Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Winter 2010/2011 | Page 37

FEATURE Katherine Short is hoping that dedication, hard work and lots of practice will help her achieve gold at the Canada Games in Halifax. A name you likely have not heard of, yet, is 14-year-old Katherine Short. Katherine has been figure skating at a competitive level since she was seven and is hoping to have her best skate ever in Halifax. For her, there really never was a question about having a passion for on-ice pursuits. Between figure skating and hockey, her family pretty much lives at the rink. “I go to school every day and practice my skating two to three hours, five days a week,” she says. “I take Thursday and Friday off from skating.” And, what does a day off look like to Katherine? “That is when I catch up on my homework and spend time working out,” she adds. That’s dedication – and that’s exactly what each of those young athletes needs to get to Halifax. Unlike Katherine, though, many will participate in sports you might not expect. While you would certainly anticipate figure skating along with biathlon, curling, hockey, speed skating, cross-country, alpine and freestyle skiing and snowboarding, there will be many more sports in Halifax that will surprise you. Artistic gymnastics, ringette, target shooting, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, synchronized swimming, judo, boxing, badminton, archery, and squash will all be part of | 37