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CANADIAN SKATING FANS GET EARLY LOOK AT COUNTRY'S 2010 MEDAL HOPEFUL JOANNIE ROCHETTE

As Canadian skating fans begin the countdown to 2010, they will be able to get an early look at one of the country's best hopes for a medal as five-time Canadian women's champion Joannie Rochette joins the cast of Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's.

Rochette, who followed up a silver medal performance at the 2008 Four Continents Championship with a second place finish, earned her fifth straight women's title at the Canadian Championships in Saskatoon last month and is widely viewed as a top contender for a medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

"This is obviously going to be a very exciting year for the all winter sports as the country counts down to 2010 in Vancouver, but figure skating has such a special history in Canada and I'm looking forward to celebrating that this spring on the Sears Stars on Ice tour," said Rochette. "I feel like it is my time, and I'm excited about sharing this moment with fans across the country."

Each spring, fans across Canada are treated to one of figure skating's greatest spectacles as Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's tours the country, and this year the show will visit three new Canadian cities for the first time.  Fans in Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie, both in Ontario, and Kelowna, British Columbia will enjoy the thrill of seeing their favourite skaters perform in their own town.

Tickets for the 2009 Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's tour, which kicks off in Halifax on Thursday, April 23 and visits twelve cities across Canada before wrapping up in Vancouver on May 12, are currently on sale. Fans can visit www.starsonice.ca for ticket information in their city.

Also added to the cast of the 2009 Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's tour are five-time Canadian champions, and World silver medalists Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon, six-time Canadian ladies' champion, Jennifer Robinson, and two-time Canadian men's bronze medalist Shawn Sawyer a first-time participant in Sears Stars on Ice.

Rochette will also be joined by some of skating's brightest stars including four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, Olympic Gold Medalists Jamie Salè & David Pelletier, Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen, who made her first appearance in last year's show, and Olympic Bronze Medalist and reigning World Champion Jeff Buttle, who recently announced his retirement from competitive skating.

The all-new production "On the Edge" promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats as the best skaters in the world show their amazing moves on the ice.

DATE	LOCATION	VENUE
Thur, April 23	Halifax, NS	Halifax Metro Centre
Sat, April 25	Ottawa, ON	Scotiabank Place
Sun, April 26	Windsor, ON	Windsor Family Credit Union Centre
Mon, April 27	Sault Ste. Marie	Essar Centre
Fri, May 1	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre
Sat, May 2	Hamilton, ON	Copps Coliseum
Sun, May 3	London, ON	John Labatt Centre
Wed, May 6	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre
Fri, May 8	Calgary, AB	Pengrowth Saddledome
Sat, May 9	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place
Mon, May 11	Kelowna, BC	Prospera Place
Tue, May 12	Vancouver, BC	General Motors Place

Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's is an IMG Production.  Executive Producer is Byron Allen.  Emmy Award nominee and skating icon Scott Hamilton serves as Producer.  Three-time Emmy Award winner Jef Billings returns as Director and Costume Designer.  Cindy Stuart is Choreographer, and Errol Reinart is Lighting Designer.

Sears Canada is proud to join the star-studded cast in their first year as Title Sponsor of Stars on Ice in 2009, in a collaborative partnership with Samsung Electronics Canada.

Re-joining the tour as Presenting Sponsor is Smucker's, a long-time title sponsor of the U.S. Stars on Ice tour, and presenting sponsor of the Canadian tour for the fourth year. 

About Sears Canada

Sears Canada is a multi-channel retailer with a network of 198 corporate stores, 187 dealer stores, 44 home improvement showrooms, over 1,850 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations, 106 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network.  The Company also publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca.

About the J.M. Smucker Company

The J. M. Smucker Company is the leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk and health and natural foods beverages in North America.  Its family of brands includes Smucker's®, Jif®, Crisco®, Pillsbury®, Eagle Brand®, R.W. Knudsen Family®, Hungry Jack®, White Lily® and Martha White® in the United States, along with Robin Hood®, Five Roses®, Carnation® and Bick's® in Canada. 

The Company remains rooted in the Basic Beliefs of Quality, People, Ethics, Growth and Independence established by its founder and namesake more than a century ago.  Since 1998, the Company has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine's annual listing of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the United States, ranking number one in 2004. For more information about the Company, visit www.smuckers.com.

About Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc.

Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. (SECA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., markets a broad range of award-winning digital consumer electronics, information systems, telecommunications and home appliance products.

SECA upholds Samsung's mission to provide consumers with innovative digital convergence products that possess exceptional technology, quality, features, performance and value. The company oversees the Canadian operations of Samsung's Consumer Electronics division, IT division, Home Appliance division and Wireless Terminals division. 

Samsung has been a global TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1997 and has been a presenting sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay since 2004.  Also through Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope charity, Samsung helps athletes and celebrities raise funds for their respective charities, including the Wayne Gretzky Foundation in Canada.  Samsung is also a proud sponsor of Hockey Canada and is the official HDTV sponsor of the NFL.

For customer service inquiries, please call 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864), and for more information, please visit www.samsung.ca

Ticket information, and more information and features about the 2009 Sears Stars on Ice presented by Smucker's tour, is available at www.starsonice.ca

Contact:
Dave Haggith – IMG Canada
Tel: (416) 960-5312 ext.120
E-mail: dave.haggith@imgworld.com

TWITTER POSTS

24 Jun 2010
searsstarsonice: Congratulations to @JoannieRochette for her ESPY Awards nomination for Best Moment. Check out www.espn.com/espys for more info!

14 May 2010
searsstarsonice: Last show tonight... *tear*. What are your favourite memories from the 2010 tour? #countdownto2011 !

13 May 2010
searsstarsonice: A HUGE group of fans here at the @SearsCA store on Robson. Thanks everybody!!

13 May 2010
searsstarsonice: @ceci2492 12pm till 1:30, if you aren't already here!

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