A former Terrace skate club member recently performed on the national stage, skating at the Canadian Nationals Jan. 21 – 23.
The 2011 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships were held at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria this year.
Jacqueline Lenuik, 18, competed in the Senior Ladies Division, and placed 18th in both categories.
While an 18th place finish is last, Lenuik said she is excited to have been a part of the competition.
“I did enjoy skating the program, (it’s) just insane, so much energy and (it) really pushes you along in the program,” Lenuik said, adding that at one point during her performance the crowd clapped along to her music.
Lenuik also said the event was very different than anything she had been at before.
“I think it was a great experience for her, I think we prepared as best we could, and I’m just really proud of her for making it to nationals,” said Jill Marie Harvey, Lenuik’s head coach.
Lenuik said that a highlight of the competition was getting the chance to watch Patrick Chan perform.
“The score he got was huge, and we are hoping he will win worlds here,” Leniuk said.
Lenuik now plans to take a week off before getting back into her training regime.
According to Harvey now is the time to sit down and talk about where Lenuik wants to go from here.
There is a lot of untapped areas where she has potential for growth and she is just entering that phase, said Harvey.
She attributes some of Lenuik’s success as a figure skater to a team of coaches, notably Joanne McLeod, whom she tributes as a legend in B.C. figure skating.
As for nationals, Lenuik hopes to do it all over again next year.
“Next year be a bit more ready for it and hopefully do quite a bit better,” she said.