Between Jan. 17 and Jan. 21 the 2013 Saskatchewan STARSkate Championships were held in Humboldt, Sk. Four local skaters (Grace Smyth, Kyla Fischer, Halle Doty, and Cassidy Weber) attended with two able to reach gold.
Both Halle Doty and Cassidy Weber did very well in their categories. Weber reached as high as fifth place and Doty as high as eighth. Kyla Fischer reached sixth in her free skate, fourth in her spins, and first in her jumps as she competed in the pre-preliminary category for STARSkate skaters. Finally Grace Smyth won gold medals in both spins and her free skate.
STARSkate is a way to train balanced skaters on the ice and in life. Within the program there are different categories which focus on providing holistic training to the figure skaters. Categories include dance, specific skills, interpretive skating, and finally the free skate.
Ice dance focuses on the skater's flow on the ice in relation to music. The specific skills include those such as spins and jumps. Interpretive takes into account how the skater expresses themselves as well as their use of space and rhythm, it is said to focus on performance without the technical elements. Finally the free skate takes all of these categories to put into one comprehensive program. Performed in time to music judges focus on all of the skills required as well as the overall presentation of the performance.
Ultimately the other categories are embodied within the free skate, which is similar to watching the long or short programs on televised competitions. So, competitors are able to work on individual skills, becoming well versed skaters, which help them put together the best routine they are able to for the free skate.
The competition in Humboldt attracted approximately 200 skaters and for Halle Doty it meant she was competing against a group of 40 others.
"There were lots of people and lots of competition," Doty explained about her experience at the competition.
Fischer (nine) has only been skating for four years having begun training when she was five. A natural on the ice Fischer enjoys competitions the most when it comes to figure skating. This is her second year at the provincial competition and was very happy to have been awarded gold.
"I usually get second, so it was exciting getting first," Fischer explained with a large smile spread across her face.
Fischer is contemplating entering two more competitions this year, the Saskatoon based Jean Norman Bursary Show and the Rising Star competition in Whitewood.
Also skating at the Jean Norman Bursary Show will be Grace Smyth (15) who will be a featured performer at the show.
Smyth not only won gold in the spins category of the Senior Silver program, but she won gold with her free skate landing the title "Provincial STARSkate Ladies Champion" and a featured spot in the Jean Norman Bursary Show.
Smyth has been skating since she was five and is a very talented figure skater whose free skate routine did not only move the audience and judges; but, it succeeded in bringing a tear to her mother's eye which has only happened once before. Both of her parents, Cindy and Dale Smyth, are extremely proud of her accomplishments.
"I was really excited, I'm used to competing but hadn't been at larger competitions for awhile. I had just been in smaller ones this year," Smyth stated.
Thriving in the competitive atmosphere Smyth left everything on the ice to win, but was none-the-less surprised to receive first, especially after modifying her routine slightly due to an injury.
"I was surprised. It was exciting. I knew I skated well, I just didn't know if it was good enough," Smyth explained.
Though she now travels to Moosomin instead of Virden for training she is still coached by Patricia Hole based in Virden. Smyth travels there twice a week and also practices in Carlyle twice a week.
As her routines develop Smyth likes to be involved and gets help from her mother, her coach, and two choreographers.
"I get to pick the music myself, then I get my Mom's opinion, then my coach's. I then take it to the choreographers," Smyth said.
Her season has been very successful as she had competed in both Winnipeg and Virden where she won gold in the interpretive category in Winnipeg and gold in both her free skate as well as spins in Virden.
"I like the competitive atmosphere. I know a lot of people I compete against, it can be hard being friends and then competing against each other, but everyone's really supportive of each other," Smyth explained.
"I like the feeling of being at the rink and competing against everyone else."
