Hole, Charbonneau among world’s best junior skaters

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This article was published 18/01/2010 (5758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON, Ont. — Feisty, fun and fearless.

That’s how Kaleigh Hole’s coach describes the Virden figure skater and likely explains how she and pairs partner Adam Johnson became the fifth-ranked junior team in the world just eight months into their partnership.

Next month, while the elite of Canadian figure skating are living their Olympic dreams in Vancouver, Hole, 16, and Johnson, 21, will be back training ahead of their bid for a medal at the world junior championships in early March.

The couple ranked an impressive seventh in senior pairs competition on the weekend, continuing their ever-growing string of successful outings, which includes a gold and silver medal at junior Grand Prix international competitions last fall. Their coaches all but confirmed that Hole and Johnson will head to the global meet in The Hague, Netherlands, however, Skate Canada won’t make that official until later this week.

"I think we’re capable of making the podium at junior worlds since we saw the (worlds) top five at the Grand Prix final," said Hole, who trains in Strathroy, Ont., a short drive from here.

"We have two triple throws in the long program now and another (individual) triple jump."

Winnipeg-born Kate Charbonneau, 16, is in contention for a berth on the world junior team, as well, but with only one opening for a Canadian women versus three for pairs, her selection is not nearly as certain.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada’s high performance director, advised that Charbonneau, the 2008 national junior champion, is under consideration based on an international podium finish last fall and a seventh-place showing in her senior debut on the weekend.

Charbonneau, herself, however was upset with her performances here, which included two failed triple Lutz attempts and other jump miscues. More mental training and increasing her ability to focus will remedy that, her coach Robert Tebby suggested.

"I just wish I had skated better," a teary-eyed Charbonneau said after her skate. "To me, the placement doesn’t matter as much as how I skated and I know I can skate a lot better than that."

Meanwhile, senior pairs contenders Paige Lawrence, 19, and Rudi Swiegers, 22, self-described Saskatobans who train and live in Virden, enjoyed a standing ovation for their peppy and technically sharp short program, but mistakes in the finale relegated them to a sixth-place finish overall.

In junior ice dance, Thompson’s Martin Nickel, 20, and his Edmonton-born partner, Alexa-Marie Arrotta, 17, settled for fourth. A fall in the original dance likely cost them a medal.