HIGH ACHIEVERS: Former Gloucester skater Kaiya Ruiter off to Winter Youth Olympic Games as record-setting national senior champion

By Martin Cleary

When Gloucester Skating Club coach Darlene Joseph attends a figure skating competition, she usually watches it at ice level, experiencing her students’ jumps, spins and music with a mixture of calmness and anxiety.

But for the women’s senior singles free-skate final at last week’s Canadian Skating Championships in Calgary, she took a different approach. She needed to sit down for this moment as it had the potential to evolve into something quite spectacular.

Joseph made her way to a quiet corner seat in the second level of the WinSport Arena as there’s no better place to watch and appreciate a skater’s performance than high up in the stands.

Since her primary skaters had already completed their missions and returned home – David Shteyngart winning the men’s junior singles bronze medal and Reese Rose tying for third place in women’s junior singles but dropping to fourth after a tiebreaker – Joseph was eyes-wide open to watch her former Gloucester skater Kaiya Ruiter, who has lived, trained and prospered in Calgary since 2016.

Ruiter, 17, was on the doorstep of Canadian figure skating greatness and Joseph couldn’t wait to see the skater with a persistent positive personality unfold her program.

“I’m always nervous,” Joseph admitted. “You know what they are capable of and you hope they bring their best performance.

“Kaiya is a very good competitor. She loves to compete and loves her moment (on the ice).”

Not only did Joseph watch Ruiter go through entry-level, learn-to-skate programs and coach her in pre-competitive before seeing her move to Calgary during the 2016-17 season, but also there’s a tight family bond. They exchange birthday wishes and talk during important holiday periods. Joseph also coached Ruiter’s sisters and knows the family well.

“They were a big part of the Gloucester Skating Club family. It’s a great relationship I still have with the family. They are still part of our family,” Joseph added.

When the music stopped and the cheering started, Ruiter had presented her best free-skate program of the season with a personal-best score of 122.61 points and a best-ever overall mark of 180.86 points. Then came the waiting and watching as two-time defending champion Madeline Schizas, who won the opening short program and was more than five points ahead of Ruiter, was called to the ice.

But Schizas fell short of a clean program, finished third in the free-skate and dropped to second-place overall. Schizas, co-coached by former Gloucester mentor Derek Schmidt, managed only 109.27 points in the free-skate for a disappointing overall total of 172.90 points.

Ruiter, clutching two large stuffed objects tossed to her on the ice by her fans, had emerged as the Canadian senior women’s champion for the first time. But it wasn’t her first national title.

Over the past five Canadian championships, Ruiter has achieved the rare jewel of winning all three women’s singles gold medals – novice (2019), junior (2020) and senior (2024). There were no championships in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The record-setting Ruiter, who missed the 2022 Canadians because of a serious leg laceration and nerve damage, accomplished the difficult feat in the shortest period of time. Olympic medallist Joannie Rochette also won three separate titles, but over six years – novice (2000), junior (2001) and senior (2005, the first of six consecutive titles).

Amelie Lacoste was the only other Triple Crown champion with gold medals in novice in 2003, junior in 2005 and senior in 2012.

There will be little time for Ruiter to enjoy her newest Canadian title as she has two major competitions in Asia on the horizon.

Earlier, she was named to represent Canada at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, which open Friday in Gangwon, Korea, and run through Feb. 1. Ruiter will skate on Jan. 28 (short program) and Jan. 30 (free-skate).

Ottawa will have representation on Team Canada in three different areas. Alpine skier Thomas Carnahan, the 2022 Canadian U16 slalom champion, and freestyle skiing’s Matthew Lepine, the 2023 world junior ski championship Big Air silver medallist, will compete for medals in their disciplines.

Read More: Freestyle skier Matthew Lepine, 15, loudly announces arrival on global stage with U19 worlds silver

Nakkertok Ski Club’s Katherine Denis, the head coach of the ENRG program who also oversees the larger high-performance team, will be one of the cross-country ski coaches.

Olympic curler Lisa Weagle is Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Games and will oversee the 79-athlete, 32-coach national team.

Read More: Lisa Weagle, Christine Girard accept leadership roles as Canada’s next Chef de Missions

On Sunday, Skate Canada named its team for the world junior figure skating championships Feb. 26 to March 3 in Taipei City, Taipei, and Ruiter will compete in women’s singles with Lulu Lin of Mississauga. Ruiter was 10th at junior worlds in Calgary in 2023.

Despite being Canada’s senior women’s champion, it’s unlikely Ruiter will be named to the national team for the world senior championships March 18-24 because of the closeness to the end of the world juniors.

Joseph called Ruiter’s senior women’s victory a special moment in her career.

“We don’t often see the women do that (winning singles titles in all three categories). It more often happens in men’s,” she said. “But it was a great personal victory for her in front of a home crowd.”

Ruiter’s parents and other family members, including grandparents, were cheering in the stands. Her father Kris was the championship announcer for the junior events at nationals, but not the women’s senior singles.

“I knew she was capable (of winning). For Maddy being the defending champion, it’s always more difficult.”

As she prepares for two challenging international competitions, Ruiter will be looking to open with a clean short program as it sets the stage for the more meaningful free-skate final, which is critical for a top-10 result.

In both competitions, Ruiter likely will face strong competitors from Japan, Korea and China. Skaters must be between the ages of 14 to 18 for the Winter Youth Olympic Games and 13 to 19 for the world juniors.

“She encompasses all the qualities of a skater – great skating skills, artistry and technical ability,” Joseph said about Ruiter. “She is a joy to watch, effortless, a skater who enjoys being there. She performs when it counts.”