Saskatchewan figure skaters capture bronze medal in first Junior Grand Prix

Tristan Taylor and Ashlyn Schmitz placed third in pairs figure skating in their first Junior Grand Prix skating event in Riga, Latvia.

“This is our first season on the international circuit. It was just awesome, even though it wasn’t the skate we wanted—it was awesome to come back to Canada with a medal,” said Taylor.

“It was super exciting, even though we didn’t have the skate we wanted, it was still a really great experience,” said Schmitz.

Schmitz, 16, from Shellbrook, Sask. and Taylor, 20, from Regina, began their career as a pair in 2018. They both train five days a week while adding in workouts, off-ice training, and competitions on the weekend.

Both skaters also compete in singles events throughout the skating season under the direction of their coaches, David Schultz, Vicki Schultz, and Garrett Gosselin.

The two just qualified to compete for Canada for their first Junior Grand Prix in Riga, Latvia that took place earlier this month.

“A Junior Grand Prix is like a separate cycle of events for international level skaters. They come together and it runs in conjunction with the Senior Grand Prix Circuit. So those are our World Championship and Olympic hopefuls. These athletes are just below that,” explained D. Schultz.

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The two finished behind fellow Canadian teammates Ava Rae Kemp and Yohnathan Elizarov, who took silver in the junior pairs event.

“The camaraderie in the Canadian team was huge. Everyone goes to all of our events. You become friends with these people and you get to see their first experiences at these competitions too and it’s fun to watch,” said Taylor.

“When you hear ‘representing your club,’ or ‘representing your province,’ it changes things a little, but when you hear ‘representing Canada,’ it gives you butterflies and there’s a level of excitement. I think it’s hard to prepare for unless you experience it,” said D. Schultz.

Even though they are both trying to succeed in their solo skating career, they enjoy the bond that comes with competing as a pair.

“We get along really well. Things are always super easy with each other and we just kind of get each other. It just melds really well,” said Taylor.

“I like how calm he is when we go out and compete. He is calm and I am not,” laughed Schmitz.

Now the duo will prepare for their next Junior Grand Prix event in Poland in October, followed by Skate Canada Challenge later in the year, and then Nationals with hopes to qualify to compete for Canada at the World Championships in Calgary.