Dylan Moscovitch & Elladj Baldé

Skate Canada Alumni Podcast

This season Skate Canada and the Alumni Committee welcomed two new members into the Alumni Family. This past January at Nationals in Saint John, two of Canada’s most popular national team members, Dylan Moscovitch and Elladj Baldé, renewed their friendship and reminisced about the experiences skating has brought to their lives Facing the end of their first year of retirement from competition, they also talked about their new goals … and through many giggles … shared how skating has prepared them for the road ahead as they both embark on new directions. Listen now…

Dylan Moscovitch

Dylan first stepped onto the ice at the age of 13 months, at an outdoor rink, and then took lessons at the West Toronto Skating Club; and early in his career he began to skate at the world renowned Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

In June 2003, Dylan began pair skating with his 9 year old sister, Kyra and also continued to compete in singles. The Moscovitches were under the tutelage of the Kristy and Kris Wirtz until January 2006, when the pair joined Lee Barkell. Unfortunately, Kyra retired in October 2008 from competition after being diagnosed with scoliosis.

In February 2009, Dylan formed a partnership with Kirsten Moore-Towers, who had trained at the same rink for several years. At their first ISU Grand Prix, in 2009, they placed 6th at Skate Canada International.

In the 2010-2011 season, they won two silver medals and qualified for the ISU Grand Prix Finals which they finished 6th.

That same season, they were Canadian Champions and earned a spot on the 2014 Canadian Figure Skating Olympic Team. They competed their free skate in the Team Event and ultimately the Team won a silver Olympic medal.

The pair announced the end of their partnership on April 2014, stating they had different goals.

Dylan formed a partnership with Liubov Ilyushechkina, and had a very strong skating career from 2014-2018. In their first season together, they finished second at the 2015 Canadian Championships and competed in Four Continents and World Championships.

They continued to be on the Canadian podium in 2016 and 2017 and also competed at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Four Continents and also represented Canada at the World Championships in 2016.

In 2018, the pair decided to end their partnership.

“Skating was my first love and forever my passion. Representing Canada on both the world and Olympic stage has been an honour and a privilege. It has given me invaluable opportunities and experiences over the years, ones which have played a pivotal role in shaping me into the man that I am today. I look forward to taking the lessons learned and skills acquired into the chapters and adventures to come. I can’t thank my family, friends and fans enough for the endless support they’ve given me throughout the years, as well as the support received from COS, WOS, Skate Ontario, Skate Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and both the provincial and federal governments,” expressed Moscovitch.

Elladj Baldé

Elladj was born in Moscow to a Russian mother and a Guinean father. The family moved to Canada in 1992 and Elladj Baldé was introduced to skating at the age of seven by his mother. Though at first he would hide his skates in an attempt to avoid practice, he began to love skating when he was ten.

Baldé won the Canadian junior title in 2008 and would go on to compete at nine senior Canadian championships, making the national team five times.

From 2011 to 2017 Elladj competed in eight ISU Grand Prix competitions and had impressive 6th place finished in 2014 and 2016.

Elladj also competed at the 2014 ISU World Championships and was on the Four Continents Team in 2013, 2014 and 2018.

Baldé was an active member of the Canadian figure skating team since 2007 and has competed internationally for Canada 27 times as a junior and senior competitor.

In 2015, at an ISU Challenger series, Elladj captured a gold medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany.

At age, 27, he retired from competitive competition in 2018.

“I can’t express the amount of gratitude I have for all of my peers and fans who have given me such endless support throughout the years. Finishing my career the way I did at Canadian Nationals (2018) was one of the most fulfilling moments of my life and I am so thrilled to forge ahead with the exciting opportunities that lie in my professional career,” said Baldé.

“Elladj’s innovative style of skating combined with his powerful technical abilities left a lasting impression on all those that saw him skate. His drive and dedication to skating made him a long-time fan favourite who has been exciting to watch over the years and will be dearly missed on the competitive scene,” said Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director, Skate Canada. “Skate Canada would like to thank Elladj for inspiring Canadians to embrace the joy of skating and wish him the best of luck with his future plans.”

Baldé will continue to stay involved in skating through professional shows, where he is already entertaining crowds around the world. Elladj is also the new face behind Skate Canada’s Facebook Live at events. Alongside his new career as a choreographer, he is also keeping busy inspiring the next generation of athletes with his new company, Skate Global. Founded with friend and fellow figure skater Liam Firus. Skate Global is a multi-faceted platform that provides insight, assistance and training methods to coaches and young figure skaters all around the world.