Keegan Messing dedicates his Skate America performance to grounded Canadian teammates

Keegan Messing will take the ice alone this week at Skate America in Las Vegas, without even fans in the arena to cheer him on.

But he’ll be skating with all of Canada’s team in his thoughts.

The 28-year-old is the lone Canadian competing in a Grand Prix in an international figure skating season ravaged by COVID-19.

“I’m very saddened,” Messing said of his teammates grounded back home. “(But) I’m really proud I get to represent the team. I want to skate for them. This is going out to them.”

The Grand Prix circuit, which traditionally kicks off the figure skating season, was altered to reflect travel restrictions, becoming domestic events open to skaters who live and train in that country.

Most of the Canadian team was slated to compete at Skate Canada International, but that event Oct. 30-31 in Ottawa was recently cancelled amid rising coronavirus cases in Ontario, and increased restrictions.

The Grand Prix stop in Grenoble was cancelled Monday. The Grand Prix Final in Beijing had previously been postponed, with no rescheduled date for that event…