Greater Victoria skater lands opportunity to represent the Island in BC Games
Published 5:45 am Friday, February 20, 2026
Lucy Howland lands a trick two years in the making when she hits the road for the BC Winter Games later this month.
Sliding into a spot on the Vancouver Island team, it’s not the first time the Langford figure skater saw a target and set out to achieve it, says mom Mary Jane Howland. Lucy once saw a trophy, wanted it, and found out how to get there.
Now 13, it took some tough competitions to get to the top position that earned her a place in the Vancouver Island-Central Coast (Zone 6) in the event that brings together young athletes from across British Columbia to compete, learn and celebrate sport.
Her hard work at the end of the season paid off. Her final competition of the season included an upper ankle injury that left her less than happy with her performance, but she had a stunning turnout in Burnaby in the second-to-last competition.
“I had a beautiful skate … I came first at that competition so that score also helped me come in seventh for the province (overall),” she said. It left her with top points at regionals and the nod for the team of six skaters in Zone 6.
“I think it’s just a good experience to have moving forward with my skating career. It’s the next step forward in my skating competitions,” Lucy said.
This year’s Games in Trail and Rossland holds a couple special places in her heart. One is that goal she wanted to achieve; While it’s a first representing Zone 6, as the juvenile female skater, she’ll see some familiar faces as a top skater in B.C.
“I’m excited to see all my friends from over the province, and Island that I’ll be travelling with and competing with.”
Lucy’s participation in the Games holds added meaning for her family, many who still reside in Sidney. Her father, who learned alongside his brother at the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club, won a gold medal in sailing in Summer Games in Rossland, three decades ago.
“That’s kind of cool, to know that 30 years later I’m going to be going to the same spot that my dad competed,” Lucy said.
Sailing isn’t something the teen does much of, though she enjoys it, she’s busy training seven days a week.
Her regimen, particularly leading up to competition, includes on-ice work in Oak Bay six days a week alongside off-ice sessions just about everywhere else in the region for yoga, weight training, harness training and more.
Online learning allows for some freedom of movement at the moment, but a planner by nature, Lucy set her sights on a traditional public high school. She’s been accepted into a program of choice in the Victoria school district.
BC Games are held every two years and its the fourth time hosted in the Trail and Rossland area with the 1982 and 2006 Winter Games, as well as the 1996 Summer Games.
The 2026 BC Winter Games run Feb. 25 to March 1.
Follow the events online at bcgames.org/games/trail-rossland-2026.
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