The Kelowna Skating Club (KSC) was represented well by skaters of all levels at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships held in Saint John, New Brunswick.
KSC had to be happy with the competition as they achieved a number of top-ten overalls as well as various top-three finishes.
Earlier in the week, 13-year-old Vienna Harwood finished seventh overall in the Novice Women’s category. Harwood opened with a 12th place short program, but stormed back with a third-place free program, which scored a personal best 81.82 points, and included four successful triple jumps.
Kelowna's Emma Bulawka opened with a first place in the junior level's short program. Her free program would leave her just shy of the podium, scoring a total of 129.44 points for a fourth-place finish.
Late in the week, Olivia Gran made her debut at the Senior level, competing with the best singles skaters in the country. Gran, an Okanagan Mission Secondary student, opened with an 11th place short program and finished ninth overall. The 15-year-old was the youngest skater in the event and is the first Kelowna singles skater to finish in the top 10 at the Senior level.
In the Senior Ice Dance discipline, Kelowna’s Haley Sales and her partner Nik Wamsteeker finished 4th overall, thanks to a personal best score of 167.6 points.
“Overall, we are very pleased that our club was represented at all 3 levels of singles competition”, said KSC Director Jason Mongrain. “Certainly, there were possibilities for medals based on the scores, which speaks to their skill level. It’s a process and the goal is to continue to develop and improve – the results don’t always go your way on the long term path.”
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