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Skaters aim to cash in
Four Continents event offers $517,000 US in extra incentive
But maybe more importantly, they'll be working hard for the money at the first Four Continents Figure Skating Championship, which opens tonight at Halifax's Metro Centre.
More than $500,000 US is up for grabs at the event, which was created two years ago by the International Skating Union as a counterpart to the European championships. It's an extra warmup for next month's world championships for skaters outside Europe, one last opportunity to present programs in front of a panel of international judges.
But make no mistake about it, the cash available is no small part of the picture in a sport filled with more than just a few pricey bills. A medal in the men's or ladies' competition will get you at least $11,000 US. The payoff for bronze in ice dance or pairs events is $16,500 per couple -- and it's double that for gold.
"The money can really help you ... it can help you just to continue skating," said Chantal Lefebvre of LaSalle, Que., who skates out of the Minto Skating Club with Gatineau's Michel Brunet. "If you don't have (enough money), it's hard to keep motivated. It really encourages you when you have a chance like this."
Canadians should do well that way in all disciplines this week. The Richmond Hill duo of Elvis Stojko and Emanuel Sandhu could well reprise their duel for gold at last month's Canadian championships in Ottawa.
Three-time world bronze medallists Shae-Lynn Bourne of Chatham and Victor Kraatz of Vancouver should win the ice dance event, with Lefebvre and Brunet in the hunt for bronze or possibly even the silver medal.
China's Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao are the favourites in the pairs competition, but two-time Canadian champions Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz, who live and train in Montreal, will push them hard. However, the promising Canadian team of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier was forced to withdraw because of an injury to the latter.
Fumie Suguri of Japan, a silver-medal winner at Skate Canada in Kamloops, B.C. earlier this year, is likely the favourite among the women (U.S. and world champion Michelle Kwan declined to enter). But reigning national champion Jennifer Robinson of Windsor, 1998 Canadian champ Angela Derochie of Ottawa and Quebec's Annie Bellemare could all possibly figure in the medal mix.
A NEW ICE WORLD
* WHAT: International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championship
* WHERE: Halifax, tonight through Saturday
* WHO: Open to skaters from North America, Australia/New Zealand, Asia and Africa. The event, being held for the first time, is equivalent in status to the European championships
* AT STAKE: $517,000 US in prize money. The top three finishers in the men's and ladies' events earn $22,000, $16,500 and $11,000, respectively. In dance and pairs, the top three teams get cheques for $33,000, $24,750 and $16,500, respectively. For some, the meet is also a final warmup for next month's world championships in Helsinki, Finland
* TV: CTV will have six hours of coverage on Saturday, noon-3 p.m. and 8-11 p.m.