Hurry back Beak!

Everyone at I.D.E. would like to send their best wishes to Olivia Martins, who will be having surgury on Monday July 7th. We all wish you good luck and a very speedy recovey so that you and Alvin can be 'Beak to Beak' once more. We all miss you, so come back soon!

NEWS!

Congratulations to all the teams who passed their competitive tests at Scarboro on Tuesday, June 24th 2008. You all skated superbly, and we are very proud of you for showing such strong performances so early in the year.

Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill - Senior Competitive. Kharis and Asher have now passed all their competitive tests at Ice Dance Elite.

Abby Carswell - Junior Competitive.

Kelly Oliveira and Jordan Hockley - Novice Competitive.

Alexandra Kourkounakis - Novice Competitive.

Seminars

On Saturday May 10th, Ice Dance Elite members enjoyed two very interesting and informative seminars.

The first one was a 'Nutrition for Athletes' seminar with Susie Langley. Susie is very experienced working with athletes in many different fields, and topics ranged from finding a good energy drink to feeding boys with seemingly bottomless stomachs! Many of our parents took advantage of this seminar, and left with some useful handouts to keep. Skaters know how important it is to fuel the body correctly, but it is always good to get advice from an expert.

Our second seminar was 'Introduction to Psychology' with Dr. Judy Goss. Once agian Judy has worked with many high performance athletes, and was able to bring her experiences to our skaters, reinforcing many of the things they hear every day, and giving them some good strategies for coping with stress. We are hoping to have both Susie and Judy back with us again soon.

After regular skating, everyone stayed on to take part in the Scarboro F.S.C Annual General Meeting and awards banquet. Well, Jon was cooking, so how could we not? The board of directors, coaches, skaters and parents did a great job of decorating the auditorium, Cheryl Holmes and Jon outdid themselves on the pasta bar,and it was a really nice social occasion. Many of the dancers recieved awards for the achievements during the past season. It was also lovely to see Pat Milne, widow of long time Scarboro FSC volunteer Dick Milne, who passed away earlier this year, but will never be forgotten by those who knew him.

All in all, an action-packed day!

Latest News

Congratulations to Briar Koski and Nichlolas Lettner on the 2nd place finish in the Bronze Dance Biathlon event at Homesense Starskate Nationals held in Brampton April 2nd-6th 2008.

Briar and Nick have skated together for fun this season, they both enjoy dancing with a partner more than dancing alone! Starskate Nationals was only their 2nd event together, and we are very proud of their silver medal.

Congratulations also to Alexandra Kourkounakis, a part-time member of IDE, on her gold medal in the ladies Silver Triathlon event at Starskate Nationals.

Latest:

Congratulations to Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier on their silver medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships held in Sophia, Bulgaria, February 25th-March 2nd 2008.

This wonderful result caps a stellar season for Vanessa and Paul, who have moved swiftly through the junior ranks. The team skated superbly in every section of the event. The compulsory dance, the cha cha, was performed with huge edges and speed, a great improvemment from the JGP final which really showed in their seasons best score. Their gypsy OD was lilting and lyrical, definitely their best performance of the year. And what can be added about their tango free dance, which has received rave reviews since its debut in Lake Placid last August? Strong, passionate, and showing a maturity way beyond their years, they once again recieved Level 4 on all elements in this dance, as well as in their OD. To go from 9th last year to 2nd shows just how hard they have worked and improved. Keep it up, the future has no limits!

Congratulations also to Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill, who broke in to the top ten on their first appearence at Junior Worlds, coming 8th overall. Their African themed OD has earned them many fans this year, and they skated with great poise throughout the event. Their compulsory dance personal best score was a particular highlight as it shows their improvement through the year.

Both teams are having a well deserved rest over March break, and then next season.....here we come!

We love Ottawa!

The Junior Canadian National championships took place in Ottawa, Ontario, from January 30th to February 2nd 2008, and what a sensational week for Ice Dance Elite!! Our young teams were prepared and ready for action as they raced into the final event of our domestic season, and their results showed the hard work and dedication they had put in throughout the season.

