Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (2004-08) announced yesterday they will not compete at the 2009 International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 3-6, due to illness.

Belbin has been suffering from an infected wisdom tooth that required immediate oral surgery to avoid medical complications. Her oral surgeon advised her to avoid strenuous activity for at least one week following the surgery.

“Tanith had been attempting to control the infection with antibiotics, but, unfortunately, surgery became necessary in order to prevent more serious problems,” Agosto said. “The surgery was completed today, and it will be about a week before she can return to full training."

Belbin and Agosto said they are confident that they will be ready to compete at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-24, in Spokane, Wash.

"Tanith and I are very disappointed that we won't be able to compete at the Grand Prix Final,” said Agosto. “As soon as Tanith is ready, we’ll be back on the ice and training for U.S. Championships in January.”

Belbin and Agosto are four-time World medalists, winning silver in 2005 and 2009, and bronze in 2006-07. They also won silver at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The team trains in Aston, Pa., under the direction of former Olympic champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

For the full-list of skaters in the Grand Prix Final, click HERE.

With the 2009-10 Grand Prix Series concluded, the finalists now have been determined. Many favorites' tickets were punched for Tokyo where the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will be held Dec. 3 to 6. There were also a few surprises during the series.

The men's field is stellar with several World champions and medalists in the mix. Reigning World champion Evan Lysacek will be looking for his first Grand Prix Final title. When he won Worlds last season, he became the first U.S. man to win the global title in 13 years. However, the 2008-09 season saw him lose his national title to Jeremy Abbott, who also claimed the Grand Prix Final gold medal last season.

Abbott is back in this year's field. France's Brian Joubert, the 2007 World champion, also earned a berth to this season's final. Nobunari Oda, who won two gold medals on the series, is in the final as is teammate Daisuke Takahashi, who missed the entire 2008-09 season after tearing ligaments in his right knee. Takahashi is the 2007 World silver medalist. American Johnny Weir, the 2008 World bronze medalist, clinched a spot in the field as well.

The men are ranked as follows: Oda, Lysacek, Joubert, Abbott, Takahashi and Weir.

In the ladies field (in order of ranking) are reigning World champion Yu-Na Kim (KOR), 2007 World champion Miki Ando (JPN), reigning World silver medalist Joannie Rochette (CAN), Alena Leonova (RUS), Ashley Wagner (USA) and Akiko Suzuki (JPN).

Noticeably missing is 2008 World champion Mao Asada of Japan, who struggled on the Grand Prix Series this season.

The pairs finalists (in order of ranking) are Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (CHN), Qing Pang and Jian Tong (CHN), Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov (RUS), Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (GER), Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov (RUS) and Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (CHN).

In ice dance the following couples (in order of ranking) will be in the final: Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA), Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (CAN), Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (USA), Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (FRA), Anna Cappellini and Luca LaNotte (ITA) and Sinead Kerr and John Kerr (GBR).

Belbin and Agosto have withdrawn from the event; the first alternates who will take their place are reigning European champions Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitksi of Russia.

Overall, 24 skaters/couples from 10 ISU members will compete in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada danced to victory on the final day of Skate Canada International. France’s Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat took the silver medal and Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje earned the bronze, the first Grand Prix medal of their career.

Virtue and Moir posted a season best 103.12 (50.60 element score/52.52 program component score) and accumulated a total of 204.38, which was the highest score any dance couple has achieved so far this season.

“Tessa and I were extremely determined today to come out and to skate well," Moir said. "We obviously didn’t have our best skate yesterday. We just tried to stay as relaxed as possible. We knew we would have the energy that we would need."

Virtue and Moir perfromed a stellar dance to the “Adagietto” from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The program was highlighted by difficult lifts including a curve-rotational with many changes of position and a straight-line lift with her standing unsupported on his leg and exiting with a little jump. Virtue and Moir earned a level four for all their lifts and the spin and a level three for the two step sequences.

Péchalat and Bourzat presented an innovative dance to “Kika” and “Requiem for a Dream” that featured interesting lifts and smooth footwork. They scored a season-best 93.47 (47.50/45.97) and earned a competition mark of 185.07. "It was quite perfect for us," Péchalat said. "We did our job without a mistake. Today was the first time (we’ve competed) in Canada and did the job. It will be good to go to the Olympic Games with this competition behind us."

Weaver and Poje danced to “Phantom of the Opera” and impressed with effortless lifts that all were awarded a level four. The Canadians received 82.28 points (42.10/40.18) and were ranked fourth in the free dance but overall remained in third place with 165.64 points.

"We were under a little pressure because we wanted to skate it well in front of everyone at home. Even though there were a couple of little mistakes, we feel very proud of what we put out there today. We definitely have room to grow before nationals but we’re happy about this performance," Weaver said.

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev (RUS) finished third in the free dance with a program to “Adagio” and overall pulled up from fifth to fourth at 161.68 points. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates (USA) came in fifth with 160.76 points.

Virtue and Moir and Pechalat and Bourzat qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy skated to victory in the pairs event at Skate Canada in Kitchener, Ont. yesterday, and in the process set a new world record with their overall score of 206.71. Russia’s Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov claimed the silver medal and the bronze went to Canadians Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison.

Overnight leaders Savchenko and Szolkowy skated last and put out a breathtakingly beautiful program to “Outside of Africa.” The reigning World champions earned 132.55 points (66.55 element score/66.00 program component score) in the free skate and their overall mark of 206.71 points surpassed the 206.54 points of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao (CHN) set in 2005.

“It's a very nice feeling, but it is not us who judge. We just try to interpret the program as well as we can so we don’t get ones,” Savchenko said.

