Craig Simpson and former gold medalist Jaime Salé. Here’s the CBC press release. I do hope the show becomes available in the US. I keep hearing that this caught the imagination of the Canadian viewing public and the competition was quite good.
JAMIE SALÉ AND CRAIG SIMPSON ARE DECLARED
THE WINNING PAIR OF THE BATTLE OF THE BLADES
Winners receive $100,000 for donation to The Spinal Cord Injury
Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society
The results are in and Canadian viewers have spoken. After seven weeks of intense competition, Jamie Salé and Craig Simpson were declared the final winners of the BATTLE OF THE BLADES, as voting results were revealed during tonight’s broadcast of the series finale. Salé and Simpson receive $100,000 for donation to their charity of choice: The Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society (SCITCS).
“This has been an incredible journey,” said Simpson. “The opportunity to learn something different every week and try something new, it’s simply been exhilarating!”“I’d like to thank our families, kids and everyone who helped us along the way,” added Salé. “This was an amazing commitment and sacrifice for everyone.”
The Edmonton duo has impressed audiences from early on in the competition. Judge Sandra Bezic praised their most recent routine as a fantastic culmination of all their work and judge Dick Button commended them for taking on dangerous moves and making them their own. Simpson was also the first male skater in the series to do a waltz jump and both he and Salé delighted audiences with their madcap tribute to Austin Powers. The fact that Simpson has suffered from a bad back during much of the competition makes their performances even more remarkable.
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux along with Marie-France Dubreuil and Stéphane Richer are the runner ups in the competition. For their efforts, Make-A-Wish Canada and MA Fondation, the respective charities for both pairs, will each receive a $25,000 donation. The judges also congratulated both pairs for their outstanding efforts and for showing their full commitment to the sport of figure skating throughout the competition.
Tonight’s finale wraps up a competition that began with eight pairs performing over seven weeks to a variety of different musical themes. Each week saw increasingly complex routines as the number of pairs remaining in the competition raised the stakes higher and higher to collect viewer votes, impress the judges and go all-out to win the grand prize.
Viewers can learn more about the show at www.cbc.ca/battle, the official online portal for the series and the source for everything about BATTLE OF THE BLADES, including videos, behind-the-scene photos and information about each pair in the competition.
BATTLE OF THE BLADES 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 Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society (SCITCS) raises awareness for those living with spinal cord injuries by enhancing their quality of life through research, education and support programs. For over 20 years, Craig Simpson has raised money for SCITCS with over $1.5 million donated to date.
Make-A-Wish Canada grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their experience with hope, strength and joy. Having a wish granted gives children a chance to take a break from being sick while creating memories that last a lifetime.
MA Fondation seeks to save children from shaken baby syndrome and violence. Much of their funding goes to L’Hôpital Ste. Justine in Montreal, helping newborns with shaken baby syndrome, and L’Hôpital Marie Enfant, which cares for child victims of sexual and physical abuse.
Thanks to the CBC for sending the releases for Battle of the Blades every week.
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