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Youngster good as gold at meet |
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Written by Ted Clarke
Citizen staff
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Monday, 02 November 2009 |
Looking dapper, dressed in black from head to toe, eight-year-old Justin Hampole couldn’t wait to slice the ice at the Williston figure skating meet.
It was the first competition of his young career and with nothing to compare it to, Hampole was simply incomparable.
The Spruce City Skating Club athlete executed his moves with precision, performed all his leaps according to plan, and left the medal podium with the pre-preliminary men’s gold medal around his neck. Colton Giesbrecht of Dawson Creek earned the silver medal.
“Since it was my first time, I was sort of scared, and I just wanted to do my solo so I could get a medal and it worked out,” said Hampole, a Grade 3 student at College Heights elementary school.
“The best part was my waltz jumps. I only know waltz jumps, toe loop, Salchow and the flip. The flip is the hardest for me. I don’t do the Lutz yet, but I’m going to learn it.”
Hampole is obviously determined to succeed in his second season of figure skating, having started out in the CanSkate program last year. He just wishes he had more of male peers to chum around with all those young ladies at the rink.
“My mom just signed me up for figure skating, for no reason,” he said. “She just wants me to do, so I do it. I like doing it because it’s fun.
“I don’t like it that much that I’m the only boy. More should join. It’s really fun and they can get gold medals.”
Hampole was one of only two males who competed in the pre-preliminary men’s class.
“Although figure skating was originally a man’s sport, we don’t have many boys in figure skating and Justin is doing very well,” said Spruce City coach George Crha.
“He’s learned most of the jumps that he needs. He’s a very talented boy and he’s very enthusiastic. He loves what he’s doing and that’s the most important thing for this sport. If you like only like it, that’s not good enough. You have to love it because it’s a lot of hard work.”
Allie Bursey knows that for a fact. She’s been skating longer than she can remember, and she’s risen through the ranks to the 12-under junior bronze category. Her persistence paid off in gold Saturday at Williston. The 12-year-old Spruce City skater posted first-place marks with her solo and was third in the interpretive competition.
She landed her double-Salchow and touched down safely with her double-loop, but fell trying to keep her balance, resulting in a minimal deduction.
“That’s my first competition with
it in my solo,” said Bursey, a 12-year-old Grade 7 student at Heather Park middle school.
“I thought I was going to do it and had it fully rotated, but then I fell. I was a little nervous. I have a new interpretive (program) in a new category and it’s my first competition of the year and I came in third (out of eight) so I’m happy.”
Bursey is gearing up for the regional StarSkate event, Dec. 4-6 at the Kin Centre. The top skaters from the regionals will advance to the Pacific StarSkate provincial event in Kamloops, March 11-14, 2010.
Samara Thew of the Prince George Figure Skating Cub was second to Bursey, while Brianna Hagen of Prince Rupert earned bronze.
Other Spruce City overall winners at Williston were: Jolene Laviolette (preliminary 11-and -older women’s B); Alyssa Cheung (pre-preliminary women’s B); Soleil Gagne (silver interpretive); Katrina Dakus, (gold triathlon skills, gold triathlon free); Ektarena Sergeev (bronze triathlon free); Jannaya Ryser (CanSkate singles A); Sivanna Banotra, Emily Hart, and Aleisha Ramsay (CanSkate singles D, three-way tie); and Banotra (CanSkate Showcase).
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 November 2009 )
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