Savchenko and Szolkowy's program was highlighted by a triple toe-triple toe sequence, a throw triple flip, a triple twist, difficult lifts and a throw triple Salchow in the last seconds of the routine. Their spins were graded a level four as well as the lifts and the spiral sequence, while the death spiral was a level three. The only glitch came when they both singled the Axel. “We felt good during our program. There was one mistake, but it felt very good that we did what we do in practice,” Savchenko said on getting one 10.0 score for performance.

The Germans had dumped their previous program right after a disappointing performance at Trophée Bompard where they had finished third. “It was a good decision to change our free program. Now we have a new program, new skates and new costumes,” said Szolkowy with a smile.

Mukhortova and Trankov received a deduction of two points for an interruption and scored 119.91 points (63.11/58.80) for their free skate. They totaled 185.71 points. “When I did my double Axel, my bootstrap was broken. I felt it on my lift. The referee gave me a signal that I had to stop, so I must stop. I didn’t want to do it but it was (the regulations),” Trankov said. “We started to skate again. It was nothing special.”

The European bronze medalists landed a high triple twist early in the program as well as a solid triple toe-double toe combination and a double Axel in their romantic routine to “Love Story.” At that point, Trankov’s bootstrap came loose and referee Patrick Ibens stopped the performance. After the brief interruption the Russians continued as if nothing had happened, nailing the throw triple loop and Salchow, producing strong lifts and a level four pair combination spin; only their side-by-side spin was out of sync and garnered only a level two.

Skating to “The Way We Were,” Dubé and Davison opened with a triple twist but then he singled the second jump in the double Axel-double Axel sequence while she stumbled on the triple Salchow. The 2008 World bronze medalists recovered to produce lifts with many variations and a throw triple Lutz, but Dubé touched down with her hand on the throw triple loop and the pair combination spin received no credit as she put her foot down. The Canadians collected 109.03 points (52.95/56.08) and overall had 166.93 points.

“The performance was better than (the Grand Prix) in France but technically, we made a lot of mistakes,” Dubé said. “We left a lot of points on the table.”

Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay (CAN) finished fourth with a solid program that included a triple twist, throw triple loop and Salchow as well as side-by-side triple Salchows (159.95 points). Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett (USA) came in fifth with a dynamic performance. They landed triple throws and a triple toe loop.

Both Savchenko and Szolkowy and Mukhortova and Trankov qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

ICE DANCE

Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir defended their overnight lead in ice dance. Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat of France came in second in the free dance and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje (CAN) remained in third place.

Virtue and Moir had picked a sultry Spanish Flamenco and produced fast-paced footwork and a curve lift with her upside down. They were awarded a level four for the lift and the twizzles and a level three for the circular footwork, while the side-by-side footwork was a level two. However, the performance was marred by two uncharacteristic slip-ups by Virtue during transition moves. Moir caught his partner twice and prevented her from falling. The reigning World bronze medalists earned 60.57 points (29.50 element score/31.07 program component score) and compiled 101.26 points with two parts of the event completed.

“It was a little bit of a tricky skate for Tessa and I today," Moir said. “We are a little bit disappointed. We’ve trained that program so hard in the last four weeks and it was a lot better than it was today.”

"We've been training this program really well and we felt prepared, so it was kind of a shock to us," Virtue added.

The French champions scored 56.05 points (27.90/28.15) and now have accumulated 91.60 points overall.
"It was difficult for us to skate between two Canadian (couples) because we can see how much they love their skaters, which is normal," Péchalat said. "But it was a good job and a good moment for us."

Pechalat and Bourzat turned in an entertaining American Country Dance to “Thank God, I’m a Country Boy” and “It’s Not Over Now.” They completed a difficult straight line lift with changes of position and smooth steps, picking up a level three for both the circular and the side-by-side step sequences.

“Each year we want to bring some fun into our programs,” Bourzat explained. “Last year we had the Circus free dance and this year our free dance is more serious, so we chose a lighter theme for the original dance. We fell in love with that music the first time we’ve heard it. Although we had a level four for the circular footwork at Trophée Bompard and had a level three here, I think we overall had more energy today and skated better.”

Weaver and Poje danced to a Flamenco like Virtue/Moir and effectively used a fan in the routine. The couple that had gone to Spain to study the Flamenco was awarded a level four for the straight line lift and a level three for the footwork, but the twizzles were a level two. The Canadians earned 51.18 points (26.10/25.08), a new season's best. They were ranked fourth in the Original Dance but held on to third place at 83.36 points.

"The first thing we noticed when we stepped on the ice was the overwhelming reception from the crowd. We really enjoyed it and it was electric on the ice. That was a great way to start. We felt relaxed today and we felt confident," Weaver said. "We had a couple of minor technical issues that will be ironed out when we go home. But we feel like we put on a great emotional performance today and it was a great improvement from our previous Grand Prix."

Poje is from Kitchener-Waterloo and enjoyed skating before a home crowd. "I love skating at home," he said. "It's great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd."

2008 World junior champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates were ranked third in the segment with a funny Dixie Chicks medley but overall remained in fourth place. At 82.96 points they are within striking distance of the podium. Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev (RUS) interpreted the Russian Sailors dance. She fell in the circular footwork and the couple placed fifth (76.01 points).

Joannie Rochette of Canada and Jeremy Abbott of the United States won the singles title at Skate Canada in Kitchener, Ont. yesterday.

In the ladies discipline, Alissa Czisny (USA) earned the silver medal and Finland’s Laura Lepistö clinched the bronze while Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi claimed silver and France’s Alban Préaubert captured the bronze medal in the men's event.

