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Barrie-based skaters Olivia Rybicka-Oliver and Joshua Andari, who live and train here in the city, are heading to the Junior World Figure Skating Championships.
A few weeks ago in Cieszyn, Poland, the two 19-year-olds produced a career-best performance against strong competition to win the Polish National Junior Ice-Dance Championships for a second consecutive year.
Their success has been rewarded as they received official confirmation Thursday that they have been selected to compete for Poland against the world’s best at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, which is expected to take place in May.
“Since the pandemic began two years ago, we have trained non-stop, on and off ice, to achieve this result," Rybicka-Oliver said in a statement. “Our goal was always to qualify for the Junior World Championships and our dream has come true.
“It’s been stressful with the amount of travelling we’ve had to do competing in Europe over the past five months and dealing with the COVID situation, but our mental trainer, Christine Reeves, has been a great help during this time and it’s all been worth it," she added.
Rybicka-Oliver said going to the world championships this year is "extra special" for her and her teammate, because they also qualified last year when the event was scheduled to be held in China. That jubilation quickly turned to disappointment when the event was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Rybicka-Oliver, who was born in Poland and has dual Polish/Canadian citizenship, lives with her family in Barrie. Meanwhile, Andari hails from Chatham.
The pair trains at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie with coaches David Islam, Mitch Islam, Kelly Johnson and James Callan.
