News

Strange, Good Things Happen in OD

By Laurie Nealin
Reporting for Skate Canada

HALIFAX -- The judges did something very strange in scoring the original dance competition on Saturday and, to their credit, it was a good thing.

While the top two spots had all but been conceded to world silver medallists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon and reigning world junior champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, virtually no one would have predicted that the new kids on the block -- Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje -- would rank third in the original dance round.

Their coach Paul Macintosh knew the new pairing had the goods, but he wasn't at all sure the judges would reward the newcomers' considerable talent so early in the game. And, they were ranked seventh in the compulsory opener.

But their ultra-smooth Tango, which showcased their excellent flow and run on the blade across the ice, could not be denied.

Dubreuil and Lauzon, with 102.96 points, and Virtue and Moir, at 94.69, are all but assured of pocketing the gold and silver medals following Sunday's free dance final, but there will be a three-way battle for the bronze medal and the third berth on the World Championships team.

Quebec-based Chantal Lefebvre and Arseny Markov held onto third on Saturday with a total of 79.30, but B.C./Manitoba duo Lauren Senft and Leif Gislason are less than one point behind, and Weaver and Poje are just over a point behind them. Both veteran couples had twizzle trouble which opened the door for the rookies, who skated without significant flaw.

Despite the fact that Dubreuil has been ill with a virus since last week and hardly slept at all Friday night, she and Lauzon delivered a masterful performance with just a slight miscue on a final twizzle turn. The audience didn't mind and rewarded them with a standing ovation.

"I'm not feeling my best, but that's life," said Dubreuil, whose training base is in Lyon, France.

Barring calamity, Dubreuil and Lauzon will win their fifth national title on Sunday and will head to the Tokyo Worlds intent on winning the global crown.

"We had a couple of bobbles, but we felt like we really got down into our knees and had a really good program," said Moir, who is a training mate of Senft and Gislason in Canton, Michigan, under the direction of Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.

"It's so much fun to be out there. Nationals is one of our favourite competitions of the year," he added.

Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe, who edged Virtue and Moir for silver last year, have since retired. Before they did, their 10th-place result at the Calgary Worlds combined with Dubreuil and Lauzon's silver earned Canada three ice dance berths for the upcoming ISU championships.

Coincidentally, Weaver and Poje's Tango represents Wing and Lowe's choreographic debut. They also did some work this summer with the new duo on the performance of their program.

Waterloo-based Weaver, 17, and Poje, 19, joined forces just last summer. They had a very successful start to their partnership, earning two bronze medals in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series last fall. Weaver finished ninth at the Ottawa Canadians last year with former partner Alice Graham, who retired to attend university.

Weaver, a former U.S. competitor born in Texas, also found herself partnerless and jumped at the opportunity to relocate to Canada to train with Poje. They had met previously at training camps held in recent years. Weaver ranked fourth at the 2006 U.S. Nationals as a junior, but moved easily into the senior competition here.

"Andrew and I have been together only five months, but it feels like a lot longer which is a good thing," said Weaver.

"I think it was great luck that we found each other. We have similar skating styles that mesh well together," said Weaver, suggesting a reason for their impressive debut.

"It feels good," Poje said of their third-place in the OD. "We put a lot of effort in, in such a short period of time to get together and put everything together, so it's good to know it's paid off."

Weaver added, "We have a bright future and it's a great feeling inside that the hard work paid off and we competed like we know how to."

The new match has already set competing at the Worlds and Olympics as their ultimate goal. For that reason, she has already begun the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship which is an Olympic Games requirement to represent Canada.


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