THE LADIES

Skating last to “Samson and Delilah,” Rochette earned 112.90 points (50.02 element score/62.88 program component score) for her sophisticated routine, setting a season best mark. She accumulated a total of 182.90 points. "It was one of those programs where I had to fight from beginning to end, and I'm proud that I did," she said. "It's good to know I have that in me, but I want to go home and work this program so that every element and every transition is right on and I can hit all my levels next time."

Rochette, the reigning World silver medalist, had the 4,450 spectators at The Aud behind her for her program. She landed her opening triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination, but then stepped out of the triple flip. She also was off-balance on the triple loop and doubled the second Lutz. Rochette rallied to hit a triple toe-triple Salchow sequence and a double Axel-double toe loop combination.

“There were a few wobbles, and when I saw that triple loop on the replay, I was kind of proud of myself for hanging on to it," she said. "It was one of those programs where you need to fight from the beginning to the end. I’m proud I did. I will go home and work to make sure that every element, every transition is right on and that I get all my levels.”

Czisny ranked fourth in the free skate with 100.01 points (46.57/55.44) but remained in second place with an overall mark of 163.53. “I was a little bit disappointed with my performance today. I’ve been skating better. There were strong points of the performance and some things that I need to work on when I get back home,” she said.

The reigning U.S. champion's elegant program to “Doctor Zhivago” was highlighted by a triple Lutz-double toe, a triple flip, a triple toe as well as excellent spins and spirals. She fell on a Lutz and loop jump that both were downgraded. A triple loop was also cheated and downgraded.

Lepistö produced a triple Lutz, a triple loop-double toe and difficult spins and footwork, She earned a level four for two spins. The 2009 European champion reduced her planned triple toe-triple toe combination to a double toe-double toe and doubled a Salchow. She scored 102.78 points (48.62/54.16) and moved up from fourth to second with 158.52 points. "I'm not totally satisfied with my performance today, but it was better than it was in Nagano two weeks ago," she said. "I'm glad that I did better here than there."

Mirai Nagasu (USA), who w ranked third in the short program, dropped to fourth overall. She landed four triples, but both Lutzes received a deduction for the wrong-edge take off and she also stepped out of the second Lutz. Akiko Suzuki (JPN) pulled up from eight to fifth (147.72 points).

Rochette qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final as well as Suzuki, who had won in China.

THE MEN

Abbott earned a season best of 153.99 points (74.59/79.40) and ranked second in the free skate, but edged Takahashi by a over one point to take the gold at 232.99. "It felt really great tonight. I just wanted to focus on my program and take it one thing at a time. I knew that I had the Grand Prix Final on the line but for me, it wasn't really the goal tonight," Abbott said. "It was just to stay focused and make it all the way through the program and I think I did that very well, so I was very pleased."

The reigning U.S. men's champion hit a solid quadruple toe loop right out of the gate of his program to “Symphony No. 3” by Camille Saint-Saens. Abbott went on to complete a triple Lutz-triple toe-double loop combination, a triple Lutz, loop and triple Salchow-double toe as well as difficult spins two of which were graded a level four. However, the reigning Grand Prix Final champion was off balance on the triple flip and stepped out of the triple Axel.

Abbott and Takahashi qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Takahashi delivered an entertaining program to “La Strada” to score 155.01 points (74.01/81.00), which was a season best. He won the free skate and overall compiled a mark of 231.31 points to earn the silver. "I'm happy for that result because I can go to the final. But the performance today was not good for me because I could not (do the) quad," Takahashi said. "I had some little mistakes and the speed was not there. But I improved more Im happy."

Takahashi tripled his opening toe loop that was planned as a quadruple. He hit two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toe), a triple Lutz-double toe, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop and a triple flip. However, he had to fight for the landing of a triple loop and two-footed a triple Salchow.

Préaubert stood in fourth place following the short program and moved up with a Rolling Stones medley that featured eight triple jumps including two Axels and a triple flip-triple toe combination. Préaubert earned 139.98 points (70.18/69.80), improving his seasons best, and totaled 212.28 points. "I felt very good," the Frenchman said. "Today, it was my strategy not to try (the quad) and finally I am up here because I got a got results here. When I saw the field here, I couldn't think it would be possible to be up here because it was a very high level. I'm really proud of this result."

Michal Brezina (CZE) landed five triples to finish fourth with 202.32 points. 2009 European silver medalist Samuel Contesti placed just behind at 202.25 points. He missed a triple Axel but produced five clean triple jumps. Denis Ten (KAZ), who was ranked third in the short program, slipped to seventh overall due to several errors. Reigning World silver medalist Patrick Chan (CAN) fell three times and remained in sixth place.

Rochette Tops the Leader Board at Skate Canada

Joannie Rochette put down an impressive—and career best—performance in the short program Friday to win that segment of the competition at Skate Canada in Kitchener, Ont. The Canadian star scored 70 points. American Alissa Czisny is more than seven points back in second place with teammate Mirai Nagasu in third (56.34).

“I was really happy to do this after China. I was a bit disappointed there and I think I needed to change some things mentally when I went back home,” Rochette said. “I worked very hard, and I think we found a way to make me feel better. My goal tonight when I stepped on the ice was to feel calm and relaxed, and I think I achieved that. I still think I’m able to skate better, so it’s encouraging for the rest of the season.”

Rochette’s elegant interpretation of “La Cumparasita” was highlighted by a solid triple Lutz-double toe loop combination, a triple flip and double Axel. The reigning World silver medalist picked up a level four for the flying sit spin and a level three for the other two spins, the footwork and the spiral sequence. She received 38.40 element score/31.60 program component score to improve her previous personal best by 2.10 points. “I think it’s a great program and a great enough vehicle that I don’t need the triple-triple if I do all the elements properly. The main difference (here) is that I had a plan and I stuck to it,” she said.

