Spectators packed the South Cariboo Rec Centre for the 100 Mile Skating Club's 50th Anniversary Ice Show.
Billed as A Guide Through the Decades the show celebrated both the club's 50-year history and the movies that have come out since its founding. Each routine was themed around a different movie with colourful costumes and props to match. 100 Mile Skating Club skating director Cindy Mardyn said she felt the year-end show was fantastic.
"Everything came together. We've been working on this probably since the end of October, so it's been good. There were a few little blips here and there as shows always have but it was probably more noticeable to us than to the audience," Mardyn said. "It was an immense amount of work behind the scenes, everything from ordering costumes to choreographing programs, hanging curtains, audio and video. We have an incredible board of directors who have stepped up beyond anything that they needed to. I think this is probably the biggest show 100 Mile has ever had."
This year Mardyn said 79 skaters of all ages and skill levels participated in the ice show, representing roughly half of the entire club's membership. Mardyn said they chose the movie theme to allow them to be creative with their costuming, set dressing and the music used for the routines.
In the lobby alongside raffle baskets were dozens of historic photos and newspaper clippings from the club's history. The show was dedicated in memory of Laverne Howard, who passed away in January this year, who was the head coach of the club for 33 years back when it was still known as the 100 Mile & District Figure Skating Club.
One of the highlights of the show was unquestionably the inclusion of two-time Olympic silver medalist, three-time World Champion and seven-time Canadian Champion Elvis Stojko and his wife and fellow professional figure skater Gladys Orozco. The two wowed the crowd with their athleticism and showmanship while demonstrating to the club members the heights they can achieve if they pursue a passion for figure skating.
"It's fantastic. It's great for the kids to see and we have such a young club. Our kids, for the most part, are just starting out so it's great to have (them) come. It's a great example of where they can be if they work hard and stick it out for a number of years," Mardyn remarked, adding with a laugh that many of her younger skaters didn't even know who Stojko was before seeing him skate.
Stojko said that he and Orozco were happy to come to 100 Mile House when the club asked them. He noted that he grew up in and started skating in Queensville, a small town in Ontario, not unlike 100 Mile House, so he enjoys going to smaller communities across Canada to perform and inspire the next generation of figure skaters.
"I loved competing and figure skating has given me the opportunity to meet tons of people around the world, connecting with fans who love skating as well. For me, I love the athleticism, the jumping, the spinning and the creativity behind (figure skating)," Stojko remarked. "There are just so many aspects to it that are soul-filling. I started at a very young age and I'm lucky to still continue to do it at my age now."
Both Stojko and Orozco enjoyed their time in 100 Mile House and the show, noting that both the club members and the general community were friendly and welcoming. Stojko said he was especially happy to see so many dads involved behind the scenes and the presence of the club's boys on the ice.
"When I was starting out as a young kid I had people like Donald Jackson coming out to the rink and heroes of mine I watched skating and that was an inspiration to me. Doing these small communities' shows and carnivals is fun and exciting for my wife and I. Meeting the kids and people," Stojko remarked. "There's not a lot of boys so we try to keep them in figure skating. There were a number of them at the club and one of them was a skater and a dirt biker. He was super excited when he found out I rode dirtbikes when I was his age. Those little moments are fun."
When asked about season highlights following the show, Mardyn said there were many. In January she took a large group of the club's young skaters out to a competition in Quesnel for the first time while her more experienced skaters attended four competitions this year. Among those more experienced skaters, she said there wasn't a single skater who didn't place bronze, silver or gold at least once.
"We had a test day this year and we had 23 people that passed tests and went on to the next levels," Mardyn said. "We did a little bit of a spring camp this year which was quite fun. We had our power skaters come out, our Start skaters and some of our new kids that came out of Can Skate who went into the figure skating program for the first time. We're looking forward to some summer skating and pushing this arena to allow us to have some spring ice for next year."
Mardyn noted it was very rewarding to see how much her skaters have improved and how excited they were to show off their skills during the show.
"It was a really good year. Tons of progress and the kids have just come so far from the beginning to today. Even the ice show doesn't showcase all of their actual talents but you can definitely see the skating skills. They're not shuffling along the ice anymore."
