Face the judges and push through my toes.
Those were the words flashing through 11-year-old Samuel Quin’s mind as he skated towards his first juvenile gold medal at the 2023 BC Winter Games last weekend.
The young Richmond figure skater – yet another product of the star-laden Connaught Skating Club conveyer belt – placed first on the podium at the 2023 games in Vernon, where he faced several older competitors.
It was a marked improvement in his ranking, with the Kingswood elementary kid placing sixth in the provincials last November.
Samuel told the Richmond News that he was “very excited” when he realized he had won and also quite “surprised,” adding that he had hoped to finish second or third at best.
“I have been practising more than usual, I think that helped,” said Samuel.
Samuel called his mom after winning gold
His parents weren’t there to see him take top spot on the podium, but he did call his mom in Richmond about 15 minutes afterwards.
“She said good job. She was happy,” he added.
Samuel’s next target is to perfect the “double axel” jump, which he has attempted before but “it’s not very good, I’m still learning.”
Connaught’s director of skating programs, Keegan Murphy, said the double axel is “another big jump” and for someone of Samuel’s age, “it’s the next step over the next six months or so.”
Other Connaught skaters to make the podium at the games were:
Juvenile Men:
Toma Fukuda-Wu - 2nd;
Tristan Tan - 3rd.
Juvenile Women:
Sophia Marr - 3rd.
Pre-Novice Women:
Ilonna Chen - 2nd.
