THUNDER BAY -- Jessica Etreni might be small, but she packs plenty of wallop on the ice.
The 15-year-old St. Patrick High School student on Saturday dusted off the competition to capture the novice division title at the Skate Canada Northern Ontario’s Sectionals at Delaney Arena. She edged out Sudbury’s Madeline Baron, the second-place finisher, to earn a berth alongside 500 other skaters from across the country at the 2017 Skate Canada Challenge scheduled to begin on Nov. 30 in Pierrefonds, Que.
The victory held even meaning for the Fort William Figure Skating Club athlete, knowing it’s the final time Northern Ontario will host its own championship.
Next year the region will be folded into the Ontario branch, meaning Etreni and others living in the region will have to compete against the entire province for a spot at future Skate Canada Challenges and a chance to win a berth at nationals.
“I’m honestly just so overwhelmed with happiness to be able to be given the opportunity to go to the Challenge,” the youngster said.
“It was really nice to be able to have the last Northern Ontario sectionals in Thunder Bay and skate at home with all my family and friends here to support me.”
Etreni finished with a score of 94.78, about six points better than Baron. Sudbury’s Stefanie Bernier was third.
Getting to this point isn’t easy, she said.
Etreni said she spends five days a week on the ice, each session lasting about two hours.
“It’s honestly so much work and you put so much into it. And you get to a competition and nobody else gets to see how much you’ve put in. You go out there and have that two-minute or three-minute program and that’s where you can prove how much work you put in,” she said.
“Some days it goes great and some days it’s just not your best. You’re so hard on yourself, but you just have to keep going and keep trying.”
Etreni’s coach, Stacey Furlonger, said the changes coming next year will present challenges to local skaters, but for now she’s focused on their success this year.
“Jessica was amazing and I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Furlonger said. “I’ve been proud of her every day. She’s got the best work ethic I’ve ever seen and it was just so nice she could showcase that in front of her home crowd."
It will be Etreni's second straight appearance at the Skate Canada Challenge in the novice category. She finished 43rd at last year’s event in Alberta. The top 18 skaters at the Skate Canada Challenge advance to nationals.
Other competition results weren’t immediately available.
