The Flin Flon Skating Club has graduated many skaters over its 75 years, with achievements far beyond the ice surface of the Whitney Forum.
The Olympics, nationals and regionals are just a few of the achievements reached by Flin Flon area skaters over the decades.
The club will pay tribute to past skaters as well as those making their way up the ranks during their annual ice show in March.
Though a theme has not yet been finalized, Flin Flon Skating Club register Kerri Wood says there will be plenty of older photos and familiar faces around the Whitney Forum during the show.
The club currently has 51 members, nearly half of last year’s numbers.
But Wood says the skaters who are enrolled are committed to the program.
“It’s low, but you do what you can do considering the learn-to-skate program opened at the Creighton Sportex,” said Wood. “We’ll just keep plugging through and do what we’re doing. We offer a really good program and that’s what we’re sticking with.”
Growth
Wood has watched her daughters grow through the program over the past 10 years.
Her eldest daughter, Indra, has graduated from the program and moved onto hockey, while her daughter Jerilyn continues to skate.
Jerilyn will be one of 12 skaters competing for the club during the 2015 Skate Canada Manitoba Norman Regional STARSkate Competition in Gillam this coming weekend.
This year marks the first year that all eligible senior skaters will be attending a regional competition out of town.
“We have a lot of really dedicated girls that are interested in competing at that level, and not just out there for fun,” said skating parent Jen Dickens.
“It’s a really good group of girls,” agreed Wood.
The skaters will compete at the regional level and then have the opportunity to move on to provincials and nationals if they qualify.
The skaters practise three times a week to work on their routines for competition as well as individual growth.
Aside from competition, the club’s annual ice show gives the skaters the opportunity to perform for family and friends on home ice.
“We’re still hammering out the theme, but it’s going to incorporate the past and current skaters,” said Wood. “They are really digging hard to get all kinds of [facts] and information.”
The club’s ice show is set for March 1 at the Whitney Forum.