Czisny put out a strong performance to “The Mask of Zorro” as well. “I always enjoy skating in Canada so I was happy to be back here in again,” she said. “I just went out there and tried to skate my best and enjoy the performance and build on my performances earlier this season.”

Czisny, who won the title at Skate Canada in 2005 and was the competition’s bronze medalist last year, nailed a triple Lutz-double toe, a triple flip and double Axel. The 2009 U.S. champion’s spins were fast and well-centered spins. Czisny’s score was also a personal best.

Nagasu’s playful program to “Pirates of the Caribbean” included a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination, a double Axel and a beautiful layback spin. However, she received some deductions for the triple flip for an edge attention (short take-off with wrong edge).

“Although my points weren’t as high as they were in China, I felt more confident in my skating,” she said. “Hopefully, by nationals, I’ll be able to put two and two together and get the points and the confidence.”

THE MEN

Meanwhile Canadian men's champion, Patrick Chan, struggled and landed in sixth place in the men's short program, which was won by American Jeremy Abbott. Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and Denis Ten of Kazakhstan placed second and third, respectively.

Abbott delivered a strong performance to “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles. Abbott scored 79.00 points (42.60 element score/36.40 program component score). "After Japan, I really learned a lot about the program and places that needed a little tweaking. I feel a lot more comfortable with the program than I did in Japan. Going into Japan, I didn't feel very comfortable the program was still very, very new, less than two months old," he said. "Now its only two weeks older but having gone through it here, I do feel a lot more comfortable and confident going into tomorrow."

Abbott reeled off a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple Axel and a triple Lutz as well as difficult spins and steps. The reigning Grand Prix Final champion earned a level four for all three spins and a level three for both step sequences.

"I was very happy with my performance tonight. It was interesting to get through," Abbot said. "I had something happen back home with a family that I knew, so for personal reasons it was not easy to get through tonight. But I was very happy with how I skated and the program that I put out and Im excited to be in first place going into the free skate.

"There was this girl that I used to skate with back in Colorado and she died skiing. She actually hit a tree and died instantly. Her family was very, very sweet and I just wanted to do the best that I could in her memory, to do something more than for myself and my own placement tonight."

Takahashi opened his routine to a modern Tango titled “Cobe” with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, but the second jump was underrotated and downgraded. The 2007 World silver medalist went on to complete a solid triple Axel and a triple Lutz. He was awarded a level four for the combination spin and a level three for the other two spins while the footwork was a level two. The Japanese star scored 76.30 points (39.20/37.10).

"I enjoyed skating tonight, but I regret I couldnt skate the (step sequence) to a higher level and I missed the first jump," he said. "[I rate it)]about 75 percent. This is the third time I have skated this program and the best overall. Im pretty happy about it."

Ten's performance came as a little surprise. "I'm very happy I was able to share everything I can do in training and for me, its quite unexpected for me to be here at the press conference with these great skaters. It's very nice for me to be here and I hope its not the last time."

The 16-year-old impressed the crowd and the judges with an excellent program to “Sing Sing Sing” that featured a big triple Axel, a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination, a triple flip and level-four spins. The crowd rewarded the performance with a standing ovation and the judges with a score of 75.45 points (43.60/31.85). Ten improved his previous personal best of 68.54 points significantly.

THE PAIRS

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany captured the pairs short program with a new personal best score. Russia’s Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov and Canadians Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison came in second and third.

Performing to “Send in the Clowns,” Savchenko and Szolkowy delivered a strong performance that featured a high throw triple twist, side by side triple toe loops and a triple twist. The two-time and reigning World champions earned 74.16 points (40.48 element score/33.68 program component score), a personal best. “ The performance today was not bad. Actually, it was quite good but not perfect. We were a little bit slow, kind of tired. But we concentrated on the elements," Szolkow said. "Skating in Canada is always great fun for us and to get the support from the audience is a great feeling every time."

Mukhortova and Trankov routine to “Appassionata” by Secret Garden was highlighted by a high triple twist and excellent side-by-side triple toe loops. The European bronze medalists score d65.80 points (37.12/28.68). "We don’t think about the final result, about medals, about podium. We just want to skate clean, our programs, every competition. We only think about this, not who wins or who loses<' Trnkov said. "It’s not so important. It’s important to be good on the ice."

Dubé and Davison landed a triple twist, but he caught her late. The 2008 World bronze medalists completed a throw triple loop and level-four spins, but Dubé singled the side-by-side Salchow. The Candian champions collected 57.90 points (31.14/26.76). "I felt really good. I guess my timing was a little quick," Dubé said. "I don’t really know what happened. I’ll just do it tomorrow."

ICE DANCE

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada danced to the lead in after the compulsory dance. France’s Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat came in second while Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje ranked third.

Get Ready for 'Battle' No. 2

CBC Television announced today that its hit series "Battle of the Blades" will return next fall for a second season. Featuring world-class figure skaters and former NHL’ers, the 14-episode series sold out to live audiences every week, and wrapped up on Monday, Nov. 16 with an unconfirmed television audience of 1.736 million tuning in for the one-hour results finale.

In the first season, Jamie Salé and Craig Simpson won the show's title and in the process, $100,000 for their charity, the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre. Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux finished second.

Overall viewership has been tremendous, with an average of 1.749 million viewers 2+ watching the seven performance shows on Sunday evenings, and 1.332 million Canadians 2+ tuning in for the Monday night results shows. Combined, "Battle of the Blades" reached one out of three Canadians with a total unduplicated reach of over 10 million.

