“If I had to pick one [favourite moment or experience] it would be the feeling of landing my first axel, or maybe participating in the ice shows that my club used
to put on at the end of the year.”

 

Program: STARSkate
Level: Star 10 Men
Skating club and town: North Bay Skating Club, North Bay

“I started to skate with the North Bay Skating Club when I was 18 months old. My parents were getting me ready for hockey. When I turned five, I realised that I had a passion for figure skating and that’s when my parents decided to buy me my first pair of figure skates.  It all started from there.

“My club has been nothing but supportive to me during my skating career,” says Alexander Buchmann, who skates for the North Bay Skating Club. “They’ve helped me with support and encouragement. It’s not easy to be a male figure skater, but I continue to grow with the help of the club.”

Alexander has attended seminars put on by Skate Ontario. “I’ve attended a lot of different seminars; from being a program assistant to learning different techniques on different ways to spin and jump.  Every time I leave the seminars I seem to become more and more confident.

“Training can be very difficult but if you keep trying and don’t give up, it always pays off,” says Alexander. “I always like to try new things on and off ice; I like to push myself to the next level.”

Pushing himself to the next level is working well; Alexander placed first in the Star 10 Men group at the 2018 Skate Ontario STARSkate Championships.

“Work hard and don’t give up,” is his advice for other skaters. “There are a lot of different avenues of skating. Do what you like most. There is more to skating than just jumping. There will be ups and downs, but it is all worth it in the end. Don’t be afraid to try new things.”