It was an extremely rare opportunity to enter an international competition on their home ice and a pair of Connaught skaters certainly made the most of it.
Micah Lynette and Annie Lin rose to the occasion at last weekend鈥檚 ISU Junior Grand Prix at Minoru Arenas.
Lynette finished 11th overall thanks to an excellent free skate on Saturday that ranked ninth among the 21 competitors.聽
The 17-year-old rushed back from a bad ankle sprain in June to perform in front of many family members and friends. He is the two-time Thailand national champion with the long-term goal of representing the country at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.聽
鈥淚t was a great character building event for him.聽 Big pressure and expectation to be competing on home ice, especially when returning from injury,鈥� said his coach Keegan Murphy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great start to the international competition season for him and I couldn't be more proud of his determination through the long program.鈥�
Lin showed just how much progress she has made since making her Grand Prix debut in Russia two years ago.聽
The Grade 10 Richmond Secondary student jumped from 79.05 point total to a personal best score of 102.33 to place 18th. She was representing Chinese Taipei after finishing fourth at their junior national championships back in July.
鈥淎nnie skated with beautiful composure and maturity in the short and long program.聽 A special moment for her to perform in front of her friends and family,鈥� added Murphy.聽 It was a big personal best score for her - first time breaking 100 point total score!鈥�
Connaught skaters now turn their attention to next month鈥檚 Autumn Leaves 2018 Super Series event in Kamloops.
