By: Dylan Nazareth

There’s nothing like your senior nationals debut.

For 17-year-old Reese Rose, it came this past January in Gatineau, where she skated to an impressive sixth-place finish. One month later, she’s still basking in the amazing experience.

“It was so exciting and exhilarating,” Rose said, speaking in a recent interview. “The short program was super fun, and I enjoyed myself so much. I didn’t really want to leave the ice.”

After a confident short program landed her in the final group for the long program, Rose shared she was able to feel a sense of calm heading into the second day of competition. But those nerves began to catch her ahead of her long program, seeing all the media coverage and realizing just how much bigger seniors nationals is compared to juniors.

“Senior and junior, I learned, are two whole different events,” she said.

Training at Ottawa’s Gloucester Skating Club, the event in Gatineau was not too far from her home club. Ultimately, that support helped guide her through the nerves, able to put out two solid skates.

“As soon as I hit the ice, the crowd was, like, insane,” Rose said. “Since it was somewhat close to home, I had lots of people in the stands that I knew and were cheering for me. Although I didn’t necessarily see them, I felt them. And yeah, being in that top group with the big dogs was exactly where I wanted to be, it was so exciting.”

The Dog Days Are Over

Her short program this season was skated to Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” It’s a tune she originally found on her mom’s playlist while in the car with her. The first time she hit play on the song, they both knew it was right.

“We were listening to it, and we turned to each other and just said, wait, this would be a good solo for next year, and then it stuck,” she shared.

It’s a fun, uplifting tune that gets the audience engaged in her skating. Beyond that, for Rose it represents the growth she’s seen in her skating over the past seasons.

“It does have some deeper meaning to it, in a way,” Rose said. “It’s kind of like leaving the bad stuff behind and looking to the future to have good stuff. And I feel like that’s what this solo was. I’ve had some amazing experiences and it’s taken me to so many places. … It’s such an amazing piece. It always makes me smile and it always makes the crowd smile, and that’s what I love about it.”

Next year, Rose will be moving on to a new short program. She said she’s “super sad” to leave this one behind, but as part of her growth on the ice, it’s time for something new.

Eyes on the Future

Since her strong finish at nationals, Rose has been back in training as an alternate for junior worlds.

“I do kind of have to continue to train right now, which is honestly a super great experience for me to continue my season and extend it longer than just nationals,” she said. “Whether I have to go to junior worlds or not, it’s a really good experience and that’s what me and my coaches have been saying.”

Beyond keeping in shape for another potential competition, Rose has also been working on a big new jump she’s hoping to add to her repertoire as soon as next season.

“The last two weeks, I’ve been focusing a lot on the triple axel, actually,” she said. “That is a work in progress right now, but I still have to make sure that I don’t get injured or anything. So we’re taking it slow, but also, you know, finding time each day to work on it. So that’s super exciting, and hopefully that will come for the next season.”

This season, Quebec’s Sara-Maude Dupuis became the first Canadian women’s skater to land a triple axel in competition. Up until now, no Ontario women’s skater has accomplished the feat, and Rose could be the first.

It Takes a Village

Rose is coached by Darlene Joseph alongside Adrian Matei. Asked about her coaching team, Rose shared her immense gratitude for the support they provide her.

“My coaches are incredible, I genuinely don’t know how I got so lucky,” Rose said. “They support me through everything, and sometimes they know me better than I know me. I come to the rink and my coach knows as soon as I walk into the building how I’m feeling and how I can get into a good place to skate that day if I’ve had a rough day. My coaching team is incredible, I’m really grateful for them.”

Beyond her coaches, she credits her sports psychologist Judy–offered through Skate Canada’s NextGen program–her family, and her club as key pillars of her support system.