Canadian figure skating

[The Observer]

If Poilievre wins, the CBC quality is decreasing even more.

Yeah, Poilievre has already threatened to "defund" the CBC. I think he would be bad for public broadcasting, but he's likely to win the next election because voters tend to vote for a new government after one party has been in power for 8-10 years.

I just hope that CBC isn't too damaged by Poilievre and that television coverage for figure skating will be restored. I also think it's unfortunate that CTV is not covering figure skating -- they used to do a good job of it.

 

[victorskid]

You’re right https://www.uniglobepremiere.com/uniworld

I know I'm right - I'm travelling with them to Worlds in Montreal I'm still pondering Boston...

 

[Judy]

I know I'm right - I'm travelling with them to Worlds in Montreal I'm still pondering Boston...

Very cool! Enjoy!

 

[Ballroomdancer]

I agree this wasn’t a great competition, but having been to Canadians in years when the winner of senior ladies landed only one clean triple and we had legitimate world medal contenders in only one (or sometimes zero) category, I would say it was far from the worst. We have world medal contenders in two disciplines, and while our singles prospects are currently not great (especially in men’s, which is total chaos with not a lot of real hope for the near future), at least we aren’t watching free skates in which no one lands a triple jump until the very last flight. (I have definitely been to Canadians in the past in which not a single man landed a 3A until the final group, and not a single lady landed a successful 3Z at all.)

I was there too!

 

[Ballroomdancer]

Does anyone know how old Anthony Paradis is? I think he was 15 when I say him compete in Junior last year, but I can't remember. Thanks!

 

[Habs]

Does anyone know how old Anthony Paradis is? I think he was 15 when I say him compete in Junior last year, but I can't remember. Thanks!

He's 16.

 

[fsfann]

Does anyone know how old Anthony Paradis is? I think he was 15 when I say him compete in Junior last year, but I can't remember. Thanks!

You're right..he is 16 now.

Hopefully he can get some more jumps.

 

[champ]

Financial Statement Skate Canada - https://skatecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Skate-Canada-2023-FinalFS_English-1.pdf

The salaries line is interesting over 4 million. I believe there is a document regarding the skate Canada salaries. I will try to find it.

 

[Sonata]

The salaries line is interesting over 4 million. I believe there is a document regarding the skate Canada salaries. I will try to find it.

Did you ever find this document?
I was thinking about the suggestions of hosting in smaller cities and I remembered speaking to a physiotherapist who covers sports events. Skate Canada is apparently notorious for not paying the medical staff who cover their events despite being a big organization. They said usually the organizing medical person asks their community colleagues to volunteer. That’s an issue if a smaller city is hosting, where there are not that many medical sports personnel. For safety, I can’t imagine they’d host an event of this magnitude without trained personnel. There must be rules about this.

 

[overedge]

Did you ever find this document?
I was thinking about the suggestions of hosting in smaller cities and I remembered speaking to a physiotherapist who covers sports events. Skate Canada is apparently notorious for not paying the medical staff who cover their events despite being a big organization. They said usually the organizing medical person asks their community colleagues to volunteer. That’s an issue if a smaller city is hosting, where there are not that many medical sports personnel. For safety, I can’t imagine they’d host an event of this magnitude without trained personnel. There must be rules about this.

When Skate Canada had adult Nationals, the medical staff on hand were usually St John Ambulance volunteers. And there was terrible communication between Skate Canada and those volunteers. I remember several competitors who had specific needs (eg an ice pack on hand to ice a bad knee after competing) and those requests on the registration forms were invariably never passed on to the medical staff.

I hope things are better at elite-level competitions.

 

[Sonata]

When Skate Canada had adult Nationals, the medical staff on hand were usually St John Ambulance volunteers. And there was terrible communication between Skate Canada and those volunteers. I remember several competitors who had specific needs (eg an ice pack on hand to ice a bad knee after competing) and those requests on the registration forms were invariably never passed on to the medical staff.

I hope things are better at elite-level competitions.

They definitely have trained professionals at high level competitors. Sports doctors, physiotherapists and athletic therapists. They don’t get paid though (maybe the organizing medical person does). This includes worlds. The physiotherapist was telling me about how people would refuse to volunteer as it meant giving up their evenings and weekends for free and being at risk of being liable if something went wrong. So it’s interesting to me that there is 4 million for salaries, but they won’t pay professionals without whom a safe event would not be possible.