Novice Dance

In Novice dance, Olivia Martins and Alvin Chau took the Canadian title with a strong, lyrical performance, full of finesse, through the whole event. Olivia has battled back from mono this season, with Alvin supporting her every step of the way on the road to the title. Congratulations on your first national title!

Nikki Yorgiadis & Graham Hockley placed 3rd in the compulsory dances, and put in their best performance of the season in the free dance, which was extremely well received by an appreciative audience. I rarely comment on results, but we all felt they were were undermarked in the free dance. However, we foresee a fine junior season ahead of them as one of the hardest working teams in ice dancing. Well done Nikkii & Graham!

Pre- Novice Dance

In a hotly contested event, the two Scarboro team mates battled it out to an amazing finish. After skating very polished compulsory dances, Abby and Fred went into the free dance with a small lead over Kelly & Jordan, and it was just enough to keep them ahead in the free dance, which both teams skated with their trademark passion and technical proficiency. What a thrill it was to see both IDE teams on the podium, the first time we have acheived this in our history. Truly an event to remember.

Juvenile Dance

This was truly the battle of David & Goliath! Of the 8 teams in the event, our two teams were the smallest and the youngest. But as I always say, we might be small, but we are mighty! After having won the compulsory dances, Mackenzie and Garrett lost the title on the smallest of margins due to a costume deduction. (Those of you with binoculars would have seen me having a teeny meltdown when I got the news!) However, like the troupers they are, they celebrated their silver medal like true champions who know they will live to fight another day.Congratulations to you and your parents, who showed such class throughout the event.

Katie and Dima, what can I say? Your free dance brought the house down with a standing ovation, and your 2nd place finish in that part of the event was well deserved. It was your best performance of the season, and it earned you a Skate Canada 'Possibility' award for outstanding achievement. All your hard work paid off, in more ways than you know.

And so, Ice Dance Elite currently holds the Senior dance 4th place, the Junior Champions of Canada, the Novice Champions of Canada, the Pre-Novice Champions and the Pre-Novice silver medalists of Canada, and the Juvenile Silver medalists of Canada. Not bad eh?

The coaching team, Carol, Juris, Jon ,Donna, Irina and Yuri, would like to salute our talented, fabulous athletes and their long suffering supportive parents. Congratulations to all of you on your hard work, dedication and love of the sport. And remember, you only have five minutes to enjoy it.........................then it's back to work!

Victory in Vancouver!

It was an incredible week of skating in Vancouver at the Canadian Championships, January 15th -20th 2008, and what a week it was for Ice Dance Elite!

Ralph and Hill 3-peat!

Congratulations to Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill on their 3rd consectutive Canadian title! Pre-Novice champions in 2006, Novice champions in 2007, and now Junior champions in 2008, it hardly seems possible that they have acheived so much so quickly. Kharis and Asher skated with great confidence and consistency throughout the event, winning all three portions of the competition. Their African themed OD was a highlight of the event, as it has been all through their season. Kharis and Asher have been named to the Junior National Team, and along with teammates Crone and Poirier, will compete at the Junior World Championships in Sophia, Bulgaria, in February 2008. Kharis and Asher also recieved a Skate Canada Possibility award for outstanding acheivement, the second time they have received this honour. Definitely a week to remember!

Crone and Poirier.....On the rise!

In an amazing senior debut, Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirer delighted the crowd and amazed themselves with a 4th place finish in their first ever senior event. Following a stellar junior season, with wins in 2 grand prix assignments, Vanessa and Paul showed they are more than ready to make the jump to the senior ranks and compete with the best. They were the only team in either of the dance events to receive level 4 (the highest level possible) for all their elements in both the original dance and free dance. To put the icing on the gateaux, Vanessa and Paul placed 2nd overall in the free dance with a stunning performance of their romantic tango, an amazing acheivment for Vanessa, 17, and Paul, 16. Vanessa and Paul have been named to the senior national team, and along with their team mates Ralph and Hill, will compete at the Junior World Championships in Sophia, Bulgaria, in February 2008. They were also named as alternates to the 4 Continents senior international. They are the team to watch!

