The Trail Skating Club is rebuilding from the ice up and looking for future skating and hockey stars to sign up for their introductory program.
The Club is starting fresh with Can-Skate, a program for beginner and novice skaters from ages three and up.
“Everybody up from Kurt Browning starts with Can-Skate,” said organizer and skating judge Jan Westbury. “It provides them with the basics, to get them their good skills and then we work from there.”
The once elite club that was tops in the Kootenays in 2005, folded two years ago but a concerted effort by a trio of executives and a dedicated coach has the club in rebuilding mode.
“We started up here in October and we had 18 little kids so there is obviously a need for it in the community,” added Westbury.
While the Trail Skating Club caters more to figure skaters, Can-Skate is a great introductory course for anyone who wants to learn - be it for hockey, figure skating or recreation, says coach Sabrina Hinson.
Hinson skated competitivly in her home province of Nova Scotia before moving west six years ago. She has coached for 12 years and was awarded the B.C. recreational Can-Skate coach of the year, for her efforts coaching skaters in Rossland, Castlegar and Nakusp.
“She makes it fun for the kids, and has all the skills . . . the kids are playing a game where they’re actually doing turns and stops, and they don’t even realize that they’re learning,” says Westbury.
The official and coach see this as a good start in trying to rebuild the club.
“Since all the skaters are so young, we just try to progress them through their badges as quickly as possible, and there are some who are really keen and want to go into figure skating so by the time they are ready they will still be quite young,” said Hinson.
Can-Skate goes every Thursday on the kids rink at the Cominco Arena from 3:30-4:15 p.m.
Registration for the January to March Can-Skate program will be Thursday at the Cominco Arena from 3:30-4:30 p.m. or call Jan at 362-9541 or Linda Walker at 364-1055.