Local Skater Breaks Barrier, Aims for National Championships

Bella Martinez, a , will be competing later this month in the Senior Ladies Division at the prestigious Pacific Coast Sectional Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This event, which Martinez qualified for with a third place finish at the Central Pacific Championships in late October, puts her potentially one step away from US Figure Skating’s premier event, the US National Championships.

Martinez, who has been training at for the past 11 years under coach Jayne Throckmorton, is one of the first skaters from the Capital City Figure Skating Club to compete at the Sectional Championships in the Senior Ladies category in over thirty years. Skater Tosha Hanford was the first.  This is Martinez’s first year competing at the Senior Ladies level, but already she has demonstrated her competitive prowess with victories in local and regional competitions.  

The Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships (Nov. 15-20) will showcase the top skaters, including twelve Senior Ladies, from all over the west coast, including Alaska, Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho.  Fundraising events to support Martinez’s efforts in Salt Lake City are currently being planned. 

Jayne Throckmorton, a resident of Rocklin and one of the Northern California’s top skating coaches, has been Martinez’s coach since her earliest days on the ice.  As a young skater, Throckmorton earned Gold Medals in Figures, Freeskating, and Ice Dance (US Figure Skating’s highest test achievements) and as a coach has achieved “Master” ratings in Figures & Freestyle as well Moves in the Field from the internationally recognized Professional Skating Association (PSA).