Five Quebecers in action at Skate America will leave Massachusetts with a medal. After seeing Maxime Deschamps and Deanna Stellato-Dudek finish second in pairs, as did Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier decorated in bronze, the skaters Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac won bronze on Sunday in ice dancing.
The competition was held in Norwood and marked the start of the Grand Prix season in figure skating.
Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac were hoping for a podium, but they didn’t know which step their routine would allow them to climb. A good short program for 72.12 on Saturday set the tone.
“We are really happy with what we have done in rhythmic dance, we could not have hoped for better! We spent a lot of time in training and we are happy to see it paid off, “shared Le Gac.
The duo cemented third place on Sunday by earning 106.18 points for their free program bringing their cumulative to 178.30. Some adjustments will have to be made to this routine, but nothing to make them smile.
“We have been working on it for a long time and we have this goal in mind. It is a bit of a dream that we have had and opens the door to many other dreams. We will continue to work in this direction to reach them. “ – Marie-Jade Lauriault
It was the local favorites who took gold and silver. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker won with 202.80 points, closely followed by Madison Chock and Evan Bates with 202.07 points.
Also in action this weekend in ice dancing, the duo of Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus finished eighth with a cumulative score of 163.65.
Successful beginnings
Maxime Deschamps and his partner Deanna Stellato-Dudek were together in a first Grand Prix and their entry was successful.
After delivering the third best short program on Friday, they improved on Saturday to finish in second place, with a personal best of 197.89 points.
Americans Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier beat them by just 3.50 points.
“For our first experience in a Grand Prix, our goal was just to improve our scores, which we managed to do. We have had results that we did not expect in the short program. All we wanted was to get on the ice and performer as best we could, ”Deschamps said.
“In the free program it was a battle from start to finish, we gave our all and kept a good score, so we were very satisfied here too. “
Deschamps and Stellato-Dudek were followed by their compatriots Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier in the final standings. The latter accumulated 156.94 points to get on the podium at their first Grand Prix.
“We are super happy, we had no expectations when we got here. For us, we just wanted to come here to experience pleasure and experience, Loucas Ethier said. Our short program motivated and energized us. We had an opportunity and we took it. “
The many Canadian fans gave wings to the Quebec duo, in an atmosphere they greatly appreciated.
“It was really fun! I felt at home, in my place. I am very happy with both programs and I am very proud of what we have achieved,” said Kelly Ann Laurin.
“We can use what we have done as a plateau and bet even better next week. We will go home to perfect little things and do our best at Skate Canada, ”concluded Ethier.
The next Grand Prix will be the Skate Canada Grand Prix scheduled for next weekend in Mississauga, Ontario.
