By Jason Portras
The Revelstoke Skating Club held their first ever-annual Mountain Gems Invitational Simulation Competition this past weekend. The competition could be considered a test to see if the club could successfully host a larger event, and if other clubs would be interested in attending. With skaters coming from Invermere, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Lumby, Penticton, and Kamloops, the test was a rousing success.
Head Coach, Nina Greschner, was very pleased with her club’s efforts:
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our club members who volunteered their time and energy to make this competition come together,” she said. “I feel very grateful to know that our club is capable of hosting such an event and it gives myself and my coaching team hope that we can host a true Skate Canada sanctioned event in the future. The skaters put their best effort forward and skated proudly in front of their friends and family. The more exposure these athletes can get, especially early on in the season, allows them to feel more confident when heading into regional and provincial competitions.”
Tanya Secord, a member of the Club’s Executive Board, was also pleased with the success of the event:
“I think for a first time competition it went really well,” she said. “We have had lots of great feedback from visiting coaches and parents and they are looking forward to coming again next year and bringing more of their club with them. The kids had a great time. It was great to see the young ones out trying solos for the very first time.”
The volunteers on the judging panel were, in no particular order, Maddie Zmaeff, Janice Roberge, Sandra Sessa, Adrienne Schurdevin and Tracey McKinney. They awarded ribbons to our local Revy skaters for their graceful performances, as you can see in these photo collages:
In four weeks, 13 of the Revelstoke Skating Club’s StarSkaters will be heading to an Okanagan Interclub competition in Mt. Boucherie. Regarding that, Nina said, “This was a great opportunity to test out our skater’s programs and see where they need to make adjustments.” Under Nina’s tutelage, along with her coaching team, these young talented skaters are sure to have much success in the year ahead.
Editor’s Note:
Jason’s spectacular photos are available for sale. Please go http://world-on-fire-photography.redframe.com/gallery/revelstoke-current-mountain-gems-invitational/ to see all of his images, which are on sale for $15 each. That collection includes many images of the club’s out-of-town participants. You can contact Jason via e-mailk at jportras@telus.net.
The club would also like to thank all of the local companies who sponsored this event:
Columbia Basin Trust
| Your Dollar Store & More |
| Speers Construction | Stoke Roasted Coffee Company |
| Swiss Chalet Motel | First Impressions |
| Universal Footwear | Birch and Lace Hair Company |
| Beyond Gifts | Wildflower Wellness |
| Skookum Cycle and Ski | Revy Outdoors |
| Your Office & Art Center | Red Cedar Physiotherapy |
| Big Mountain Kitchen and Linen | Kidz on Main |
| Legends and Heroes | Subway |
| Selkirk Mountain Helicopters | Daspy Fashions |
| Pharmasave | Grizzly Books |
| Balu Yoga | Mainstreet Café |
| Lordco |
