Local skaters hit the national stage

CORNER BROOK

The Silver Blades Figure Skating Club will have two members competing at the upcoming Homesense StarSkate National Figure Skating Championships in Calgary, Alberta.

Jamie Sparkes, 17, will try her luck in the Gold Women's Triathlon competition, while Kalynn Crane, 15, will represent the local club in the Silver Women's Triathlon event.

The girls will leave Sunday morning for Calgary, with the competition going ahead from Wednesday to Saturday next week.

The triathlon competition is made up of three parts - an interpretive program, a skills program and a freeskate program.

Sparkes, who placed second overall at the 2006 event in the Silver Women's Triathlon, said her experience last year was nothing but positive.

"It was a lot of fun," she told The Western Star. "It was a really good experience."

Sparkes, a skater since the age of four, will be competing for the last time at this year's event.

"My only goals are to have fun and have a clean long program," she said. "I'm not there for medals - I'm just there to skate.

"It's my last competition that I'll ever skate because of university next year and you really can't do both at once," she continued. "So it'll be the best competition because it will be my last."

Crane, meanwhile, qualified for the national event along with Sparkes by placing first in their respective categories at the provincial StarSkate competition.

She said of the three programs included in the triathlon event, the freeskate is her least favourite.

"I'm definitely more confident with skills or interpretive, for sure," she said.

Crane has been involved with the sport for 13 years, but has never been to a national event before and is unsure of exactly what to expect.

"I just want to skate my personal best," she said. "It's a big competition, so it'll be really tough to place - that would be amazing too - but a personal best is what I'm aiming for."

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