CTV/TSN’s coverage of the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL begins this Friday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. ET on TSN1 and TSN3 (see below for a complete broadcast schedule). While figure skating is known for its artistry and flair, there is plenty of preparation that goes on behind the scenes – both on and off the ice. Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL.
KEY STORYLINE: Patrick Chan makes his return
Following the last Winter Olympic Games, three-time World Champion Patrick Chan decided to take a break from competitive skating. After a year off, Chan is back and ready to hit the ice again. His first competition will be in Lethbridge, Alta. at this week’s 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL. CTV/TSN figure skating analyst Tracy Wilson has more (see above for link to video and article).
CTV/TSN has a 55-member production crew in Lethbridge to produce the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL
CTV/TSN figure skating analyst Tracy Wilson is a seven-time national Ice Dance champion with the late Rob McCall. Wilson also captured three World Championship bronze medals and a bronze medal at the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games – marking the first Canadian Olympic medal for Ice Dance in the history of the event.
For the fifth consecutive year, Tracy Wilson is part of the CTV/TSN figure skating broadcast team, alongside hosts Brian Williams and Rod Black and rinkside reporter Sara Orlesky.
CTV/TSN will showcase all eight programs from the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL: Ice Dance Short Dance, Ice Dance Free Dance, Ladies’ Short Program, Ladies’ Free Program, Men’s Short Program, Men’s Free Program, Pairs Short Program, and Pairs Free Program.
KEY STORYLINE: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are ready for an encore
Last season, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford had a dream year in the pairs skating world, which they capped off by winning their first World Championship title. So what will they do for an encore? CTV/TSN figure skating reporter Sara Orlesky has more (see above for video link).
Brian Williams, CTV/TSN host of the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL, recalls a shift in the Canadian figure skating scene back in 1989:
"SKATE CANADA is a top-flight international competition and one of my favourite memories of international competition is the 1989 World Championships in Paris. At the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, Brian Orser and Liz Manley both won silver medals. Our own Tracy Wilson and the late Rob McCall won a bronze in Dance. They all ushered in a Golden Age of Canadian figure skating. In Paris one year later, Kurt Browning won the first of his four World Championships (I covered all four) and Lyndon Johnston and Cindy Landry won silver in pairs. As we head to Lethbridge for the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL, it's interesting because the last time SKATE CANADA was in Lethbridge? (1990), Kurt, who is from Caroline, Alta. won the men's."
Fifty-six skaters from 11 countries will participate in the 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL.
This is the second of six major events on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit and the first on CTV/TSN’s figure skating calendar. CTV/TSN’s figure skating coverage continues with the 2016 CANADIAN TIRE NATIONAL SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS, running January 18-24 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S.
CTV/TSN’s 2015 SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL broadcast schedule is as follows*:
Friday, Oct. 30
Saturday, Oct. 31
* Schedule subject to change
**Please check CTV.ca for local listings
– CTV/TSN –
Subscribe to our media lists to receive official press releases and alerts from Bell Media PR.