Pincher Creek Figure Skater to participate in Alberta Winter Games

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Tessa Roy is heading to the 2012
Alberta Winter Games
C. Davis photo

Tessa Roy of Pincher Creek will be one of the skaters representing Zone 1 at the Alberta Winter Games, after taking Second Place during the tryouts held in Indus in early December.  "I've been having knee problems pretty much all season, so it was kind of surprising to do that well," said Roy while taking a break from practice at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena.  She is a member of the local Senior StarSkate team.  
Roy will be competing in the Junior Bronze Free Skating event, to be held from February 9 to 12, 2012.  "I'm going to be skating at the Ice Palace rink inside the West Edmonton Mall," she said.  "It's going to be really fun."

Roy is 14 years old and a student of St. Michael's School in Pincher Creek, where she made the Honour Roll and received a Junior High French Immersion Science award earlier this year.  She has also been named Most Inspirational in Junior High Badminton. She has been skating for 8 or 9 years now. "It started when I was little, with just the two weighted skates, then  I moved up to hockey skates," she said.  "Then when I got figure skates I really liked them, and I wouldn't want to get off the ice.  I went into the club, and kept skating."

"I like doing free skate," she continued.  "This year I've been in more competitions than I ever have, I've been trying to be more competitive. It doesn't really matter how I do (in the Winter Games), I just want to do my best and feel like I've done my best."

Roy is an upbeat young lady who clearly enjoys striving towards excellence. "I'm working on my double jumps," she said.  "That's probably my favourite because it's the most challenging for me. I just like to challenge myself."