Watertown Figure Skate Club Secures Over 30 Gold Medals at Palace Ice Festival
- Steve Jurrens
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown Figure Skate Club (WFSC) delivered a dominant performance at the 2026 Palace Ice Festival this past weekend, returning home with more than 30 gold medals and several qualifications for national competition.
The event, held in Mitchell, saw Watertown figure skaters compete across multiple skill levels and disciplines. The club’s success was highlighted by a high volume of podium finishes and a strong showing in the artistic showcase categories, which serve as a pipeline for higher-level national events.
National Qualifications and Top Honors
A milestone for the club this weekend was the qualification of multiple skaters for the National Showcase Competition, scheduled for this August in Denver, Colorado.
Skaters who secured their spots for the national stage include Dasia Woertink, Elin Gossen, Savannah Sovell, Lennix Adler, Molli Schmeling, Dorothy Peterson, Brooklyn Bloom, and Lucy Barthel. These athletes qualified through high-ranking performances in categories such as Choreographic Artistry, Character Performance, and Emotional Performance.
Detailed Competition Results
The WFSC roster showed depth across all levels, from Basic skills to Novice and Young Adult divisions.
Advanced Levels (Novice, Intermediate, and Young Adult)
· Woertink (Novice & Level 4) led the gold medal count for the club, taking first place in five categories, including the Freeskate and four different showcase events.
· Celina Daffinger (Intermediate & Level 4) earned top honors in both the Freeskate and Spins.
· Abigail Reeves (Young Adult & Level 4) secured first-place finishes in the Divas Theme Event and Freeskate.
· Elizabeth Reiter (Young Adult) placed first in the Character Performance Showcase.
· Gossen (Young Adult & Level 3) took first in Choreographic Artistry and Spins, while placing second in the Emotional Performance Showcase.
Pre-Juvenile and Preliminary Highlights
· Sovell (Pre-Juvenile & Level 4) captured three gold medals in the Character Performance Showcase, Emotional Performance Showcase, and Compulsory.
· Adler (Pre-Juvenile & Level 4) earned a first-place finish in Freeskate and second-place finishes in two showcase categories.
· Schmeling (Pre-Juvenile & Level 3) took first in both Compulsory and Jumps.
· Peterson (Preliminary) earned a gold medal in the Lyrical Pop Showcase.
· Bloom (Preliminary) secured three silver medals across Freeskate and showcase events.
· Barthel (Preliminary & Level 1) achieved a clean sweep of her events, taking first place in Character Performance, Compulsory, Freeskate, and Jumps.
Foundational Levels (Basic 3–6) Watertown’s younger skaters also saw significant success in the Basic skill brackets:
· McKenzie Friese (Basic 3) swept all three of her events with first-place finishes.
· Saralayna Johnson (Basic 4) took gold in Showcase and Freeskate.
· Zoe Jorgenson (Basic 4) placed first in Showcase.
· Molly Skinner (Basic 6) mirrored a perfect run, taking gold in Showcase, Compulsory, and Freeskate.
· Avery Carter (Basic 6) earned second-place finishes across all three of her entered categories.
· Sage Nerison (Basic 4) contributed to the club’s standings with a third-place finish in Showcase.
The WFSC expressed pride in the athletes’ dedication and the sportsmanship displayed while representing Watertown. The club will now begin preparations for the upcoming National Showcase in Denver later this summer.
