While most of us are still snuggled in our beds at 5:15 in the morning, Quinn Startek is getting ready to head to the rink for the first of three scheduled on-ice training sessions that day.

Startek, a grade 5 student at Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School, trains six days a week, multiple times a day, as a member of the Hamilton Skating Club. She competes in the Pre-Novice category and successfully qualified for the nationals by placing 11th out of 84 skaters this past December at the Skate Ontario Sectional Championships.

At the end of January, Quinn will be headed to the Skate Canada Challenge in Regina, Saskatchewan with Team Ontario.

“Quinn’s dedication to her sport is admirable,” says her mother, Mariessa Startek.

“She skates four days a week before school from 6:30-8:45am and leaves early Wednesday afternoons to ensure that she can get all her required training in. At the end of each school day, she heads back to the rink for two more hours of skating, another hour of off-ice training and then home to keep up with her schoolwork.”

With such a busy schedule, Quinn says she is grateful for the support of her school teachers.

“They give me my work ahead of time if I have to be away at a competition and always answer questions I have about my learning if I missed a lesson.”

While it’s quite an accomplishment to have qualified for Skate Canada Challenge in her first year as a Pre-Novice skater, Quinn is up for the challenge.

“My goal is to have two strong skates and enjoy being there.”

“Then I will come home and train harder for next season.”