News

Boys from Barrie the Best

By Laurie Nealin
Reporting for Skate Canada

HALIFAX -- Friday was a good day for the boys from Barrie who finished first, second and seventh in the men's short program round, earning two standing ovations in the process.

Christopher Mabee thrilled the 4240 fans in the Metro Centre with his best-ever short program skate, but it was Olympic bronze medallist Jeff Buttle who was first on the judges' scorecards with 78.85 points to Mabee's 75.68.

Emanuel Sandhu settled for third with 65.21.

"I had an absolute blast out there tonight," said Mabee, who was fourth and just missed out on an Olympic and World Championship berth last season.

Buttle opened with a triple-triple combination but then fell on his triple Axel. His good friend Mabee nailed his Axel, as well as a triple lutz-triple toe combo in his sultry, jazz routine.

"I train with him every day so I was very excited for him. He's been practising really well and training really hard, so I had prepared myself for that reaction," said Buttle, who followed Mabee's standing ovation onto the ice.

"I did a lot of work on my mental toughness," Mabee said, explaining the difference between this competition and the fall Grand Prix season. "What I was doing before Cup of Russia was clearly not working so I had to turn things around.

"I tell myself to be confident in myself, know that I can do it, don't just think I can," he added.

Meanwhile, a new star was born in Canadian men's figure skating and he appears destined to challenge the veterans for the national crown between now and 2010.

Joey Russell, 18, the 2006 Canadian men's champion, had the Halifax crowd on its feet cheering his near flawless short program which featured a picture perfect triple flip-triple loop combo. He will go into Saturday's final in seventh place, but trails Sandhu by only 5.0 points.

Buttle has not competed since his disappointing sixth-place result at the World Championships last March. A stress fracture in his lower back kept him on the bench for three months last fall. He has had a little over two months training under his belt before coming here and had been able to practise the all-important triple Axel only since December.

"Actually, it felt really good. I had to catch myself a few times and keep from getting too wound up, too excited because my adrenaline was really pumping," Buttle said.

"I felt really confident for my first time out," he added.

Sandhu, sporting an eye-popping, fluorescent, lime-green shirt, had problems in his performance, falling on his quadruple toe loop attempt and popping his triple Axel into a wide-open single.

"Coming into this competition my intention was to win and it still is. This is just another learning lesson for me. I'm disappointed but I'm going to move forward from this.

"(Today), I'm going have a good practice, focus on that, and do what I came here to do, which is to shine," said Sandhu, who is coming off a fifth-place and best-ever finish at the 2006 World Championships.

Buttle is the two-time reigning champion, but Sandhu also has three Canadian titles to his credit. Both came here to add to their tally but Mabee could be the spoiler when the top-18 men skate their finale.

Russell, who still needs to get the triple Axel under his belt, said he came here hoping for a top-five result which comes with national team status.

"Always in the back of your head, you're thinking, 'I want to be the best. This being my first year seniors, the podium wasn't a big reach of mine," Russell, said. "I just want to go skate three solid programs and if that puts you on the podium, awesome and I'll be so grateful."

Russell did not go to the 2006 World Junior Championships. Skate Canada gave national senior competitors Patrick Chan and Kevin Reynolds that assignment and they came back with three spots for this year's event next month in Germany.

Chan was 11th and Reynolds 16th on Friday, after both encounter problems on the required jumps.

"Right now I think I'm ready (for Junior Worlds). Maybe last year I wasn't. I'm ready to do any competition after this," Russell said.

Vaughn Chipeur, who made a name for himself at the Skate Canada Grand Prix last fall, nailed his triple Axel en route to a clean skate. He is fifth with 63.80 points just behind twice bronze medallist Shawn Sawyer with 63.93.


Copyright 2007 Laurie Nealin - This article may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission of the author.