The Burnaby novice dance team of Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara got the medal run going at the 2018 Canadian Tire national skating championships at UBC on Tuesday.
The pair, members of the Vancouver Ice Dance Academy who train at 8-Rinks’ Champs International Skating Centre of B.C., scored silver with a final score of 95.08, just 1.74 points back of gold medalists Nadia Bashynska and Peter Beaumont of Ontario.
Makita and Gunara, entering their third season skating together, are building on last year’s strong results. They topped the Skate Canada Challenge, where they set a new novice ice dancing points record.
The pair work under coaches Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe.
Late Tuesday, the junior ice dance tandem of Ashlynne Stairs and Lee Royer finished third, having posted the second-best score in free dance program after starting the competition eighth after the short dance.
Stairs and Royer, who are also coached by Wing and Lowe, trailed Ontario's Olivia McIsaac and Elliott Graham by three points, who finished second.
The medals kept coming later in the day, as Burnaby’s Aleksa Rakic cleared all hurdles to collect silver in novice men's competition.
The novice men’s skater, a member of Champs program, achieved 136.76 points after the two events, placing behind Alec Guinzbourg of Ontario. Rakic,13, stood second overall after the short program Monday at the national skating championships at UBC.
Fellow Champs’ skater, Gabriel Blumenthal, stood ninth after the short program, while Shuma Mugii was 12th overall. The novice free program was skated Tuesday afternoon, after the NOW’s deadline.
A year ago, Rakic finished sixth in the novice event at the nationals. He received the 2016 B.C./Yukon region’s Most Promising Male award.
Brian Le, a Champs’ skater in the junior men’s division, posted the sixth-best score in the short program on Monday. It was a case of him being ready for the moment, noted McLeod.
“It was a personal best for Brian. He had a very strong skate, and if they do their absolute best you can say it was a great performance,” she said.
While the team still had a number of skaters yet to hit the ice for their first event, with the competition continuing until Saturday, McLeod said for those attending it has so far been a smashing success.
“The kids are well prepared and I think the atmosphere is terrific,” said McLeod. “To skate and perform before a home crowd, with an opportunity for family and friends to see them, is something they can be proud of.”
She noted that for two Champs skaters – Emily Bausback and Beres Clements – are watching from the sidelines after suffering injuries prior to the nationals. Both were enjoying strong seasons until falling hurt.
“It was a huge punch to the heart, because they had earned this opportunity,” said McLeod. “Injuries happen in sport, but it’s so unfortunate that it came at this time for them.”
Bausback will be watching three clubmates lace them up in the senior women’s division, which starts Friday with short programs at 9:40 a.m. Amanda Tobin is listed second, Sarah Tamura will skate fourth, and Kelsey Wong, at 10th, are part of the 18-skater competition.
Tobin, originally from Burlington, Ont., relocated to the Lower Mainland to train with McLeod. Both Tamura and Wong are Burnaby natives.
“Each one is bringing a different presentation for the audience,” noted McLeod. “Kelsey’s a rare combination of beautiful strength and poise, a delicate balance. (Tamura’s) quick and fire-y with a high degree of difficulty to her program. Amanda is very mesmerizing to watch, with great sensitivity aligned to her music. She’s very gutsy.”
All eyes will be on Kevin Reynolds in the senior men’s competition, which takes to the ice 5 p.m. on Friday, where Champs’ Kevin Reynolds will look to improve on last year’s silver medal. The Coquitlam native has finished second or third at five of the past six nationals – the lone exception was in 2015 when an injury forced him to withdraw.
Skating will continue all week at UBC.
