Carleigh Gorrigsen and Meg Ohsada won gold while Terynn Jensen and Kana Noguchi won silver to lead Bow Valley figure skaters at the Alberta Winter Games on Feb. 7-8.
Representing Zone 2, all four impressed judges with an excellent mix of artistry and athleticism.
Gorrigsen, 12, is from Banff and competed in her first Alberta Winter Games. Although her heart is set on ice dance, she won gold in the Senior Bronze Ladies Freeskate, despite a bad case of nerves.
“Once the crowd started cheering, I thought, I’m all good now,” Gorrigsen said.
She trains seven times a week, including morning and afternoon ice times, but loves every minute of it. After winning AWG trials, she had more confidence heading into competition.
“All my really good friends are my skating friends. I kind of like competing too,” said Gorrigsen, who had strong axels and double toe loops in her routine. “The best part is cheering on my teammates.”
Competition was secondary for Gorrigsen, who couldn’t wait to have fun with her teammates at the AWG dance on Saturday night.
“It’s fun being with all the different people,” she said.
Jensen, 15, is a multi-sport athlete who splits her time between the rink, the volleyball court, golf course and track. She won silver in the Senior Bronze Ladies freeskate, finishing behind Gorrigsen. She’s skated since she was three-years-old and simply wanted to enjoy her second Games.
“I just wanted to have fun and have a good skate. It was great meeting new people and cheering on my team. It’s been good,” Jensen said.
She didn’t have any new elements in her program this year, but wants to add a double flip and double lutz jump by the end of the season.
“I want to pass all of my tests and dances,” Jensen said.
Noguchi, 12, won silver in the Junior Bronze Ladies Freeskate. She worked hard to get to the Games and was relieved to put it behind her.
“It feels good to get it over with. It’s been a lot of work,” Noguchi said. “It’s a nice experience to be here.”
She wants to keep working on her spins and one day follow in the footsteps of Japan’s Mao Asada.
“She’s the big star in Japan. It’s nice to see her keep going no matter what happens,” Noguchi said.
