O'Brien keeps the skating dream alive
Article content
Nathan O’Brien has been golden in his StarSkate Gold men’s skating division.
Tillsonburg Skating Club’s O’Brien, 19, from Beachville, placed first at the 2013 Dennis Silverthorne in Dorchester, Feb. 1-3, with a score of 28.86.
At the 2013 WOS StarSkate Championships in Aylmer, Feb. 22-24, O’Brien was first in the same division with an improved score of 33.31. That result qualified him for the Skate Ontario StarSkate Cup, along with TSC’s Emma Gubbels.
When changes were made in the structure of skating competitions, including new age categories for the 2012-13 season, O’Brien had to drop a level to Gold Freeskate.
“It’s all about the age limit. Novice is for kids up to 16-17. My only option was senior… and going from pre-novice to senior, that’s not going to happen overnight. So gold freeskate – it works for me.”
Balancing skating and post-secondary school (Connestoga College in Kitchener) has been a challenge. He divides his skating time between Tillsonburg and Preston, and dance in Ingersoll.
A bit of a late bloomer in the sport, he has been encouraged by recent improvements. His back has been healthier, his finger healed (injured end of last season), but he still had some groin issues in February.
“Coming from a lower-end club, I didn’t have the proper technique. Now my jumps are better, my spins are better. My confidence is building.
“I’m starting to get around on my triple sal, getting some good lands. It’s only a matter of a few weeks.”
In the weeks leading up the StarSkate Cup, he said his focus would be bigger jumps and getting his triples – triple flip and triple lutz.
Looking beyond this season, O’Brien said he might look at novice pairs, which has an age limit of 21.
“So that’d be another two or three years, then right into junior. That’s an option.
“Skating’s kind of in the blood. Hopefully I can do it and keep skating for lots of years to come. It might be the end for singles, but hopefully not ‘the end’ of skating.
“Back in 2008, O’Brien finished fourth in Ontario at the StarSkate level.
“I’ve always wanted to get a provincial medal,” he said, smiling, looking forward to the StarSkate Cup. “And now’s my chance.”
Expecting a four-skater division, his focus is beating one of them to medal. Or all three to get the gold.