Nationals next up for successful skaters

A Christchurch ice skating club is turning its attention to the nationals after picking up a haul of medals at the North Island championships.

Centaurus Ice Skating Club sent eight competitors to Auckland for the competition earlier this month and took home five golds and two bronzes.

Hunter Smith won the basic novice boys’ competition, and older sister Eva Smith placed third in the juvenile girls.

Juliette Miller won the juvenile girls’ event and then made it two golds when she combined with Timothy Sampson to win the free dance competition.

Sampson also won the adult interpretive silver event.

Izzy Hack won youth interpretive silver and Coco Flood was third in girls’ basic novice.

Claira McDowell competed but didn’t medal.

All except Flood will be in action at the national championships, which will be hosted by Centaurus at the Alpine Ice Sports Centre from October 17-20.

It will be the first time since 2016 the competition has been held in Christchurch.

Committee member Clare Attenborough said the North Island competition served as good preparation for the skaters ahead of nationals.

“For us it was a case of more competition exposure, more feedback for their skating, and different competition,” she said.

“In the South Islands, you tend to compete against similar people all the time, so you’ve got different competition and people who will be competing at nationals.”