Five skaters looking to make grade

There will be a contingent of five Wanganui skaters on their home hardwood when 200 of the country's best compete at the 2013 New Zealand National Rollerskating Championships, starting today.

Beginning with a practice day this morning at Jubilee Stadium and concluding on Saturday, there will be not only national titles up for grabs but also international-level grades where the top skaters hunt selection to represent New Zealand at the 2014 Oceania Rollersports Championships.

Of the locals, three are competing at national level for the first time, representing the lower North Island.

Ten-year-old Sharon-Rose Riddell has entered the juvenile solo dance, juvenile girls freeskating and juvenile girls figures her strengths as she placed second in the figures and solo dance events at the Area (Lower North Island Championships) in July.

Attracted to the sport because she enjoyed both recreational skating and dancing and figured artistic roller skating would let her put the two together, Riddell now trains four days a week.

Fourteen-year-old Rachel Stratford was attracted because she thought it looked "graceful", and had found it good for her fitness and strength.

Stratford will enter the novice figures and solo dance both events with some of the largest fields and very strong competition.

The teenager won bronze in the solo dance event at the Area Champs, but will have to work hard to reach her goal of the podium.

Julia van Niekerk, also 14, will compete in preliminary ladies figures and novice ladies freeskating and has a goal of placing in the top seven and top 10 respectively.

Another attracted to the sport because of the "glamour", she planned to move up a grade after the nationals.

But the two leading lights for Wanganui will be the Smith cousins Hannah, 16 and Emily, 14.

Both have skated at nationals three times before, but now have the goal this time round of cracking the Oceania team.

Hannah Smith will skate in junior international ladies solo dance and junior international ladies figures, aiming to qualify for Oceania in both.

Having been a dancer, liked to combine the gracefulness with the extra challenge of performing on skates.

Emily Smith first started as a speed skater, but switched to artistic because it offered her more variety while still improving her fitness, strength and flexibility.

She placed third in preliminary figures at the 2012 national champs, and is making the big move up to international figures grade youth.

Emily Smith will also skate in the non-international grade of preliminary ladies freeskating, hoping to improve her fourth at the Area Champs into a podium placing. Spectators at Jubilee Stadium with free entry.

A programme is available on www.skatenz.org.nz, under Events/NZ Championships.