No less than seven Richmond figure skaters have been named to Team B.C. for the upcoming 2023 Canada Winter Games in PEI.
The magnificent seven are all members of the powerhouse Connaught Skating Club and will represent the province in various disciplines, from pre-novice pairs to pre-novice men and ladies categories.
The young athletes - Jessie Sun and Mitchell Dunn (pre-novice pairs), Ava Cheung and Stephen Lee (pre-novice pairs), Louie Fukuda-Wu (pre-novice mens), Emily Liao and Vicky Pan (both pre-novice ladies) – are the most that has ever been selected from Connaught for the Games.
The previous best was three athletes, in 2019, when the likes of rising stars Wesley Chiu and David Li were in the team.
The sheer volume of Connaught skaters being chosen this year is a testament to the focus on the foundation of the young athletes’ skills, according to the club’s director of skating programs, Keegan Murphy.
“To be chosen for this team, you have to be top in B.C. in your discipline…they’ve been fighting with the best in the province all season long,” Murphy told the Richmond News.
“(The selections) really speaks to the work we do at the foundation level… the coaching has to strategic and purposeful.”
Star athletes an inspiration to younger club members
Being surrounded by prodigies such as the aforementioned Chiu and Li –who’re making an impact at national and international levels – is also an incredible source of inspiration for their younger club skaters, according to Murphy.
“When you see your peers achieve, you naturally believe that you can do it and work hard to get there,” he said.
Given the solo nature of most of the sport’s disciplines, the younger skaters and more accomplished ones don’t practice together.
“But they will be on (the ice) right after or before the ones who are winning and competing at national and international level,” explained Murphy.
“They will do their session and do their cooling down watching them…it’s such a visual inspiration.”
Murphy, himself, skated at the Games, as a 13-year-old, when it was hosted in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as a skater, so I’m so happy for these kids that they will get to experience that,” he said.
The icing on the Canada Winter Games cake for Connaught arrived this week when local coach, Jacob Cryderman, was named as the Team BC Coach for figure skating.
The Games start this Saturday and go until March 5.
