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41| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,N ovem ber 8,2018 theifp.ca Hélène Carle admits it hasn't been the easiest year. In fact, it's been a bit of a rough go since she made the jump to the junior ranks. Since she started skat- ing at the age of six, there was always steady im- provement, but those top results have been harder to come by the last few years. Now competing at the senior level, the George- town skater surprised herself at Skate Ontario Sectionals in Oakville when she delivered the top score (58.54) in the short program. And though she slipped to third after the free program, Carle said her performance sec- tionals has given her a boost as she prepares for Skate Canada Challenge in Edmonton Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. "I have more confi- dence with the elements I'm putting out in my program. I know I can go out there and skate clean," she said. "I feel like I got back in the groove." Carle, who competes for Skate Oakville, start- ed Saturday's flawless short program with a tri- ple loop, double toe com- bination and followed it up with a triple Salchow. She kept things rolling with a double Axel while earning high marks for her spins. And there's still some room to boost that score. Carle replaced a triple Lutz with the triple Sal- chow for sectionals, but hasn't ruled out going back to the more difficult Lutz. "I'll keep practising leading up to challenge and re-evaluate whether it's worth putting it back in," the 17-year-old said. There is also room to grow in her free pro- gram, where she had high marks for program components, but was hurt by a fall on her first combination. "I just have to get the consistency back in my elements and make sure I'm prepared for Chal- lenge," she said. Hélène wasn't the only Carle on the podium at sectionals. Younger sister Au- drey Carle made a re- markable recovery after colliding with another skater in warmup prior to the pre-novice wom- en's short program. Still a little shaken, she was 10th after the short program. But the 12-year-old re- bounded the next day with strong combination jumps to earn the high- est score in the free skate, 64.59, to rocket up the standings and claim the silver medal. Catherine Carle was given a bye through sec- tionals after re- presenting Canada at the Golden Bear in Zagreb, Croatia the last week of October. After winning a gold medal in the Bavarian Open in Germany last year, the 15-year-old said there were heightened expectations this year. She said it was diffi- cult circumstances with travel, adjusting to the six-hour time change and having a total of just 40 minutes of practice in the four days she was there, but chalked it as valuable experience for competing internation- ally. But she was still hap- py with her eighth-place finish against a strong field. COMMUNITY CARLE 'BACK IN THE GROOVE' AFTER 3RD PLACE FINISH AT SECTIONALS HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Hélène Carle, shown competing at nationals in Vancouver in January, earned the highest score for her short program on her way to a third-place finish in the senior women's division at the Skate Ontario Sectionals in Oakville. Sister Audrey finished second in women's pre-novice while Catherine Carle received a bye while representing Canada in Croatia. All three will compete at Skate Canada Challenge in Edmonton Nov. 28-Dec. 2. Mario Bartel photo Something very special is about to happen. The United Way's annual holi- day house tour will be showcasing the homes of Artisans' Attic artists this year. As well as touring eight wonderful artists' homes, you will get a look inside their home art stu- dios. Get set to be amazed and inspired! Artists will be showcasing their unique art, and many will be selling items in their homes. This year you can tour, get inspired, browse the art and even do some Christmas shopping. This fantastic event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Exotic pottery art, whimsical fabric creations, colourful and unique paintings, contemporary and classic jewelry, and so many other one-of-a-kind pieces of art will be on dis- play and for sale at this year's tour. See the art and meet the artists! Once again, your ticket gets you into our Christ- mas Market. This year the Christmas Market will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Georgetown. You can browse the vendor tables and pick up some great gifts for Christmas. Be sure to check out the bake-sale table and take home some goodies. We also invite you to enjoy a complimentary coffee and muffin, or a cup of soup and coffee, and try your luck at winning one of our many beautiful themed baskets. Georgetown Kia is back as our major sponsor. Georgetown Kia is bring- ing back its vehicle to col- lect new toys to kick off their Christmas Toy Drive at the House Tour event. Bring along a toy to donate to a child and leave it at the Kia vehicle that will be parked at our Christmas Market. This is a great way to give back to our commu- nity and help Georgetown Kia with their community initiative. Tickets for this fabulous event are on sale now and cost $35 per person. All pro- ceeds from the tour go to- ward the United Way Hal- ton and Hamilton 2018 Campaign. All money raised in Halton Hills will stay in Halton Hills and will assist with the funding of local agencies that offer programs and services to people of all ages. Agencies include: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Distress Centre North Halton, Food For Life, ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids), Literacy North Halton, Community Living North Halton, Links2Care and so many more. Tickets for the tour can be purchased at the follow- ing places in Georgetown: Emerald Isle, Bergsma's Paint & Decor, Vander- burgh Flowers and Gifts, Silvercreek Coffee House, A Home Inspired, Dini and Co/Artisan's Attic, Time- less Decor and the United Way Halton and Hamilton office at 8 James St., Georgetown. In Acton, buy your tickets at Forever Youngsters. For more information about the event or United Way Halton and Hamilton, call 905-877-3066 or email Janet Foster at jfos- ter@uwhh.ca UNITED WAY HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR SET FOR NOV. 17 UNITED WAY HALTON AND HAMILTON NEWS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com Saturday Nov. 10th, 2018 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters SportsPlex Georgetown Raiders vs. Stouffville Spirit