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Synchro skater Matejka will compete at Nationals

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Brittney Matejka

By CHARLES TWEED

The Ponoka Figure Skating Club (PFSC) may have missed out sending a synchro team to compete at Nationals, but don’t think the club won’t be represented at the prestigious competition.

Brittney Matejka, 20, a former PFSC member, will skate with the Edmonton Edge intermediate synchronized skating team in Toronto Feb. 25 and 26. Her team won the top spot at the Mountain Regional Synchronized Skating Championships in Penticton, B.C.

“It was very exciting to win. It’s exciting any time we can get out on the ice and show off what we’ve done and all we’ve worked hard to accomplish. We had two really good skates and the judges rewarded us with a trip to Nationals,” said Matejka.

Matejka, who is in her second year at Grant MacEwan University, has found the challenge of balancing school and practice both difficult and rewarding. The Edge practice twice a week for two and half hours each session; in many ways the ice has become a sanctuary for Matejka.

“It takes a bit of practice and some organizing to make everything fit, but it’s definitely worth it and a good way to get a break from my studies. It forces me into a designated time, where I know I have to put the books away and go out on the ice and have some fun.”

Growing up in Ponoka, Matejka began pursuing figure skating at the local rink at just four years old. Since then she has competed in national events and has received her gold level with Skate Canada. She says that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her coaches — Gina Shantz worked with her in singles and acted as her private coach, and Kathleen Moore was her coach with the synchronized team.

“Kathleen inspired me to keep going and it’s great to see her at competitions. She always tells me, she’s proud of me.”

Matejka has been on the ice for 16 years and sees herself staying in the sport for a long time to come.

“I’d like to stay in synchro and compete for as long as possible. I wouldn’t give up the team atmosphere for anything. My favorite part is being with the girls. It’s like being with 17 other girls who are just like me and we are all sisters.”

When her competitive skating days are over, Matejka plans to continue coaching youths in the area. With plans to graduate with her masters degree in psychology and work with children, coaching youths will give her the opportunity to give back to the sport that has given her so much.

“After coaching, I leave the ice with a great feeling. It’s a great way for me to give back and I can see myself in some of the skaters because at one point I was where they are — it’s a really good experience and I get to watch Ponoka teams compete and its really rewarding to see them succeed.”

Like any athlete, figure skaters are creatures of habit. Routines are meticulously followed.

Matejka is no different.

“I double knot my skates and then add another knot; and use hockey tape, to tape down my laces. Whenever I step onto the ice and line up, I always wipe my blades with my hands to clean them off, then I wipe the snow under my skirt — that may sound kind of weird but it’s what I always do,” she said with a chuckle.

Let’s hope those triple-knotted laces — that started being tied at the Ponoka Cultural and Recreational Complex — bring home a national championship.