Ten figure skaters from the Whitehorse Skating Club recently returned from the Vancouver Island Skating Invitational (VISI), held in Victoria this past weekend.

The athletes stepped off the plane with two gold medals, one silver and two bronze.

'It was awesome,' said coach Charlene Taylor in an interview this morning. 'All of the kids skated excellent. Some of them may not have made the top half but they still skated a personal best.'

Sarah Fraser, who may have skated in her last competition as she is graduating from high school this year, won gold in the Senior Silver Ladies category. Fraser has yet to take her junior competitive test, so Taylor said instead of skating in the competitive stream, she went the other route.

'She skated it really well,' said Taylor, who added it was the same program from Arctic Winter Games, where Fraser also won gold. 'She's thinking about possibly staying one more year now.

'She'll be taking her junior competitive in May on test day so hopefully she'll skate in Junior Ladies next year.'

Taylor said the junior ladies Fraser would skate against next year are landing quite a few triple jumps while the Yukon skater isn't landing her triples consistently yet.

'It's stiff competition when you get up there,' she said.

Also at VISI, Kaighen Munro and Katie Blaker skated in the Pre-Novice Ladies category for the first time. Blaker made the first cut, placing sixth, and finished sixth overall. Munro placed seventh, narrowly missing the first cut. Munro also grabbed a bronze medal in the Bronze Interpretive Ladies skate.

'The showings they did, both of them, were excellent,' said Taylor. 'Kaighen just barely missed the first cut to make it to finals. She missed an element that she needed, and you're up against people who've been sitting there (in pre-novice) for a couple years.'

Taylor said when she spoke with the judges afterward, they were impressed with both ladies' performances.

'Even for Kaighen to be sitting in the top half for her first time is a major accomplishment,' she said. 'They both should be very proud of themselves.'

Pre-Juvenile Ladies skater Amelia (Millie) Austin grabbed a bronze medal in Victoria, in what Taylor called 'a solid performance.'

Austin and Blaker also took part in a new event together this year the Introductory Pairs competition. Taylor said it's something they decided to do quite a while ago but were trying to keep hush-hush. The pair pretty much choreographed the routine themselves. Although they won a silver medal, the coach said they probably won't do it again.

'It started out as fun, but I think they divorced each other afterward,' she joked. 'They're both quite headstrong.

'It's a little bit high stress.'

Whitehorse's Samantha Jarvis won a gold medal in what was her last performance in the Elementary Ladies category.

'She's outgrowing elementary,' said the coach. 'Every competition she's gone to this year, she's won. It's time to move her.'

While some skaters are switching categories, two more athletes will be calling it quits, at least competitively. Both Sarah Kabanak and Emily Nakamura are graduating high school this year. Kabanak finished in the top half in the Senior Bronze Ladies category.

'That skate for her was one of her personal bests since I've been with her,' said Taylor. 'She skated totally awesome.'

Kabanak also skated in the Bronze Interpretive Ladies division, to a song she dedicated to her mother at last month's spring carnival, 'Wind Beneath My Wings'.

Taylor was also impressed with Nakamura, who put down a personal best in the bronze interpretive with a new program.

'She's been really sick this year,' the coach said. 'She went out there and wasn't even nervous. I was quite surprised. She pulled the program together.'

Andrea Shorty, Ellen Bohmer and Jessie Hawkins also travelled to Victoria. All three skated personal bests in the Pre-Preliminary Ladies, Preliminary Ladies and Junior Bronze Ladies categories respectively.

Taylor said a lot of the athletes don't get to compete outside of Whitehorse more than once or twice a year, so she was very happy with their performances.

'The nerves can hit you when you're not used to skating in front of a full house of people watching you,' she said.

Next up for a few members of the Whitehorse Skating Club is the Victoria Day competition, which will be held in Victoria May 14-16. Blaker, Munro and Austin will make the trip, without Taylor.

The three girls have all qualified for the Best Ever Program, in preparation for the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Funding from that program will pay for more ice time for both the Whitehorse and Fireweed skating clubs, so the competitors will be able to practice until May 17.

The trip, however, is not funded by the club so the athletes will be paying their own way. While Blaker has a coach in B.C., Taylor has made arrangements with the regional development coaches to take care of Munro and Austin.

'We've gotten the funding allotted to us for development training for 2007,' she said. 'These kids need to get out there and they need to get exposure. Basically, they need to stay on the ice.'