Canadian Nationals 2021 Cancelled

[marbri]

CANCELLED: 2021 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships & 2021 Skate Canada Cup

OTTAWA, ON: With growing concern for the health and safety [...]

skatecanada.ca

 

[skatfan]

CANCELLED: 2021 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships & 2021 Skate Canada Cup

OTTAWA, ON: With growing concern for the health and safety [...]

skatecanada.ca

Wow that’s a surprise to me. Sad for the athletes.

 

[Wyliefan]

After they had success with virtual events, I had hoped they might be able to do it that way if they couldn't have them live.

 

[Dobre]

After they had success with virtual events, I had hoped they might be able to do it that way if they couldn't have them live.

Yes, do we know which rinks have had to close, where athletes are unable to train?

 

[jenny12]

This is really disappointing but certainly understandable. Like @Wyliefan, I was hoping they could do it virtually. I feel bad for all of the skaters and look forward to seeing them again whenever it is safe to do so.

 

[Colonel Green]

With case numbers worse than they were when SCI was cancelled, I figured there was little chance that an in-person nationals would happen this winter.

I was somewhat hoping they'd try to do it virtually, but it's possible TSN just didn't have any interest in doing that.

Which I guess will make Challenge the de facto national championships for the year.

 

[4rkidz]

With case numbers worse than they were when SCI was cancelled, I figured there was little chance that an in-person nationals would happen this winter.

I was somewhat hoping they'd try to do it virtually, but it's possible TSN just didn't have any interest in doing that.

Which I guess will make Challenge the de facto national championships for the year.

i’m guessing worlds is next

 

[jlai]

With case numbers worse than they were when SCI was cancelled, I figured there was little chance that an in-person nationals would happen this winter.

I was somewhat hoping they'd try to do it virtually, but it's possible TSN just didn't have any interest in doing that.

Which I guess will make Challenge the de facto national championships for the year.

Except there are some key players not in CHallenge (like Keegan), so I don't know how they will handle it.

 

[danafan]

The winners of challenge will be the winners of challenge. There just won't be any 2021 Canadian Champions.

 

[Orm Irian]

I'm sorry for the athletes, but very glad that Skate Canada is being sensible and responsible about their safety and that of officials, volunteers and host communities. There are quite a few small federations that still have Nationals scheduled that I hope will follow their example too.

 

[dramagrrl]

Shocked. (I'm being sarcastic. I knew this would happen.)

I highly doubt there will be a Worlds, or at least a fully-attended Worlds, so I doubt that not having Canadians as a qualifier will matter in the long run.

 

[SpeedySucks]

I feel bad for the skaters - it must be so frustrating for them to see hockey events happening, but then to be told that Nationals can’t happen. Seems to me that skating can be done a lot more safely than any hockey event.

 

[Orm Irian]

I feel bad for the skaters - it must be so frustrating for them to see hockey events happening, but then to be told that Nationals can’t happen. Seems to me that skating can be done a lot more safely than any hockey event.

The thing about ice hockey is that many teams tend to operate in more restricted geographical areas, unlike a figure skater or ice dancer who may have to travel right across the country to participate in Nationals, and the teams that don't tend to have a whole lot more money behind them than your average skater, who has to cover their own costs. No charter flights or team planes for skaters - which means a lot more risk to them just from the process of getting to Nationals, never mind competing.

 

[clairecloutier]

I'm sad for the skaters.

 

[overedge]

Does this mean that if Worlds goes ahead, Canada won't be able to send any skaters? Or could Skate Canada use the results from Challenge as qualifiers for its Worlds team?

 

[aka_gerbil]

Does this mean that if Worlds goes ahead, Canada won't be able to send any skaters? Or could Skate Canada use the results from Challenge as qualifiers for its Worlds team?

If worlds goes ahead and Canada wants to send skaters, then it’s up to them to decide who to send. Clearly feds do not have to adhere to the results of a national championship when deciding who to send to worlds (or Olympics).

 

[Marco]

Health and safety are of paramount importance.

With Worlds being increasingly unlikely anyways, I don't think this will be that big an impact. I suppose Canada can continue to hold a few more virtual events that don't require diverse national judging or competitior representation. If Worlds goes on though, I wonder if / how they will send any delegates.

