They glided, they jumped, they spun, and all with a smile. The Barrhead Figure Skating Club showed off their skills to proud family and friends during their Christmas Gala Dec. 13.
Emma Albers kicked off a show of 20 performances, skating to a Christmas classic: Jingle Bells. Other festive routines dazzled the crowd, including Deanna Klein skating to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Hannah Raju dancing on ice to Carol of the Bells, and an adorable peformance by Janaya and Jayleana Baron, who dawned pigtails and pajamas.
The Junior Development group showed their ever-improving skill with a performance to Here Comes Santa Claus. Jennifer Sutherland skated to I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and William McKeever, dressed all in green, skated to The Grinch.
Frosty the Snowman sung through the arena as Amber Properzi took to the ice, and soon after Darby Rau gave a solid performance to Christmas/Sarajevo.
Jocelyn Smith, red nose and all, skated to Run Rudolph Run, Kaylyn Koropczak glided across the ice to Deck the Halls, and Rachel Solem closed the skating performance with Tell Me the Story of Christmas.
Whether a routine was perfect or not didn’t matter to anyone watching, as the crowd and onlooking skaters bellowed out cheers and hollers of support.
Glenys Perry, one of the club’s coaches, said the Christmas Gala is always a good opportunity for the skaters to showcase their skills half way through the year.
“It gives them incentive to get out there and do something new,” she said. “The carnival is at the end of the year so they practice and gear up for that, but in the middle of the season, unless they're going to competitions or taking tests, there's really not anything for them to push themselves for.”
Not only is it good practice, Perry said it’s also a chance for some of the skaters to perform solo. The coach thinks it’s a great experience for them to be out on the ice, showcasing what they have learned.
“Lots of them got to do a solo where they normally wouldn't, because this is for family and friends,” said Perry. “For many of them it was their first time to get to do a solo.”
Once the performances were finished, the gala hosted snacks and refreshments. Awards were also given to some of the skaters.
Faith Frigon won the Canskate Zone Award, Payton Homeak won the Starskate Zone Award, and Amanda Horner and Carman Strydhorst won the John Schultz Memorial Award.