Congratulations also to Vanessa, Paul and Asher, who all competed in the junior singles events (and they said it couldn't be done!) Paul topped off his week with a silver medal in the junior mens event, an outstanding acheivment, and has been named to the junior national team for singles. When asked what the week in Vancouver was like, the kids replied, 'skate, skate, skate, skate,......sleep!'

We are so lucky to have such talented, committed skaters in our team. Thanks for an amazing week!

Junior Grand Prix
Gdansk, Poland, December 2nd -5th 2007

Congratulations to Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier on their 4th place finish at the Junior Grand Prix final held in Gdansk, Poland, December 2nd -5th 2007.

This result rounded out a great season for Vanessa and Paul, and constituted a great learning experience for the whole IDE team. Vanessa and Paul now move to senior level for Nationals, so it's Yankee Polka all the way!

Eastern Challenge

The Eastern Canadian Challenge event, which is the qualifying event for both Junior and Senior Canadians was held in Mississauga from December 2nd -4th 2007. Ice Dance Elite teams were out in full force for a very tough event, and came through with some great results, urged on by Donna and Jon. Special kudos to Olivia Martins, who competed with a bad case of mono, and her partner Alvin Chau, who did a magnificent job of supporting her through an extremely difficult week. Here are the results:

Kharis and Asher qualified for Senior Canadians in Vancouver, BC, January 14th-20th 2008, where they will compete in Junior Dance. They are joined by Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, who will compete in the Senior dance event for the first time.

All the other teams qualified for Junior Canadians in Ottawa, Jan 29th-Feb 3rd 2008. They will be joined by Mackenzie Bent & Garrett Mackeen, and Katie Desveaux & Dmitre Razgulajevs in Juvenile Dance.

Best of luck everyone. We all know there are still points left on the table...........so go get them!!!!!

Moving right along...........

The road to Nationals was travelled once again this weekend as our teams competed at the Central Ontario Sectional Championships in Midland, Ontario, November 8th-11th 2007. Midland is a small town north of Barrie, and since we had had some snow early this week, we were a bit concerned about travelling. But it turned out to be a gorgeous weekend, with some gorgeous results to go with it. Here they are:-

We are delighted that all teams have qualified for the Eastern Canadian Challenge in Mississauga, December 5th-9th 2007. You can be sure we aill all be redoubling our efforts as we prepare for the event.

More congratulations to Vanessa Crone, 1st in junior ladies, and Paul Poirier and Asher Hill, 1st and 3rd in junior men. Who says you can't do it all?????

Eastern Ontario Sectional Championships
Oshawa, Ontario. November 1st-4th 2007

The road to nationals got underway this weekend with the E.O.S. sectional championships. It was held in the new GM centre in Oshawa, a fabulous facility which could easily host nationals (note to Skate Canada!) The dancers were a little disappointed that they did not get to skate any of their events in the big arena, but this was fixed on Friday night when the Pre-Juveniles and Novices were suddenly booted into the big rink. Due to computer failiures, the other rink was so far behind that we would have still been there now, and even with the switch we didn't get out on Friday night till 11.30pm! Any way, Ron Conacher and his crew managed to keep things humming along, and of course there is a bar in the rink, which always makes things a bit less painful! At the end of the day, we got some great results, and everyone is on their way to the Eastern Canadian Challenge in December. Well done team!

JGP Sheffield

Congratulations to Kharis Ralph & Asher Hill on their 7th place fininsh at their 2nd JGP assignment in Sheffield, England. After a disappointing 12th place in the ChaCha (disappointing only in that they should have scored higher!) they went on to rocket up the standings, coming 6th in the Od and FD, with technical scores in the top 4! These great performances rocketed them to 7th place overall, a great achievement out of 18 teams.

What a great 1st junior season for Kharis & Asher!

Octoberfest
Barrie, Ontario, October 11th-14th 2007

Some of our younger members decided to try their luck at 'Octoberfest this year', and came home with medals! Here are the results.

Congratulations!

