Local 11-year-old figure skater Megan Mortensen competed on the provincial level for the first time, at the Alberta Sectionals Championship in Edmonton last Thursday, and while she didn’t finish at the top of the pack, her coach Alyssa Kozicky said the young skater showed a great deal of promise.
“Megan had a great skate and we are very proud of her performance at her first sectionals. She held her own along with the top skaters in her category in the province,” said Kozicky. “We are already looking forward to next season to see the improvement once she has more experience and confidence in this stream of competition.”
Megan, who said she prefers skating to upbeat music, performed her sectionals routine to “Pretty Peppy” from The Artist soundtrack. Her routine featured a double sow and an axel, and she landed both, scoring a 13.28.
“I want to thank my coaches, friends and family because they’re cheering me on,” Megan said before traveling to Edmonton for sectionals, adding that she wants to keep expanding her repertoire of moves as the season progresses. “Now I have to do my double toe, which I’m doing next, and my goal for the end of the year would probably be a double flip or double lutz.”
Megan’s mother, Anita, said her daughter’s dedication to figure skating has led them to “set a plan in place for Megan to have two coaches for sufficient training,” which sees her skating in St. Paul with Kozicky, and in Vegreville and Edmonton with Sandra Mattiussi Nageli, Kozicky’s former coach.
“When your child has a passion and determination for a sport, you support it the best you possibly can as a parent . . . Fridays we meet Sandra in Vegreville and Sundays in Edmonton. We are then back Sunday night for an evening skate with Alyssa along with Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Anita said of their busy figure skating schedule. “If is wasn't for these two wonderful coaches, Megan would not be where she is today and we are truly thankful for that.”
Kozicky, a former competitive skater herself, added that Megan has truly been a joy to coach because of her tenacious approach to learning and improving all aspects of her routine.
“It’s awesome. It definitely makes it a lot more fun. I was a competitive skater myself for about eight years . . . it’s nice because I see a lot of similarities,” said Kozicky. “She works really hard, and she has a natural ability . . . she trained throughout the summer as well.”
As an added bonus, Megan got to meet her figure skating inspiration at Thursday’s competition, Canadian national champion Katelyn Osmond.
“Sectional has motivated Megan to work and train harder for next year to reach her goals. She had a wonderful experience and was able to meet her inspiration, Katelyn Osmond,” said Anita. “She was able to get Katelyn’s autograph on her skating bag.”
