The Martha’s Vineyard Figure Skating Club hosted the Vineyard Open and Basic Skills figure skating competition at the MV Ice Arena on Saturday. Sixty participants from across New England competed in all levels. Competitors ranged in age from 6 to 18.
Laila Branca and Isabella Webster earned their first gold medals, winning Basic 5 and Pre-Preliminary Moves in the Field, respectively, while Allie Branca won a silver medal in Basic 2 in her first competition.
Kelly Pachico (Basic 4), Anina Garvin (Pre Free Skate), Ryan Giordano (Pre-Juvenile Freestyle), and Sally Caron (Novice Freestyle) all won gold medals, Megan Zeilinger won silver (Novice Moves in the Field), Penelope Thornton took bronze (Pre-Preliminary Compulsory Moves), and Shealyn Smyth was fourth (Pre-Preliminary Compulsory Moves).
Club skaters Molly Carroll and Avalon Weiland did not compete, but helped to organize the competition. Caroline Conover, Kate Conover, and Hope Federowicz, also club skaters, volunteered at the event.
Over the weekend, Sally Caron passed her Senior Moves in the Field test, making her a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Reaching this level of skating is a lifetime achievement.