 

[shutterbug]

Meant to post when I got back from Calgary, but of course totally forgot …..Back in the glory days when Skate Canada used to release the location of upcoming events in a timely manner, the in-arena announcer would usually reference the next event at the end of the current event. Now, it might have been a hypothermia-induced auditory hallucination , but when I was leaving the arena after the final senior medal ceremony, I could have sworn the announcer said "Goodnight everyone, see you in Ottawa". Since this year's Skate Canada International will be the 50th, Ottawa makes some sense given Skate Canada's head office is located there. But, TD Place is booked for a RedBlack's game on Oct. 25th, which would mean it would have to be held at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata. With the move toward holding events in smaller venues, this seems pretty unlikely unless Skate Canada is planning to make a fuss over the 50th? I know nothing will be announced until after Worlds, but not being able to plan is frustrating. Bless Ted Barton for letting the Laval tidbit slip out.

Also, re: smaller venues, the Scotties (Canadian national women's curling championship) doesn’t seem to be having any difficulties drawing crowds at Winsport : https://x.com/Devin_Heroux/status/1759586822903013500?s=20 Out of curiosity, I had a look at the ticket prices, and was quite shocked by how reasonable they are for a professional event (with proper TV lighting), and how many different options are available: https://www.curling.ca/2024scotties/tickets/ In comparison, with needing to buy all the tickets individually, my cost for the equivalent of an all-event premium package added up to $488.25 plus a whopping $134.75 in Ticketmaster fees (all event ticket price was $300.00 in 2023 in Oshawa). I do appreciate it's not entirely fair to compare amateur and professional sporting events, but hopefully Skate Canada is taking notes on what works for other Canadian sports federations. Our skaters deserve to compete in front of a packed house too.

 

[pat c]

I missed it. What's in Laval?

Valid observations @shutterbug, but in western Canada curling reigns supreme. It doesn't matter where they hold it, it's a packed house. They've used smaller venues for years, and it's paid off for them ie the Briar and Scotties.

So, Ottawa for cdn nats or SC?

 

[overedge]

@shutterbug I would guess that since the curling is being televised/streamed on TSN, the curling federation is able to offer lower ticket prices for the live event because it's also getting TV revenue. Also, with curling being a very social sport, there is probably more incentive for people to attend the live events (regardless of location) because they know it's going to be fun. I definitely agree that Skate Canada could learn from curling in that regard.

 

[Karen-W]

I missed it. What's in Laval?

Valid observations @shutterbug, but in western Canada curling reigns supreme. It doesn't matter where they hold it, it's a packed house. They've used smaller venues for years, and it's paid off for them ie the Briar and Scotties.

So, Ottawa for cdn nats or SC?

Can Nats will be in Laval next year.

Seems the speculation is Ottawa for SC.

 

[marbri]

Meant to post when I got back from Calgary, but of course totally forgot …..Back in the glory days when Skate Canada used to release the location of upcoming events in a timely manner, the in-arena announcer would usually reference the next event at the end of the current event. Now, it might have been a hypothermia-induced auditory hallucination , but when I was leaving the arena after the final senior medal ceremony, I could have sworn the announcer said "Goodnight everyone, see you in Ottawa". Since this year's Skate Canada International will be the 50th, Ottawa makes some sense given Skate Canada's head office is located there. But, TD Place is booked for a RedBlack's game on Oct. 25th, which would mean it would have to be held at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata. With the move toward holding events in smaller venues, this seems pretty unlikely unless Skate Canada is planning to make a fuss over the 50th? I know nothing will be announced until after Worlds, but not being able to plan is frustrating. Bless Ted Barton for letting the Laval tidbit slip out.

Also, re: smaller venues, the Scotties (Canadian national women's curling championship) doesn’t seem to be having any difficulties drawing crowds at Winsport : https://x.com/Devin_Heroux/status/1759586822903013500?s=20 Out of curiosity, I had a look at the ticket prices, and was quite shocked by how reasonable they are for a professional event (with proper TV lighting), and how many different options are available: https://www.curling.ca/2024scotties/tickets/ In comparison, with needing to buy all the tickets individually, my cost for the equivalent of an all-event premium package added up to $488.25 plus a whopping $134.75 in Ticketmaster fees (all event ticket price was $300.00 in 2023 in Oshawa). I do appreciate it's not entirely fair to compare amateur and professional sporting events, but hopefully Skate Canada is taking notes on what works for other Canadian sports federations. Our skaters deserve to compete in front of a packed house too.

I mean they could still hold both events. The RedBlacks would be playing outside on the Friday evening. Skating would be at the arena. It would make Friday a very busy day with some crossover traffic but doable I would think.

