HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA
Team Yukon’s Bryn Hoffman didn’t expect to finish sixth in the pre-novice female short program at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax on Monday. But she’ll take it!
“I was really happy, I didn’t expect that at all,” said Hoffman. “My goal coming here was to finish in the middle.”
The 13-year-old figure skater landed her double lutz, spins, cruised through her footwork, landed an axel and combination double-flip double-toe to earn her the best finish for a Yukoner in the sport at the Games since 2003.
“It was good, but on my landing on the double-toe I stepped out just a little bit early,” said Hoffman. “I’m happy with how I did my double lutz because they weren’t working in practice yesterday.
“I didn’t make my levels in my footwork and some of my spins, but I was pretty happy with it.”
Teammates Rachel Pettitt and Teneil Caron also had good programs, except for their double-double combination, which tripped them up - literally in one case.
After a smooth double-lutz, Pettitt stumbled out of her double-flip-double-toe combo, costing her points and slipping to 17th in the pre-novice division.
“Today wasn’t the best I could do, but that’s OK,” said Pettitt, 11. “I landed the second (jump) but then I tripped at the very end, so technically I got it, but I tripped.
“I had a little jump on my spin that wasn’t supposed to happen, and it cost me, but in the end it was all good.”
Competing in the novice ladies division, and her second Canada Games, Caron cut her double-double combination short, doing a double lutz-single loop, instead of a double loop, helping put her in 15th.
“My performance was really good, but it wasn’t my personal best,” said Teneil. “It was very powerful and it was a good performance, but the marks didn’t show it. But that’s OK because I thought it was a good performance.”
Pettitt and Hoffman will be lacing up again on Wednesday for the pre-novice long program. Caron will do the same on Thursday for the novice long program.
“I’m actually really excited to be back in the competition and keep going and get my jumps,” said Pettitt. “I’m ready.”
There seems to be a make-it-or-break-it moment coming for Caron. In her long program she hopes to land her first double-axel in competition.
“I have tried it in other competitions, but I’ve never landed it,” she said. “It’ll be a first.”
In her first Arctic Winter Games Hoffman finished third in Ladies 2 and two years later won gold in Ladies 3 last March. In her first competition back after a broken leg in the summer, Hoffman won a gold and silver at the Jingle Blades Competition in White Rock, BC, at the end of November.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com