Richmond Hill, Vaughan skaters set to make mark at Canadian nationals

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 19, 2015
By David Li

Richmond Hill-area skaters will be looking to make their mark when the Canadian national figure skating championships take place this week in Kingston.

Conrad Orzel, Richard Beauchesne, Cassandra Leung and Roman Sadovsky from the Richmond Hill-based York Region Skating Academy will be competing starting Monday.

“We have four skaters going to nationals; and they’ve all been training really hard in preparation,” said Tracey Wainman, a former two-time Canadian women’s champion, who currently coaches Sadovsky.

Wainman says Sadovsky, a Vaughan youngster who caught the attention of Canadian skating fans with his brilliant performance at last year’s championships, is eager to take to the ice again this year.

“Roman has had a great year and such great experiences,” said Wainman about the 15-year-old rising star and Bill Crothers Secondary student in Markham, who earned a gold medal at the season’s first Junior Grand Prix event in the Czech Republic last September.

“He’s well prepared and I know he’s excited to compete; he wants to go in and do two clean programs,” Wainman added.

Other notable skaters from York Region competing in Kingston will be Newmarket’s Gabby Daleman, who trains in Richmond Hill, and Unionville’s Paul Poirier.

With defending Canadian champion, Kaetlyn Osmond, on the sidelines due to injury, Daleman will be one of the favourites to be crowned champion in the senior women’s division this year.

Meanwhile, Poirier along with his partner Piper Gilles will also be looking for a spot on the podium in the ice dance competition.

The Canadian national figure skating championships begin today and run through to Jan. 25.