The Arctic Edge Skating Club hosted the 2018 Gold Nugget Championship at the Canada Games Centre on Dec. 1 in Whitehorse.
Not only the first competition of the season, the championship was also the first competition that some of the skaters have ever skated in.
While the club also travels to B.C. in the spring each season to compete, not every skater is available or gets the chance to go, making the championship a crucial chance for skaters to both show off their skills and adjust to competition.
Michell Semaschuk, a coach with the club, said that the championship itself went “really well” and that all the skaters who took part in the event impressed the judges and coaches.
The competition usually attracts talent from places such as Juneau, Alaska, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories, but this year’s iteration only included local skaters.
Before the competition on Dec. 1, the club held a test day on Nov. 30.
Semaschuk said the test day is usually held right before the championship and that this year the skaters again made impressive strides.
The next major competitions for skaters from the club are a competition on Vancouver Island and the Canada Winter Games, both in early 2019.
Three skaters will be representing the Yukon at the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta., this spring.
Arctic Edge skaters Alissa Russell and Jamie Nickel will join Mikayla Kramer, who currently trains in British Columbia, for the competition in February.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
