The Maekawa family, well known for the longtime figure skating efforts of siblings Pilar and Leonardo, was in Parksville the weekend before last for the first competition in a new series called “Pond to Podium.” This competition in Parksville is called VISI (Vancouver Island Skate International). In this series of competitions the skaters get points and in order to win the final they need to compete in at least four out of the five competitions. These competitions have been streaming live on the Internet and can likely still be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14050682
On April 15 the only entry for the Maekawas was Pilar! It was the first time in more than three years she has competed in singles. She did a category in Interpretive, “Gold Interpretive.”
This event is different than the singles free skate, here the jumps and spins are not necessary, but they are allowed. The most important component is the interpretation of the music and Pilar’s music is representing a spider making its web. She earned the gold by more than six points.