Photo supplied by Cheryl Jobson.

By Curtis Galbraith

Local Sports

Local athletes mark accomplishments in figure skating, basketball, ringette and swimming

Mar 21, 2025 | 3:31 PM

Local athletes have recorded more accomplishments, this time in figure skating, basketball, ringette and swimming.

Figure Skaters

A bunch of figure skaters from the Peace are at a provincial championships in Calgary this weekend.

Six members of the Grande Prairie Skating Club, three more from the Grovedale Skating Club and one from the Grimshaw Skating Club are all at the StarSkate Championships.

Coach Cheryl Jobson sent the following information about the skaters from the Grande Prairie club:

• Elyssa McLellan, (16 years old, Grovedale) Elyssa qualified for Star 9 Short Program, Star 8 Freeskate Program and Star 9 Artistic. Elyssa qualified with the top score in Alberta in Star 9 Artistic.
  
• Carly Elliott-Otto (14 years old, Grimshaw) Carly qualified for Star 7 Short Program, Star 8 Freeskate and Star 7 Artistic. Carly drives into Grande Prairie from Grimshaw twice a week for coaching.
• Madison Heighington (13 years old, Beaverlodge) Madison qualified for Star 6 Freeskate Program and Star 7 Artistic.
• Mya Hussey (14 years old, Grande Prairie) Mya qualified for Star 5 13&O Freeskate Program and Star 7 Artistic. Mya qualified in Star 5 13&O with the top score in Alberta.
• Catharina Pratt (14 years old, Grovedale) Catharina qualified for Star 5 Artistic. This is Catharina’s first time at StarSkate Championships
• Kate Hegland (19 years old, Wembley) Kate will be competing in Adult Gold Freeskate and Adult Gold Artistic

Myra Clark, Lucy Clarke and Elandra Sturko from the Grovedale club and Annamay Case from the Grimshaw club are also at the championships

The competition goes today through Sunday,

ASAA Basketball

Teams from all over the Peace Country have scattered across Alberta for high school basketball provincials.

The Worsley Central School boys are at 1A provincials in Taber while the Paul Rowe Junior Senior High School girls are at their 1A provincials in Olds.

Sexsmith Secondary’s boys and girls’ teams at 2A provincials in Calgary.

The Peace Wapiti Academy Titans are at 3A girls’ provincials in Sylvan Lake.

The St. Joe’s boys are at 3A provincials in Fort McMurray.

Ringette

The La Glace Ringers are playing at U14C provincial this weekend in Ardrossan.

They had their first game at 8:15 a.m. Friday, a tie against a team from Calgary.

The Ringers then lost to a team from St. Albert.

The Ringers finish the round robin at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday

The champion will be decided on Sunday.

Updates can be found on the Ringers Facebook page.

Swimming

Two former Grande Prairie Piranhas had solid season in their first year competing in American university swimming

Marissa Laurin recorded the seventh-fastest time ever in the 400 individual medley for a member of the University of Nebraska team, plus recorded several personal bests.

Lacie Robideau recorded three times that were good enough to get her into the NAIA national championships for the University of Jamestown.

That included a freshman record in the 50 backstroke and being part of two relay teams, the 200 and 400 medleys, that set team records.

She also had the school’s second best times ever in the 50 and 200 backstroke and was top five in tow other events.

Robideau also won a female athlete of the week award at her school located in North Dakota.