The Skate Ontario Provincial championships will be held March 7-11 at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga.
Seeded number one in the pre-novice division is Reese Rose from the Gananoque Figure Skating Club.
“I’m really excited about competing this week,” said the talented 10-year-old, who attends St. Joseph’s Separate School in Gananoque.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” added Rose, who also trains in Ottawa two days a week.
“I’m so pumped. I am going to try my best, have fun and perform to the best of my ability. I know I’m favoured, but I don’t concern myself with things like that. I always try to land my jumps and do the best I can. If I win, I win. If I don’t. It won’t be for a lack of trying. I’ll just try harder the next time out.”
Rose hopes to improve on last year’s competition in Kingston. She was favoured to win the pre-juvenile division but settled for the silver medal.
Making her debut on the provincial stage is Emily Wemp from the Kingston Skating Academy.
“I’m nervous but excited at the same time,” said Wemp, who hails from Moscow, just north of Kingston.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” added the 11-year-old from St. Patricks Public School in Harrowsmith.
“I didn’t qualify last year so I really wanted to make it this time around and being able to do so makes me really happy. This is the biggest competition I’ve ever been in. I know I’m not going to win but I’ll try the best I can. Just qualifying means so much to me and my coach Sharon Nixon. I can’t wait to get on the ice. It should be a wonderful experience.”