CARSTAIRS - Skating season has begun with the Carstairs Skating Club running various programs out of the Carstairs Memorial Arena. The club is currently practising three times a week, while the synchronized skaters hit the ice every Saturday.
Leading the club is coach Andrea St. Cyr, who is in her 21st year with the club as a coach, as well as returning coach Charlsey Wittemore and new coach Haley Cedergren.
"We have about 25 StarSkaters registered this year, which is quite a lot for a small community," said St. Cyr. "Our youngest is five and the oldest is 23. We're pulling kids from different communities around us: Airdrie, Didsbury, Olds, Crossfield, and of course, Carstairs. We have for many years."
The club also has programs starting in early October for CanSkate and Learn to Skate, which is for learning to skate for anything from ringette to speed skating to figure skating, said St. Cyr.
St. Cyr said competition season begins in December for those skaters involved in the StarSkater program.
"We compete right until April," she said. "It just depends on where the competition is held and on what weekends. The majority of our skaters also compete in synchronized skating (Solstice); we offer that program as well. They'll compete at a regional level, which is a national qualifier. A lot of the girls are doing those programs as well."
St. Cyr said the Solstice Synchronized Skating program has six teams: beginner, elementary, juvenile, intermediate, pre-novice and open.
St. Cyr said the club is able to attract skaters to their programs not just from Carstairs but all around because they have earned the reputation as having great programs and strong, consistent coaching.
"Carstairs runs really great programs," she said. "It helps when you have really consistent coaching, that is the number 1 key, I think. I'm a Level 3 coach; that's a national level coach. We offer higher level coaches here at the club to give instruction for their children. So I think that's a drawing feature as well."
St. Cyr said figure skating remains popular for several reasons including the attire as well as the drive needed to improve.
"The dresses," she said. "The girls like it. That is one part of it. Getting a dress and sequins and all of that. Also, figure skating teaches kids discipline and work ethic. A lot of it is individual skating so you have to have a personal drive to become a good skater because you're not instructed 24-7.
"You get your lesson for 15 minutes and then you're on your own. To get to your gold level it takes a lot of drive and personal effort. I think it teaches them a lot of life lessons in there as well."
Skater Brianna Ironside has been skating with the club for 10 years and enjoys the camaraderie among the skaters as well as the competition.
"I like it because you get to meet so many people and they kind of turn into family," said Ironside. "It's a nice way to be around something you love. (When you're on the ice) it's kind of like an adrenal rush; you get this power -- you can fly. It's a good challenge."
Ironside enjoys all the preparation that goes into being a strong skater as well as the competitions.
"I like everything but I like competition season," she said. "(I like) the spins and jumps and the performance."
Ironside is currently working on her gold skills and senior silver dances.
"My goal is to make it to the next Alberta Winter Games (in 2019)," she said. "I've been practising and trying to train for that."
Ironside also helps coach with the younger skaters in the CanSkate program as a program assistant.
"I like it; it's a good experience," she said. "You get to teach and show them and watch them grow."
