![ACCOMPLISHED YEAR: Powell River Skating Club girl’s team [from left] includes Arianna Solowan, Arwyn Fretts, Samantha Ratzlaff, coach Shayla Sarton, Mallory Brooks and Brooklyn Bourcier. Members competed at the Vancouver Island Regional Championships on February 3 and brought home three bronze medals and two silver.](https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/powellriverpeak/images/organizations/2920_skating_team_1.jpg;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000)
Members and coaches of Powell River Skating Club are ending the skating year feeling proud of their accomplishments and confident about going into next year's season.
One reason for the happy outlook is what new coach Shayla Sarton has done to expand and encourage skaters to compete.
"In September we started with one singles competitor and now we have five, with hopes that we’ll keep adding skaters to our 2024 to 2025 year," said club president Barb Falconer Klippenstein. "Before the girls went to competition, coach Shay ran a competition simulation for all the girls to have a practice run-through, with all their fans cheering them on."
The run-through successfully helped skaters feel more comfortable and less stressed about competition day.
"We are very happy with the growth of the club this year and plan to keep expanding as much as we can without compromising the level of instruction," said Klippenstein.
The women's adult synchronized skating team coached by Sheila Paquette performed exceptionally well this year in competitions.
"They brought home a silver medal from the 2024 West Coast Challenge, which is a synchronized and adult skating competition," said Klippenstein. "We have 11 skaters this year, up from eight last year."
The synchronized teams can range from eight to 16 adult category skaters. The skating club hopes to expand and create a junior synchronized team as well.
"The junior team can consist of a mix of boys and girls with some basic skating skills," said Klippenstein. "Synchro is a nice way to skate with a team and it expands the whole skating experience."
To end the year the club is planning an exhibition with all of the competitors on Saturday, March 9, from 12 to 1 pm at Powell River Recreation Complex.
"This will be a time for our skaters to shine and show off all they learned and have been practicing for," said Klippenstein. "This gives other skaters a chance to see what can be done and what direction they would like to explore in the world of skating."
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