ATHABASCA — For two years the Athabasca Figure Skating Club had to cut its season short, and despite some changes for this season the club able to wrap up the year on a high note.
At the gala held March 24 at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, skaters of all age groups showed off the skills they learned in front of family and friends who crowded into the gallery to cheer them on.
“It’s been a challenge to get kids coming in because there was so much uncertainty,” said coach Tamara Jackson in an interview before the event started.
The 2019-2020 season was only a week away from finishing when everything came to a halt as COVID-19 spread around the world. The 2020-21 season was able to start in September, but COVID struck again.
“We only got to the end of November and then the rest of the season was cancelled, they pulled the ice,” she said. "This year, we went a full year.”
And even though the province has lifted mask mandates, Jackson and the club are regulated under a federal body, so are required to wear a face-covering while coaching, but one of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to test the skaters so they could progress to the next level.
Testing was completed over Zoom only a month ago.
“It's really exciting though because now going forward if we maintain that structure, we can use that virtual testing for everyone,” said Angela Missler, the club’s communications director.
Two computers were set up and with this capability it can save the club a lot of money and use judges they never would have had access to before.
“As a club, that was quite an expensive thing for us to go and test elsewhere. So, to do it in house, and on our own ice and everything is so nice,” said Jackson. “But it is really kind of neat that we can use the technology that way now. Our first judge for the first test was in the Northwest Territories.”
It was a relief for Hannah Maton, 17, who has been skating with the club since she was an infant.
“We were still meeting and skating,” she said. “That didn't really shut down for us, but we didn't have any test days. So, you weren't seeing any progress, which makes it a lot harder to have the willpower to continue. If you're not seeing yourself move forward it's hard to want to continue at something.”
Maton is about to graduate from Edwin Parr Composite and while she is at university she plans on coaching.
“I also think that it's a really helpful sport to have been in for other sports,” she said. “But it's a good element, it really teaches them to be good skaters, and we get a lot of hockey players from that.
“And I know we have quite a few girls who do ski jumping stuff and I can bet that that helps because we have to get in like rotation positions.”
