Jessica Arnold skating her way to Atlantics

THORBURN - It's been several years since a skater from the East Pictou Silver Blades has advanced beyond provincials, but that is going to change very soon.

From March 24 to 26, Jessica Arnold, from MacLellan's Brook, will proudly represent her club at the Atlantic Canadian Skating Championships in Paradise, Newfoundland.

She earned a berth at the Atlantic event on the strength of an impressive O13 Star 5 performance at provincials last month at the Wellness centre.

"Going into provincials I did not aim to make Atlantics, I was just going to try my best," she told The News. "The event being at my home made me feel more at ease rather than having anxiety of travelling."

Arnold has taken a determined approach to get ready for the upcoming championships.

"I have been working much harder since to prepare for Atlantics and I am focusing on not over-thinking when I am skating but having a clear head."

Speaking of mindset, how does Arnold see herself as skater?

"How I would describe myself as a skater would be creative, hard working, and a risk taker, loving to try new fun tricks."

She wants to come away from Atlantics knowing that she performed at the top of her game.

"My goal for Atlantics is to go out of my comfort zone and try my best. I am most looking forward to the feeling after I perform of satisfaction and relief."

Coach Sheri Burns said there's a buzz of anticipation for Arnolds's trip to the event.

"We've been working collectively as a coaching staff and this is the first time we've had a skater compete at this level. We're very exicted to have Jessica skate at Atlantics. We hope she's the first of many skaters from our club to do so."