~ She's.a

a any clic ty |

once because, she's half

you' wonder if her skates don’t weigh half as much

as she does. She travelled all. the way.

‘Chemainus “by ferry!

competition and she finished tenth in a field of 19

‘in the Preliminary 10 and Under: division. © poms

“Becky. Rinta began skating
atthe age of two and already
she dreams of becoming a _
‘world champion. Her
dreams are shared by most
of the 350 figure‘skaters who

-competed in 28 events from

pre-preliminary to senior
levels at the Second Annual
‘International Competition
hosted by the North Shore
Winter Club over the
weekend. |

“Maybe 35 of them might.

reach the: notional level of

competition,” “gays Gloria
_Magaussen,

mother. of
former. World. ; Champion,
Karen. “If they can = ac-
complish enough before they ©
become teenagers, there’ sa
good chance they'll go on.”

It takes hours, nionths,
years of. hard, work, self-
discipline, concentration
and dedication. . “Good
lessons for life,” says Gerry
Epp, -mother of three
devoted skaters. 7

And even ifthe skater |

Yipee

up to $24 én'hour teaching

his skill or carn a reasonable

. from. ing. performing ‘in an ice
to. ‘her ‘second

“Still, " these tyro com-
petitions can be: tedious _

, “separating out.the drudge,”

as.one pro put it rather
indigcretely. ,
Falls and mistakes plague
most évents. and even the
“best performances are
exciting from a spectator

, Viewpoint’ only insofar as

they reveal potential,

‘But, such competitions
provide an invaluable
learning experience — and
that’s what they’re all about.
“It's a step on the, way up,”
‘says Magnussen. wi

a skater turns |

up with the wrong music or a
skate lace. breaks; he learns

his equipment. , ‘Another.
skater trips on sequins on the
ice; he learns to’ tell the
_ judges ‘rather than dissolve.
in tears. He Jearns to cope
with pressure and deal with
disappointment. vo

“There are some kids who
should compete ‘and others
who shouldn't,” says Joanne
Hull, mother of 10-year-old
Michelle who won the In-
termediate Ladies . event. .
“There are some who get so
up tight they have to carry a
barf bag.” oe

But she . says Michelle
loves competing and skates
best under pressure. “She
only failed one test and when -
I suggested it was OK if she
«. CONTINUED ON PAGE BS

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