Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Dec. 9, 2017
Experienced skaters and young ones still yearning to fit best into their skates took to the ice at the Shawville Arena on Saturday morning, when an annual Christmas show was put on.
Christmas on Ice, the Shawville Figure Skating Club’s holiday-themed show, saw around 200 people gather at the arena for a collection of synchronized performances to classic Christmas tunes.
“The Christmas show is a great opportunity for our newest skaters to ‘show off’ what they have learned in the first session of skating,” said Ronda Richardson, club president, in an email. “We had many new skaters who started in our Learn to Skate program in October and they could not even stand on their own. It’s amazing to see how they have progressed.”
Lined up in their helmets, the young skaters were led by a more experienced mentor as they put on routines to the likes of “Sleigh Ride” and “Frosty the Snowman.” Their performances, bringing many smiles to the audience and lots of camera clicks as proud parents beamed on, accompanied the smaller groups of their mentors.
“For our older skaters, it is a chance to showcase the different levels of figure skating with more attention to choreography and interpretation of the music,” said Richardson.
Richardson said her skaters have prepared for these specific routines for the past two or three weeks and that the coaches pick the music and produce the choreography. She said the show would not be possible without the executive team helping to organize the club and event, as well as the mentorship and organization of the coaches, Kayla, Dana and Vanessa Savard.
The skating show has been put on by the Shawville Figure Skating Club for around 15 years now, and works as a fundraiser for the club while also showing the community how much they have progressed this early into the season. Alongside the ticket sales, a bake sale is held, with the money raised helping offset general expenses, the cost of ice, coaching fees and costumes, while also helping keep registration fees more affordable.
“Family and friends enjoy coming out to support them and it’s a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit,” said Richardson.
