Kelowna Skating Club has most successful showing in history

Kelowna's Oliva Gran came from behind to capture a historical Canadian junior women's figure skating championship on the weekend in Vancouver.

Trailing the leader by 3.2 points after the short program, the 14-year-old Kelowna Skating Club member completed six successful triple jumps to win the free program and the first-ever gold medal by a KSC skater at the junior level. Her final score was a season-best 149.65 points and capped the Kelowna club's most successful showing at the national championships.

Three Kelowna skaters had previously won silver medals in the junior national championship.

Following the championships, Gran, an Okanagan Mission Secondary School student, was named an alternate for Canada on the Junior World team.

The Junior Women’s division also saw 14-year-old Emma Bulawka of the KSC skate to sixth place overall. She opened in eighth-place after the short program and followed the fifth-place finish in the free

Bulawka, an Aberdeen Hall student finished with a total score of 131.93, just seven points shy of making it to the podium.

At the Novice Women’s level, Kelowna’s Daria Carr captured the Canadian silver medal with a personal best score of 125.76 points. The Okanagan Mission student opened by winning the short program, but would finish just over two points shy of title winner Amelia Orzel of Ontario.

Kelowna’s Vienna Harwood also had a successful debut at the Canadians, finishing in 10th place in the field of Canada’s top 18 Novice female skaters. The 12-year-old Okanagan Mission student opened with a 13th place in the short program but pulled up with a ninth place in the free program.

At the Senior Dance division, Kelowna’s Haley Sales and her partner Nik Wamsteeker finished in sixth place with a total score of 154.74 points.