Canada's Paige Lawrence is lifted by her partner Rudi Swiegers during their free program to win the bronze medal in the pairs competition at the Skate Canada International figure skating competition October 30, 2010 in Kingston, Ont.
Paul Chiasson/THE CANADIAN PRESS
KINGSTON—Rudi Swiegers, dripping perspiration, tried to give Paige Lawrence a congratulatory hug on their first-ever Grand Prix medal.
“Eww,’’ the Saskatchewan-born daughter of a former professional bull rider objected, recoiling from a damp embrace. “You reek Rudy! It’s really gross.
“I mean that in the best way possible.”
This is the kind of Real Lifestyles of Figure Skating that goes on beyond the televised kiss-and-cry area at competitions.
In fact, with confirmation that the pair had just scooped bronze at Skate Canada Saturday afternoon – this, an endlessly also-ran team ranked only sixth nationally – Lawrence did submit to the boy-clinch.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the bowels of the K-Rock Centre here, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch had to nail-bite it out, waiting for the Russian board-leaders to settle the complete medal matter.
In the end, the youthful duo – who only received their injury-replacement invitation to this event on Tuesday – snagged silver on the strength of a top-scored free program that vaulted them from fifth, clearing both sets of Canadian rivals.
So that’s the short story following the long skate segment at Skate Canada, second stop on the Grand Prix circuit: Heartening results and perchance a glimpse at the next Olympiad future for a country with a long tradition of strong teams in pairs skating.
Reigning champions Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison aren’t here, withdrawing after the latter suffered a knee injury in practice last week, requiring expedient surgery. Gone as well are familiar twosomes from recent years, partnerships dissolved through retirement.
In their stead, at least at this event, were youthful and itching to impress duos, revelling in the spotlight and delighted over a job well done, silver and bronze, if nipped for gold by Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze, atop the standings by less than one point.
On the evidence of Skate Canada, the Canadian kids look ready for prime time.
“We’ve got stuff to show too,” Lawrence declared. “This is good for the up-and-comings in pairs skating in Canada.”
And third, after a career-defining string of No. 4 results – fourth at nationals, fourth at junior worlds—was a hugely pleasing breakthrough.
Mostly, said Swiegers, it proved that the couple belongs up here with the international elite skaters. “Since we rose up in juniors, we’ve always been kind of underdogs in the sense that we always just make it into the finals and we always just make it up there with the big dogs.
“And now we know that we fit in here.’’
The real eye-opener of this event, though, were the last-minute replacements, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch, at least in their wow-factor free skate that cranked up the marks.
Most breathtaking was an overhead lasso lift with multiple transitions, variations, directions, and innovative ascent/descent. The manoeuvre lasts about 14 seconds – “our slow part’’, Moscovitch describes it—and brought Saturday’s crowd roaring to its feet at the program’s end.
“Oh my goodness, at the end I couldn’t even hear our music,” trilled 18-year-old Moore-Towers, who hails from Waterloo. “We were in our side-by-side spin and Dylan has to call for me to change positions and I was worried I wouldn’t hear him. But he did a good job yelling.’’
Moscovitch: “Yay me.”
Moore-Towers says that her partner makes it look easy. He counters: “How would you know? You’re up there.’’
But the trick has become something of a trademark, as “The Goose’’ did last year for ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Muir, though these younglings haven’t yet presumed to name their move.
“We’ll get back to you. We’ll come up with something.’’
This free skate effort drew marks 10 points better than their previous personal best and went a long way toward erasing the disappointment from a short program skate wherein Moore-Towers fell on her side-by-side triple Salchow.
Canada’s third entrant here, the recently united Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, experienced some long program conniptions – she, the far more experienced half, blew two jumps – but finished fourth overall in an admittedly weak field.
“Silly, silly,” admitted Duhamel of her completely cocked-up triple toe and aborted triple-double-double combination.
Whether Davison is healthy in time to defend his national title with Dube in January, the Canadians are shaping up as a dandy battle.
Promises Lawrence: “Oh yeah. It’s going to be a good time, a good show.”
