Unlike hockey and other team sport players, figure skaters must always find it in themselves to push towards their individual goals, says Brenda Stange, the new coach at the Sundre Figure Skating Club.
And as a coach, Stange knows a big part of her job is helping her skaters find what it takes to reach for those heights.
“There is lots of setting personal goals and dealing with self motivation needs,” said Stange. “I help them set their individual goals and teach them to discipline themselves. They aren't with the coach the whole time. They might get 15 or 20 minutes with the coach and the rest is up to them to practise their stuff on their own. It is definitely an individual sport.”
Stange started in Sundre in mid-October, coaching all levels of skaters, from raw beginners to 17-year-olds.
She has been skating since she was four years old, and has been coaching since she was 16.
She has been a coach at the Alberta Winter Games in 2004, as well as with numerous competition level skaters. Over the past few years she has coached at numerous clubs in the district, including in Spruce View, Bowden and Caroline.
Although she's only been coaching in Sundre for about two months, Stange says she can already see that the local skaters have lots of skills.
“The local skaters are great at every level with lots of talent,” she said. “The skaters' training is ongoing. These kids skate two or three times a week and they could potentially skate every day. The thing about figure skating is some skaters will skate two or three times a week for months just to go out and show off their stuff once.”
Although the Sundre club will not be hosting a carnival this spring, there are plans in the works to have a showcase event, she said.
“We're talking about a show sometime in the spring where they can strut their stuff,” she said.
One of Stange's new students, Hayley Lukacs, has qualified for the 2012 Alberta Winter Games in February.
