Oceanside Place was jumping, literally, recently as more than 300 figure skaters took to the ice for the 2012 B.C./Yukon Skate Canada Sectional Figure Skating Championships.
The Nov. 8-11 skating saw plenty of great performances.
“These are the top figure skaters in the province here this weekend — there’s 350 of them from as far away as White Horse ranging in age from 12-22,” B.C. Figure Skating media coordinator Brian Pound explained above the hubbub when The News caught up with him.
According to event chair and Sandy Shores Figure Skating president Launie Elves the big competition was the final stop on the Pond to Podium series, with the champion in each division being awarded as well as Region champions and most of the B.C./YT section champions.
According to Pound, the top four finishers from the event advance to the Skate Canada Challenge in Regina in early December. The top finishers in Regina advance to the National Championships in Mississauga, Ont., in January, and that determines the Canadian World Championships team.
Sandy Shores Skating Club has never hosted Provincials “and probably will not have the opportunity again for many years,” said Elves, adding “B.C. has a strong team going to challenge in Regina in December.”
“It’s going great,” Pound surmised. “Organizing an event like this where you’ve got 350 skaters, you’ve got coaches, you’ve got judges. It’s a massive job to pull it together, and the local organizing committed has really done a phenomenal job.
“The dreams start here,” he said. “This is the future of not only skating in B.C., but this is the future of skating in Canada. This is where it all starts for these kids. Who knows, one or two of these competitors here may go on to be world champions.”