Sisters collect nine medals combined at regional finals
MORGAN HILL — The first thing Candice Clifford did after she accepted her gold medal at the Fresno Convention Center was call her father, Scott, who was judging another roller figure skating regional in Massachusetts.
The first thing Scott asked her was how the view looked from atop the podium.
“I told her to take a picture if she could,” he said Friday at the Clifford’s house in Morgan Hill. “I was very proud.”
Candice’s gold-medal performance in elementary ‘A’ freestyle at the Southwest Regional Championships, held June 24 to July 3 in Fresno, was the 12-year-old’s first in said event — and one of nine medal-winning efforts on the week for the Clifford clan. Candice’s younger sister, Ashley, 11, overcame a painful stress fracture in her left leg to place first in four out of her five events, settling for silver in juvenile ‘A’ solo dance.
“We both did pretty good,” said Ashley, who teamed with Gustavo Casada of Brazil to take gold in sophomore ‘A’ pairs on top of winning elementary inline and juvenile ‘A’ figures and freestyle. “I was hoping to win all my events.”
Candice took bronze in elementary ‘B’ figures and silver in elementary ‘A’ solo dance and creative solo dance, her specialty. She finished one point from first place in the latter event, performing an eloquent routine to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
“I’m happy with how I finished,” Candice said. “Having the medal and trophy (for freestyle), that was really exciting.”
So it goes this time of year for the Clifford sisters, whose personal goals have raised each year — along with their medal count. They are hoping to generate more excitement at the upcoming Figure Skating National Championships, which begin July 26 in Peoria, Ill.
“Their focus is the same: They want to stand on the podium,” the Clifford’s mother, Lori, said. “We’ve been working four to six hours every day since we got back from regionals, doing one hour of work per event.
“It’s the end of the road for this year, then the new season starts. So they want to do their best.”
The 18-day nationals mark Candice and Ashley’s final competition in their respective age groups. They will jump to more challenging categories starting in fall; Candice to freshman, Ashley to elementary.
Both want to go out on a high note.
“I want to place in all my events,” said Candice, a five-time national qualifier. “There’s more pressure to do your best.”
The stakes have never been higher for Ashley, who, for the second consecutive year, will compete as a defending champion in multiple events. The eight-time national medalist is out for a third straight title in freestyle and fourth straight in pairs.
“I’m definitely hoping to get gold in those again,” she said. “You have to do your best because anything can happen.”
Whatever does unfold, the Cliffords will have their entire family on hand for support. Scott will be in attendance — this time as a fan.
“I’ll be videotaping,” he said. “I’ll try to keep the camera still.”
