The success of our Spring Fashion Show in April reminded us of what a tremendous year we had as a club. The year was filled with fun, excitement, talent and awesome opportunities which allowed us to grow as a skating club.
The year kicked off with our annual event, Movie in the Park, in August and then continued with the Olds Figure Skating Club (OFSC) hosting the Central Alberta Fun Meet in January, as well as our Senior Skater Talent Show.
Our carnival was in the month of March which showcased our Can Skaters, as well as our Star Skaters. There were many test days throughout the 2010-2011season for our senior skaters to test their dances and skills.
We would like to offer many thanks and much gratitude to the community members, clubs and businesses in the town of Olds and surrounding areas who supported the above events.
The OFSC club offered the CanSkate “LEARN TO SKATE” program to children ages four and up. This would not have been possible if Charlsey Whittemore, a Star Skater herself, had not been the Head Coach. Star Skaters Jacqueline Berild and Chelsea Doi were the assistant coaches along with many other Star Skaters as program assistants for the CanSkate program. These outstanding individuals did a great job and made our CanSkate year a successful one. They helped teach over 44 kids how to skate and become stronger in basic skating skills.
The OFSC Star Skaters also had a very successful year by completing 38 out of 40 tests. It requires a lot of mental and physical skill to prepare for these dances. A highlight for our senior coaching staff of Patsy Ann Jones, Twyla Notley and Alicia Friesen was the passing of one Diamond level test and two Gold level tests. Way to go skaters and coaches on these accomplishments. Our older skaters also gained experience volunteering as judges and assistants at the Central Alberta Fun Meet and as performers at Talent Night and Carnival. They also showed their athleticism during competitions and test days.
We look forward to offering Learn to Skate programs (kids, teens and adults), Power Skating and private lessons during the next season of skating. We will again entertain the community members and those in surrounding areas with shows of skill, precision and athleticism.
As Battle of the Blades contestant George Laraque stated “figure skating is an extreme sport, it's tougher than hockey. Figure skaters are mentally and physically much tougher than many athletes.” Watch for George as he will be skating in 50 pairs performances at amateur clubs across Canada.
Watch for us this fall in the newspaper, town information night, and school sign-up night. For more up-to-date information, check out our website, www.oldsfigureskatingclub.com.
- Submitted by Shannon Powell
