By: Dylan Nazareth

Nothing’s changing in the plan for Katherine Medland-Spence going into Canadian nationals.

That’s what the 24-year-old skater reiterated talking to media after practice Friday morning.

“I’m feeling good,” she said. “I’m keeping things the same as I do for every other competition, going in and trusting myself, trusting my training.”

This calm and composed approach to big competitions is all part of what she’s built with her new coaching team of Ken and Danielle Rose from the Richmond Training Centre. And so far, it’s paid off.

The Ottawa-born skater made her true international debut in November at the Warsaw Cup after hitting Skate Canada’s benchmarks for assignments earlier this season in Ontario sectionals. 

In Poland, she turned heads by taking home gold with a personal best score of 181.89—the second highest score posted by a Canadian woman this season.

Despite exceeding her early season expectations, she still affirms that her success hasn’t changed what she laid out with her coaches at the start of the year.

“[After Warsaw] I kind of just stuck to the usual plan, the same thing,” said Medland-Spence. “Just building on what I’ve done all year and continuing to put in the work every single day.”

One year ago, Medland-Spence was dealing with ankle, knee, hip, and back injuries and began to consider leaving skating. Going into nationals this year, she says she’s feeling better physically and mentally.

“There’s always things lingering,” she said. “But definitely to be in one piece is a lot better than not.”

Now, as she gets ready to take on the biggest test of her career, how is she managing the magnitude of the moment?

“By not making it seem like it’s the biggest test of my career,” she said, laughing. “It’s just another competition, I still have to go out there and do two programs.”

For coach Danielle Rose, she’s telling Medland-Spence exactly the same thing headed into this one.

“Take it moment by moment and just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” said Rose. “It’s been working, so why not just stick to the plan?”

Indeed, as Medland-Spence is poised to be a legitimate challenger for a place on the podium this year, why not stick to the plan?