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Rachel Pettitt found herself in an unusual position last weekend on the ice in Richmond, B.C.

A rare off-day for the 14-year-old figure skater saw her dreams for this season evaporate with just one skate.

Competing at the British Columbia/Yukon Sectional Championships, Pettitt fell twice in her short program and, despite a brilliant free skate, was unable to make up the ground necessary to finish in the top-four and qualify for Skate Canada Challenge, the final qualifying event for the national championships.

"I had very good practices before my short and I was feeling very confident going in, but I think what happened is I put too much pressure on myself,鈥濃�圥ettitt told the Star.

"I wasn't really nervous ... I鈥坘ind of had a feeling I was going to place top-four because I've placed top-four in all these competitions I've been to this year.

"But I think I put too much pressure on myself to make it, and I just tried way too hard.鈥�

Instead, Pettitt finds herself vowing to come back an even stronger skater next season as she attempts to achieve her long-time dream to compete at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships.

Overall, she missed two key jump elements in a rough short program that saw her put up just 26.12 points. The skate left her in 12th place among 19 skaters, and facing a steep uphill climb in her free program in order to achieve her dream of a top finish.

While Pettitt was able to shake off missing a triple-toe, she found herself frustrated when she failed to land one of her "easy jumps,鈥� the double lutz. She also "popped鈥� her double axel, pulling off only a single instead.

"It was upsetting,鈥� she admitted. "It definitely hurt a lot and it was hard to take, especially at such a big competition, but it only makes me better and stronger in the long run. I鈥坔aven't really lost that hard before, so it just makes me want to do it even more next year.

"I鈥坮eally want this, so I'm going to keep training really hard. I'll be ready for next year.鈥�

To her credit, Pettitt bounced back and put up a good fight in her long program skate, earning 55.51 points, which vaulted her into sixth overall. Her skate was not her most technical, but it stood up to be one of the top three skates of the event.

"I鈥坵ent in thinking I鈥坔ave nothing to lose,鈥濃�坰he said. "I kind of just went and skated and had fun. It was definitely one of the best performances I've skated all year.鈥�

Despite coming up short of her goal, Pettitt continues to draw rave reviews from her coach at the Kelowna Skating Club.

The Yukon figure skater's positive attitude and penchant for hard work makes her "the type of athlete that is an asset to any training centre,鈥� coach Jason Mongrain said.

"Unfortunately, the championships did not unfold the way we had hoped they would for her. British Columbia has been known to be the toughest Section to qualify from, based on the quality and depth of skaters. She had shown herself to consistently be in the top four in the province this season, but all it takes is one bad day at the wrong time.

"She has the skills to rank amongst the top skaters in the country, which makes it an even tougher pill to swallow,鈥� Mongrain added. "All one can do is learn from the experience and become a stronger athlete because of it.鈥�

While Pettitt's season is now over, she did pick up an award saluting her consistent top-level skating this year. Pettitt received the bronze trophy for the novice women's Pond to Podium Super Series, an award based on the final standings from all the skating events in the series this season.

The annual award honours skaters with the highest total number of points from events including VISI, Victoria Day, Summer Skate, Autumn Leaves and Sectionals.