Jeff
Buttle helped Canada to the medal podium at the 2008 World Figure
Skating Championships in Sweden in March, winning the gold medal in
men’s singles.
Then, with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games looming, Buttle
shocked the skating world by announcing his retirement. He’d
accomplished everything he’d set out to, he said.
Heading into this weekend’s Skate Canada, an event in which he
finished third last year, the 26-year-old has no regrets about last
month’s decision.
"Retirement has been good to me," he said from Detroit on Wednesday,
during an interview to announce Holiday Festival On Ice, an annual
skating extravaganza that will visit Halifax Metro Centre for the first
time on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Also performing in the show, with the theme of
A Celtic Christmas, will be Kurt Browning, Sasha Cohen, Marie-France
Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Jennifer Robinson, Steven Cousins and
Edmunston, New Brunswick’s Shawn Sawyer, who made his Olympic debut in
2006 in Torino and is hoping to make the squad for Vancouver.
"I’m still doing what I love — skating. The part I love the most is
performing, so I feel very fortunate to still be doing what I love," he
said, noting one of the programs he will be doing on the Stars On Ice
tour in Canada, Japan and selected U.S. cities this winter, was created
for the upcoming competitive season with renowned choreographer David
Wilson.
When announcing his retirement, Buttle said he wanted to return to
his studies in chemical engineering at the University of Toronto, but
for now that’s on hold as he is even busier in terms of travel.
Next stop on Buttle’s itinerary is a gig at Home Sense Skate Canada International in Ottawa today (Thursday) through Sunday.
He’ll provide live commentary for the audience in Scotiabank Place through a new device called the Skate Bug.
"Members of the audience will wear a headset and hear what I have to
say about the competition. They debuted it at our monitoring camp and
it’s a neat idea, especially for people who don’t know skating very
well. I can help people understand the logic of the new system or why
the score isn’t as high as it could have been."
Patrick Chan,17, of Toronto, the current 2008 Canadian Champion makes his Skate Canada debut this weekend.
"I saw Patrick skate in Vancouver (at a high performance camp last
month) and he was outstanding," said Buttle. "His new program is out of
this world.
"And Jessica (Dube) and Bryce (Davison, also competing in Ottawa) were third in the world last year (in pairs.)"
Buttle said Canada is in a great place to build toward Vancouver, after beating all other countries at last year’s worlds.
And, he hopes to be at the Olympics — though wearing a different hat.
"I’ve travelled and trained with all the skaters and I really want to be there to see them compete."
( anemetz@herald.ca)
“We
are delighted once again to be title sponsor to one of Canada’s
premiere figure skating events.” said Shannon Johnson, HomeSense
spokesperson. "At HomeSense, we are committed to communities and
strive to be a responsive, caring and involved community partner. As
National Sponsor of Skate Canada's STARSkate program, we are delighted
to support over 1,400 community skating clubs nationwide where we see
the magic created by kids participating in one of our favourite
national pastimes. We are thrilled that a prestigious event like the
HomeSense Skate Canada International is taking place in the community
of Kitchener.”
“The City of Kitchener and the Aud are honoured to be hosting the 2009
HomeSense Skate Canada International event,” said Kim Kugler, City of
Kitchener Interim Director of Enterprises. “We look forward to
showcasing the improvements we have made to the facility over the last
six years that will enhance the experience of the skaters and the
spectators.”
This
year Skate Canada will introduce a new ticket package due to the close
geographical locations of 2009 HomeSense Skate Canada International and
the 2010 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
Fans who purchase all-event tickets for 2009 HomeSense Skate Canada
International will be given "front of the line access" to purchase
tickets for the 2010 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships in
London, Ont. All-event ticket packages for the 2009 HomeSense Skate
Canada International are one price at $145 plus applicable surcharges.
Tickets will be available for purchase in late November. This package
will be available for a limited time only until the 2010 BMO Canadian
Figure Skating Championships tickets go on sale in early 2009 and they
will cost $125-$150 plus applicable surcharges.
In addition a commemorative photo book of Jeffrey Buttle will be
available at both events with ticket holders getting a chance to win
the book simply by buying tickets to the events. More details on this
opportunity will come at a later date.
Skate
Canada International is the last of six competitions in the annual ISU
Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The other events take place in the
France, Russia, China, Japan and the United States. Skaters are awarded
points based on their placements in the series’ events. The top-six men
and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU
Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
