Artistic staking: Silver-clad skating artists smiling

SKATING SILVER: Julia van Niekerk and Sharon-Rose Riddell with their medals from the New Zealand Artistic Championships.

Wanganui skaters brought two silver medals home from the New Zealand Artistic Championships, which finished at Auckland last weekend.

Regular competitors Sharon-Rose Riddell, Julia van Niekerk and the Smith cousins - Hannah and Emily - were joined by debutante Kaitlyn Huirua in a field of 170 skaters from 12 clubs around the country at the ASB Stadium.

Riddell, 11, had the standout performance of the five. Skating in the juvenile figures class, she picked up a silver medal in a field of 13.

The 14-year-old van Niekerk also won silver, performing the Tango and Denver Shuffle in the preliminary solo dance.

Hannah Smith, skating in the highly competitive junior international ladies figures, did well to earn her bronze, making personal best scores.

She also competed in the solo dance, finishing in sixth place.

Emily Smith skated steadily for a fifth in the youth international ladies figures and sixth in the intermediate freeskating final.

A faulty skate mounting spoiled her chances of a higher placing in the figures.

Competing in her first New Zealand championships, Huirua said the problem was it was a nerve-racking experience, which stopped her skating to obvious potential. But it is expected she will emerge stronger for the experience.

Hastings-based coach Eileen Mills said that, while the July 14-19 week was very challenging, she was happy with the overall results.

The girls had worked hard and that was reflected in their placings, she said.