Who knew the secret to not getting dizzy while spinning is simply getting used to it through years of practice?
That insider’s tip was supplied by three impressive Huntsville skaters who have just returned from the Skate Ontario Championships held over the weekend in Sudbury.
Huntsville Skating Club’s Mary MacMillan (17), Kaitlyn Brushey (12) and Peyton Burmeister (15) qualified to attend the provincial competition in which each skater has just one chance, about three minutes, to impress the judges. Scoring is based on the execution of requisite moves and on the program components such as the interpretation of the music, choreography, performance and transition.
This wasn’t the first time the Huntsville trio have attended the provincial championships so they went into the competition with some personal goals. Mary MacMillan, who placed 17th, is proud of her score. “I got my best score of the season so far.”
Kaitlyn Brushey, who finished 13th, was hoping to beat her best score. “You kinda want to beat your last score or your best before that but for my skate the jumps weren’t my best so it wasn’t my highest score, but it was close to my second.”
Peyton Burmeister has had a rough season. A concussion sustained when she was hit in the head by a puck at a hockey game took her off the ice just before she was supposed to leave for the provincial qualifier in January. She was sidelined for two and half weeks and then spent another two and half weeks working her way back. Still, she had a lot of success at the Championships. “I haven’t competed much this season but I had a really good skate. My goal was to crack the top 15 and I came in 15th.”
There is no question that these skaters love what they do and each has their specialty.
Mary says she loves to spin. “I think my favourite moves are the big combos spins. You are spinning for a super long time and you change position in the spin and it’s just really cool. Everyone thinks you get crazy dizzy but after a while you get used to it.”
For Kaitlyn, it’s all about the jumps. “I like the jumps. They are just my favourite. I like them better than spins but I think it’s because I like leaving the ice and going really high off it.”
Peyton has taken the spinning to the next level. “I like spinning. I have a few more unique spins that are a little tougher to do and more complicated. I feel really comfortable with them so I just love doing them.”
Even though they practice about four times a week their passion does not appear to have waned. When asked how long they would continue to skate, Kaitlyn captured the sentiment of the group with a huge grin and an emphatic, “I want to keep skating for the rest of my life!”
Mary, Kaitlyn and Peyton will be joined by the other 150 members of the Huntsville Skating Club on Sunday April 3 when they present their 2016 Skating Spectacular – Heros and Villians! Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or at Treasures & Trophies.
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