The Sooke Skating Club is sharpening both its skates and its skills this year for the upcoming year-end performance Skating Show on March 5 at the SEAPARC.
With a total of 26 performances comprised of group numbers and soloists, the show will be one of the biggest in the club’s history.
“We are very excited for this show,” said Lindsey Haldane, one of the club coaches. “We always pick a theme and try and do something fun for the kids and the families.”
More importantly, Haldane notes the show is an ideal opportunity for the skaters to showcase their skating skills they’ve learned over the course of the season. It’s also as local as it gets, as all participants live in Sooke.
The skating club’s roots go back quite-a-ways in Sooke too, operating since the arena opened in 1976. It’s also part of Skate Canada, as a non-profit club - similar, yet different from the rec-skating programs currently available through SEAPARC.
“All our coaches have to be nationally-certified and we have rules, bylaws, and all the rest that we have to adhere to. So it’s not just like a soccer club, it’s national,” Haldane said.
For the skating club itself - which has almost 50 members this year - it’s about getting more and more kids inspired about the art and fun of skating. Haldane says that’s a solid motivator for her and for the club to keep the curriculum as exciting as possible.
“We want to keep building on what we are doing, and every year we’re seeing more kids register, more families register, and just keep everything running great,” she said.
So what does your child need to participate?
“A desire to learn how to skate,” Haldane said, noting that the training starts at around 4 years old as the optional age to start. “Some kids are not quite ready, so we start them off slowly with an eight week program.”
Ages of next week’s performers vary from three and a half up to 15 in the higher levels.
The show is expected to run for an hour and 20 minutes and is set to begin on Thursday, March 5, at 5:50 p.m. There will also be a short intermission between the first and second half of the show for snacks and bathroom breaks.
Admission is $2, children under 10 are free.