Schaufele gets unexpected invite to compete at Nationals

PHOTO SUBMITTED - Bow Island's Graham Schaufele had the opportunity to compete last month at the Canadian Tire Nationals, held in Halifax.

By Jamie Rieger
Graham Schaufele was not planning on going to the Canadian Tire National figure skating competition last month, but when two other skaters were unable to, Schaufele got the call and one-day notice to head to Halifax to compete.
“It went pretty good, actually. During the short program, I had a hard time getting my feet under me, but I did much better in the long program,” he said.
Schaufele did not have a lot of time to prepare for the Nationals as he was not expecting to be there.
“They take the top 18 at the Skate Canada Challenge qualifier for the Canadian Tire Nationals and I placed 20th, so I wasn’t expecting to go,” he said. “After that, somebody withdrew and the next person declined, so when they called, I was very surprised.”
Schaufele finished in 17th position out of 18 at the Nationals, but to make it that far after having surgery on his hip last year, as well as breaking his ankle makes it quite an accomplishment.
“I had to have hip surgery last year. The cap of my femur bone kept sliding and it changed the way my hip moved, so I had to get a titanium plate put in,” said Schaufele. “After that, I broke my ankle and was told not to jump on it until at least this summer. I’ve only been training again for about six months, but I feel I have everything back.”