SUNDRE — Although there won’t be a themed ice carnival this year, organizers with the Sundre Skating Club have been anticipating since earlier in the season the possibility of at least hosting a year-end skills showcase.
“We’re just calling it the Sundre Skating Club show-off day,” said club coach Lyndsay Stange, who is also an instructor for the Olds Skating Club.
The talent demonstration event is scheduled for Sunday, March 27 at the Sundre Arena starting at about 2:30 p.m., and is expected to last about an hour and half, said Stange.
“We usually do it on an evening, but we we decided to make an afternoon of it,” she said.
The club has more than a dozen students in the CanSkate program, with another roughly 20 in the StarSkate program, she said.
“We had our fingers crossed all season,” she said when asked how long plans for the showcase had been underway.
The club started considering the possibility of hosting the show-off day toward the end of January and early February, she said, adding organizers had been closely monitoring the provincial government’s mandate announcements. The club had also approached the municipality to discuss potential plans under the previous restrictions.
Since the numbers in the CanSkate program were low this year, the club was optimistic about being able to accommodate capacity restrictions without any issues, she said.
“We figured we would be able to do a show with that capacity,” she said, adding fewer skaters translates to fewer spectators in the stands.
“Once the government started announcing that they’re planning to open, then we really started moving forward.”
Plans are coming together nicely, and Stange expressed confidence that the event will go ahead.
“I’m not worried about it not being ready at all,” she said. “With it being a show-off day, it doesn’t require as much work say as in a themed carnival.”
The skaters have been working hard on developing their skills and learning routines, which they look forward to demonstrating, she said.
“It gives them that opportunity to show off to their family and friends what they do at skating, and what they have accomplished,” she said.
To date, the season has gone really well, the coach said.
“It has been a great season,” she said, adding several skaters had in mid-January participated in the Stettler Shooting Stars Fun Meet.
“The kids were able to show off their skills there,” she said. “It’s nice because they get to get report cards from other coaches. It’s great to come back to the club and know what other people notice and what they (the skaters) need to work on.”
From free skate skills such as spins and jumps, to ice dance that includes the likes of tangos, blues and waltzes, as well as basic skills like skating forward and backward, the coach said she’s observed a lot of developmental growth among her students.
“This is the best year that the majority of my skaters have had,” she said. “With no skating last year, it really pushed them this year that they wanted to catch up.”
With everything lined up for the show-off day, Stange expressed gratitude to volunteers within the club who are helping to put it on, and encouraged anyone who might be inclined to attend.
“If any kids are on the edge of wanting to learn how to skate, come on out and watch the show,” she said. “If it’s something they want to do, we’ll be back next year!”
