Canadian pairs and dance duos are at the top of their game early in the season at Skate Canada International. World bronze medalists and Canadian pairs champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford posted the highest total score of the season and won their first-ever Grand Prix gold at the recent Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C. Once again they challenged themselves this season by upping the ante technically, with the addition of a throw quadruple salchow. Only one team tried the risky throw in competition last year with no success and Meagan and Eric are one of only two teams that are likely to include it this year. Their strategy is unapologetically athletic and they are hoping that if they keep raising the technical bar higher and completing their elements well enough, the risk will produce big rewards and make them world title contenders along with the artistic Russian teams. Early in the season added technical risks tended to be their undoing as their dividends werent seemingly apparent until later on at Nationals and Worlds. This year, however, they have started out on fire and already look to be improving on last years World bronze win. In regard to their long program, I think this years routine is the perfect vehicle for them to showcase their athleticism while drawing in and engaging the audience in their performance. Canadian ice dancers were impressive in Kelowna, winning gold and silver. World silver medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won gold by a comfortable margin and received instant standing ovations. While they delivered a convincing win, coupled with crowd pleasing performances on home ice, their real test will come in December at the Grand Prix Final where they will face off against the worlds best. It was an impressive first outing but what matters now is where they take the material from here. Past seasons have shown us that they are tenacious in their pursuit of improvement and refinement, so stay tuned. Silver medalists in the dance, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are off to a terrific start this season and made their eighth place finish at Worlds look like simply a stepping stone to bigger and better things this year. Their new material was well received and well rewarded, including that of their free dance, which I see as the best work they have done to date. Its inviting and easy to like while also showcases their innovative and superior skating quality. Results for Canadian skaters in the singles events were slightly subdued at Skate Canada due to the withdrawals of Kevin Reynolds, Elladge Balde and Kaetlyn Osmond due to injury. The big news for Canadians on the mens international stage is the emergence of 16-year-old Nam Nguyen on the Senior Grand Prix circuit. He shocked more seasoned competitors at Skate America, the season opener, with his bronze medal win. On his way to the bronze he defeated the current Olympic bronze medalist, Denis Ten and also finished ahead of U.S. Champion Jeremy Abbott with a flawless long program. What was most impressive was the fact that it was Nguyens senior Grand Prix debut and he managed to nail a quad salchow in the free skate. Coming into this season Nam was not a skater who the contenders would figure into the mix. Now hes got the top guys glancing sideways at him, knowing that with the newfound quad and the impressive technical scores he has put up in the free skate, he can surely be a fit to play spoiler at any upcoming event. Nguyen will compete at the Cup of China this weekend alongside his training mate, Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. Japanese men have won the first two Grand Prix events and Yuzu has said hes hoping to ride the wave to gold at the Cup of China. As strong as the Japanese men are, its the Russian women who are dominating the ladies events this season. It is possible - in fact quite likely - that the Russian women could win all of the Grand Prixs and qualify four or five spots out of a total six spots at the final. Thats how deep their women are. With the National Champ on the sidelines, Canadian hopes in that event shift now to the national silver medalist Gabrielle Daleman who begins her quest this Grand Prix season in China. She is young, a capable jumper and a determined competitor who is looking to move from her 13th place finish at worlds. She will be up against a tough field so will need to be at the top of her game to be in contention. Cheap Off White Vapormax China . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Wholesale Vapormax 2 Flyknit . The 25-year-old Lu, a regular on the Japan LPGA Tour after giving up her LPGA Tour membership in 2010, shot an 8-under 64 in windy, wet conditions at Kintetsu Kashikojima. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-v...-clearance.html. Kerber will next play Estonias Kaia Kanepi, who beat American qualifier Victoria Duval 6-1, 6-3. In other first-round matches, Lucie Safarova beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-4 and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands had a 6-4, 6-3 win over Canadas Eugenie Bouchard. Vapormax 2 Clearance .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives. Fake Vapormax 97 . Gorges is believed to have suffered the injury while blocking a shot with a hand during Montreals win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canadiens added to their defensive depth this week by acquiring veteran Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers.YORK, England -- British sprinter Mark Cavendish pulled out of the Tour de France on Sunday with a serious shoulder injury likely to require surgery. Cavendish, with his arm in a sling underneath his sweatshirt, said outside the team bus before the start of the second stage that he was "absolutely devastated." The 29-year-old sprinter known as the "Manx Missile" had made the Tour his main goal this season but saw his hopes of winning his first yellow jersey disappear on Saturday when he hit the ground near the finish of the first stage in his mothers hometown of Harrogate. Cavendish, who took responsibility for the crash after taking Australian Simon Gerrans down with him, was diagnosed with a separated shoulder. "Normally, I bounce well when I crash," Cavendish said at York racecourse. "I assessed my body yesterday and for the first time in my career I knew something was wrong. I really had this little bit of optimism that I might be OK this morning but its just impossible." Cavendish will undergo a MRI in Manchester on Monday night that will determine whether he needs surgery on his shoulder. One of the most successful sprinters in the history of the race, Cavendish has won 25 Tour stages.dddddddddddd The last time he retired from cyclings showpiece event was in 2008 when he left the race early to get ready for the Beijing Olympics. Cavendishs team doctor Helge Riepenhof said its likely the sprinter will need surgery that will sideline him for about six weeks, likely ruling him out for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23-Aug. 3. "Its a serious injury but he can recover well and it should not affect his future performances," Riepenhof said. "He is really sad because he wanted to show that he was ready to win a stage in his home country. He wanted to race but he cant." Cavendishs maiden ride in the Tour in 2007, when the race started in London, was also marred by crashes that led to his early exit. "It could be worse for me," the Omega Pharma Quick-Step rider said. "Ive got friends who have come back from Afghanistan with the armed forces. My friend Josh is a double amputee on his legs and missing his right arm. He just sent me a message joking saying Ive got a spare arm for you." ' ' '