For members of the Burnaby-based Champs International Skating Centre of B.C., last week’s Skate Canada BC/YK Section 2017 Awards, held at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre, was an affirmation.
All the hard work put in and the results recorded during the 2016/17 figure skating season were on people’s radar.
Senior ladies’ Sarah Tamura and ice dancers Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara were recognized for outstanding efforts during the past skating season, while Champs’ head coach Joanne McLeod picked up the Skate Canada competitive coach award of excellence.
Tamura, 16, who made the jump to senior on the national circuit while competing internationally as a junior, was happy to receive the Skate Canada Competitive Skate Athlete Award.
“It’s a real great feeling,” said Tamura, who attends Burnaby Central Secondary. “When you get an award and people around you get awards, you get to share it – it’s acknowledging that you didn’t get here by yourself.”
At the nationals in January, she made a great first impression as a senior by placing sixth overall, with the fourth-best score in the short program and a personal best 60.09 score. It was a personal highlight and season goal wrapped together.
“I think all skaters can relate to this, but I don’t like to watch my programs,” she said. “But (the short skate) is one I keep watching over and over again.”
Tamura received a late invitation from Skate Canada to compete at the Bavarian Open in February and ventured to Germany without a lot of expectations. The result, however, was exactly what Canadian officials had hoped, as the Burnaby teen nailed it and finished first overall in her division.
A few weeks later at the ISU world junior championships in Taipei, the results were not what she had hoped. Finishing 17th overall gave her pause on needing to catch her breath in what had been a whirlwind winter.
“To compete against the best in the world, you can’t make any mistakes in your program,” she said. “(The Bavarian Open) came as a surprise, and Skate Canada wanted its best junior skaters to compete… I got myself ready but was in the process of adjusting to new skates and I think I was a bit tired from the whole season and back-to-back competitions.”
Now she will take a break from skating – a whole week – before getting back to training at McLeod’s centre.
“(McLeod) has really worked hard with me and it’s so great to be able to share those moments with her. She has helped me so much on achieving our goals together.
“My ultimate goal is to make the Olympic team (for 2018). I definitely want to show I deserve it.”
Makita and Gunara received the Ice Dance Youth Promise Award, after having established a new pre-novice record at the Skate Canada Challenge in December with a final score of 78.92.
Makita, a 13-year-old from Coquitlam, and Gunara, 14, also won the provincial ice dancing title.