If it does end up being there people going should take note of how busy Friday could be and plan accordingly.

 

[kalamalka]

with needing to buy all the tickets individually, my cost for the equivalent of an all-event premium package added up to $488.25 plus a whopping $134.75 in Ticketmaster fees (all event ticket price was $300.00 in 2023 in Oshawa). I do appreciate it's not entirely fair to compare amateur and professional sporting events, but hopefully Skate Canada is taking notes on what works for other Canadian sports federations. Our skaters deserve to compete in front of a packed house too.

I won't be attending any more Canadian nationals unless they go back to selling all-event tickets. I hope this was a one-off. It strikes me as quite stupid - all-event ticket buyers are more likely to purchase early, and it's a guarantee that the organizers will at least have sold seats for the less-likely to attract crowds events. They probably do better with overall revenue with all-event tickets than just selling single events. And the price you quoted (esp with Ticketmaster fees) is scary.

 

[Lil Sarah]

I won't be attending any more Canadian nationals unless they go back to selling all-event tickets. I hope this was a one-off. It strikes me as quite stupid - all-event ticket buyers are more likely to purchase early, and it's a guarantee that the organizers will at least have sold seats for the less-likely to attract crowds events. They probably do better with overall revenue with all-event tickets than just selling single events. And the price you quoted (esp with Ticketmaster fees) is scary.

I couldn't make it to Calgary no matter what - so I wasn't paying attention to the tickets. They did away with all-event tickets? That is insane. Hopefully they realize that didn't work so well and offer that again next year.

 

[pat c]

I wonder if it wasn't Skate Canada Alberta exec's who made this decision as they would be the organizers for the event. If it was, it will be a one off I'd think.

 

[DE93]

I wonder if it wasn't Skate Canada Alberta exec's who made this decision as they would be the organizers for the event. If it was, it will be a one off I'd think.

I think it's more likely to be a WinSport decision than the AB/NT/NU Section, if I had to guess. I agree that it's likely a one-off.

 

[RoseRed]

I don't think they normally have multiple big events at TD Place on the same night, but as @marbri said, TD Place has both the outdoor stadium where the RedBlacks play (along with the OttawaU football team, and the pro-soccer team) and the hockey arena, which is mainly used by the 67s and now PWHL Ottawa. Neither of those leagues has their 2024-25 schedule out yet to my knowledge. So it could be possible, though idk whether it would be practical.

 

[shutterbug]

I think it's more likely to be a WinSport decision than the AB/NT/NU Section, if I had to guess. I agree that it's likely a one-off.

Here is the ticket sale date announcement: https://skatecanada.ca/2023/10/tick...2024-canadian-national-skating-championships/

Due to limited seating capacity, all-event tickets are not being sold for this event. Buy your tickets early so you don’t miss out!

Well, whoever made the call to go this route is regretting the decision I'm sure. And if the profits from competitions still go to the host Section, then the big loser here is the AB/NWT/NUN Section. This event couldn't have made any money.

And for sure, I totally understand curling's popularity in the prairie provinces. My province has 4 teams at the Scotties. You can't swing the proverbial cat here without hitting someone with a connection to curling , particularly in the 50+ age bracket. And it is a professional sport with all the financial perks that go along with that. But if the loss of sponsorship $ and TV revenue is driving Skate Canada to set event ticket prices beyond what fans are willing to pay, it's time to look closely at what works for other Canadian sport federations, or maybe consider alternatives to how competitions have traditionally been held.

I don't think they normally have multiple big events at TD Place on the same night, but as @marbri said, TD Place has both the outdoor stadium where the RedBlacks play (along with the OttawaU football team, and the pro-soccer team) and the hockey arena, which is mainly used by the 67s and now PWHL Ottawa. Neither of those leagues has their 2024-25 schedule out yet to my knowledge. So it could be possible, though idk whether it would be practical.

Apparently they can't hold events at the stadium and arena at the same time: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/landsdowne-hockey-arena-development-1.6854698

Everyone agrees Lansdowne's 56-year-old facility has problems: the arena ceiling leaks, it isn't up to modern-day accessibility and entertainment standards, and arena and stadium events can't be held at the same time.

The arena and stadium share a common wall, so I would guess the noise transfer between the two facilities is the issue (?). The RedBlack's game starts at 7:00pm, so a work around would be to start and end the competition earlier for that day, but that would push the practice times back to very early morning hours.

