The Canadian Figure Skating Championships will be held January 9-15.
Six athletes from the Richmond Connaught Skating Club have secured a spot for the upcoming 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships are held at the Tribute Communities Center in Oshawa, Ontario. from 9 to 15 Jan. 2023.
Amy Shao Ning Yang and Angelina Guan are two of six athletes preparing for the national championships next month.
Yang won silver in the senior women’s category of the Skate Canada Challenge earlier this month.
She noted that her “two very good performances” allowed her to qualify for the national championships and that she aims to do the same at the Canadian championships.
Although she joined the Connaught Skating Club this year, Yang said “constant training” was a key factor in her success in qualifying for national championships.
“I can’t wait to be there (at the championships) and play against all these strong competitors that I look up to,” Yang said.
Guan, who placed sixth in the Skate Canada Challenge women’s junior category, said she was thrilled to have qualified for the national championships this year.
However, Guan said she felt a “very different energy” from other skaters on the ice at the Skate Canada Challenge.
“I saw how the skaters train very hard and…I want to make myself like that too,” Guan said.
“Keeping a positive mindset throughout training while working really hard helped me qualify for the championships and I hope to continue that for the national championships.”
She added that the support of her parents and coaches has sustained her mentally and physically.
Last year, Guan competed in the novice category of the championships.
The Richmond Connaught Skating Club athletes and the categories in which they compete at the Canadian Championships are:
- Amy Shao Ning Yang – Senior Ladies
- Wesley Chiu – Senior Men
- Gabriel Blumenthal – Senior Men
- Angelina Guan – Junior Ladies
- David Li – Junior Men
- Neo Tran – Junior Men
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