For complete news and results, visit Skate Canada.

Mira Leung (Senior Ladies-2004 Canadian National Championships) Energy and excitement can come in very small packages! Mira Leung, only 14 years old and standing barely five feet tall, finished third in the short program and fifth overall in a Senior Ladies' event that was rated the best in years. Mira was born in Vancouver, BC where she took to skating "like a fish to water" at the age of three. She has been coached by Karen Magnussen at the North Shore Winter Club and now trains six days a week at 8-Rinks in Burnaby, BC with Joanne McLeod, who also coaches Canadian champion Emanuel Sandhu. Mira describes her coach as being "nice, and understanding the skater" letting them be themselves. When I asked her what it was like to train with Emanuel, she talked about the feeling of being on the ice with him, seeing the height of his jumps and feeling the wind as he skates by her.

The music for Mira's short program (Heaven and Earth - a Chinese fairy tale) and free skate (Firebird) was chosen and choreographed by Ms. McLeod to allow her to show different moods in her skating. 'Firebird' is a powerful piece of music for such a tiny skater, but Mira carried it off with secure jumps, speed and flexibility in her spins reminiscent of Sasha Cohen, who is one of Mira's personal heroes. She also admires Michelle Kwan for her grace, flow and consistency.

Although Mira's focus is on her skating, she also maintains a high standard in her schooling which she does by correspondence, and she has completed Grade 10 in piano. Ballet three times a week and plyometrics also help prepare her for training on the ice. She describes herself as "independent and in her own space" and her interests outside of skating - reading, video games, and the internet - do not distract her from her goals of reaching her personal best this skating season and then, hopefully, being on the Olympic Team in Turino. Following the competition in Edmonton, world champion Elvis Stojko assured her that she has "everything it takes" to be a champion. Mira is taking it one step at a time and tries not to look too far ahead in setting her goals, but after watching her compete at these Canadian National Championships, there seems little doubt that she will reach them.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Junior Dance Gold-2004 Canadian National Championships) Looking like a tiny price and princess out of the pages of a child's story book, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir enchanted audiences at the 2004 Canadian Championships from the moment they stepped on the ice for their first practice. For a brief moment, these new darlings of Canadian dance looked out of place among the other skaters who towered over them, but almost immediately they drew the attention of the audience with their charm, poise, speed and flawless footwork. Just 14 and 16 years old, Tessa and Scott have been skating together since 1997 and spend 3-1/2 hours a day on the ice. To keep in shape for training, they work out off the ice and Tessa takes ballet, modern and point dance lessons regularly. Scott joins her in hip hop sessions about once a week and otherwise he says he learns his dance moves from Tessa. She says "he's a natural."

They are well matched - with her straight back and elegant carriage, Tessa has the look of royalty, and Scott, with the manners of a gentleman, displays a maturity, style and confidence surprising for his size and age. With brilliant smiles, they skate for the obvious joy of it, sometimes even singing along with the music. I was also impressed by their good manners not only towards each other and their coaches but to everyone around them. For example, they followed up their practice sessions with a thank you handshake for the announcer and the man who played the music.

Success has not come without sacrifice. Both skaters live away from home in order to train with coaches Paul MacIntosh and Suzanne Killing in Kitchener-Waterloo. They provide company for each other and spend quite a lot of time together off the ice as well, regarding each other as "brother and sister."

Although Tessa and Scott have not set long term goals, preferring to take each year as it comes and planning for one season at a time, they are already having success internationally. They were 1st in the North American Challenge Skate at Thornhill and 4th at the Croatia Cup in 2003. Their goal this year was to finish in the top five at Nationals. Their gold medals in Edmonton say "Mission accomplished!"

For complete news and results from the 2004 Canadian National Championships, visit Skate Canada.