(November 28, 2006)

World silver medalists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon

Skate Canada congratulates ice dance partners Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon for their nomination for the Partner of the year “Maurice” award. The winners will be revealed at the 34th Gala Sports-Québec ceremony on December 20 at the Sheraton Hotel in Laval (Que.), which will be broadcasted live on RDS.

Performances and achievements accomplished between September 1st, 2005 and August 31st, 2006 at the international, Canadian or Quebec level will determine the winners. During this period Dubreuil and Lauzon won two gold medals during the 2005-2006 ISU Grand Prix Series season, at MasterCard Skate Canada International in St. John’s, NL, and at the NHK Trophy in Japan, and won the bronze medal at the ISU Grand Prix Final. A few weeks later they captured their third consecutive Canadian title at the national championships in Ottawa in January 2006 and headed to the Olympic Games in Turin with high expectations. Unfortunately an injury forced the couple to withdraw from completing their programs in Turin, but they came out stronger than ever at the 2006 World Championships held in Calgary where they won the silver medal.

To skating fans’ delight, Dubreuil and Lauzon announced in June 2006 that they will continue skating in the eligible ranks for the 2006-2007 season and revealed their intentions of creating a four-year plan leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Also nominated for the Partner of the year “Maurice” award at the 34th Gala Sports-Québec are kayakers Richard Dober Jr. and Andrew Willows, and the female speed skating short track relay team.

Good luck to Marie-France and Patrice!