By Sean Fitz-Gerald
The Ryerson figure skating team started their reading week off on the right blade, finishing sixth out of 11 teams at the OWIAA championships in Waterloo.
“Other universities are scared of Ryerson,” said coach Jennifer Chapman. “They know that we’re contenders now.”
Ryerson ended the meet with 37.5 points, enough to finish ahead of cross-town rivals U of T and York.
Success did not come without a price for the Rams.
Mary Beth Moellenkamp had her shoulder popped back into place and eventually placed third in the Senior B singles.
“She is just a trooper,” coach Chapman said. “I have never seen a skater with this much determination and team spirit before. We could not believe she skated with the amount of pain she was in.”
She plans to have surgery on the shoulder on May 5 and hopes to be back on the ice in September, even though her doctors told her she would need six to nine months for full recovery.
The first day of the competition was rough all ‘round for the Rams, who did not do as well as they expected.
Things picked up later in the weekend for the Rams when both Tammy Hodgson and Natalia Hrycajkiw finished first in their events.
Hrycajkiw, who has won every competition she entered in Senior A singles, was happy with her finish in Waterloo. She was able to outperform the competition with a dazzling array of double lutzes and double combinations.
“To finish first is great, it was sort of a hat-trick for me. I won every competition I entered,” she said.
Hodgson pulled out a first-place victory in the open solo free skate event. She shocked everyone by landing three double-doubles, but had to two-foot a double axe.
Coach Chapman said that she was pleased with the results, and enjoyed watching the team skate as a whole.
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