One of our aims this season was to win both of our Junior Grand Prix competitions and to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. I was a little concerned when our first Grand Prix in Armenia was cancelled, but the resulting back to back competitions in Poland, seemed to work in our favour.

The Grand Prix final in Turin, more than met expectations. Every part from competing in the Palavela, the arena used for the 2006 winter Olympics, to the hotel, which had once been a part of the famous Fiat factory, being at the same competition as the senior teams and the amazing supporters, all made it a truly special experience. In addition, usually at an international, because of the schedule, you don’t always have the chance to see the sites, but this time we had the opportunity to visit the old town of Turin with our team mates. We got to sample some of the tasty local cuisine, and as expected, it more than met expectations.

The rhythm dance I thought went well, though we couldn’t afford to make mistakes in the free dance. There is always added pressure when skating last, especially when the result depends on you. When we had skated clean, and I heard the score on the kiss and cry, it was a mixture of relief and happiness and to be honest, the overall result took some time to sink in. It then took some extra comprehension when Piper and Pauls’ win came up, as we could have only wished for the both of us to win the event.

Piper and Paul inspire us on a daily basis in training, and it was amazing to be there and share the moment alongside them.

On our return to training following the finals, we have continued to work on and develop our programs for Nationals. To maintain ‘on track’ in training, I like to watch back our videos from this past season on YouTube, to pick out parts that I would like to improve on myself. We both are looking forward to having the opportunity to skate our programs for a home audience in Durham, and look to better our season’s best scores.

– Peter Beaumont