Local figure skaters from the ages of three to twenty three laced up and hit the ice last week for their year end performance, Dreamworld.
“The basis of the show was a skater going to sleep, waking up and going through several different dreams in one night, and then going back to bed. It shows how wild and creative our dreams can be,” explains Head Coach Ciara Michaluk.
“The skaters had been practicing for after Christmas break, but planning of the show starts in the fall,” she says. “It requires a of parent volunteers and people throughout the community coming together. Even the skaters come for a craft day at the college to help build sets and work on costumes. It really brings everyone together.”
The performance itself gives the skaters the chance to showcase the skills they have perfected over the season to a local crowd.
“This is such a great group of skaters,” says Michaluk. “I’ve been blown away with the dedication and hard work.”
As a winter only club, the skaters start their season in September. The youngest performers are part of the CanSkate program. “The program teaches kids how to skate, and from there they can go into hockey or figure skating with some skills in place,” says Michaluk.
There are twenty two figure skaters in the club, and just over half compete. “This club has a great balance between those skaters who want to be competitive and those who are skating recreationally because they love to skate,” says Michaluk.
“Figure skating competitions aren’t every weekend like hockey games. There are three large competitions we travel to, and this year we had a small competition in Revelstoke,” explains Michaluk.
The skaters learn one or two programs that they spend the season perfecting. The skaters have a hand in picking their own songs at the beginning of the season. “I had a coach who did that with me, and I think it’s important because then skaters love the music they are skating too and want to skate,” says Michaluk. “The old style was more repetitive so it’s really cool to see skating evolve and embrace new types of music, even songs with vocals.”
Though being competitive in Revelstoke has its challenges with ice time and the ice coming out so early compared to clubs in other locations, the Revelstoke crew holds their own.
Michaluk has been coaching in Revelstoke for three years. Prior to that, she worked on Vancouver Island and then in Whistler.
“This is the best season I’ve ever had,” she says. “The club has a great group of families involved.”
Registration for the Revelstoke Skating Club will be open in September, and this fall they will be running a power skating program. “It’s a really great program for skaters wanting to improve their hockey skills or skaters just wanting to become better skaters,” says Michaluk.
At the Dreamland performance, local photographer Jason Portas was on hand to capture images of the skaters. Below are a few selected images, to view the entire gallery, head here. High resolution digital copies can be purchased from Portas for $10 a file, please contact him through his facebook site.
*Picture credits: Jason Portas
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