skater

17-year-old Echo Bay Area Figure Skater Terra Findlay is home for two weeks, taking a much needed break after a whirlwind Fall which has moved her to France to train with new partner Benoit Richaud and some of the best coaches in the World. Terra was contacted by Benoit and the French Federation to forward a video of her skating while taking the summer to train at home with her mom and off-ice instructor Mike Cowan, who spent his first summer training a figure skater along side many elite hockey plaers. Terra had already been considering offers to train in the States with other partners, but felt that the coaching and this partner would be best suited for her.

To make a long story short, the Federation asked Terra to come to Lyon, France and have a tryout with Benoit Richaud, a 19 yr old ranked 7th at last year's Junior Worlds.

After only skating 3 months together Terra and Benoit competed in Junior at the French Nationals and narrowly missed winning the Gold by only 2 points to capture the Silver. The placing earned them a spot at the Junior World Championships taking place this week in Bulgaria, but the team was unable to compete due to Terra's release with Skate Canada.

Terra is at home this week missing out on Jr. Worlds but sometimes things happen for a reason. These past two weeks she has been working with Athletic Therapist of the Soo Greyhounds, Colin Grootenburg treating tendanitous on her left leg. Even though she is missing the opporutnity to make her 2nd trip to Junior Worlds (she went in 2004), she has found out that she has been released effective July 1st and is able to start competing Internationally next August. The Federation will be assigning them to Internationals after this date.

Terra is also thrilled to just recieve a call this week finding out that she is spending the month of April travelling througout Europe in an Ice Show Tour, as one of the up and coming Jr. Teams from France.

Although training 5 hours a day 6 days a week, she still continues to work on her Gr. 12 via Independent Learning with Central Algoma Secondary School. Terra is the daughter of Bruce and Sandra Findlay, who are both avid coaches. Sandra teaches figure skating and power skating with the Shamrock and Lake Superior Figure Skating Clubs, as well as Power Skating with the Soo Rep system, Soo Greyhounds, several hockey and power skating schools in the summer and Bruce assists with the coaching of the Soo Jr. Greyhoud AAA Pee Wees.