Skating record holder raises money at Timaru Mid-Winter Christmas Market

Record holder Gemma Karlyn Thornley’s fundraising campaign for the New Zealand Road and Flat Track Championships has kicked off, with her first market stall on Saturday.

Nine-year-old Gemma’s stall was one of 60 stalls at the Timaru Artisan Farmers Market Mid-Winter Christmas Market, where she twisted balloons into flowers, dogs and swords to raise money for her ticket to the camps that open early next year in Palmerston North. are held.

Andrea Hutton, manager of the Timaru Artisan Farmers Market, estimated that about 2,000 people walked through George St on Saturday morning, looking past the craft stalls and grabbing something to eat.

Gemma’s mother, Susan Thornley, said her daughter “really enjoyed her day selling the balloons” and hopes to attend a few more market days.

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“It was really good, it was good to see a lot of support for Gemma [at the markets],” she said.

Gemma started skating when she was 6 when her mother took her to the Caroline Bay rink.

She now holds the record for fastest time in the primary category 200m double time trial, which she broke at the 2022 Banked Track Championships in Hamilton.

“She was very proud of herself.

“I was a very proud mother, she trained very hard, worked very hard and she got some good results,” Thornley said of Gemma’s success.

Gemma trains three times a week, splitting her time between the Caroline Bay rink and Levels Raceway for long-distance training, and will compete in a mix of “time trails, sprints and a few longer races” in the national competition next year.

“She is very excited to be going away for the national championships and going away with her skating friends.

“Skating is a great sport to participate in here in South Canterbury.”

Thornley said the South Canterbury Roller Sports Club, of which Gemma is a part, will be holding a pajama-themed roller disco on August 12 to raise funds for the championships.

She said more than 20 for the club will attend the championships.

The midwinter Christmas market on Saturday had stallholders from South Canterbury, Oamaru and Ashburton, Hutton said.

“We were very happy, there were so many exhibitors and so many people came and supported the market,” said Hutton.

The Saturday morning market runs every week and usually has around 35 stalls, and Hutton hopes the mid-winter Christmas market will inspire more people to attend regularly.

To accommodate all the stalls, George St was closed on Saturday mornings, she said.

“There was a great selection of food choices,” Hutton said.

After a week of wet weather, Hutton said Saturday’s fine day was positive: “good weather makes a good market”.