2023/24 Canadian Pairs: News & Updates

[Karen-W]

@marbri - why are you so certain that Deanna won't maintain ties to Canada or Skate Canada post-2026?

 

[marbri]

She didn't. Her mother was able to get it through her mother, but that didn't apply to Gilles. Someone here kindly explained this at the time.

Confirmed here:




According to the CIC news release,

Can't read the Piper article so will take your word for it. But I definitely recall her mentioning back during that time about trying to expedite things through Canadian heritage. It struck me at the time because I was following citizenship issues in the decade leading up to that and Harper changed some requirements that messed up the process for some people I know and when Trudeau came in he reversed those. At some point during that time it was changed to only first generation born abroad to Canadian citizens so it one of my friends was only able to get citizenship for one of their grandchildren and not the rest.

I wasn't disagreeing regarding Kaitlyn. I read the same article you posted, hers was a clear cut case of giving it to her cause she was an athlete. In hindsight though I think it would be hard to argue in 2009 she was providing services of exceptional value to Canada based on their results at the time.

And Trudeau reversed some of the bs changes Harper made to the path to citizenship during the years both girls got theirs so I guess there is hope for Deanna.

 

[marbri]

@marbri - why are you so certain that Deanna won't maintain ties to Canada or Skate Canada post-2026?

I know the questions my husband had to answer when getting his. Does Deanna's husband not still live in the US?

eta.. I feel like I am taking this thread some place I don't want to continue.
My main purpose in originally posting was to ask if anyone knows what stage of the process she is in because that tells you a lot about the timeline in getting it officially. It doesn't appear we do.

 

[Desperado]

So I stumbled upon a petition someone started for Deanna to get citizenship and it got me wondering. What exactly is her status in Canada? Does she have permanent resident status and if so how long has she had it?

Trying to find the information myself, I couldn't, I did learn that this month is five years since she announced her split with Nathan. And then I wonder how much time did you spend outside of Canada with her husband when everything was locked down during covid? Makes me wonder if she is going to get the time required in. My husband could not apply until he fulfilled the residency requirement post receiving his PR status. And that was someone with a Canadian wife and two children with dual citizenship.

Basically I am curious when is she qualified to actually apply for citizenship? Because it's one thing to pull out an application to the top of the pile but another if she isn't yet qualified to apply. With all the cute asides to Trudeau or people starting petitions, just curious how realistic this actually is.

To be clear I would LOVE for Max (and Deanna) to make it to the Olympics but I also want to know if it's even something to bother hoping for.

Deanna has been living in Canada since 2019.

This La Presse article originally posted by @Sylvia in the Deanna & Maxime thread discusses the Covid challenges she and Maxime faced. She didn’t have her permanent residency in March 2020 and would’ve had to abandon skating dreams had she left at that time. She remained in Canada for 2 years during which time she didn’t see her family, including her mother and grandmother. (Husband is never discussed in anything I’ve seen.)

She also told this story to Polina Edmunds on her podcast.

I assume from the above that she got her PR in 2022.

The Canadian citizenship process is rife with bureaucratic delays I can understand her wanting to see things move along quicker.

 

[kalamalka]

I don't have any references/links, but I have heard Deanna saying in at least one interview that she will be eligible in time for the Olympics, but processing times are a concern.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I wasn't disagreeing regarding Kaitlyn.

I put in the link as a reference.

About Gilles, I quoted the relevant passage.

At some point during that time it was changed to only first generation born abroad to Canadian citizens so it one of my friends was only able to get citizenship for one of their grandchildren and not the rest.

It was more complex than a single change by Harper. Many of the rules are older ones, and some are in response to the time when at least the US required US citizens to choose one or the other. I haven't had any luck searching the archives to find the response that explained it in detail.

And Trudeau reversed some of the bs changes Harper made to the path to citizenship during the years both girls got theirs so I guess there is hope for Deanna.

The only way that the changes would have helped her in a standard application is if she had the type of visa before getting PR status that allows her to count some of the time before she was a PR towards her residency, and that period went back an extra year. Currently the rules are residency in three of five years vs. three of four years under Harper. That change would have helped me greatly, but she's got a hard deadline. Average processing time for an application is currently 14 months.

If she has to have a passport by the end of 2025, or, at the latest, January 2026, they'd have to have started to process her citizenship application by sometime this fall, including scheduling her citizenship test, and to apply, she'd need to have met the residency requirement before submitting it this Fall. If she got PR even on January 1, 2022, the earliest she could apply under the standard rules is sometime in 2025, and she'd need to make up all of the days she didn't sleep in Canada, like to go to competitions. (I'm sure her spreadsheet is less complicated than mine was, but it's more complex than your average bear's.)

They could either make an exception for residency, or, once she meets the residency requirement, expedite her application. It all depends on when she has the number of residency days and is eligible to apply. (I assume she has her Canadian taxes in order, another requirement. That's not something she'd let slip.)

 

[Sylvia]

So I stumbled upon a petition someone started for Deanna to get citizenship

I've created a GSD thread for this topic re. Deanna: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-citizenship-sooner-rather-than-later.111726/

Fiona Bombardier and Benjamin Mimar will perform (public debut?), along with Soucisse/Firus and Corey Circelli, at the East York Skating Club's "Celestial Celebration" show in East York, Ontario on Friday, April 26 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, April 27 at 1:30 & 7:30 pm - ticket info: https://www.onstagedirect.com/buy/event_info.action?eventId=1949

 

[overedge]

This is awesome - I need to watch the whole show now.

