The Williams Lake Skating Club returned from Kamloops with some medals to show for their efforts.
The group was happy to return to live in-person competitions.
“It’s been so long. It was really nice to go and have a live event again,” said Joanne Macnair, the group’s head coach.
While the skaters were nervous, some having not competed since March 2020 and for some skaters, it was their first-ever competition, but Macnair was happy with the results.
“We had to get in and get our feet wet again and now we’re in the mode,” said Macnair. “They did really good.”
Normally, Macnair would take her competitive skaters to five competitions a year, so it is great to be getting back to something closer to normal for the group.
The competition was scaled back slightly, with COVID restrictions resulting in no podium presentations of medals.
But there were live, in-person judges because there were enough in the region to make the competition.
This has not been happening as often, since the onset of the pandemic as organizations realize streaming the event to judges saves a lot of money in terms of travel costs of bringing in judges.
Anyone over 12 years old had to show vaccine passports, but the changes didn’t impact Macnair’s enthusiasm.
“It was perfect,” she said.
It was also the very first competition for two of the group’s skaters, Aubreigh Gentles, and Alyna Obexer.
At the Star 1 through Star 3 levels, skaters are given an assessment of the relevant skills, rather than ranked against other skaters.
Competing in Star 2, Gentles earned a gold assessment, and Obexer earned a silver. Chloe Frizze earned a silver assessment and Lauren Aikenhead earned a gold assessment in Star 3.
In Star 4 under 13, Kaelin MacKinnon earned sixth place.
Camdyn Cochran took first place in both Star 5 over 13 and Star 5 elements.
Sydney Mason finished in second place in Star 5 under 13 and Ella Kruus finished first in Star 5 over 13.
Julia Bowman finished third in Star 6, first in Star 7 and first again in Star 6 elements.
Emma Penner was first in Star 8, fourth in Star 9 and second in Star 9/10 elements.
Reagan West won second in Star 9, first in Star 10, and third in Star 9/10 elements.
“Everybody had good performances and obviously good results,” said Macnair.
The Williams Lake Skating Club is now preparing for their Winter Showcase event Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex arena.
It is free to watch but the group will be collecting donations towards the local food bank and audience members over 12 will be required to show vaccine passports for entry.
The event will also be live-streamed via the group’s Facebook page for people who want to watch remotely.
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