Asher and I never expected that we would go to Junior Worlds this season. We even only just wanted to place in the top three at Nationals. It was truly an honour when it was announced that we would be part of the Canadian team going to Sofia, Bulgaria in February. On top of that, we would be going with our fellow team members from Ice Dance Elite: Vanessa and Paul!

We left Toronto on a Friday, and arrived at the Munich airport some few hours later where we waited for a smaller plane to fly us over to Sofia. Upon arriving at our destination, Vanessa, Paul, Asher, and I took a bus to the Princess Hotel, where we would be staying the entire week. After the accreditation process, we were just glad to get settled in our rooms. Despite the fact that we were most conveniently situated on the thirteenth floor (most widely known to be an unlucky floor by all North Americans), it was fortunate indeed that our rooms were right across each other.

On Sunday, the long day of practices began. And, as has become custom at Ice Dance Elite, run-throughs of both OD and FD were a must. Our practice group was made up of the three Canadian teams as well as two other German teams. Even though the practices were indeed lengthy, they were fun and exciting as it felt like we were back at Scarboro, especially with Vanessa and Paul being there.

When the day of the compulsory competition arrived, Asher and I drew to skate third. We skated it cleanly, managed to achieve our personal best, and ended up in tenth place going into our OD. Vanessa and Paul also did a great job. They achieved their personal best and were in third going into the OD.

After the stress of this first day of competition, we were quite relieved that we had a ‘day-off’ before the next event. Since we only had one practice then, the remainder of the day was spent lounging about in each other’s rooms, ‘doing’ homework, and spending time on the computers in the ‘Skater’s Fun and Relaxation’ room. We also managed to walk one block outside the hotel before Vanessa and I insisted upon returning to the safety of our hotel.

Asher and I skated a solid OD and managed, yet again, to achieve our personal best. Even better than that, we also moved up one and ended up in ninth place. Vanessa and Paul, as always, skated an amazing program that resulted in them coming second to Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates (USA). They also had to attend a press conference afterwards and receive their medals. On our last day of competition, Asher and I skated a clean FD and ended up pulling up into eighth place overall. We were extremely pleased with how we did, especially as it was our first year in Junior. It was so nice to be able to just rest afterwards and watch the rest of our event. Vanessa and Paul capped our Canadian presence in the competition by winning second in their most dramatic FD.

This competition was such a great experience for all of us. We treasure many pleasant memories, especially of the people we have met there.

Kharis Ralph