麻豆社区

Rachel Pettitt's spectacular figure skating season ended in style last weekend at the 2013 Skate Canada Challenge in Regina, Sask.

The 13-year-old Whitehorse native finished fourth in the country among 56 pre-novice women skaters, following her final short and free program skates.

She was the only Yukon skater to compete.

The performance was the last of Pettitt's season, which included a gold medal at Skate Canada Sectionals, gold at B.C. SummerSkate, and gold in the Pond to Podium Super Series.

"I've been working really hard for this,鈥� Pettitt told the Star yesterday. "It just paid off.

I don't really know how to explain it. My first year at Challenge, and I even got top-five overall. That was really exciting.鈥�

While Pettitt's goal this season was simply to qualify for Challenge, she said the experience has left her craving a subsequent appearance next year.

Pettitt will move up to novice next season, and a top-18 finish at Challenge would qualify her for nationals.

"It was so much fun,鈥� she said. "I just love the idea of being on a team. I know you're competing against your team members, but just having a B.C. team, it's so much fun.鈥�

Pettitt's fourth-place finish was tops among B.C./Yukon pre-novice women.

Pettitt skated her short program on Friday and scored a 29.77, good for 10th place.

She missed her triple salchow early in the program, which eventually cost her a shot at the title.

"My short wasn't my best short,鈥� Pettitt admitted. "Everything else went good. It was just that one jump. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the triple salchow. I think maybe that could be one of the reasons why it didn't work. I was just so worried about it.鈥�

Pettitt recently added the triple salchow to her repertoire, first performing the jump at B.C. sectionals last month.

She said her coaches warned her that the triple salchow was "just an extra,鈥� advising the young skater not to pressure herself into the jump.

Pettitt bounced back with a near-flawless long program Saturday, scoring a 54.05 and a third-place ranking. This time she landed her triple salchow, and skated her way to a top finish.

"I really just tried not to put too much pressure on myself (in the long),鈥� she said.

Pettitt's collective points total finished at 83.82, earning her a fourth-place finish overall.

"It was one of her best longs of the year,鈥� said her mother and Arctic Edge coach, Trish Pettitt. "I would say the best. She had lots of confidence out there and did a good job.

"It was basically nationals for her level,鈥� she said of the Challenge competition. "If you miss an element, it will cost you. The short can't win you (a competition), but it can lose you.鈥�

Her daughter worked hard to get to this level, Pettitt said.

"These wins don't come by without the work and the effort that you put into it. She's made goals all along and she committed to those goals.

To me, she kept on track the whole time. I'm just proud that she keeps pushing herself and what she's capable of doing.

"It is fantastic,鈥� she added. "For her to not only win sectionals, but to come out and be the top athlete in her category for B.C/Yukon and to win Super Series, that was a big thing. I am very proud.鈥�

Challenge marked the end of the competitive season for pre-novice skaters. Pettitt, who was training in Kelowna, B.C., has now returned to Whitehorse, rejoining her Grade 8 class at Vanier Catholic Secondary School.

The 2013 Skate Canada Challenge ran Dec. 5 to 8, with the top four skaters from every province competing for gold in pre-novice, novice, junior and senior divisions. Quebec and Ontario sent their top eight skaters.

The top novice, junior and senior skaters will move on to compete at Skate Canada nationals in January.