The Sungod Skating Club is beaming with pride for their two athletes who recently represented B.C. at the Skate Canada Challenge for Pre-Novice / Novice. Held from February 1st to 4th at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario, the event drew competitors from across Canada, presenting a formidable challenge for the skaters, particularly coping with a 3-hour time difference at their first such event.
This year’s team comprised the following Sungod Skating Club talents:
Pre-Novice Men: Bowen Yan is the 2022 Pre-Juvenile Provincial Champion.
Novice Men: Alson Chang, reigning 2023 BC Winter Games champion.
For Alson Chang, this event served as the qualifier for the 2024 Novice Canadian Championships, scheduled from February 21st to 25th in Waterloo, Ontario. Securing a B.C. provincial team placement demanded a top-18 finish. Alson met the challenge, clinching 17th place, and now gears up for the season’s pinnacle. His sights set on improvement, he aims for a top 10 finish at the upcoming 2024 Novice Canadian Championships.
The Skate Canada Challenge marked the season’s highest-level event for the Pre-Novice categories, signalling its conclusion. Bowen Yan aimed for a top-10 finish, and his efforts paid off. Nearly flawlessly executing two programs and landing four double axel jumps cleanly for the first time in the competition, Bowen achieved his goal, securing 10th place. He returns to training, focusing on mastering new triple jumps for the upcoming season.
Other B.C. skaters included Jaslynn Wong and Nico Conforti from Richmond, B.C., who won gold in the pre-novice pair competition after a huge free skate that moved them from fifth place after the short program to first and a total score of 83.05. Ava Cheung and Stephen Lee, also from B.C., moved up from 16th last year to take silver this year with a total score of 82.23, and Dana Yun and Kody Ng of Alberta captured bronze with a total score of 72.28.