The Connaught Skating Club has the rare opportunity to defend its title on home ice when the Skate Canada B.C./Yukon Sectional Championships get underway on Thursday at Minoru Arena,.
Last year, the Richmond organization captured the Club Champion aggregate award for the first time in a decade and is in an excellent position to do so again. The trophy is presented to the club that accumulates the most points based on results throughout the competition.
"We have over 10 possible medalists," said Connaught Director of Programs Keegan Murphy of his team of 30 skaters that will be competing. "We just have to see where the cookies are going to crumble.
"There are two different generations of skaters we have right now. Some are building towards nationals where we don't want them to be peaking right now.
This is just a really nice platform for them. (For our younger skaters) this is a really big show where they are nervous and everything. It's fun that way in the older kids are mentoring the younger ones.
"We would love every single one of them to have a personal one of them to have a personal best performance. Where that result puts them we're not in control of. They have trained very hard and are looking forward to going out and showing their talent."
Leading the Connaught contingent are Larkyn Austman and Mitchell Gordon. Austman is the defending 2013 national women's junior champion, while Gordon earned the junior men's honours in 2012. Both will be competing at the senior level this weekend and look to build momentum towards nationals where they will be trying to show Skate Canada they deserve invites to compete at the Junior World Championships. It's a feat Gordon managed to pull off a year ago.
The top four finishers in Pre-Novice, Novice, Junior and Senior earn the opportunity to represent B.C at the Skate Canada Challenge in Regina, Dec. 4-8. The competition concludes Sunday afternoon with the senior women's free skate. Connaught's executive and volunteers have been working hard to insure the Sectionals are a big hit on and off the ice. All event passes are $10 and daily admission is $5. Children six and under are free. Children with Skate Canada membership cards will be admitted free as well.
"The organizing committee has been amazing," added Murphy. "I hope the community comes out to watch. To have Olympic hopefuls compete in your backyard doesn't happen very often."
