Tillsonburg skaters medal at provincials

Several members of the Tillsonburg Skating Club competed in the recent provincials. Left to right are: (front row) Madylinn Lumley, Grace McCutchen, Elizabeth Heleniak, Milla Leighfield, (back row) Claire McCutchen, Mackenzie Hutchinson, Scott Boyd, Leilah Ardy and Morgan Condie. Boyd and Claire McCutchen won medals at the event. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Two Tillsonburg skaters earned gold medals at the recent provincial competition.

Claire McCutchen and Scott Boyd were the medal winners in a contingent of nine Tillsonburg Skating Club competitors at the 2025 Skate Ontario Provincials, held March 21-23 in Stratford.

McCutchen, 16, has been skating for 12 years, starting in CanSkate when she was four years-old. This is her third time at the provincials. Last year McCutchen was sixth in Star 6 Women.

She competed in Star 8 Women’s division, for those up to 18. She has been working since June on her number, put together with coaches Penny Jelsma and Erin Scherrer. Her competition route consisted of three combination spins, six jumps and a choreography sequence lasting three minutes.

After qualifying, she was sitting in sixth and had to skate again.

“I skated clean, perfect, and all my jumps landed,” she said.

McCutchen plans on skating until she graduates high school and hopes to complete her Star 9, Star 10 and freeskate gold. She may coach at some point in the future.

“I’m not really sure yet,” she said to the coaching question. “I’m going to take all my elements to be a coach.”

Boyd, 16, has been skating since he was eight and quickly moved up through the levels to Star 10. He finished with a gold in Star 9 men and silver in Star 10 men.

“Things were really good,” he said of his performance that day. “I was trying hard to get my double axle (jump). I’ve been working on that all season.”

Boyd said both skates went well on the day of the competition, finishing with a clean program and the spins and jumps he has been working on coming off well.

Gold is next for Boyd.

“I want to try to get my double-axle consistent and maybe try to get some triples,” he said.

Boyd is also considering coaching at some point in the future.