Figure skatingEyes will be on Virtue and Moir at Canadian championships

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One of the things I am most looking forward to is seeing defending ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir back on the ice.

They were sidelined for the first half of the season while Virtue recovered from surgery. As current world silver medallists it is going to be a treat to try and figure where they might rank on the current international landscape. Definitely in the hunt for a medal will be Skate Canada silver medallists Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, reigning national silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and national bronze medallists Allie Hann-MacCurdy and Michael Coreno.

The depth of talent in the men’s event will make this event the one to watch.

Patrick Chan is the defending champion and undisputed favourite for the men’s title. In hot pursuit are familiar names from the Grand Prix series like Shawn Sawyer, Jeremy Ten, Kevin Reynolds and Vaughn Chipeur.

The name I want you to think about though is veteran competitor Fedor Andreev who, in 2003, was the senior men’s bronze medallist. He brings maturity, technical competence and a lyrical style to this event and with a solid win at the qualifying 2009 Skate Canada senior challenge event last month, he is one of the men to watch.

Similarly, Kathryn Kang, winner of the 2009 Skate Canada senior challenge women’s event, will be among the ladies to watch at this year’s nationals.

It would be very surprising if Joannie Rochette was not successful in her attempt at a fifth consecutive national title. That said, nothing is a foregone conclusion and three-time national silver medallist Mira Leung and 2004 Canadian champion Cynthia Phaneuf are definite contenders.

With the withdrawal of defending pair champions Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, expect Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison to regain the national title they held in 2007. The team of Langlois and Hay is still hoping to be considered for the ISU Four Continents and/or world championships teams if her recovery from a horrendous spiral leg fracture at the end of the summer allows them to get back to full strength in time.

National bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, in their second competitive season together, pose the strongest threat for the title with their energy and fearless competitive drive.

Don’t miss a minute of all of the live coverage of the 2009 Canadian figure skating championships on BOLD and CBCSports.ca. Check the website for schedule details.

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