Things went pretty much according to plan for Breken Brezden at her first Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.
Last week the Dauphin product placed seventh in the junior women’s competition at the prestigious event in Oshawa, Ont. She spends some of her time training with Skate Virden, where she is coached by Patty Hole.
“She just had a plan in place, and she just seemed to follow what she was very confident in,” Hole said. “It was really cool to see that for someone who had never been to the Canadian championships before. And skating in that final group, which is an honour, she handled herself very well.”
Brezden said there were lots of great aspects of her first national championship.
“I love that I was able to perform two programs I could be proud of in front of a lot of people,” she said. “I also set a personal best, which I am proud of. After I competed, I got the chance to stay and watch the seniors, which was also very fun.”
Brezden sat fifth after the short program. She added a triple-triple to her program for nationals and it helped her post a 56.06. Brezden followed up that personal best performance with another. She scored a PB of 91.64 in the free skate. Her final score of 147.70 was just .20 away from fifth place. Hole said, “To go out and do what she did in that long program, it was just so good.”
“I’m proud of my programs that I put out at the nationals, especially my short as I felt I performed it very well,” Brezden said. “I tried my best to calm my nerves by telling myself to have fun and savour the moment.”
Brezden entered this season with her sights set on earning a spot in nationals. To accomplish that goal, it was decided she would move to Hamilton to train with Jen Jackson. Brezden expressed appreciation for Skate Virden and Hole for their support over the years.
“I love Patty and I love working with her,” she said. “I think she is a great coach.”
Hole continues to work with Brezden at competitions and long distance. Working with Jackson in Ontario removed the long commute she was regularly making (from Dauphin to Virden) to train and allow her time to focus on her off-ice training as well.
“I think that consistency in my training has been a big part of it,” Brezden said in an interview earlier in the season about her success. “I have been on the ice five or six days a week, three or four hours sometimes.
She said all of those on-ice repetitions helped build confidence. As well, being based in Ontario, Brezden was able to compete frequently this season. She found herself on the podium often. Building upon that success, Brezden won a provincial championship. That earned her a spot into the Skate Canada Challenge, where she earned her nationals berth with a 10th place finish.
