The Hope and District Figure Skating Club will soon be wrapping up its season — but before they do, they want to show you the skills they’ve been working on this year. This Saturday, March 7, the club is performing in its annual carnival, under the theme “Skate a Rainbow.”
This is the thirty-ninth time the club has put on their showcase, so some of the people in the stands may be grandparents who were charter members of the club when they were kids.
Club president, Lindsay Druet said on Monday, “We’re using music about colours, like ‘Blue Suede Shoes,’ ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ ‘Purple People Eater’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White.’”
Colourful costumes put the pop in the performance, but sewing skills have faded away in many homes over the past few generations. “Some outfits are bought but others have to be sewn,” explained Druet. “We have two ladies helping out with that: Marie Swain and Liz Brackley. They’ve volunteered for us before.”
Club pro, Michelle Inancsi said on Sunday, “We’ve got thirty-eight skaters from age 5 to 16 and we started practicing the routines in January. We’re doing nineteen routines in all, including the guest skaters. “It starts out with a group number, with CanSkate kids and the junior academy and junior skaters combined. It’s twenty-nine skaters in all and that takes about two-and-a-half minutes.”
The guest skaters from last year are back again this year.
Sarah Steberl is a Hope resident who started out with the local club but now trains as a gold-level pre-novice in Abbotsford. She also helps Inancsi with coaching junior skaters on Thursdays.
Aldergrove teen Haleigha Bull is also a pre-novice and she trains with the Connaught club in Richmond. Druet said Bull recently placed ninth out of 47 B.C. skaters in her level.
The Hope club has three junior academy and six junior-level skaters who have skated in competitions this season. Emma Miller and Claire Medlock went to the Jingle Blades event in White Rock in November and Rebecca Druet skated at the Sun God competition in February.
Juniors Sarah Isbister, Olivia Morgan, Brianna Pennell, Taylor Green, Caitlin Brown and McKenzie Bellows also skated at those competitions.
“Skate a Rainbow” will have two showings this Saturday, at 2 and 7 p.m. Admission is $10 per person, $15 for two people or $30 for a family of five. There will also be a duck toss at the intermission and a 50/50 draw. Flowers will be available for presentation to the skaters. Those hoping to take photos of the event are advised that flash photography is not allowed, as it can be a distraction and a safety hazard for performers.
The house lights will be turned off during the show, with spotlights being the only light source. Best results would come from a camera with a “fast” — and long — lens, with the ISO settings above 2000. Basic cameras may have a “sports” mode that could help keep the shutter speeds maximized, to prevent motion blur. Test a few shots during the opening routine and adjust as-needed.
If you have the option of using a “RAW” setting, or RAW+JPEG, consider using it, as it will help you recover blown-out or underexposed photos. The house lights will come back on as the skaters return for the closing ceremony, giving you a chance to shoot under brighter conditions.
