(September 17, 2007)

As the Skate Canada high performance camp came to a close Saturday afternoon at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, athletes and technical staff were very pleased with the outcome. 

“The goal for the camp was to provide an opportunity for our Grand Prix competitors to be assessed by ISU Technical Specialists and judges in a competition setting, said Skate Canada’s high performance director Mike Slipchuk. “The athletes showed the crowd of over 1000 people per day that they are on track for their preparation for this year’s GP circuit.”

During the two-day camp the athletes performed their short and free skating programs in competition simulation in the venue that will be used during the Games in 2010. Feedback was provided to each skater to enable them to refine their programs before they show them in this season’s competition.

"The high performance training camp was a vital event for the national team athletes,” said Chris Mabee, the athlete representative on the Skate Canada Board of Directors. “This was a great chance for us to get our levels called by ISU technical controllers, and have our programs evaluated by international judges. I know for a fact that all of the athletes walked away from this high performance training camp with a wealth of knowledge, a stronger desire to get back to training so that we can have a successful ISU grand prix season, with an even stronger showing at the World Championships in Sweden."

Autograph sessions provided fans with one-to-one contact with the athletes and an opportunity to get their photographs taken with their favourite skaters.

The camp concluded Saturday night with a team dinner hosted by BMO Financial Group at Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain, it was an opportunity for the athletes to have a relaxed evening in each other’s company before they begin the competitive season.

Jeff Buttle		Patrick Chan		Vaughn Chipeur
Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison		Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin		Lesley Hawker
Rachel Kirkland and Eric Radford		Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay		Mira Leung
Chris Mabee		Cynthia Phaneuf		Kevin Reynolds
Joannie Rochette		Joey Russell		Shawn Sawyer
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir		Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje