Skating on home ice made for a great showing for the Glengarry Skating Club in the Okanagan Regional Championship Feb. 17 to 19.
Glengarry Skating coach Trevor Buttenham said the skaters had an excellent showing. Competing at home, Buttenham said, helps a lot. One factor is having family and friends in the stands cheering them on.
“I think because we had home ice advantage I saw a lot more enjoyment. I think that comes across to not only the audience, but it also comes across to the judging panel,” said Buttenham. “We saw some smiles. Saw some big moments from the ladies when they got that feedback from their cheering section. It goes a long ways to the overall package.”
Nadia Snyman won gold in Star 7 and 8.
“It was great, two new personal bests,” said Buttenham. “She was right on this weekend.”
Samantha Macnally won gold in pre-juvenile women under 13. Macnally also took second to Snyman in Star 7 women, which Buttenham said was fantastic.
Jordana McEachern skated two solid programs. Buttenham said it is her first time competing after moving up from juvenile to pre-novice.
“This was a bit of a testing the waters. She did really well,” he said. “We had some mistakes, which are expected. The program is 30 seconds longer than she has done in the past.”
“It was pretty good. The results weren’t perfect, but I know there is room for improvement for the next competition,” said McEachern. “They (skaters) were a lot better than the group that I skated with before.”
Amy Slater enjoyed the weekend as she moved up from Star 4 to 5, who performed the interpretive for the first time.
“I think I did really good,” said Slater, who had two clean skates. “I was really nervous.”
Buttenham watched as the Star 1 skaters received good assessments, which he said was fantastic.
“They had some fun which is what it is all about when you are six years old.”
