Five members of the group of 10 father figure skaters perform a lift at the Salmon Arm Skating Club’s winter performance held at the Shaw Centre on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2019. (Cameron Thomson/Salmon Arm Observer)

Five members of the group of 10 father figure skaters perform a lift at the Salmon Arm Skating Club’s winter performance held at the Shaw Centre on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2019. (Cameron Thomson/Salmon Arm Observer)

VIDEO: Salmon Arm fathers hit the ice for daughters’ figure skating showcase

Salmon Arm Skating Club hosts 'Holi-Daze' winter show

A group of Salmon Arm dads supported their daughters through ice dance at a end-of-year figure skating performance.

The Salmon Arm Skating Club hosted their 58th annual ‘Holi-Daze’ winter show at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm on Friday, Dec. 13. The show included 162 skaters who performed choreographed routines to songs that represented each season throughout the year. From Irish dancing for March, to students donning backpacks for September. And then there were 10 dads performing their own routine to Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.

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One of those dads, Joel de Boer, doesn’t have a lot of experience on skates but thought it was a fun thing to do all the same.

“The daughters kinda like seeing their dads out there trying to do what they do,” he said. “It’s amazing how much balance you need to pull off some of the stuff that they do. You definitely learn to appreciate what those girls are learning.”

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This is the second year the group of dads have performed a routine together, although last year’s group had two more skaters. The routine takes the group three weeks to learn, practicing a few times a week for about 15-20 minutes at a time. Their routine consisted of skating in formation and a five-person lift.

De Boer says his daughter has been supportive of his effort, offering him the valuable advice: “Don’t fall Dad.”


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Salmon Arm Observer