Young Cowichan Lake figure skaters have already begun making their mark on Vancouver Island skating competitions, with three local youngsters having placed in the Lynn Hetherington Memorial Competition in Duncan, Sunday, January 30.
The participating locals include six-year-olds Elle Lucas and Mariah Segee, and local 13-year-old Kourtenay Brooks.
Segee placed fifth, while Lucas placed second and Brooks placed fourth. All three skaters participated in different groups.
But, these placements don’t matter too much, Cowichan Lake Skating Club president Ahamida Khan said, as it’s all about the kids having fun and improving their skills.
“They’re so young, but it’s good experience for them,” Khan said, of the competition. Whereas a lot of the youngsters the local girls were competing against benefited from private lessons, all figure skating lessons at Cowichan Lake are done in a group setting
Next up for the skating club will be their 40th Anniversary Ice Show, Friday, March 11.
The event, to begin at 7 p.m., will be open to the public, and will showcase about 50 local skaters’ skills, figure skating instructor Lorraine Francisty said.
“They’ll be all dressed-up in costumes,” she said, adding that the theme will be “Celebration,” and will include music from the past 40 years.
In addition to the myriad of local kids, a Duncan-based synchronized skating team, which placed second at provincials, will be performing for audiences.
The anniversary show will mark the end of the season for the Skating Club.
Despite the end of the season approaching so soon, Khan said that people are still signing their kids up. Since it’s pro-rated, there’s no harm in doing so, she said, and it could very well help kids decide whether or not they’d like to join the group next winter, or not.
The Skating Club meets for practices on Tuesdays and Sundays.
For more on the Skating Club, Khan can be contacted at 749-4766.