Three young members of the Wooster Skating Club took their skills to Mentor, Ohio at the Mentor Civic Arena to compete in the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championship, Sept. 28-Oct. 4. The championship is comprised of seven states, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.
Lauren Gwinn, 10, skated in the juvenile girls competition, and placed third in Group A and ninth overall. Matthew Nielsen, 8, and the only boy in the Wooster Skating Club, placed first overall in the preliminary boys competition, while Allaina Werstler, 9, skated for the preliminary girls and placed eighth in Group A.
Top skaters in each qualifying division move on to the next round of competition at Sectionals, and depending on their performance, could qualify to skate in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in San Jose, Calif.
Although the trio are all young in age, they spend eight to 10 hours on the ice at Alice Noble Ice Arena each week, perfecting their skills. This year was the first year at the competition, which is hosted by the Greater Cleveland Council of Figure Skating Clubs, for Nielsen and Werstler. Gwinn, however, took third place last year.
