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Trail Skating Club: Skating club on thin ice

The Trail Skating Club is seeking volunteers for new executive.

After almost 80 years of existence, the Trail Skating Club (TSC)  is on perilous ice and in danger of breaking up.

The TSC is in desperate need of volunteers and without new help stepping up soon, the current executive will have to donate the Club’s existing funds to a non-profit organization and disband the TSC possibly for good.

“We didn’t run it this year, and we have nobody that wants to step forward to do anything,” said club secretary Jan Westbury. “If somebody wants to come forward and take it over that would be great, otherwise it will end up being gone.”

Following a two-year hiatus, the trio of Jan Westbury, Allana Ferro, and Linda Walker reclaimed the club in 2012 and ran a Can-Skate and junior program with 20 skaters participating.

To get the club out of debt, the  newly formed club received community support from local businesses and grants from the LeRoi Foundation, Kootenay Savings, and Columbia Basin Trust, and organized further fundraising to run the program for another three years.

The Can-Skate program was especially popular, helping young potential figure skaters and hockey players, from age three and up, develop their skating skills.

For the club to proceed, a group of five to 10 individuals will have to take over responsibility and begin preparing for the upcoming season, which includes hiring a coach, booking ice time, and becoming familiar with the TSC protocol.

“It will take about five people who are interested, because you need a president, a secretary, a treasurer, a couple directors,” said Westbury. “But you have to have people fund raising and out in the community doing P.R. too . . . There is start up money right now, but if we don’t have anybody come forward that startup money will end up going to KidSport or something like that.”

The Club also acquired necessary equipment and supplies that will have to be reassigned or sold, and while it’s ice slots are still being held, those will also be gone if an individual or group doesn’t step forward to keep the TSC going.

Westbury and Walker are figure skating judges and Ferro a skating accountant who travel to various competitions throughout the year. The current executive are looking to pass the torch to a group by Mar. 15, otherwise they will donate the remaining funds and move on.

“It’s definitely something the city needs, and the kids need, but it’s like everything else, you can’t get anybody that wants to come out and volunteer.”

Interested parties can contact Westbury at 368-8644.



Jim Bailey

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