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Lucy Watson earns Gold Freeskate award

Skater of the Month
skater
Lucy Watson of the Sunshine Coast Skating Club passed her Gold Freeskate in Vancouver on June 11.

The Sunshine Coast Skating Club’s (SCSC) Lucy Watson, a 12-year-old Juvenile level competitive skater, passed her Gold Freeskate at a test day held in Vancouver, at the Sunset Arena, on June 11. The Gold Freeskate test is the highest level awarded in the discipline of freeskating. 

In order to train for this high level award and to continue her competitive training for this fall’s competitive season start, Lucy has missed some school time while training in Squamish throughout May (three times a week) and in Vancouver (at the Sunset Arena, two times a week) in the month of June. Lucy will travel and stay in Victoria where she will train with her SCSC professional coaches during the month of July. Both she and her fellow skaters are grateful to have August ice scheduled which enables them to train at home instead of needing to be off-Coast for ice time. 

Not only is Lucy a talented competitive skater but she is overall a well-rounded athlete and student. She recently placed first in three track and field events at her school track meet. She performed in both The Nutcracker ballet and the Satio Home Grown Circus production, where her self-taught tumbling skills were highlighted. Along with her on-ice year round training, she also takes part in dryland training encompassing physical fitness, strength and flexibility, mental prep, focus, goal setting, visualization and confidence, along with on and off ice jump harness training. To aid her competitive skating on-ice, she participates in a skating-centred ballet class held by the Waldorf Ballet School. 

Lucy has also given back to her skating club and to its youngest skaters by being trained and then volunteering as a certified program assistant on the club’s CanSkate (learn to skate) sessions, which assists the club’s professional coaches and inspires its beginner skaters. 

In her free time, Lucy enjoys going to the beach with her friends, learning new tumbling tricks, jumping on her trampoline, boating with her family, hiking with their dog, having sleepovers and generally being a typical 12 year old. 

Lucy’s professional coaches say she is an inspiration for all club members, with her positive attitude and self-image, work ethic, self-motivation and determination. She is respectful and coachable, has an exemplary work ethic and shows great potential. The club and coaches wish her many years of continued growth and success.

– Submitted