.jpg) Kristen Loritz won a silver medal with Gold Ice Junior Competitive Team in France. (Francis Crescia/Town Crier)
She has had nothing but success since.
The 15-year-old just completed her first year with the prestigious Gold Ice Junior competitive team, a season that included winning the national championships in February and a silver medal at the 2008 World Challenge Cup for Juniors in Rouen, France from March 6-8.
Loritz said she is overwhelmed by the success of her team, which also included a bronze medal at the Cup of Berlin in the German capital.
“At nationals, it was like ‘Wow’,” the Notre Dame Catholic High School student said. “Just to be in front of the home audience was great and bringing home gold was just a bonus.
“Going to my first worlds was a lot of fun and bringing home silver was like the cherry on the cake.”
Even though it was her first international competition, Loritz said she was everything but a bundle of nerves.
“I know it sounds weird, but I was actually the most relaxed I’ve been all year,” she said. “Just having such a successful season you build confidence and it’s your last shot so you go out and have fun.
“(The veteran girls) were very calm and very helpful just getting where we needed to be mentally,” Loritz added. “It helped a lot because all the new girls were ready and focused, not nervous at all.”
Loritz has been synchronized skating five years ago. She took it up after seeing a flyer during her singles practice and is glad she gave it a whirl.
“I said ‘Hey let’s go try it’ and it just took off from there,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun and being on a team is a great learning experience especially when you’re doing something you love.”
After starting her synchro skating career with Leaside, the Beach resident tried out for the Brampton-based Gold Ice in 2007 and was invited to join the team. Loritz is unsure if she’ll stick with the junior squad for next year or move up to the senior level.
Loritz spends a lot of her time on the ice and has little time for other sports. In addition to synchro, she also skates in singles competition out of East York Arena, putting her in skates for 15 hours a week.
“Basically skating is my life,” Loritz said. “It’s a lot of work, but when you become so passionate about it, it doesn’t matter if it becomes your life.”
Regardless if she makes the transition to senior for the 2009 or 2010 season, Loritz knows she is within reach of her skating dream.
“I hope to one day be on the senior team … and compete at senior worlds,” she said. “To have the chance to say I was there and represent my country would be really cool.”
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