Gander's golden girl

The 2010 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games have come and gone, and it's an experience all athletes won't soon forget - especially Gander's Anna Maloney-Barnes.

Barnes competes with the Gander Silver Jets Figure Skating Club and was a member of Central's figure skating contingent at the Games, held March 20-27 in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Before leaving for the Games, Maloney-Barnes told The Beacon that she was happy just to be able to compete at the Games and winning a medal would be a bonus.

Well, not only did Maloney-Barnes collect that bonus, she collected the biggest bonus there is - a gold medal.

"I worked really hard to get there, so I'm really happy to be able to go," Maloney-Barnes told The Beacon before leaving for Grand Falls-Windsor. "I just want to skate a personal-best performance. I'm not going there looking for a medal, but it would be nice if I came home with one."

Maloney-Barnes struck gold in the senior bronze 12-and-under category. Her coach Michelle Parsons described her student's performance as phenomenal. Maloney-Barnes is still enjoying her win.

"It feels really good because it wasn't my plan to win the gold medal," said the St. Paul's Intermediate student. "I just wanted to enjoy the entire Winter Games experience, because it only comes around once every four years, so to win a gold medal is just great."

Included in her gold-medal winning routine were seven jumps and three spins. It's a routine Maloney-Barnes has been working on for quite some time, and she pulled everything together when it mattered most.

"I landed all of my jumps, so I don't think I could have done any better," said Maloney-Barnes with a huge laugh and smile.

Gander's Jordan Pottle also competed for Central at the Games in the junior silver category. Although she said she felt her routine could have been better, her smile lets you know that the bronze medal she brought home is an accomplishment she will forever cherish.

"I could have done a lot better, but I'm extremely happy with the bronze medal," said Pottle. "The Games are only held once every four years, so I'm not disappointed about this whatsoever."

In fact, Pottle is already thinking about what her bronze-medal win will mean down the road. Competing in such an elusive event is one thing, but to win a medal means something much more.

"This will definitely give me more confidence when I compete in future meets," said Pottle. "It's all different categories put into one...it's not your same category as always. At provincials, for example, it's your age and level category, but at the Winter Games, it's just one level - at least in my category."

Although both skaters competed in the same event, and although both won medals, they also shared another similar experience that wasn't competition related. Both girls had to stay at a school in Grand Falls-Windsor during their time at the Games, and both skaters had the same word to describe the experience - "different." For Maloney-Barnes, her gold-medal skate could have had drastically different results if the scheduling was any different.

"A few people ended up getting sick and it spread throughout the whole residence," she said. "I'm just thankful that I caught the bug after I skated, and not before."

Both athletes also said meeting people from a variety of different sports was a highlight, as well as participating in the opening ceremonies.

"Meeting all of the different people was definitely a highlight," said Maloney-Barnes. "This wasn't your typical figure skating meet, so it was fun to be a part of this."

"They had a lot of different people from the Grand Falls-Windsor area come in a deliver speeches. They also had some cheerleading and a native drumming performance," added Pottle. "The native drumming was pretty cool."

Also competing in the Games, but not winning medals, were Leah Doucette of the Terra Nova Tornadoes in Glovertown, and Jillian Pickett of the Frosty Figures in Centreville.

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