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Cool runnings

Nikolaos Stavrou

30Apr08

Nakita Crighton was thrilled to compete in France. Picture: ARMEN DEUSHIAN

NAKITA Crighton is cooler than most teens her age.

The 16-year-old from Minchinbury has spent half her life skating on ice.

She is this week's Mt Druitt-St Marys Standard Junior Sports Star nominee.

Last month, she competed in synchronised skating at the World Challenge Cup for Juniors in Rouen, France.

Her team finished 16th, followed by a bronze medal performance at the Zagreb Snowflakes in Zagreb, Croatia.

Nakita said competing in front of 6000 people in France was a great experience.

"I was really excited but nervous at the same time. You just have to balance it out," she said.

"I thought the first routine (in France) was really good. Everyone was saying it went really well.

"In Croatia, we were a lot better. We just performed better as a team."

Team coach Tim Heinecke was full of praise for her.

"Nikita is just great. She contributes to the team dynamic and she is a really important part of the team," he said.

"She has become part of the senior team. This was her second trip overseas.

"She works very hard. She does lots of training every week and has shown lots of improvement."

Mr Heinecke said that Nakita's efforts with the team while they were in France were fantastic.

"They (the team) had a lot of adversity. The airline lost the girls' luggage," he said.

"They were worried whether they'd have their skates in time to compete. Nakita really tried, pulling the team together and helped them focus on their skating."

Nakita practises up to six times a week for at least three hours.

She's now training for the NSW Ice Skating Championship in June and the national titles in August.