Figure skater Wood makes a big jump
Jackson Wood is jumping for joy these days - for more than six hours a day.
The 16-year-old Oromocto figure skater trains from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day at the Barrie Figure Skating Club under renowned coach Lee Barkell, who also trains current Canadian and world figure skating champion Jeffrey Buttle. In fact, Wood is on the ice with the world champion three times a day.
Barkell sees Wood as "a natural jumper. He makes it look easy. For his age, he's got quite a repertoire of triple jumps. As he matures, now it's going to be dealing with a little more pressure at bigger events, and, as he moves up the ranks to develop a style that is original and himself, and to continue to work on his speed and power. He's very coachable and easy to work with."
"Lee is a serious coach and he has lots of experience with teaching the big jumps and pushing you to the next level," said Wood via e-mail.
The "next level" for Wood is Courcheval, a town in the French Alps. He's been selected by Skate Canada, the national figure skating body, to represent Canada in an International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix competition there Aug. 28-30.
"To be selected for a junior grand prix event is a big step in the process and shows that Skate Canada has singled him out as a person with potential," Barkell said. "It's a great opportunity for him."
"I feel privileged to have the opportunity to represent Canada at this competition," said Wood, the reigning national novice age group champion who is moving up to junior this season.
"I would have been happy with any of the junior Grand Prix assignments, but I'm extra keen on France," he said. "Courcheval is in the French Alps and it sounds really nice there."
His goals are modest for now.
"I would like to skate clean programs and see what I can learn by attending an international competition," he said.
Barkell believes the experience of international competition will be invaluable for Wood.
"As far as a placement, that's difficult to say," he said. "It will be his first experience with international competition, and travel and time zones. If he just skates to the best of his ability, that's the important thing."
Wood is in his second summer of training at the prestigious Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie. He spent four weeks there last summer. This year, he's up to nine. He trains daily from 11:30 to 6 p.m.; on the ice three times a day in sessions with other elite skaters bound for national and international competitions, including Kelsey McNeill of Petitcodiac and Melissa Briggs of Grand Falls.
Wood has had to surrender some of the summer activities he enjoys - boating, fishing and water-skiing among them - "but this is a really important training time to prepare for the upcoming competitive season," he said.
Wood will return to Oromocto High School for his Grade 12 year.
"I take school very seriously and good marks are important to me," he said. "OHS has been really supportive in helping me continue to skate and compete away and still stay on top of my work."
Wood works closely with coach Karen Alexander - she'll be his coach at the competition in France, in fact - and hopes to supplement his skating schedule with the Oromocto club by joining the new Capital City Skating Club too.
"It's tough with the user fees, though," he said.
But he realizes he'll probably have to move to continue the upward plane of his skating career.
"That would be what I would need to do, but I'm taking it one season at a time," he said. "Karen does everything she can to support my training in Barrie. She's an excellent coach and does anything needed for me to improve. Cynthia Benson with Skate New Brunswick is also a huge help to the competitive skaters from our province, helping us find training opportunities and solving any concerns along the way."
Wood's first coach was his aunt, Lynne Wood.
"She got me involved when I was little," he said. "I'm quite sure that if it had not been for her, I never would have done this."
His aunt got him started. Former Canadian champion Kurt Browning kept him interested. What keeps him coming back is "jumping and being in the air," he said. "It's a great feeling."
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