The results weren’t measured in medals as much as in personal marks and experience.
For the first major national figure skating competition of the season, the Skate Canada Challenge two weeks ago produced its share of highlights for members of Burnaby’s Champs International Skating Club of B.C.
The club, based out of the Canlan 8-Rinks facility, saw a handful of medals achieved, including bronze medals by Brendan Wong, in pre-novice men’s, and Beres Clements, in junior.
Also collecting silver were ice dancing teams Yuka Orihara and Lee Royer, in junior dance, and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker, in senior dance. (See the NOW’s online story on the ice dance results at www.burnaby-now.com.)
“Brendan was amazing,” remarked Champs coach Joanne McLeod. “He conquered a flip jump that is rare among pre-
novice skaters and came up with a record-breaking personal skate at the right moment.”
His score in the long program – 63.33 points – was second in his division, and combined with his short program gave him a total of 95.36, less than two points back of a silver medal.
Clements’ result saw him jump from seventh after the short program into third with the second-best skate in the free program. It was his first national medal.
He finished just ahead of fellow Champs skater and Burnaby native Aleksa Rakic. The junior men’s skater finished fourth, having topped the whole division in the short program. However, an equipment issue that forced him to stop mid-performance and re-start proved costly, McLeod said.
“It was a record-breaking (short) points result for (Rakic),” she noted. “He would have been on the podium if not for the equipment issue, which saw them deduct points for having to re-tie his skates and regroup.”
In novice men’s results, Shuma Mugli finished fourth, while clubmate Shohei Law placed eighth overall. In novice women, Emily Millard finished seventh, including a fourth-best short program score.
For senior women’s skater Sarah Tamura, a sharp result in the short program, which put her third overall, was countered by a work-in-progress routine in the free program, which bumped her to 10th place.
However, McLeod noted that coming in the first competition of the season, it just whetted Tamura’s appetite for more come the nationals next month.
“Her short was very strong, and she was one of the few to do a triple lutz-triple toe combo. Sarah’s working hard and what most skaters are looking to do is progress towards the nationals.”
Tamura is a two-time national champion, capturing the novice women’s crown in 2014 and a junior title in 2016.
Placing 13th was Emily Bausback.
Former Champs skater Melody Zhu, meanwhile, topped the novice women’s event. The Vancouver native, who recently left the Burnaby club, secured the best marks in both short and free programs.
The club is busy preparing a contingent of skaters for next month’s Canadian Tire national championships, which run Jan. 14 to 20 in St. John, NB.
McLeod will be taking 12 individual athletes, and accompanying a handful of dance teams with coaches Lowe and Wing, to the event.
“We’re really stoked about that. It’s the largest group from one club represented (at the nationals),” she said. “I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made, and the credit goes to all the coaches.”
