Photo: Skate Canada, Danielle Earl
Haley Sales and Nik Wamsteeker
Two members of the Kelowna Skating Club represented Canada at the Autumn Classic International last week.
Haley Sales and Nik Wamsteeker made their competitive debuts for this season in Pierrefonds, Quebec, against top teams from Canada, the US and Spain. Sales and Wamsteeker took 6th place in both short dance and free dance, which brought them a 6th place overall with a total of 155.89 points.
The Canadian champions and world bronze medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won the gold medals.
“We’re pretty early on in the development of our new skates and programs for this season,” said Wamsteeker. “ACI was a great starter and opened our eyes to what we need to focus on in order to start this Olympic season.”
That summer, Sales and Wamsteeker moved to London, Ontario to be coached by Scott Moir. He has won numerous titles with his partner Tessa Virtue, including three world and two Olympic championships.
“We’re allowing ourselves to become vulnerable this year and grow into this new style of skating that we’re aiming for in the future,” added Sales. “We are very proud of how far we have come in such a short time and are excited to see where this next chapter leads.”
Despite moving from BC, Sales and Wamsteeker decided to represent the Kelowna Skating Club.
The 24-year-old Sales has a long history with the club, where she developed as an individual runner up to the national level, which was highlighted by winning a bronze medal as a newcomer to the Canadian Championships. She has two younger sisters who continue to train locally and compete at the national level.
Before the Autumn Classic, Sales and Wamsteeker spent a week in Kelowna training and interacting with local skaters.
“It was amazing to see them work with our skaters of all levels,” said director Jason Mongrain. “Haley and Nik have so much experience, representing Canada, training overseas and learning from exceptional coaches. It was so great to see how they pass something on to our younger generation. “
The next step for the couple will be another international representation, this time with even higher stakes.
You have been selected to represent Canada at the ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada in Vancouver this year from October 29th to 31st.
