It’s taken a long time, but Mitchell Dunn will finally be able to compete at the 2022 nationals.
The 16-year-old Quesnel Figure Skater will be skating on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 in Calgary for the Novice National Championships. It will be Dunn’s final year in the novice division before moving to juniors.
The championship was set to take place in late-December, but was postponed due to COVID-19 health concerns.
“I’m not in the position to win it right now, I know how I am,” Dunn said on his goals for the championships.
“I want to do better than I did last time, improve my score, have a clean skate, and really just beat my past performances.”
Dunn will be skating his short program and long program at the event, and is hoping to cleanly land his triple salchow, the most difficult element in his routine.
READ MORE: Quesnel figure skater improving in leaps and spins
“I’m landing it kind of consistently in practice, so it will really just depend on what’s going on that day,” Dunn said.
“If you want to put (an element) into a solo, you should be landing it around half the time in practice at least. To feel really confident I would want to be landing it most of the time.”
Dunn said the pressure of competition affects skaters in different ways.
“My jumps are definitely bigger in competition, I wouldn’t say they’re always better,” Dunn said with a chuckle.
“They’re more exciting to watch.”
The novice nationals will be live streamed on Skate Canada’s Facebook page.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
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Mitchell Dunn donned a Pink Day Shirt while practicing during a simulated competition with the Quesnel Figure Skating Club on Wednesday, Feb. 23. (Cassidy Dankochik Photo - Quesnel Cariboo Observer)
