Banner Season: Deep, decorated roster looks to skate the Varsity Blues to fifth straight banner
Toronto – The Toronto Varsity Blues have found their stride on the ice over the last half decade and they’ll look to extend their winning streak to five at the 2020 OUA Figure Skating Championship. It won’t be an easy skate to victory; however, with schools sending standouts across the 14-event schedule. From the similar pairs and freeskate fours to the open rhythm dance and synchro, figure skating’s finest will flood the ice for two days of provincial competition. And with a chance to cap off their banner season experience with a win, the reigning champions and the entirety of the nine-team field will need to put their best foot forward this week at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
2020 OUA Figure Skating Championship Fan Guide
Looking to keep the drive for five alive for the Varsity Blues will be a number of returning medalists from last year’s squad; a group that reached the podium in 13 of the championship’s 14 events. Not only that, but the momentum has remained intact heading into the 2020 edition, as Toronto took home the overall victories at both the Fall and Winter Invitationals.
Back to defend her OUA title in the novice short program – one of four gold medal finishes from a year ago for Toronto – is Keiko Marshall (Burlington, Ont.), who will also pair up with Melanie Zavitski (Grafton, Ont.), a reigning gold medalist as well, in the senior similar pairs. Emma Jianopolous (Belleville, Ont.) will headline the dance fours, who will be eyeing their second straight title in the event, while also teaming up with Stéphanie Carroll (Unionville, Ont.) to improve upon their silver-medal finish in the Star 10 similar dance.
Fifth-year standout Chyna Hui (Richmond Hill, Ont.), owner of 11 OUA podium finishes during her university career, is set to keep Toronto’s medal hopefuls at the forefront and add to already impressive haul of hardware on the banner season stage when she competes in the Star 10 solo dance and Star 8/9 similar dance.
Even though the Blues made themselves right at home on the podium a year ago, the Western Mustangs were nipping at their heels, finishing just nine points back of the four-time reigning champions. Entering the week’s championship as the most recent team other than Toronto to claim the title (2015), the ‘Stangs will also turn to some medal-happy skaters to lead the way. Among them will be fourth-year participant Denis Margalik (Richmond Hill, Ont.), who took home the gold medal and all-star honours in the open men’s freeskate in 2019.
No stranger to hardware themselves, the McMaster Marauders – the final member of the overall podium a year ago – are looking to maintain their medal-winning ways when they head to the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Among those who have shown this knack for top-three results that will be part of the maroon machine this week are Isabella Mancini (Burlington, Ont.) and Belvina Mao (Richmond, B.C.).
The former, who enters as the reigning OUA silver medalist in the novice short program, also picked up a trio of medals at this year’s Winter Invitational. The sophomore finished first in the novice short, second in open rhythm dance, and third in pair fours at the event; all of which should spark confidence in a strong showing at her second banner season finale. Mao, meanwhile, will bring a couple more championship appearances with her, and has made the most of that additional university tenure. On top of being a multi-time medalist at the Winter Invitational, she is also a former champion in Star 10 solo dance at the last two OUA finales. The Hamilton squad will hope that trend continues to help cement themselves among the overall leaders.
The Queen’s Gaels saw sizzling success at the winter event as well and will hope to translate that third-place result into a step onto the championship podium. Finding such success becomes a much more realistic endeavor with the right people leading the way, and with a pair of capable co-captains anchoring a group that has half of their contingent competing in their first or second OUA championship, the Tricolour seem poised to execute on their goals.
In her second season as co-captain, Brittaney Everitt (Wilton, CT) is set to make the most of her fourth and final championship appearance. A two-time bronze medal winner at the Winter Invitational (solo and similar dance events), she will set her sights even higher this week. Skating right alongside Everitt in the similar dance will be fellow captain Charlotte Lawson. The Toronto, Ont. native, who has taken on the captaincy role for the first time this year, has teamed up with Everitt for the past three seasons in the event and will be eyeing a third straight OUA medal in the process.
Not only have Everitt and Lawson performed on the ice, but they are confident in the rest of their young group and the work they’ve put in ahead of the year’s final chapter. “The team has worked hard at practice five mornings a week since October and everyone is looking forward to skating their best.” Continued the co-captains, “we are prepared”.
Also prepared for the task ahead are the Ryerson Rams, who not only plan on playing the role of hosts, but also contenders. The Rams have put in a lot of hours to prepare their routines and are ready to showcase them and represent Ryerson at the highest level on home ice. The team missed the podium by just 11 points last year, and if they want to make a run for an overall medal, some of their returning individual medalists will need to play a leading role.
Winning the OUA gold medal in the Star 10 freeskate a year ago was Kaitlyn Wilson and the Waterloo, Ont. native has backed up that performance with a silver-medal finish at the Fall Invitational. She’ll be joined by Rebecca Bourgeois, who will have her name called several times at this week’s festivities. The Stouffville, Ont. native, who scored silver a year ago as part of the dance fours team, will be appearing in four events this championship, including dance fours, gold solo dance, Star 10 similar dance, and synchro.
A team really looking to settle into their own alongside the host squad is the Guelph Gryphons, who despite boasting a youthful roster, have some high expectations. “Although many of our skaters are still settling into the world of OUA varsity skating,” said head coach Janet Gibson, “our hopes remain extremely high for our kids, who have worked hard all season and turned in some really nice results along the way.”
Sprinkled in amongst this youthful presence, however, are some standout competitors, who not only have the potential to shine on the provincial stage, but have done so already. The Gryphons return a pair of OUA all-stars from a season ago, with third-year Natalia Savor (Pickering, Ont.) and sophomore Carling Allen (Keswick, Ont.) looking to defend their gold medal performance from a season ago in the intermediate similar pairs event.
Carrying on with the youth movement, the Brock Badgers are also seeing their first- and second-year skaters take a step up after watching many of their seniors graduate last year. “This young but powerful team has grown so much in such a small amount of time,” expressed Katie McGarrigle. “The group was quick to bond and become a family. We are so proud of all the hard work these athletes have put into their training this season.”
While the newcomers will be centre stage, the Badgers do have six individuals back for another banner season appearance, including Bralyn Nelson (St. Ann’s, Ont.) and Delaney Dunford (Oakville, Ont.). Nelson has many achievements in her four years with Brock, including podium finishes in her gold freeskate, senior pairs, and pairs four. Her top achievements are being crowned an OUA silver medalist in 2017 and bronze medalist in 2018, and she’d like to add another top-three finish to her already impressive trophy case. Dunford, meanwhile, has seen her greatest achievements extend both on and off the ice. She enters as a well-established skater in both singles and synchro, even being nationally ranked in the latter. Since being accepted to Brock, not only has the fourth-year skater excelled on the ice and in the classroom, she also contributes to her community by mentoring high school students with special needs.
The final participating teams will come from Carleton and Waterloo, with the Ravens looking to defend their medal-winning efforts in last year’s open rhythm dance (gold) and intermediate similar pairs (silver), and the Warriors in the gold freeskate (bronze).
All 14 events at this year’s OUA Figure Skating Championship will make Mattamy Athletic Centre the place to be on February 10 to 11. The Monday slate will start with the Star 10 similar dance at 9:00am, with the final event of the day – the dance fours – hitting the ice at 3:50pm. The competition will be capped off on Tuesday with the final seven events, starting at 8:00am and wrapping up with the awards ceremony at 3:50pm. The event will also be streamed live on oua.tv.
