New Zealand Artistic Roller Skating Championships: Katikati roller skater wins with ‘scary’ move

Included in Jessica Presant’s winning routine was the axel and a walkover into splits.

A roller skating super-move which frightens spectators might be the winning trick for Jessica Presant.

The nine-year-old from Katikati has won gold in the minis section at the New Zealand Artistic Roller Skating Championships.

Gliding to the theme song Tomorrow from the movie Annie, Jessica worked her way through a routine of 12 jumps and spins and closed with her signature move, the front walk-over into splits.

“I like it because it’s fun and there’s very few skaters that can do it,’’ she says.

Jessica says it makes people scared when she does it.

She beat six others for the first time in the 9-11 age category. She was also the youngest skater.

“I was surprised (to win) and really, really happy.”

Jessica with her trophy and medal from the national skating championships.

Her routine included the ‘axel’ which is a jump on one foot and turn in the air, landing on the other foot.

“There was only one other competitor that used the axel as it’s probably the most difficult for most skaters,” she says.

Rules are to include 12 jumps and any one type of jump can be used a maximum of three times.

Jessica qualified for the nationals by coming third in her section at the regionals in Rotorua.

Jessica is with Tauranga Roller Skating Club and her coach is Michelle Webb. She’s has been coached for two years but first donned roller skates at age five.

“She was immediately hooked from day one,” says her dad, Steve Presant.

Coming up next is a level three medal test in October then to “hopefully represent New Zealand in the 2025 World Oceania and Pacific Cup Championships”.

Rebecca Mauger is the editor of Katikati Advertiser. She has been with NZME for more than 20 years as a reporter and entertainment/lifestyle magazine writer.