Autumn Skate
September 20th-23rd 2007, Ottawa, Ontario

Congratulations to all the teams who competed at Autumn Skate this year. It was a very high standard event with lots of teams competing, and we really got our first chance to see our overall competition for the season. Here are our stellar results.

Crone and Poirier Golden again!

There are not enough words to express how proud we are of Vanessa and Paul on their second gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Zagreb, Croatia, September 26th-30th 2007. This a huge achievement for Vanessa, 16, and Paul, 15, and it puts them into the Grand Prix final in Gdansk, Poland, December 6th-9th 2007. The Ferrets, as they have long been known, overcame an error in their OD to win the free dance with a flawless performance agianst a Russian team who were 4th at Junior Worlds last year when Vanessa and Paul were 9th. This represents a huge inprovement for our team, who are beating their own scores from last year by at least 20 points. Vanessa and Paul are hard at work towards the final, and we wish them the best of luck. Once again, congratulations!

Crone and Poirier are Golden in Romania!

Huge congratulations to Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier on their Gold medal at the 2nd stop on the Junior Grand Prix circuit in Romania, September 5th-9th 2007.

Vanessa & Paul, the reigning Canadian Junior Champions, won all three phases of their event on their way to the top spot. This is their second medal at a Grand Prix, last year they scored a bronze in Norway. Vanessa and Paul are working hard towards their next JGP assignment in Zageb, Croatia, September 26th-29th 2007. Watch for their report on their adventures in Romania, coming soon!

Making A Splash in Lake Placid!

Congratulations to Kharis Ralph & Asher Hill on their 4th place finish at their very first Junior Grand Prix assignment in Lake Placid NY, August 30th -September 2nd 2007. This is only their 2nd event at a junior level!

After a 7th place finish in the compulsory dance due to a slight slip, Kharis and Asher performed their African themed OD perfectly to rocket up the standings. Placing 3rd in the OD, with the 2nd highest technical score, they moved into 5th place, and then into 4th place overall after a fabulous free dance. Kharis and Asher really enjoyed their 1st JGP experience, watch for their report.......coming soon!

Great achievement guys!

August 21st 2007

Ice Dance Elite members enjoyed a session with Canadian skating legend Gary Beacom in our last week of summer school. Gary is known for his innovative use of movement and edges, and the dancers really enjoyed working with him and exploring new and creative ways to move on the ice. A totally "Gary" experience!

Fabulous Thornhill!

Well, what a way to end the summer! The Juvenile, Pre-Novice and Novice teams were all out in force at the annual C.O.S. Thornhill Summer Skate, and doing a terrific job. We are so proud of all of you, you all skated with such confidence and polish. Now just a few more run-thru's with Donna.............................................!!!!!!!!

Results:

Congratulations to Abby, Mackenzie, Kelly, Vanessa, Paul, & Asher, who were all competing in free skate this weekend, and who are all clutching medals!!!!! Who says you can't do it all? And what a muti-talented bunch we are priviledged to work with. Keep it up you guys, you're the best!

International Assignments

Congratulations to Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier and Kharis Ralph & Asher Hill on their selection for Junior Grand Prix assignments in the upcoming 2007-08 season.

Kharis & Asher will compete at JGP #1 in Lake Placid, NY, August 29th-September 2nd.

Vanessa & Paul will compete at JGP #2 in Miercureau, Romania, Sept 6th-9th and JGP #5 Zagreb, Croatia, Sept 27th-30th.

Good luck to both teams!

The Best Ever Lake Placid!

Yes, Lake Placid is over for another year! All the preparation, all the hard work, was worth it. Our teams came out strongly in their first competition of the year, and showed that they were prepared and ready. On a gorgeous weekend in August, up against some of the strongest competition we shall see all year, we kept our cool, put in some wonderful performances, and came away revved up and ready to go for the new season.

Here are the results:

For more lake Placid info, check out ice dance.com, and the USFSA website.

While were at Lake Placid, Mackenzie Bent and Garrett Mackeen attended the Minto competition, and came 3rd in the Juvenile Compulsory Dance and 1st in the Juvenile free dance.

Well done, and what a great weekend!