 

[overedge]

If worlds goes ahead and Canada wants to send skaters, then it’s up to them to decide who to send. Clearly feds do not have to adhere to the results of a national championship when deciding who to send to worlds (or Olympics).

Some federations do use Nationals as a qualifier. I'm also wondering which skaters in Canada meet the ISU's qualification rules for 2021 Worlds, if Nationals are cancelled and several of the international events where they could have gotten minimum TES scores were also cancelled.

 

[Sylvia]

I'm also wondering which skaters in Canada meet the ISU's qualification rules for 2021 Worlds, if Nationals are cancelled and several of the international events where they could have gotten minimum TES scores were also cancelled.

IF 2021 Worlds goes ahead (I believe the next ISU Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28), the issue of minimum scores is supposed to be considered: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...s-still-on-for-now.107859/page-7#post-5914642

One 2020 World team member, Alicia Pineault, has already bowed out of competing this season: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJzHmO6BBtn/

ETA a link to the info re. 2021 Worlds spots and TES minimums as of this past summer: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...21-skating-season.107193/page-21#post-5833795

 

[TygerLily]

Oh wow.

 

[MacMadame]

Some federations do use Nationals as a qualifier.

But the ISU doesn't require this. Each NGB can send whoever they want as long as they meet the ISU technical requirements (i.e., TES minimums).

Also, if Worlds gets moved to later in the year, Skate Canada has the opportunity to have a qualifying event of some sort. Maybe a skate-off among any skaters who aren't automatic picks.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Such a shame. The Canadian Championships are always such fun to watch.

I'm glad to see, however, the athletes' and their support crews' health being put first.

 

[caseyedwards]

Silly and quite ridiculous that

 

[coppertop1]

Silly and quite ridiculous that

Yes. 350,000 dead and over ten million cases is obviously better.

 

[blue_idealist]

I don't get why they won't do a virtual event.

 

[MacMadame]

I don't get why they won't do a virtual event.

I do. They aren't really fair and a National Championship has to be fair and meet certain standards. The winners of these comps will be National Champions and in the record books forever so the comp rules have to meet high standards of fairness.

One of the things I just remembered is that Skate Canada was quoted as not being all that interested in sending skaters to Worlds. So I guess that factored into the decision.

 

[DE93]

I don't get why they won't do a virtual event.

Possibly also because a lot of skaters don't have access to ice to train on due to shutdowns. For example, Alberta skaters have had to skate on outdoor lakes and public outdoor rinks for several weeks from what I understand.

 

[Xsktrx]

I do. They aren't really fair and a National Championship has to be fair and meet certain standards. The winners of these comps will be National Champions and in the record books forever so the comp rules have to meet high standards of fairness.

One of the things I just remembered is that Skate Canada was quoted as not being all that interested in sending skaters to Worlds. So I guess that factored into the decision.

Good point. I heard that in the Senior pairs some pairs were filmed as much as 2 weeks after others. If someone was recovering from an injury and managed to buy a couple of extra weeks before filming that takes away the level playing field. That being said I would have to say the results turned out pretty much as one would have predicted.

 

[_Lola_]

World Junior Championship in ice hockey has just been held in Canada. Is it more a money issue rather than a health safety issue to basically cancel the whole season for figure skaters in Canada? The skaters must be frustrated.

 

[binbinwinwin]

Roman Sadovsky has uploaded a new video about 2021 Nationals being cancelled and explains why it can't be held virtually or safely.

Main Points:
He was complimentary of Skate Canada and how hard they worked to try to run a safe event
About 85% of skaters would be traveling from hotspots to BC, which is one of the provinces handling the situation slightly better
Hard time finding any training ice (Alberta has no ice, Ontario is high performance only)
Virtual is not possible because for Challenge a lot of skaters had difficulty securing ice and safe bubbles to film
Virtual is not possible because of the time disparity between skaters filming (he mentioned that BC skaters filmed bout 3 weeks after he did)
Skating does not have the money to pull off bubbling like hockey does (heard that NHL spent around 75 million to do it)