The 2011/2012 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating continues this Friday with Skate Canada International in Mississauga, Ontario. Skate Canada is the second of six events in the series. The skaters compete for a global prize money of US $ 180, 000 per individual event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and receive points according to their placements.

Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) and 2011 World Champion Patrick Chan (CAN) and will compete in their first Grand Prix event of the season this week.

Chan faces 2010 World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) in his first competition of the season in the Men's event. Kevin van der Perren (BEL) comes fresh with a silver medal from Hilton HHonors Skate America last week and is hoping to qualify for the Grand Prix Final here in Canada. Adam Rippon (USA), Denis Ten (KAZ) and Javier Fernandez (ESP) are aiming at a podium finish as well. 2011 World Junior Champion Andrei Rogozine (CAN) debutes on the senior Grand Prix series.

Virtue/Moir are leading the dance field. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN), Anna Cappellini/ Luca Lanotte (ITA) and Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko (RUS) want to challenge for the podium. World Junior silver medallists Ekaterina Pushkash/Jonathan Guerreiro (RUS) compete in their first senior Grand Prix event. European Champions Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA) have withdrawn as Bourzat is suffering from bronchitis.

World silver medallists Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS) headline the Pairs event and will compete in their first Grand Prix as a team. Competition should come from 2011 Four Continents silver medallists Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN), two-time and reigning World Junior Champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) and two-time World Junior medallists Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran (JPN). Defending Skate Canada Champions Lubov Ilushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze (RUS) and last year's bronze medallists Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers (CAN) are in the mix as well. 2008 World bronze medallist Jessica Dube (CAN) returns with new partner Sebastien Wolfe (CAN) to the Grand Prix circuit.

The Ladies competition features Canadian Champion Cynthia Phaneuf, 2010 Four Continents silver medallist Akiko Suzuki (JPN), Alena Leonova (RUS), Rachael Flatt (USA), Mirai Nagasu (USA) and 2011 World Junior silver medallist Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (RUS).

The full list of entries is available at www.isu.org