 

[pat c]

Here is the ticket sale date announcement: https://skatecanada.ca/2023/10/tick...2024-canadian-national-skating-championships/


Well, whoever made the call to go this route is regretting the decision I'm sure. And if the profits from competitions still go to the host Section, then the big loser here is the AB/NWT/NUN Section. This event couldn't have made any money.

Calgary has a lot of facilities that would have been a better choice. Definitely a poor decision.

And for sure, I totally understand curling's popularity in the prairie provinces. My province has 4 teams at the Scotties. You can't swing the proverbial cat here without hitting someone with a connection to curling , particularly in the 50+ age bracket. And it is a professional sport with all the financial perks that go along with that. But if the loss of sponsorship $ and TV revenue is driving Skate Canada to set event ticket prices beyond what fans are willing to pay, it's time to look closely at what works for other Canadian sport federations, or maybe consider alternatives to how competitions have traditionally been held.

And yet curling is changing their comp model, which is a good thing. It's getting pretty unwieldly to schedule. FS? They've done some things like thinning the number that can go to nats. They have to lower ticket prices and make it so that people travelling to the event can easily get to the rink/hotel/food. Eventually curling will lose the fan base that it currently enjoys. It used to be that there was a curling rink in every town. That is gone or going, so I think curling is trying to get ahead of the downslide in popularity. I curled in high school and as an adult. My kids learned, didn't like it, didn't have to do it as part of physed and they don't follow it. That's going to be the future of curling sometime. FS is going thru it now.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Calgary has a lot of facilities that would have been a better choice. Definitely a poor decision.

And yet curling is changing their comp model, which is a good thing. It's getting pretty unwieldly to schedule. FS? They've done some things like thinning the number that can go to nats. They have to lower ticket prices and make it so that people travelling to the event can easily get to the rink/hotel/food. Eventually curling will lose the fan base that it currently enjoys. It used to be that there was a curling rink in every town. That is gone or going, so I think curling is trying to get ahead of the downslide in popularity. I curled in high school and as an adult. My kids learned, didn't like it, didn't have to do it as part of physed and they don't follow it. That's going to be the future of curling sometime. FS is going thru it now.

On the other hand, I have several friends in Toronto, who don't come from curling families and never curled as kids, who've taken up the sport as a fun and social pastime. It's possible that a new generation of urban fans/players may replace the traditional curling culture.

 

[manhn]

Curling is like golf where one can enjoy with people despite different skill levels. Also, you can partake in alcohol while curling. You can’t drink while doing pairs skating.

 

[skatingguy]

Curling is like golf where one can enjoy with people despite different skill levels. Also, you can partake in alcohol while curling. You can’t drink while doing pairs skating.

I'm picturing Deanna doing a keg-stand in the short program lift position.

 

[pat c]

On the other hand, I have several friends in Toronto, who don't come from curling families and never curled as kids, who've taken up the sport as a fun and social pastime. It's possible that a new generation of urban fans/players may replace the traditional curling culture.

I think it's what is going to happen. It has a really fun social aspect to it. It's the cost of running small rinks, plus the volunteerism hours that is hurting it. Bigger rinks have more members, can hire people to do all the things that require volunteers in small rinks.

Curling is like golf where one can enjoy with people despite different skill levels. Also, you can partake in alcohol while curling. You can’t drink while doing pairs skating.

Nailed it.

 

[shutterbug]

To absolutely no one's surprise , confirmation that Laval will host the 2025 Canadian nationals: https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...championnats-canadiens-de-patinage-artistique

Machine translated quotes:

After this major world figure skating event in Montreal, it is Laval which will host, in 2025, the next Canadian championships, according to what Le Journal has learned.

The event, which should take place next January at Place Bell, will be announced towards the end of April.

If the announcement for nats is going to be at the end of April, is it reasonable to assume we'll get the SCI location announcement very soon?

 

[skategal]

To absolutely no one's surprise , confirmation that Laval will host the 2025 Canadian nationals: https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...championnats-canadiens-de-patinage-artistique

Machine translated quotes:



If the announcement for nats is going to be at the end of April, is it reasonable to assume we'll get the SCI location announcement very soon?

I sure hope so. I’m waiting (impatiently) to see if it’s where I live.

One of the rumours said it was.

I’m dying over here and can’t find out any intel locally.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I sure hope so. I’m waiting (impatiently) to see if it’s where I live.

One of the rumours said it was.

I’m dying over here and can’t find out any intel locally.

Isn't one of the rumours that SCI will be in Halifax? I'm kind of hoping so because I can crash at a good friend's place if that's the case.