Young skaters strutted their stuff on the ice Sunday at the 100 Mile Skating Club’s year-end celebration.
The youth, part of the Learn to Skate program, performed everything from solos to group skates to an enthusiastic crowd at the South Cariboo Rec Centre.
Despite being beginner, five soloists - Livia Szatmari, Mackenzie Thibeault, Ava Rywaczuk, Ella Frizzi and Alex Vallee - took centre ice on their own while Cali Bishop and Selene Ball performed the only duet in the repertoire.
“They actually did remarkably well,” said Lisa Shearer, acting president and treasurer of the 100 Mile club. “Typically they don’t do solos at this level so kudos to them. They braved a new adventure for themselves.”
About 31 youth participated in this year’s program, which teaches basic skills before the youth branch off to different specialties such as figure skating, hockey, ringette and speed skating. The club’s star skaters this year trained in Williams Lake because they didn’t have a certified coach in 100 Mile House.
That’s something Shearer hopes to change for next season. She noted they will also lose their current Learn to Skate coach, who is going to university, and would like to attract more Skate Canada-certified coaches to reinstate some of programs that were not offered this year.
She already has two potential coaches in mind, but “one is trying to buy a house here and the other has to get a job,” she said.
She added they also need more volunteers - along with a club president - to keep the programs running throughout the season, from September to March. Anyone interested in volunteering can find information on the club’s website: 100mfsc.ca or by emailing: 100milefigureskatingclub@gmail.com.
“It’s been a challenge,” Shearer said, adding they lost some volunteers due to COVID vaccine mandates. “That sort of hurt us. I’ve been trying to pull in more volunteers and it’s been tough.”
However, Shearer said she was impressed by the young skaters’ performances last weekend. “They did a fantastic job for such a young group.. They all did well. Certain skaters have improved very quickly while others have come out of their shells. It’s kind of neat to see how these skills develop.”
An awards ceremony followed the performance. The awards went to:
Program Assistant of the Year- Ainsley McKinnon
Artistic- Mackenzie Thibeault
Most Improved- Dylan Mitchell
Most Motivated- Ella Frizzi
Sportsmanship- Ava Rywaczuk
Fundraiser of the Year- Mackenzie Thibeault
CanSkater of the Year- Chase Thibeault
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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