Eight Kelowna skaters traveled to Wenatchee, Washington to compete at the 2012 Apple Ice Classic figure skating competition last weekend.
The field of competitors included top skaters from the Seattle area, as well as skaters from Oregon and Alaska.
The Kelowna Skating Club made a huge impression on their American counterparts in taking 5 of the top 6 spots in the Novice Women’s event, and sweeping the podium at the Junior level.
At the Novice level, Kelowna’s Julianne Delaurier took first place with a total score of 96.64, while Monika Randall finished in second. Club mates Dana Bobyn, Madison Jenson, and Priscilla Sabang finished fourth through sixth, respectively.
The skaters posted strong results in despite being handicapped by conflicting element criteria for US events.
“It was a bit tricky at this level, as the US free program requirements are different,” said Kelowna Director Jason Mongrain. “Some changes were easy to make, while others would have interfered with their training too much—so, we didn’t conform to all of the requirements, which cost them some points from their total scores.”
At the Junior level, the three Kelowna entries swept the podium. Jayda Jurome led the field with a 95.2 points finish, while Haley Sales and Cailey England took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
“There were no discrepancies with program requirements at this level, as Junior and Senior levels are governed by the ISU (International Skating Union),” Mongrain noted.
“The requirements for Novice events and below were set by the individual national federations.”
The Wenatchee hosts, as well as U.S. coaches and skaters, and judges were pleased by the participation of the Kelowna contingent.
“We were approached by several coaches and judges who were thankful that we brought our skaters, and they expect next years field to be even deeper with American skaters if we agree to participate again. We were made to feel very welcome, so I hope we can attend again in the future.”