I was so impressed with how well Deanna did in speaking French on the show. I think at times she looked more nervous than she was at Worlds which is understandable, with this being a very popular show that gets a lot of viewers, and where the conversations are very fast and informal. I think the host spoke a little more slowly that he does for the Francophone guests, which was thoughtful of him, but she was really brave as an Anglophone to do this and to get through it competently.

 

[Sylvia]

Summer Homick and Marty Haubrich (8th in Senior Pairs at 2024 Nationals) have split after 3 seasons together and Summer has switched to ice dance: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...e-news-and-updates.110804/page-8#post-6588643
Excerpt from the end of this January 2023 article: https://www.norfolkandtillsonburgnews.com/news/local-news/skating-duo-building-for-the-future

Last season Homick and Haubrich won silver medals as a junior pair in Oberstdorf, Germany, but due to changes in ISU rules, 17 is now the minimum age to compete internationally in senior. That means Homick, 15, is too young. And Haubrich, 21, is too old to compete in junior.
“Last year was super, super exciting to be able to do the internationals,” said Homick. “Obviously this year it was a little disappointing because you gain so much experience internationally and you learn so much about yourselves and from other judges around the world, but I do think it will be good for us to have that time to focus on ourselves and focus on us building as a team.”
“It was a little bit of a shock at the beginning of the season when we heard about the rule change, but at the end of the day this season was going to be a building one for us anyways,” said Haubrich.

 

[clairecloutier]

An interview with Bruno Marcotte, which has a little bit about Bombardier/Mimar:

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara: “It was a very tough season. But even in that situation, we were able to support each other and move forward.”

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara about this season and support of each other.

fs-gossips.com

 

[victorskid]

An interview with Bruno Marcotte, which has a little bit about Bombardier/Mimar:

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara: “It was a very tough season. But even in that situation, we were able to support each other and move forward.”

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara about this season and support of each other.

fs-gossips.com

I think you meant to link your interview: https://adivinesport.com/2024/04/25...ortant-for-miura-kihara-to-push-the-envelope/

 

[clairecloutier]

I think you meant to link your interview: https://adivinesport.com/2024/04/25...ortant-for-miura-kihara-to-push-the-envelope/

Yes thank you

 

[Karen-W]

Chloe Panetta has partnered with Flavien Giniaux and will be skating for France.

And... representing France - Flavien Giniaux & Chloe Panetta (previously skated for Canada with Kieran Thrasher) - training in Caen with Bruno Massot and in Oakville with Bruno Marcotte.

Centre Haut Niveau Pairs ACSEL CAEN on Instagram: "Nous avons le plaisir de vous présenter le nouveau couple qui représentera l’ACSEL dès la saison prochaine : @chloepanetta et @flavien_giniaux . Avec tous les deux une expérience au plus haut niveau

42 likes, 1 comments - chn_acsel_caen on April 25, 2024: "Nous avons le plaisir de vous présenter le nouveau couple qui représentera l’ACSEL dès la saison prochaine : @chloepanetta et @flavi...".

www.instagram.com

 

[Sonata]

Yes thank you

Sigh. Well. I guess that’s a definitive answer to Bombardier doing pairs full time. I’ll miss her in singles although she’s likely making the right decision. (Although I did see an interview where her mother very adamantly wanted Fiona to pursue interests outside of skating and go to university - wonder how that conversation about switching went.)

 

[kwanfan1818]

That conversation could be why she won't try to do both.

 

[Sonata]

That conversation could be why she won't try to do both.

I can’t imagine hearing your kid who wants to switch to pairs is an easy conversation, especially if you were hoping she would not make skating her focus. I say this as a Josee fan who can’t believe she has an adult kid.

 

[sp555]

@marbri - why are you so certain that Deanna won't maintain ties to Canada or Skate Canada post-2026?

Hasn't she said the opposite in some interviews i.e. that she is interested in being a technical controller or judge once she's done competing? She also did get divorced at some point within the last couple of years so maybe she'll just stay in Montreal after all the years spent training there...

 

[Andora]

Hasn't she said the opposite in some interviews i.e. that she is interested in being a technical controller or judge once she's done competing? She also did get divorced at some point within the last couple of years so maybe she'll just stay in Montreal after all the years spent training there...

She what???

 

[Frau Muller]

Hasn't she said the opposite in some interviews i.e. that she is interested in being a technical controller or judge once she's done competing? She also did get divorced at some point within the last couple of years so maybe she'll just stay in Montreal after all the years spent training there...

Did Deanna divorce? So it’s now Stellato and not Stellato-Dudek? Sort of a sad story, after all (big picture…not just skating).

 

[sp555]

Did Deanna divorce? So it’s now Stellato and not Stellato-Dudek? Sort of a sad story, after all (big picture…not just skating).

Apparently so. It was mentioned on TSL at the beginning of the season. I think she literally did not see her husband for almost two years because of the covid lockdowns. She never spoke about him so it would have been weird to make a big announcement about a divorce imo. It reminds me of how some people were surprised when Kurt remarried because they didn't know he was divorced for years. lol Going through a legal divorce and name change is probably an extra complication she didn't need while trying to obtain citizenship in Canada.

 

[Sylvia]

AFAIK Deanna has never spoken publicly about her marriage/husband in recent years and my impression is that she is not likely to herself. I respect that.

 

[sus2850]

I heard that she got divorced as well quite some time ago, but did wonder as she had not changed the name for competitions, but maybe she decided to stick with the (double) name.

 

[puglover]

Any word on Brooke McIntosh and what her plans are? It sounds like she and Benjamin were done before he tried out with Fiona.

 

[Sylvia]

Any word on Brooke McIntosh and what her plans are?

Still a rumor at this point: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...uble-salchow-club.110748/page-10#post-6590848