Learning to skate at all ages and styles
The Cache Valley Figure Skating Club, which meets in the George S. Eccles Ice Center, gives figure skaters an opportunity to be tested in skills, have social interaction with other skaters in the valley and participate in various competitions.
Carissa Anderson, a Utah State graduate from Alaska, has worked at the ice rink since it opened in January 2002. She is a coach for both the club and at the ice rink.
Along with the four other coaches at the ice rink, she helps teach the different classes, including the Learn to Skate and the Hot Chocolate Club. She also teaches the USU figure skating classes.
Anderson said the club provides a team feeling, which is harder to get in an individual sport like figure skating.
“When they go to competition, it’s as part of the club, cheering for each other – a team feeling,” Anderson said.
The club accepts all levels of skaters, with the youngest current club member a 5-year-old. One of Anderson’s students, a 3-year-old, is considering joining. The club has 50 members, including a parent representative for each underage skater.
The parent representative has a vote for the club, which members over 18 also have, said Francis Chaplan, president of the club. She got involved with her daughter’s skating, though she had taken some adult classes through the Hot Chocolate Club.
Three of the club members are college students. One has been skating for many years, but the other two began within the last few years.
Kristin Wayman, a sophomore in interior design, started skating with the USU class. She said it was something she had always wanted to do and never had.
“I just love being out there, I love skating,” Wayman said. She is competing in her first competition in February.
Chaplan said the club provides nice social interactions for the girls involved. With their membership, all club members can attend “club ice,” an hour of skating Monday nights from 4:30-5:30, which is exclusive to CVFSC members.
Chaplan said the club provides social activities, such as participation in local parades. This year there was a Halloween social with free skating afterwards, which several girls were able to attend and enjoy some relaxed skating.
Anderson said the amount of time club members skate each week varies according to skill level. While most skaters got involved with Learn to Skate or an outreach program at the school through the ice rink, they often improve through private lessons, which are taught by the five coaches and typically last a half hour.
The beginners generally practice one half hour each week, while the more advanced aim for two or three hours a day, though this is complicated by the amount of ice time available after school. Anderson said the advanced skaters most likely see three to six hours of ice time a week.
Anderson said she has found that burnout often occurs for skaters when they reach high school and find themselves with a lot of other activities.
“Quite a few no longer compete, but still test and skate. Not very many have completely quit,” she said.
Sydney Longhurst, 13, is a club member who has been skating for eight years. She got involved when her sisters brought home a flyer from school on figure skating.
“There are always new things to learn, something to do, competitions. If you place well it helps keep you motivated,” Longhurst said. She is in the open juvenile level, and said her favorite move is a double flip.
Sara Bayne, 8, enjoys doing the waltz jump and skating with her sister and her friend. She even competed once and received first place.
“You get to have fun,” Bayne said.
Chaplan says there are currently three CVFSC members who are collegiate skaters. CVFSC is a United States Figures Skating Association club, which has recently made a collegiate dues rate, which helps college students who are not being supported by their parents to still skate and compete.
Chaplan said that there are about 10 competitions throughout the year which club members regularly attend. This year the club is hosting the Utah Winter Games Feb. 4-5.
Though the club doesn’t compete as a group, they do perform at regular recitals in the winter and the fall. The USU figure skating class will be appearing in a themed spring show April 29-30. The club is putting on a winter recital Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. A food donation is requested for admission.
CVFSC allows skaters to compete and continually be tested in their skills. For students who are interested in skating, the USU class has both beginners and intermediate skaters.
– genevieve.draper@aggiemail.usu.edu