LAVAL, Que. — Madeline Schizas wants her crown back.
The two-time national women’s champion enters this weekend’s Canadian figure skating championships hungry for redemption after falling short of a three-peat last year.
"I'm very motivated,” a confident Schizas said Friday after her practice session at Place Bell. “I'd like to win another Canadian title, so I'm just trying to zone in on that.
"I know that if I skate my best, I can win. And if I skate my best, I'm competitive with some of the best skaters in the world.”
The women’s short program takes place Saturday, followed by Sunday’s free program at Place Bell.
A year ago, Calgary’s Kaiya Ruiter captured gold in her hometown after Schizas dropped from first to second following a free program riddled with mistakes.
“It was a waste of everyone's time including mine,” Schizas said at the time.
The 21-year-old from Oakville, Ont., isn’t dwelling on that nightmarish performance anymore.
“I'm skating really well,” she said. “I just skated a clean program in the practice, I feel good. The training has helped me shed whatever ghosts there were."
Schizas put down two strong programs to place fifth at Skate Canada International in October, finishing less than two points off the podium with a near personal best.
She’ll debut a new free program in Laval, swapping her “Danse Macabre” routine for a slower-paced skate to “Butterfly Lovers Concerto,” which she believes better suits her style.
“She's just maturing nicely into competing and feeling comfortable with the pressure,” coach Nancy Lemaire said. “Having a good season this year has helped.”
Lemaire said last year’s event didn’t feel like a typical nationals with small crowds amid temperatures that reached -30 C in Calgary.
This weekend, tickets for Saturday and Sunday in the 1,800-seat practice rink at Place Bell have sold out. Schizas, whose parents are from Montreal, says both sides of her family will help fill the stands.
“That's really exciting for me, the prospect of winning a Canadian title with so many of the people who love me here,” she said.
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old Ruiter says she feels different as the reigning national champion but isn’t changing her mindset.
“It's the same thing that we're going out there for — to go out and do your personal best,” she said.
Schizas or Ruiter hope to earn two Olympic quota spots for Canada with a top-10 finish at the world championships set for March 24-30 in Boston.
Canada will only send one woman to Boston after Schizas finished 18th in Montreal last year. Lemaire said Schizas has grown into the role of being the leading Canadian woman since being thrown into the fire as an 18-year-old at the 2022 Olympics.
“There's a lot of weight on your shoulders being the only girl going,” Lemaire said. “Now she's ready to be the person that people expected her to be four years ago.”
'JUST A BLIP'
Decorated ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier intend to leave their mistakes in 2024. Poirier uncharacteristically fell in their last two competition, including the Grand Prix Final in December where his skate caught the boards during the rhythm dance.
“We just chalked it up as it was just a blip,” Gilles said. “We just kind of have to put that part of the season behind us.”
Gilles and Poirier, who are aiming for their fourth Canadian title this weekend, responded with the second-best score of the free dance to place fifth. They finished behind fellow Canadians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, adding intrigue to the ice dance competition on Saturday and Sunday.
Lagha downplayed the impact of outperforming Gilles and Poirier for the first time.
“We didn't prove anything,” he said. “When we'll be ready to really be ahead of them, the judges will just simply put us there.”
INSPIRED BY PACQUIAO
Little-known men’s skater Edrian Paul Celestino is competing in his first Canadian championship since 2018.
The 26-year-old who took a unique path also says he’s hanging his blades up after the event.
In 2019, Celestino switched from competing for Canada to skating for the Philippines, winning two national championships in his parents' native country.
Celestino's interest in his family’s heritage — and his love for legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao — played a role in that decision.
“Growing up, I always watched Manny Pacquiao,” he said. “I thought that would be so cool if I could get on the Philippine soil to be able to perform for them.”
Celestino continued training in his hometown of Montreal while jumping flights across the globe to compete. After several injuries, he thought returning to Canadian nationals in nearby Laval, Que., would be a good way to bow out.
"I feel like I could still go on, but my body's telling me no," he said. “I thought it would be a great fairy tale ending to do my last competition here."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
