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ISU World Team Trophy a Unifying Experience for Team Canada
April 15, 2023/by Skate Canada
TOKYO, Japan (April 15, 2023) – Team Canada left it all on the ice at the ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Japan. Wrapping up the 2022-2023 season, eight Canadian skaters competed across the three-day team competition, finishing in 6th place with a total of 68 points. Team USA secured the gold medal with 120 points followed by Team Republic of Korea with silver and Team Japan with bronze.
World Team Trophy is a biennial event where team points are awarded by placement in each segment. Individual scores are then added together to calculate an overall team score.
Team Canada could be seen cheering each other on throughout the competition and decked out in Canadian attire. Team captains, ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, ranked 3rd in both their rhythm dance and free dance collecting a total of 20 points.
“This was our first time doing Team Trophy. We got a taste of it at the Games, doing the team event, and I think in a lot of ways the team spirit feeling was really similar,” said Paul Poirier. “We just felt so together, so connected, and the whole experience this week was just a lot of fun. We really got to celebrate skating.”
“We were also rookies with so many other teammates so I think having that experience just makes us that much more united and we just had a bonding experience that we’ll never forget,” said Piper Gilles. “We’re proud of the team and we were proud to represent them here in Tokyo again.”
In eight trips to the World Team Trophy, Canada has finished on the podium three times, winning silver in 2009 and 2013, and bronze in 2012.
In the men’s event, Canada’s Keegan Messing ranked 9th in the short program, and 7th in the free program, and Stephen Gogolev, Toronto, Ont. ranked 12th and 11th.
In the women’s event, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont. finished 4th after a strong short program with a score of 69.76 and a new personal best, and finished 9th in the free program. Sara-Maude Dupuis from Montréal, Que. finished 11th after the short program and 12th after the free program.
Canada was represented by Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. in the pairs event. The dynamic duo continued a power season and ranked 3rd in the short program and 4th in the free program ending their incredible season with new personal best score of 129.73.
This competition brings the 2022-2023 competition season to a close. Canadian athletes will return home and eventually begin preparations for the 2023-2024 season.
Recognizing his retirement from competition, the organizers of WTT arranged a special tribute to Keegan after his skate at the end of the first 1/2 of the Gala including a video message from his wife, holding their two children, that was put up on the big screen in the arena (with Japanese subtitles). The whole Canadian team was involved and he got to skate around the arena with that huge Canadian flag
Last edited by Elizabeth on Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
What a wonderful tribute to Keegan! I missed it, so will have to watch it if I can find it.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
