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About The Drayton Valley Skating Club

 

The Drayton Valley Skating Club is a non-profit, volunteer operated club established in 1955. The 2022-23 season is our 68 th season, and we have 75 registrants. The Club was established on an outdoor rink constructed by The Rotary Club, and in 1983 the Club was incorporated with Skate Canada. Our 6 coaches are National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) certified and regulated. The Club’s mission is to provide skaters of all ages with a fun, friendly and affordable environment that promotes physical activity in an encouraging and positive way.


There have been many changes in our history. Gone are the days of Compulsory Figures, where skaters repeatedly traced circular patterns on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles while changing feet, edges, and directions. Skaters would practice this skill for hours. It did make up a large portion of the total score at most competitions around the world to 1947. Then it started to steadily decline until 1990 when The International Skating Union (ISU) voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions due to judging time constraints. Nowadays, STARSkaters compete in executing specific skill sets and compulsory dances for each STARSkate Level the skater is in, STAR 1-10 and Gold Program, as well as judging solo, duet, and group synchronized performances. For example, in STAR 1 Elements, the Waltz Jump, Single Salchow, Singe Toe Loop, Forward Upright Spin, and Backward Upright spin are judged, and passing requirements are four of five elements rated silver or better. In talking to adults who were in Skate Canada clubs in the past, they mentioned that the music for the Compulsory Dances is the same as they used 30 years ago! The STAR 2-3 Pattern Dance Assessments still include the Dutch Waltz, the Canasta Tango, and Baby Blues. Some things don’t change! The skaters are divided into skill-levels; Rising STARS have passed auditions from CanSkate to join the STARSkate program, STAR Juniors are at STAR 1-2, Intermediates are at STAR 3-4, and Seniors are at STAR 5-10 and could be working on the Gold elements. This 2022-23 season there are 1 Rising Star, 14 Juniors, 7 Seniors and 1 Disciplined (working on their own skill-set) STARSkaters registered. 

CanSkate was introduced by Skate Canada as the Learn to Skate program in 2014. This fun curriculum teaches balance, control, and agility to support new skaters in developing stronger basic skills on the ice. This is a great foundation for any skating ice sport. PreCanSkate is for preschoolers, CanSkate is for anyone of any age who wants to learn to skate. This 2022-23 season there are 26 PreCan and 26 CanSkaters registered. STARSkaters give back to the Club by volunteering as Program Assistants in the CanSkate program; they assist the coaches in teaching and mentoring the new skaters and is a foundation towards coaching certification. 

Each season builds up to our annual season-end Ice Show on the last Saturday in February. The Ice Show is open to families, friends, and the community to enjoy all our skaters while they showcase their skills developed through hard work put in throughout the season. The skaters are grouped by skill level and perform to fun music with choreography by our amazing coaches, and solos and duets are showcased by our higher-ranking members.


The Drayton Valley Skating Club is ever thankful to our coaches for all the hard work and love they put into each season. The Club is also thankful to all the companies and persons in Drayton Valley and Brazeau County who support our Skaters and the Club with donations or volunteer hours throughout the season and especially during our Ice Show. The Drayton Valley Skating Club is looking forward to many more successful years of operation.