It was déjà vu all over again for Squamish's Keegan Murphy in the 2004 Canadian Figure Skating Championships last weekend (Jan. 5-12).
The Squamish skater, competing in his sixth national competition, finished in 13th place overall in the senior men's division.Murphy also placed 13th in 2003.
Although he skated much better than last year in his estimation, he was unable to reach his goal of cracking the top 10.
"Everybody skated so well," he said. "My goal was to finish in the top ten so it was a little disappointing but I still learned from the experience. Things went really well, I'm happy with how I skated."
The only thing Murphy wasn't happy about were problems landing a triple flip in both the short and long programs of his routine.
The first fall, in Friday's short program, came as a result of landing on the heel edge of his skate, instead of directly overtop of the blade.
"That was of course costly," he said.
Then, in Saturday's four-and-a-half minute long program, a failed triple flip came back to haunt him at the end of his routine."My legs were feeling like cement, so I never got as high as I should have."
Murphy felt he skated well enough to perhaps skate his way into a top 10 finish, but the judges didn't see it the same way.
"I thought I was marked a little harshly but as we all know, skating isn't always fair."
No matter the result, Murphy had a fulfilling experience in Edmonton, where fine performances by many skaters resulted in some surprising finishes in the women's and pairs events.
"The entire week was probably the most exciting Nationals I've ever been to. Everyone skated so well I'm just glad I was there to experience it. It was an unforgettable week."
Two other Squamish skaters, Kelsey Murphy and Ryan Shollert, were competing in their very first Canadian Championships in the senior pairs division.
Although Shollert has competed in the national competition as an individual, it was the first time the pair competed in the event. They also finished 13th overall in the senior pairs division.
"They skated really well in the long program," said Murphy, Kelsey's brother. "The had a great experience overall and handled it really well."
Murphy plans to take two weeks off to allow some injuries time to recover, before hitting the ice again for more intense training.
"I have a lot of work to do for next year," he said. "I'll be adding more to my skating - practising new skills and improving the ones I have."
