Fulfilling her monumental goal to soar with the best in the country, Canmore’s Jane Gray skated her way to an 11th-place finish, Saturday (Jan. 23) in Halifax at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.
The Canmore Skating Club star performed well in the short program, stumbled in the free skate, and vowed to go back to nationals next year with bigger goals in mind. Alaine Chartrand of Ontario won the women’s title, while Patrick Chan was crowned top male skater for the eighth time.
“It was a very different experience. Everything about it was different. The rink was bigger, the people watching were in the thousands. I found it overwhelming. I had to keep calm and focus on what I could do in practice,” she said.
Gray battled for years to reach the national championships with the help of her coach, Jan Ullmark. After sharing the ice with top competitors such as Chan and Chartrand, her appetite is now whetted for more competitions and larger goals.
“All of the medallists had this confidence. They knew exactly what they were doing,” Gray said. “In the last year I can compare myself to that a bit more,”
In front of a packed arena, Gray skated a near flawless short program, opening her program with a triple lutz, double toe to get her confidence rolling. She fell on her triple loop, but was otherwise thrilled with the performance.
“The program was perfect with one big mistake. Everything I did had really good quality. I performed it well,” Gray said.
Her free skate did not go as well, but Gray was able to hold on to 11th spot overall.
“It was definitely a harder skate. I let my nerves get to me. I’m still pretty happy with my finish,” Gray said.
She praised her coach Ullmark and her support group for helping her throughout the week of training and competition, since she had a small battalion of support crew with her from the Canadian Sport Institute.
“Everyone was there for me. The coaches gave good advice, the trainers from the Canadian Sport Institute were there to help with recovery,” Gray said.
She is now able to take time off to focus on school, and will return to the ice in spring with a new short and free skate program, incorporating the lessons she’s learned this year. She has no idea what that program will look like at the moment, but hints she may incorporate lyrics into her program. Already looking ahead to next year’s nationals, Gray said there are many things she would like to change about her approach, and had advice for other skiers heading to their first Canadian championship.
“You have to skate for yourself and not focus on all the people who are watching. Some have been going to nationals for five years. You have to focus on what you can control,” Gray said.
