Olympic bronze medallist Jeff Buttle is coping with a back injury but expects to compete as scheduled in the Skate Canada International meet in Victoria.
Buttle has been unable to practice his full repertoire of jumps since being diagnosed with an upper spine stress fracture in mid-August. There was no specific incident that caused the injury.
``It had been flaring up off and on,'' coach Lee Barkell said Monday. ``It's a matter of wear and tear.''
Buttle was completely off ice for three weeks.
``The biggest thing with a stress fracture is that you have to give it time to heal,'' said Barkell. ``He's started doing double jumps again and we're moitoring him closely.
``If everything goes as planned, he should be okay.''
Victoria, Nov. 2-5, is the second stop on the six-meet Grand Prix circuit. Buttle, 24, also is scheduled to compete in Paris, Nov. 16-19, in the International Skating Union's top series.
Buttle pieced together new programs last May. His new short is ``more classical and serious'' than the ``Sing, Sing, Sing'' routine he used last season. The new long also is ``a little bit of a different direction,'' said Barkell.
Buttle has moved south to Toronto from Barrie, Ont. Once he's ready to practice his triple jumps, he'll rejoin Barkell at the Mariposa club there for more intense workouts.
Buttle finished sixth at the 2006 world meet in Calgary last March after landing on the Olympic podium in Turin. He was named captain of the national team during the summer when teammates chose him to take over from Aaron Lowe after the ice dancer and partner Megan Wing retired from competition.
Victoria represents a significant test for Buttle since the entry list includes Olympic and world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, Johnny Weir of the United States and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.
Buttle will go for a third straight national title in Halifax, Jan. 15-21. The 2007 world championships are in Tokyo, March 19-25.