“We could not be happier with the audience and advertising response to this truly Canadian series,” said Kirstine Stewart, general manager, CBC Television. “CBC continues to generate successful and relevant top-tier programming and the return of 'Battle of the Blades' is another welcome addition to our star-studded lineup.”

The show is the brainchild of Kevin Albrecht with development by Sandra Bezic. "Battle of the Blades" executive producers are John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby and Kevin Albrecht. It is produced by Insight Productions in association with CBC Television.

The overwhelming response to the show concept has led Insight Productions to look at expanding the franchise globally.

“We are thrilled that 'Battle of the Blades' has captured such a wide and diverse male and female viewing audience,” said John Brunton, Insight Productions president & executive producer. “It has tremendous international potential as a big name sports and entertainment brand, and we look forward to growing this franchise significantly over the coming years.”

The program’s unique format and mass appeal provided an ideal platform for advertisers. Season one sponsors DanActive, ARTISTRY Brands, McDonald’s and Kruger Products showcased their brands to millions of Canadians through innovative program integrations and sponsorship opportunities, including: co-branded vignettes; the DanActive Warm-up Zone; the ARTISTRY Style Studio; and signage and product sampling at the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens.

Viewers can learn more about the show and the competitors at at the official website for the series.

Yu-Na Kim won the ladies event at Skate America in Lake Placid while ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto also climbed to the top of the podium. It was the second gold medal on the Grand Prix Series this season for the South Korean superstar and American ice dancers.

Kim earned $18,000 and a place in the Grand Prix Final. Belbin and Agosto split that amount and also found their ticket to Tokyo punched.

In the ladies free skate, the big story was American Rachael Flatt who claimed the silver behind Kim but won the free skate. Julia Sebestyen of Hungary took the bronze.

Performing to “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Sergei Rachmaninov, Flatt reeled off a number of impressive triple jumps. She landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple Lutz, loop, triple Lutz-double toe, triple flip-double toe-double loop and a triple Salchow. She also earned a level four for two spins.

Her last combination spin didn’t receive credit though, as the caller identified two separate spins because Flatt re-centered too far apart after a change of direction.

Flatt scored a season best 116.11 points to rank first in the long program. Overall she totaled 174.91 points to finish second. “I skated a clean program except for the last spin, which I did not get credit for. But I landed all my jumps. It was a great program, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.

Kim collected 111.70 points (51.18 element score/61.52 program component score) and ranked second in the free skate. Overall though she easily claimed the title with a competition mark of 187.98 points. “I was too nervous today. I skated last and I had a perfect short program, so I felt the pressure," she said.

Kim opened her routine to “Concerto in F” by George Gershwin with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination. She ran into trouble after as she under-rotated the toe loop and stepped out of it. Kim then fell on a triple flip that was downgraded. “My first two jumps were weird and my body got tense. When I miss a jump, I try to refocus, but I didn’t do it this time,” the 19-year-old explained.

She did rally to pull off a double Axel-double toe-double loop, a double Axel-triple toe loop, a triple Salchow and a double Axel. The reigning World Champion received a level four for two spins and the spiral sequence and a level three for the combination spin and the footwork.

Sebestyen gave a solid performance to a medley of music by Raul di Blasio. Her program included four triple jumps and a double Axel as well as a flying combination spin that was graded a level four. However, she doubled the second Lutz and singled two Axels.

The 2004 European champion earned 100.49 points (47.13/53.36), which was a season best, and accumulated 159.03 points overall. She returned to the podium at a Grand Prix event after three years. “I am happy that I was able to concentrate again after the good short program. After Moscow (Rostelecom Cup), I’ve worked a lot on my free skating. I was a little tired in the middle of the program, but then I pulled myself together, because I knew that the triple toe-double toe at the end is a bonus jump,” Sebestyen said.

Fumie Suguri (JPN) came in fourth. She landed a triple Lutz-double toe (but got an edge deduction), a triple flip and three double Axels (148.99 points). Elena Glebova (EST) finished fifth. The highlight of her performance was a triple toe-triple toe combination (148.71 points).

Kim took 15 points and now tops the Grand Prix standings with 30 points. Flatt (13 points) now has 22 and will have to see if that is enough to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. Sebestyen (11 points) got 16 points from her two events.

THE DANCE

Belbin and Agosto (USA) danced to victory as they led form wire to wire. Below them, the standings shuffled. Italy’s Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte edged out Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski of Israel by less than one point to take the silver medal. Zaretski and Zaretski captured the bronze.

Belbin and Agosto turned in a solid performance of their lyrical dance to “Ave Maria” and “Amen” that was highlighted by beautiful lifts such as a serpentine lift and a curve lift. The current World silver medalists picked up a level four for all their lifts, the twizzles and the spin. They earned 95.62 points (46.90 element score/48.72 program component score) which added up to a total of 195.85 points.

“This has been a very exciting competition. It was a lot of fun to skate here in Lake Placid, so historic. Once again we felt like we were able to execute all three segments of the competition really well. Today was little bit hard," Agosto said.

Cappellini and Lanotte gave a passionate performance to “Requiem for a Dream.” The Italians routine was highlighted by a straight-line lift in a low position with her balancing in front of him and a one-armed rotational lift. Cappellini and Lanotte picked up a season best 85.73 points (43.60/42.13). They were ranked second in the free dance but overall moved up from third to second at 171.86 points, just 0.09 points ahead of Zaretski and Zaretski.

It was the Italian team's second silver medal on the Grand Prix circuit this season and has most likely qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final for the first time in their career. “We are definitely excited about our result,” Cappellini noted. “We were not expecting this (to make the final). We’ve worked hard this year and this is a reward for our work. I can’t even feel the happiness yet, it’s a big thing. (The Grand Prix Final) is a very special competition. We’ll be there for the first time and we want to be up for the challenge.”

