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Canadians compete at home at the 2009 HomeSense Skate Canada International

(November 16, 2009 - OTTAWA, ON) – Canada will have 12 entries at the 2009 HomeSense Skate Canada International. The event concludes the six stops on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. It is the last chance for skaters to collect points before the ISU Grand Prix Final. The competition will take place at The Aud in Kitchener, Ontario from November 19-22, 2009. Canada will have three entries in all four disciplines: men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance.

Competing for the first time this year is Canadian Champion and 2009 World silver medalist Patrick Chan, 18, Toronto, Ont. Chan withdrew from the Rostelecom Cup due to injury but is back on the ice and looking to defend the title he won in 2008. Last year Chan won both his assignments, Trophée Eric Bompard and HomeSense Skate Canada International. Chan splits his training time between the Granite Club in Toronto and Ice Works in West Palm Beach, Florida and is coached by Don Laws.

Jeremy Ten, 20, Vancouver, B.C., is the second entry for Canada in the men’s category. This is his second assignment of the year, he placed 10th at the NHK Trophy. This is his second time back at this event, in 2008 he placed 10th. He also placed 17th at his first ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2009. Ten is the 2009 Canadian bronze medalist and currently trains at the BC Centre of Excellence with his coach Joanne McLeod.

Joey Russell, 21, Labrador City, Nfld., will make his ISU Grand Prix debut. Russell competed at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy and placed 9th. He is coached by Lee Barkell and Doug Leigh at the Mariposa School of Skating.

Five-time Canadian Champion Joannie Rochette, 23, Île Dupas, Que., will represent Canada in the ladies discipline. Rochette already captured a bronze medal this year at Cup of China. Last year she won both her assignments, HomeSense Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard. In 2009 she won the silver medal at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Manon Perron coaches Rochette at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Cynthia Phaneuf, 21, Contrecoeur, Que., will compete in the ladies discipline. This is Phaneuf’s fourth time back at this event. Her best placement was in 2004 when she won the gold medal. Already this year she placed sixth at the NHK Trophy. In March 2009 she placed 15th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Phaneuf is the 2009 Canadian silver medalist and is coached by Annie Barabé and Sophie Richard at the CTC Training Centre in Contrecoeur, Que.

Canadian women’s bronze medalist Amélie Lacoste, 20, Delson, Que., is the third entry in the ladies event. Earlier this season she placed seventh at the Rostelecom Cup, her first ISU Grand Prix in senior. She is coached by Nathalie Martin, Danièle Robillard and Louise Michaud in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Jessica Dubé, 21, St-Cyrille-de-Wendover, Que., and Bryce Davison, 23, Huntsville, Ont., are coming off a silver medal finish at Trophée Eric Bompard. Last year the team won silver at HomeSense Skate Canada International. In 2008 the pair won bronze at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Dubé and Davison train in Contrecoeur, Que., and are coached by Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard, Yvan Desjardins and David Pelletier.

The 2008 Canadian Pair Champions Anabelle Langlois, 28, Hull, Que., and Cody Hay, 26, Edmonton, Alta., will compete on the ISU Grand Prix circuit after missing a last year due to Anabelle’s ankle injury. The pair team has already won a bronze medal at their debut performance of the season at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Langlois and Hay train out of the Mariposa School of Skating and are coached by Lee Barkell.

The final Canadian entry in the pair category are newcomers Kirsten Moore-Towers, 17, St. Catharines, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch, 25, Toronto, Ont. This will be their first international event as a pair team. Both competed previously with other partners. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch train at the Kitchener-Waterloo SC with their coaches Kris Wirtz and Kristy Wirtz.

Canadian Ice Dance Champions and 2009 World bronze medalists Tessa Virtue 20, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 22, Ilderton, Ont., enter their second assignment of the season, having already captured gold at Trophée Eric Bompard. Virtue and Moir competed at HomeSense Skate Canada last in 2007 when they won the event. The duo train at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Canton, Michigan with their coaches Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband.

Hometown kids Kaitlyn Weaver, 20, Waterloo, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 22, Waterloo, Ont., will compete in the ice dance discipline. They began their season at the Cup of China where they placed sixth. This is their second time at HomeSense Skate Canada International, in 2007 they placed sixth. Weaver and Poje split their training time between Toronto, Ont., and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. They are coached by Shae-Lynn Bourne and Pasquale Camerlengo.

Andrea Chong 22, Toronto, Ont., and Guillaume Gfeller, 24, L’Annonciation, Que., are the final entry for Canada in the ice dance discipline. This is their third international event. In 2008 they placed fourth at the Nebelhorn Trophy and eighth at HomeSense Skate Canada International. Chong and Gfeller train in Ste-Julie, Que., with their coaches Julie Marcotte and Sylvie Fullum.

Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., and Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., are the team managers for the Canadian team. Joining them will be the medical staff, Dr. Julia Alleyne of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Judith Proulx-Snedden of Nepean, Ont. The Canadian officials at the event are Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., Andrea Derby of Windsor, Ont., and Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont.

Media looking to conduct interviews during the event are asked to contact Skate Canada Media Advisor Barb MacDonald in the media room at 519.579.5195 or by e-mail at bmacdonald@skatecanada.ca.

Tickets are still available online at www.centre-square.com, by phone at 519.578.1570 or 1.800.265.8977, or in person at The Aud or at the Centre In The Square box office. Single event tickets range from $17.50 - $48.50, plus applicable surcharges. All-event ticket packages are still available for $145, plus applicable surcharges.

For a full entries list and results please go to www.isu.org

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT HOMESENSE SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL

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Skate Canada, the national governing body responsible for the development and administration of skating in Canada, is the largest figure skating association in the world. With skating programs for athletes of all ages, offered at 1283 clubs and 54 skating schools* across the country, Skate Canada is an association dedicated to providing every Canadian the opportunity to learn life skills while experiencing the power, strength and creativity of one of Canada's premier sports.