Tom Henihan
Express Staff
Twenty-five skaters registered for a figure skating “skills clinic” in McLennan on March 16.
Figure skating club members from Peace River, Manning, Spirit River and Grande Prairie participated in the event, hosted by Twilight Figure Skating Club.
The event, scheduled to take place in Donnelly was moved to H.W. Fish Arena in McLennan.
“The McLennan Rink kept the rink open an extra day and made sure that the food booth was open for us, which we really appreciated,” says Twilight Figure Skating Club President, Louise Reid.
“We were supposed to have it in the Donnelly Rink but because of the pump issues they are having, we had to make a last minute switch and McLennan accommodated us.”
The coaches who traveled from Grande Prairie to McLennan for the Skills Clinic were Skate Canada Powerskate certified and certified national coach Dave Howe, Certified Provincial Coachs, Cheryl Jobson and Daane Suave and local coach Ann-Marie Dehmke.
“It a training day, so it is an opportunity for the kids to improve and perfect the skills they are working on all year,” says Reid.
“The emphasis is on developing their skill, like jumps and spins. It is also an opportunity for the clubs to come together and for the kids to get to skate together.”
Reid says that it is especially good for the younger kids because some junior development skaters, some Canskate kids had also come on the ice.
“So it’s a nice opportunity for the younger kids to see where the progression goes,” she says.
“They are at this stage right now but it is nice for them to see the bigger kids and what they are doing. They know that that is what they are working towards, so it’s an enticement for them; it encourages them to work hard.”
About four “Skills Clinics” take place during the year.
Initially, they happened only in Grande Prairie but this is the first year they are hosted by different clubs in the Peace Region.
“Now the clubs take turns hosting it, which is nice because it not only shares the cost but it also gives the kids an opportunity to travel to different rinks as well,” says Reid.