Skating to “Schindler’s List”, Zaretski and Zaretski produced a technically demanding yet flowing dance. They improved their season best score, and pulled up from fourth to third at 171.77 points. “We skated very well. This was one of our best free dances,” Roman Zaretski said. “This is our first medal (at the Grand Prix), so I have no words. We are still shocked! It was a big surprise.”

Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski (RUS) slipped from second to fourth. Several elements in their routine to “Meadowlands” received low levels (168.25 points). Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (USA) finished fifth with an elegant dance to “One” by U 2.

Belbin and Agosto earned 15 points and now proceed to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final with the maximum of 30 points. Cappellini and Lanotte (13 points) have 26 points, which should be enough to make the Final. Zaretski and Zaretski (11 points) collected 18 points from their two events.

Chinese pairs team Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao and American Evan Lysacek were golden yesterday at Skate America in Lake Placid. Meanwhile Yu-Na Kim of South Korea took a huge lead in the ladies event and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto of the United States strengthened their lead in ice dance.

The skaters are competing for a global pot of $180,000 (U.S.) and spots in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, slated for Tokyo in December. Lysacek pocketed $18,000 for his win while Shen and Zhao were awarded that amount (as a pair) as well. The Chinese pair and American star have earned places in the final. “I really wanted to do a good job in my home country,” Lysacek said. “I’ve been to Skate America I think five times now and I have a lot of silvers and really wanted to win gold this year.”

THE MEN

Lysacek held on to the overnight lead to claim gold but the skaters in the spots below him shuffled spots. Shawn Sawyer of Canada pulled up from fifth to claim the silver medal and Ryan Bradley (USA) vaulted from eighth to third overall to capture the bronze medal.

Lysacek compiled a season best 158.55 points (77.55 element score/81.00 program component score) and racked up a total of 237.72 points. Lysacek won his first gold at Skate America.

The reigning World champion’s program to “Sheherazade” featured a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toe), a triple loop, triple flip-double toe-double loop, a triple Lutz and strong spins. His only miscue came when he stepped out of the triple Salchow.

“My goal of this season was just to take one step forward at each event,” Lysacek said. “Tonight was obviously a much better score than China. I had no technical deductions tonight, so that was an accomplishment for me."

Sawyer scored a season best 137.96 (68.86/69.10) for his free skate and a total of 203.91 points to take his first Grand Prix medal of his career. “I’m extremely proud of myself,” he said. “I put so much passion into my training and when I come to compete and it doesn’t work out, I get really mad at myself. Today, I gave a real performance, I gave a show. My jumps were not all perfect, but they are not always perfect in practice.”

Sawyer put out a playful routine to “Amadeus,” a medley of music by Mozart. He landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, three other triples and showed off his flexibility in his spins that were all graded a level four. He stumbled on a cheated triple Axel and on the back end of his double Axel-triple toe combination.

Bradley stood in eighth place after a faulty short program but made up for it with the second-best free skate of the night. The American charmed the audience with his program, also skated to a Mozart medley from "Amadeus." He hit a quadruple toe and a quadruple-double toe combination as well as four clean triples and had two level-four spins. He stumbled on a triple flip and popped a Salchow.

Bradley earned a season best 138.88 points (70.38/68.50) and jumped on to the podium with 198.12 points. “I’ve been out three times this year internationally and I’ve been training so hard and so well, but the first two times (competitions) were really disappointing for me,” he said. “Today was just about putting everything together at the right time. It wasn’t perfect, but I’m excited to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”

Florent Amodio (FRA) slipped from second to fourth at 197.58 points,. Bradley edged him by less than one point. Amodio hit a nice triple Axel and triple loop, but most of his other jumps were not clean.

Tomas Verner (CZE) moved up from 11th to fifth place. He fell on a quad toe loop but landed six triple jumps (194.06 points). Brandon Mroz (USA), who was ranked third in the short program, plummeted to eighth after several errors.

Lysacek pocketed 15 points and proceeds to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final with 28 points. Sawyer now has 16 points and Bradley has 11 points (he finished out of the points in Paris). Verner has 20 points from his two events and still a chance to qualify for the Final, depending on what will happen next week at Skate Canada.

THE PAIRS

Shen and Zhao of China continued their successful comeback this season by winning their second Grand Prix event this season. The husband-and-wife team collected 127.04 points (62.20 element score/65.84 program component score), and complied a competition mark of 201.40. “It wasn’t such a good performance today, because we felt tired. Some elements weren’t so good and we hope to skate better in the Grand Prix Final,” Zhao said.

Ukraine’s Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov took the silver medal while Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China moved up from fifth place to clinch the bronze medal.

Shen and Zhao landed side-by-side triple toe loops, a triple twist, throw triple Salchow and difficult lifts in their romantic “Adagio” routine. The couple received a level four for the spins, the spiral sequence and a level three for the rarely seen forward outside death spiral.

However, Zhao stumbled badly on the second jump in the double Axel-double Axel sequence. Shen put down her hand on the throw triple loop.

“We skated our free program better at the Cup of China. We are now looking at the protocol to see what we need to improve in our elements,” Zhao said “There is something still lacking in some elements.”

Volosozhar and Morozov earned a season best 110.12 points (56.40/54.72) and were ranked third in the free skate. Overall they remained in second place with171.82 points.

Their powerful program to “Pearl Harbor” included a big triple twist, throw triple loop and Salchow as well as level-four spins. The Ukrainians also picked up a level four for their impressive one-armed lifts.

