Local skater finishes Top-50 in Canada

Local figure skater Trina Dykstra-MacPherson is in the top-50 pre-novice skaters in Canada after competing at the 2017 Skate Canada Challenge  in Pierrefonds, QC November 30 to December 1st. Dykstra-MacPherson, 15, was one of three from eastern Ontario competing in the national event.

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n “Trina handled the pressure of this competition like a seasoned veteran,” Louise Dimmick, one of the two trainers who work with Dykstra-MacPherson told The Leader.

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n “She laid down two clean programs with two near personal best performances.”

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n The event was judged and officiated by national and international figure skating officials.

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n “I was not nervous for the short program,” said Dyskstra-MacPherson. “That went OK, not my personal best but it was good. I was nervous for the long program.”

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n In the short program, she scored  24.40, one point off her personal best. For her long program, she scored 44.04, for a total of 68.44 points. This placed her in the top-50 skaters in the pre-novice level, 44th overall, in her final year at the level. Dykstra-MacPherson will move up to the Novice level next season, which begins in April 2017.

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n “I think ultimately that this was an awesome experience and motivator for Trina’s next challenges at the Novice competitive level,” said Dimmick.

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n Skaters qualified through their section to compete in the Skate Canada Challenge. Dykstra-MacPherson did so at Sectionals in Napanee November 13th.

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n “I like challenging myself and my abilities,” she said. “I hope to make Nationals next year.”

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n Dykstra-MacPherson trains year round, twice a week in Ottawa, and practices two-to-three days a week in Morrisburg. She is also involved with the CanSkate program.

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n Outside of figure skating, Dykstra-MacPherson is a member of the Morrisburg Leos service club.

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n A student at St. Joseph Catholic Secondary in Cornwall, she has competed on that school’s cross-country running team for the last two years, while maintaining a 95 per cent academic average this semester.
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