HIGH ACHIEVERS: Focused Katherine Medland Spence wins it all in international figure skating debut at Warsaw Cup

By Martin Cleary

As winter approaches, Ottawa has yet to receive its first snowfall, but Katherine Medland Spence has already had her first fun experience with the white stuff.

During last week’s Warsaw Cup figure skating championship in Poland’s capital, the Nepean Skating Club athlete filled some time between a practice session and the opening stage of her women’s singles competition with a walk outside.

There was about five centimetres of snow on the ground as she explored the neighbourhood near her hotel. She found her way to a beach and decided to let her Canadian heritage shine by building a little snowman.

Such a calming activity for someone only hours away from making her international figure skating debut in the short program. Stepping away from the rink and competition hotel brought peace to a skater who is riding a wave of positivity this season on and off the ice.

And she was about to experience more uplifting moments in a truly unexpected manner inside the COS Torwar Ice Rink, which features a wall entirely made of glass.

This competition of firsts for Medland Spence – first overseas flight, first international competition and first snowman made on a beach in Poland – would shockingly end with three more firsts, as she earned winning marks in the short program, the top score in the free-skating final and a gold-medal podium performance overall.

A few hours before the free-skate final, Medland Spence was speaking with her mother, who suggested she might win a medal, especially after sitting in first place following the short program.

Medland Spence, 24, scoffed at the idea.

“I said ‘mom, let’s be real. I’m not going to be on the podium,’” she responded about the idea of winning a medal. “I figured I would drop a few spots.

“I wanted to do my program and be happy. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I had to keep attacking.”

Medland Spence didn’t lose anything, except for a couple of minor errors here and there, and gained everything.

As the short-program winner, she was the final competitor in the field of 23 skaters for the free skate. Calm and confident, she landed all seven triple jumps, including three in combination, and presented solid spins and footwork.

Facing an international judging panel for the first time, she earned a personal-best free-skating score of 121.86 points. Combined with her winning short-program score of 60.03 points, she produced a gold-medal total of 181.79 points, which was another best-ever honour. She won by more than 10 points over runner-up Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland.

Reigning Canadian women’s champion Kaiya Ruiter, who formerly trained at the Gloucester Skating Club, was seventh at 165.75 points. Ruiter was second to Medland Spence in the free skate with 115.04 points.

Medland Spence’s point totals also qualified her to be considered by Skate Canada for the upcoming Four Continents competition and the 2025 world championships, if she does well at the Canadian championships Jan. 14-19 in Laval, PQ.

When Medland Spence came off the ice from her free-skate performance, her coach Danielle Rose of the Richmond Training Centre told her student how proud she was of her. Then, they sat down in the kiss and cry area and waited for her scores.

“When the marks went up, I was absolutely shocked. I never expected (that). I didn’t expect a score of 181,” said Medland Spence, who splits her training between the Nepean Skating Club and the Richmond Training Centre in Richmond Hill, ON. “I looked at Danielle and asked ‘is that first (place)?’ She said ‘yes, you are seeing things correctly.’

“It took a while … and the medal ceremony felt surreal … being on the podium and hearing the national anthem. I definitely knew I had done something special.”

Besides the gold medal, two personal-best scores and qualifying marks to be eligible for two major international championships, Medland Spence also received a special treat from a spectator.

As she sat in the kiss and cry with Rose, Medland Spence wore a handmade flower crown of tissue and ribbons on her head, which was made on-site by a figure-skating fan in the stands.

“A person in the crowd gives them to certain skaters and she made one for me,” Medland Spence explained. “It was special. I met her after the competition.”

Medland Spence also had that feeling of shocked joy after winning the short program. She landed a strong double Axel and a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. Her triple loop was a little shaky and her combination spin was considered level three and not level four.

“I knew I was in first after I skated … and I was super happy I broke 60 points,” she added. “I didn’t see the scores of the other skaters (after her). But when I was doing my cool down, Danielle and I looked at each other and were shocked” when they saw the final short-program standings.

So how does a figure skater making her international debut emerge as the outright champion by placing first in all three aspects of the women’s singles competition?

“I really focused on trusting my training,” Medland Spence said. “I go out and do what I do every day. I don’t let nerves, fears or outside noises bother me. I do it every single day. I put myself in the best place mentally and physically. I don’t let nerves impact my routine.

“This year, I’m in a good place and have a good team, who are super supportive.”

Read More: HIGH ACHIEVERS: Katherine Medland Spence upbeat heading to Warsaw Cup for first international assignment in Europe