Morozov struggled with the side-by-side jumps. He stepped out of the first jump of the triple toe-triple toe sequence and the second jump didn’t receive credit. He also doubled the side-by-side Salchow.

“Today we didn’t do the first two elements,” Morozov said. “Overall it was a bit difficult to skate, but after the errors on the jumps we did all the other elements very well and were rewarded for it. We’ve fought and tried to give our best, so we are quite satisfied overall.”

Zhang and Zhang stood in fifth place after the short program. They rallied in the free skate, performing to “Sheherazade." The reigning World silver medalists scored 111.35 points (58.47/52.88) and moved up two spots with a total mark of 168.19.

“Today I’m very happy,” a smiling Hao Zhang said. “Yesterday we made errors. Today wasn’t our best either. We almost didn’t sleep last night and felt tired.”

Zhang and Zhang nailed a double Axel-triple toe loop combination and side-by-side triple Salchows. The successfully executed a high triple twist as well as a throw triple loop and Salchow.

Their only major glitch came in the side-by-side combination spin where he was off balance.

Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (USA) came in fourth at 165.37 points. They completed a triple Salchow-double toe combination, a triple twist and level-four spins, but both stepped out of the double Axel and she two-footed the throw triple Salchow and loop.

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (USA) placed fifth. Their routine included a throw triple Lutz, a triple twist and difficult lifts and spins, but both the solo jumps were under-rotated and downgraded (148.33 points).

Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin (CAN) withdrew during the free skate as Duhamel had injured her right ankle in the warm up and then took a bad fall on the throw triple loop in the program. They stood in third place following the short program.

Shen and Zhao earned 15 points for their win and have qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final with the maximum of 30 points. Volosozhar and Morozov (13 points) and Zhang/Zhang (11 points) both collected 24 points overall and will have to wait and see if they make it to the final.

THE LADIES

Kim of Korea captured the ladies short program and established a new record score en route. Rachael Flatt (USA) and Hungary’s Julia Sebestyen came in second and third.

Kim, the reigning World champion, skated last and put out another splendid performance of her cool James Bond program. She earned 76.28 points (44.00/32.28). “My short program is very special to me. It makes me enjoy the competition,” she said. “I was very nervous, because my short program in Paris (at the Trophée Bompard) was perfect and I felt the pressure. But as soon as my music started, I felt comfortable on the ice.”

She nailed an effortless triple Lutz-triple toe combination, the triple flip and a double Axel out of a spiral move. The 19-year-old was awarded a level four for two spins and the spiral sequence and a level three for the footwork and the combination spin.

“My footwork and the last spin were a little slow,” she said. “When I saw my score, I didn’t realize at first that it was a new world record score.”

Flatt risked a triple flip-triple toe loop combination right out of the gate, but fell on the second jump. The 2008 World junior champion recovered to land a triple Lutz, a double Axel and produced two level-four spins. Flatt earned a season best 58.80 points (33.40/26.40) for her performance to “Sing Sing Sing.”

“’m very happy about the fact that I did get credit for it (the triple-triple combination),” Flatt explained. “It was a little bit of a slip up. I don’t remembering falling even in training. My choreographer Lori Nichol said, ‘Just bounce if you have a mistake,’ so this is kind of something what I’ve been taking into account. I’ve been training just to forget about it (a mistake) and move on, continue with a clean program. This is kind of what I did today.”

Skating to “Song from a Secret Garden, ” Sebestyen received 58.54 points (32.10/26.44), a season best. “I was very happy at the end of my program, because it was one of my goals to skate a clean short program,” she said. “This was better than in Moscow (at Rostelecom Cup). The jumps were the same, but the spins and the footwork were better. A clean short program was the first step for me."

Fumie Suguri (JPN) finished fourth at 56.05 points. Elena Glebova (EST) is currently ranked fifth (52.28 points).

ICE DANCE

The original dance for the 2009-10 season is the folk/country dance. Belbin and Agosto built on their lead and are ranked ahead of Russia’s Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski and Italians Anna Cappellin and Luca Lanotte.

Belbin and Agosto’s Moldavian dance was energetic. The routine was highlighted by a straight-line lift with changes of position, fast twizzles and smooth footwork.

The reigning World silver medalists earned a season best 60.95 points (29.90 element score/31.05 program component score). With two portions of the competition completed, they have accumulated 100.23 points.

“Today’s original dance felt really good. We really had a great time out there today,” Agosto said. “We felt like we were able to improve on our performance a little bit from China. We only had a week, but we really wanted to keep the energy up a little bit higher and to make it more of a dance.”

Khokhlova and Novitski’s Russian dance scored 49.53 points (21.90/27.63) and were ranked fifth in the OD, but held on to second place overall at 86.47 points. “Although not everything went the way we would have liked it, it still was a positive day,” Novitski said.

Cappellini and Lanotte scored 54.09 points (27.80/26.29), a season best, and were ranked second in this portion of the event. They have now 86.13 points. “We are very happy with our performance. It was very strong, very clean and the crowd was amazing,” commented Lanotte.

Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski (ISR) are currently ranked fourth at 83.83 points. Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (USA) finished fifth with an entertaining Brazilian dance (81.47 points).

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China took a commanding lead in the pairs event at Skate America in Lake Placid yesterday. Reigning World champion Evan Lysacek of the United States stood in first place after the men’s short program while Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto danced to an early lead. Skate America is the fifth of six events this season in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. In each event, the skaters are competing for global prize money of $180,000 (U.S.).

THE MEN

Lysacek captured first place in the men’s short program ahead of Florent Amodio of France and Brandon Mroz of the United States, who placed second and third, respectively.

