It’s a nerve-wracking road to becoming a top 10 athlete in Canada.
Tim Pomares overcame some pre-competition doubts en route to finishing 10th in the Novice Men’s competition at the Canadian Tire Skating Championships Jan. 8-9 in Vancouver.
“It was a rough couple of weeks before nationals,” the 15-year-old Pomares said. “Just tough days, part of my process before my competitions I seem to have some bad days on the ice.
“I usually get over that hump.”
Over the hump and more so.
Pomares – who was in the Okotoks CanSkate program just five years ago – finished 10th in the short program on Jan. 8 and then seventh in the freeskate the following day.
All self-doubts were gone by the time he stepped on the ice for the 2:30-minute short program.
“I didn’t have a lot of doubts,” the Grade 10 Foothills Composite student said. “I was just adamant on just getting it done and doing what I had to do.
“I was happy with my skate.”
Pomares had one flaw, but quickly overcame it.
“My spins were great, I did a really nice double Axel, but in my combination, I missed my triple loop,” Pomares said. “I lost some points, but I stayed on my feet.”
A figure skater has to stay calm on his feet.
Pomares quickly rectified things and was able to meet the required skills.
The calmness didn’t come by accident.
“That happens through training, you perform how you practice,” he said. “A lot of practice and learning how to get past your mistakes and being in the moment.”
He was pumped for the freeskate the next day, which carries more weight in the competition.
“The long program (freeskate) is worth a lot more than the short program – and I always shine in the long program, that is when I do my best,” he said. “The long went great. I thought it was the best program I had this season. It felt better than it ever did before.”
He finished seventh in the freeskate among the 18 skaters. He was pleased with the 10th overall finish.
“It was a great trip, I loved being in Vancouver and the energy of the arena and the competition,” Pomares said.
“It wasn’t perfect, obviously there were some struggles and some bumps on the road, but for the first season (at nationals) I am proud of the work I put in and what I showed to the judges, the skaters and people in the skating world. I am excited to move forward, keep working and getting better.
“I see better things in the future.”
He plans to continue in Novice Men’s next season and then make the jump to Junior Men’s the following year.
Pomares said he received plenty of support both financially and moral from the Okotoks community.
“A lot of people had my back and I can’t wait until the next season,” he said.
The novice men’s champion was Alec Guinzbourg from Ontario.
Former Okotoks Figure Skating Club skater Thomas Williams and partner Sarah Arnold were fifth at the Canadian Skating Championships in the Dance competition Jan. 12-13.
To see live results and streaming go to skatecanada.ca
