A Weyburn figure skater, Paloma Proszak, skated recently in the Junior National Championships in Saint-Foy, Que., from Feb. 2-5.

Paloma, the daughter of Pawel and Renata Proszak, was not just the only Weyburn skater at the event, but the only girl from Saskatchewan skating in the juvenile category.

Her coach, Keri Reiger, said Paloma gave her full effort at the event. "Actually, I don't know if she knows any other way," she added.

The first half of her program went well, but sadly, two falls "that were uncharacteristic of her" hurt her score, and she only placed 11th out of 13 girls.

"At this level, there is just no room for mistakes," said Reiger.

The competition was a little intimidating, said Paloma; some of the girls there were landing double axels and triples.

"I had a few butterflies in my stomach, but when I got on to the ice I said to myself 'I will skate my hardest and do the best I can,'" she said.

Paloma said tripping over her skates resulted in her first fall. This made her worried and, on her second-last jump, she had a hard time staying focused and fell again.

Still, she said she was happy with her placement because "all I wanted to do was skate my best."

Paloma said she met many skaters from Quebec and across Canada.

Although she didn't win a medal, she gained an amazing learning experience that will help her next year, as she tries again for Junior Nationals in the pre-novice ladies' category, her coach said.