Lysacek delivered a passionate performance ofto “Firebird” to earn 79.17 points (39.62/39.55). “I took a lot of pride skating in my home country tonight, and I really like this program,” Lysacek said. “I was in China the week before last and I had a good first step to the season, but this event is a little different challenge.”

Lyscaek landed a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip but he cheated the triple Axel and it was downgraded by the technical panel. His three spins were graded level four. “It hasn’t happened in a long time,” Lysacek said about the deduction for the triple Axel. “Honestly, I just slipped and that happens sometimes. I have to be very conscious not to leave a grey area at all. That’s my responsibility.”

Competing in his second senior-level Grand Prix event of his career, Amodio posted a personal best 72.65 (39.90/32.75). “Today it’s a really good result for me to be in second place after the short program at Skate America. I am very happy to have done a good program,” he said. “I’ve had problems with my skates earlier this season but I was able to solve them and to get back to my level of skating.”

The French teenager nailed a beautiful triple Axel, a triple Lutz and a triple Salchow-triple toe loop combination. He earned a level three for both step sequences and a level four for the change foot sit spin. His combination spin was graded a level one by the technical panel.

Mroz went for a quad-triple toe combination, but did a three-turn out of the second jump. He also had to fight for the landing of the triple Axel. The reigning U.S. silver medalist scored 71.40 points (40.90/30.50), setting a season best score. “Today I did definitely better than at my last Grand Prix, which is great,” he said. “I had a few turn outs which is the adrenalin pumping but nevertheless got the job done by the number. It was going to be on home turf today and I just want to rock it hard in the long and give a good show tomorrow.”

Adrian Schultheiss (SWE) is currently ranked fourth. His solid program included a triple Axel and a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination (67.55 points). Shawn Sawyer (CAN) came in fifth. He landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination and showed excellent spins, but he doubled the Lutz and stepped out of the triple Axel (65.95 points).

Andrei Lutai (RUS), whose luggage with his skates arrived only a few hours before the competition, finished sixth (60.54 points). 2008 European champion Tomas Verner (CZE) faded to 11th after missing his quad toe attempt and doubling the Axel and the Lutz (55.90 points).

THE PAIRS

Shen and Zhao of China took the lead with a score almost 13 points ahead of the second-place finishers, Ukraine’s Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov. Canada’s Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin followed in third.

Performing to “Who Wants to Live Forever,” Shen and Zhao performed a lovely program to score a personal best 74.36 points (41.10 element score/32.96 program component score). It was a nice birthday present for Shen, who celebrated her 31st birthday yesterday. “I think we skated overall better than we did at the Cup of China, although I felt a little tired,” Shen said.

The married couple was easily the class of the field. They hit solid side-by-side triple toe loops, a high triple twist and throw triple loop. The three-time World champions were awarded a level four for their spins, the hand-to-hand lift with difficult variations and a level three for the footwork. Only the backward outside death spiral was a level two.

“Last night, I went to bed at 7.30 in the evening, and today I had to skate the short program at this time! The time difference to China is 13 hours,” Zhao said. “We felt really good and did all our elements clean. We are very happy about that.”

Volosozhar and Morozov collected 61.70 points (35.30/26.40) in their routine to “Dreams Illusions.” They opened the program with side-by-side triple toe loops, but he stepped out of the landing. “Today I made a little error on the toe loop,” admitted Morozov. “Overall it felt a little hard to skate, maybe because of the time change, but it wasn’t bad. Hopefully we’ll skate cleaner tomorrow.”

Volosozhar and Morozov’s program was highlighted by a huge triple twist, a one-armed lift and throw triple loop. Volosozhar and Morozov received a level four for both spins.

Duhamel and Buntin scored a season best 59.64 (33.84/25.80). The Canadians landed a double twist and a triple toe loop in their program to “Hotel California” but their throw triple Lutz was wobbly.

“We had a great start tonight,” Buntin said. “It’s only our second time out with this short program. We did quite a few little technical errors. It gives us something to looking forward to tomorrow.”

Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (USA) finished fourth at 58.4 points. They completed a triple twist and throw triple loop, but she popped the Salchow. Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang (CHN) are standing in fifth place. Dan Zhang doubled the Salchow and their side-by-side spin was out of sync (56.84 points).

ICE DANCE

Belbin and Agosto (USA) too the early lead in ice dance after the compulsory dance, which was the Golden Waltz. Russia’s Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski and Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte were in second and third place, respectively.

Belbin and Agosto put out a flowing performance and made the difficult steps look easy. The reigning World silver medalists posted a season best 39.28 points (20.22 element score/19.06 program component score).

“The Waltz felt great today. After China (Cup of China), we really wanted to go home and work on just performing more and having more speed and ice coverage. So we felt really good about how we skated and we are happy to see that our scores went up a little bit,” Agosto said.

Khokhlova and Novitski earned a season best a score best score of 36.94 (18.96/17.98). “We are for the very first time in our career at Skate America, and this is also quite interesting for us. We aren’t so frequent guests in America, and so we were a little surprised that we even have fans here,” Novitski said. “The second competition is always easier. Obviously you already got some experience and it should be getting easier with each competition. So it was easier here (than at their first event Cup of China) and we skated more freely. It’s a plus for us that we had the Waltz in both our events.”

Cappellini and Lanotte scored 32.04 points (16.90/16.14). “The performance was good, but not perfect. We had a couple of small mistakes, but the judges are sitting so close to the ice and they see everything,” Lanotte noted. “We know that we can do much better. We made a lot of changes to our skating in our work after switching coaches. (New coach) Muriel Zazoui works in a different way. We have improved our skating skills.”

Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski (ISR) came in fourth at 31.93 points. Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre (USA) finished fifth (30.19 points).