatecanada.ca

‘’After holding back a bit at my previous competitions, I just decided to go for it here,’’ said Li, 14. ‘’I thought travelling without my parents for the first time would affect me, but it didn’t really feel that different.’’
Bondar, 15, was also pleased to get on the podium in his overseas debut.
‘’There were some minor errors on some jumps but other than that I felt my presentation was a little bit better than it use to be and that made a big difference in my final score,’’ he said. ‘’I learned that it’s not all about jumping.’’

ETA that David Li's 2nd place FS starts here (a much better performance than at Novice Nationals ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvxWeApaWwE&t=4980s

 

[screech]

Both Wesley and Stephen looking good at junior worlds. After the short program, Wesley is in 2nd with 81.59 and Stephen is 6th with 78.75.
They skated right after one another. (link is synced to start with them)

 

[Colonel Green]

Over the summer I hope they can figure out how Wesley can get some flow out of the Axel landing, because that’s the only real flaw in his current jump content.

 

[Colonel Green]

Disappointing for Wesley in particular, but I hope he takes the small silver as motivation for Junior Worlds on home ice in Calgary next year.

 

[euterpe]

Wesley still has one more year of junior eligibility, and he probably should take advantage of that while working on his tech. At JW, he was 2nd in the SP where quads weren't allowed. But in senior competition, he'd be at a competitive disadvantage against skaters who do 1-2 quads in the SP and two or more in the FS, as well as two 3As.

 

[Seerek]

All I ask is for everyone to manage through their growth spurts .