While some teenagers spent the better part of the pandemic playing video games, two local figure skaters have been at the rink training with the hopes of one day standing under the colourful, interlocking Olympic rings.
Dana Sabatini-Speciale and Nicholas Buelow have only been skating together for a few years, but are already at the top of their sport — and the podium — having recently won a silver medal in ice dancing at Skate Canada’s National Skating Championships 2022 (novice division) during the event held Feb. 26-27 in Calgary.
Both teens have been skating since they were young, however teamed up in 2019 after Buelow, a Grade 9 student at Innisdale Secondary School in Barrie, found himself in need of a new partner.
The pair has pretty much been a match made in ice-dancing heaven ever since, making it to the top of the sport in their category in only a few short years.
During their first season skating together, Buelow and Sabatini-Speciale were named the 2019 Ontario pre-novice champions, and placed fourth at the pre-novice nationals, something they considered to be a “huge accomplishment” as it was their first time competing at that event and their first season skating together.
“We have such a great connection and we both love the sport so much, so I think that really brings us together,” said the recent Springwater Township transplant Sabatini-Speciale, adding they’ve become good friends both on and off the ice.
Last month’s Skate Canada Nationals in Calgary was the pair’s first time competing at the novice level, and Sabatini-Speciale said they went into it feeling pretty confident.
“We were training all season very hard, and because our nationals was originally supposed to be at the beginning of January in Ottawa — it was cancelled for COVID reasons. … The extra month of training gave us extra confidence and we were able to increase our skill ability greatly,” said Sabatini-Speciale, who is in Grade 10.
As soon as they completed their free skate, they both knew right away that they had completed one of their best performances, she told BarrieToday.
“We were extremely happy and we hugged on the ice. Then we did our presenting to the ice, and then went to (our coach) Mitch (Islam) and he was extremely happy.”
When they initially received their scores, Sabatini-Speciale said they were all extremely excited, and noted it was a personal best for the pair. With only one pair left to perform, Sabatini-Speciale and Buelow knew they were guaranteed a spot on the podium.
“We knew we had a chance at either first or second and we were going to be happy with either, because we knew it was an amazing performance for us.”
Islam, a former competitive ice dancer himself, is part of the coaching team at Mariposa School of Skating where the pair train. He told BarrieToday the pair has experienced a whirlwind of success during a pretty unique period of time since coming together in 2019.
“With the pandemic, everyone was dealing with lockdowns and restrictions and that really affected our training and the kids’ ability to compete, which is a huge part of this sport," he said. "We were stripped of that opportunity… but it’s a real testament to the mental fortitude of these two. They never wavered."
Next season, Sabatini-Speciale and Buelow will move up to the junior level, and hope to become one of the top junior teams in Canada.
“Hopefully, Skate Canada will send us to represent Canada at junior international events and Junior Grand Prix competitions around the world, which would be really exciting,” she said. “Our long-term goal, like any (skater) I think, is to represent Canada at the Olympics and just to reach our full potential.”
Islam said what the two teens have achieved together in such a short time is “pretty incredible,” but admitted it takes a lot of work.
“You get out what you put in,” he said, adding he believes the sky's the limit for Sabatini-Speciale and Buelow. “They have a lot of talent, but they also have the other side of it, which is the mental capacity to put in the time and effort that it takes to succeed in this sport.
"Talent really is only a small part of the puzzle," Islam added. "They have that brain of an elite athlete, and even as young people, they’re starting to develop into responsible young athletes and it’s really exciting to see.”
Islam and the rest of the coaching team at Mariposa will continue to push them to be the best, and to help them reach their goals.
“The talent is there, the brain power is there, the love of the sport and the passion to come in and work hard every day is there. That’s something you can’t teach,” Islam said, adding he anticipates they will make a big splash on the international scene at the junior level in the coming years and establish themselves as world class competitors on the Ice Dance Team.
“We are looking to continue to push these two and hopefully they can stand under those (Olympic) rings one day.”
