On March 5 and 7, Levy competed against girls from all provinces and territories in the Canada Games held this year in Whitehorse.

While some provinces send more than one skater to the Games, the responsibility for representing Quebec fell solely on Levy’s shoulders.

It has been a steady skate to success for the Claremont Avenue resident. Last year the Examiner reported she took second place in the pre novice category in the Lac St. Louis regionals held in Cote St. Luc. The following November she took first place in the provincial competitions held in Riviere du Loup. There she competed against 171 skaters from across the province.

More than that, however, the win was a significant one for Levy herself. At the ladies pre-novice category at the provincial level Quebec consistently has the most entries of any province or territory. As a result Levy competed against 171 contenders compared to other provinces such as British Columbia where there were less than 80 entries or Manitoba that had 20.

To make the Quebec team in the pre-novice level there are only eight spots available. Levy’s goal going into the provincial completion was to win one of those eight coveted places. Winning first place guaranteed her one of those eight places. It also won her not only the prestige of being the best in the province, but also the opportunity to represent Quebec in the pre novice category competing in the Canada Games.

“I was very surprised when I won the provincial championship,” said Levy. “I was very happy all my hard work on and off the ice had come together just as I had hoped it would.”

Levy was very excited when she learned the win meant she would go to the Canada Games and that they would be held in Whitehorse. “I didn’t even know the Games existed and had to go to the Internet to research them,” she said. “I have a teacher who has a sibling who lives in the Yukon and he told me all of Whitehorse was participating in the Games in some way.”

In early March Levy headed to Whitehorse with the figure skating team and was soon joined by her own personal cheering section of her mother Silvia Bortoluzzi and father Irwin Levy and her brother Oliver. “We were wonderfully surprised how well Alexandra was taken care of during the Games by everyone involved,” said Bortoluzzi.

Levi, now 15, started following her calling when she was just three years after telling her mother she was going to skate and soon after started taking lessons at the Westmount arena. She continues to take her training seriously, opting for commuting with her mother to College Charles LeMoyne on the south shore where she attends classes in French from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Then she trains at the arena in St. Hubert between 2 and 5 p.m.

This week Levy met with her coach to commit on paper her short- and long-term goals for herself as a figure skater. They undoubtedly included making the Quebec team at the novice level.

And after that the Winter Olympics in 2010? Who knows?