Courtesy photo Aliyah Mylander of the Escanaba Area Figure Skating Club participates in the 2021 Mary Vandermissen Holiday Classic in Wells Dec. 4.

WELLS — Escanaba High School figure skating coach Mary Gauthier was happy with the results of the high school competition in the opening leg of the Upper Peninsula District 7 competition here Saturday.

Esky earned top honors in level B and C spins and C jumps and took first in overall C competition with eight points. Houghton scored six, and Marquette had three.

“I thought the girls did well for the first competition,” she said. “We have a lot of new girls. They’re very team-oriented and cheer the other girls on. I’m very satisfied with how we did.”

Houghton won B and C moves in the field and added a first in B jumps.

The Gremlins were winners of overall B competition with eight points, followed by Esky six and Marquette four.

“It was good,” said Calumet junior Brooke Pomroy, who skates for the Gremlins through a co-op venture. “A lot of the girls came in here with confidence. Overall, there was pretty good competition. It was nice to see our friends and competitors again after skating with them this summer. I like doing spins the best because there’s so many things you can do with them.”

Esky freshman Molly Smale made quite a haul from the Mary Vandermissen 2021 Escanaba Holiday Classic, taking three firsts and a second in the U.S Figure Skating event at the Hannahville Ice & Turf Complex.

“I think our high school team did real good,” she said. “I had a lot of fun today. Spins are my favorite. That’s where I’m the strongest. I need to work on my jumps. I definitely need to gain confidence with those.”

Escanaba’s Aliyah Mylander followed Smale with two gold, one silver and one bronze finish.

Esky freshman Maggie Martin found success with her jumps.

“I landed all my jumps this morning and took first with a camel spin,” said Martin, whose character was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in the showcase event. “I like jumps and spins the best. I’ve learned a lot this year.”

Gladstone sophomore Claire Roeske also enjoys jumps and spins.

“I like those events because you get to be creative,” she said. “I thought my flips went well. I do pretty much the same thing in team (high school) and individual competition. I think the level of competition in both is pretty much the same.”

Esky sixth-grader Aubrey Mylander also said she was happy with her jumps.

“I thought I did good with those,” she added. “I try not to think about the landing. I just focus on what I’m doing. I’m not looking at the crowd while in competition, but I appreciate their support.”

Bark River-Harris second-grader Brie Sjoholm became interested in skating after watching it on TV.

“That’s what got me my start,” she said. “I like doing jumps and spins. It’s very exciting. I would like to be on the high school team when I get older.

“I sometimes get nervous when I go out there, but I skate better when I get nervous.”

Gauthier said was happy with the turnout Saturday in the event now held in honor of her mother, the late Mary Vandermissen, who served as president of the Escanaba Area Figure Skating Club and once brought Olympic medalists Todd Eldredge and Timothy Goebel to the Wells Sports Complex as guest show skaters. Vandermissen also appeared in “The Biggest Small Town Ice Revue in the World”, a Time magazine feature story.

“This is our 10th year of competition and probably the best turnout we’ve had,” she added. “Last year, we had a virtual event (due to COVID) which helped us maintain the competitive spirit. Lot of kids work toward that all year. Everybody came back stronger today.”