Final test day held Saturday for Arctic Edge figure skaters

Figure skaters in the Arctic Edge Skating Club had one final opportunity to view the progress they have made this year at the last testing event of 2007-08 season.

Figure skaters in the Arctic Edge Skating Club had one final opportunity to view the progress they have made this year at the last testing event of 2007-08 season.

The tests were done on Saturday and were open to anybody in the club who was interested in taking part. There are certain levels that are setup in figure skating for testing, which eligible skaters can take part in.

“It went really well,” said Cheryl Van Blaricom, publicist for the Arctic Edge Skating Club. “I think most kids passed the test they were trying. There were a few that will need to re-try them, but most of the kids passed, so it was very nice. It is always encouraging.”

There are four discipline categories all together, which include a dance discipline, free skate, skills challenge and interpretive routine. Tests start at the preliminary level and from there go to junior bronze, senior bronze, junior silver, senior silver and senior gold.

The skills category involves doing turns and edges and working on stroking to music. The dance category is set patterns to music, which skaters go through.

Usually in dance there are three to four different dances per level. The free skate category involves the different jumps and spins that skaters go through. This is also performed to music and among the elements in this category, they have to do certain stroking exercises, specific spins, jumps at each level to pass. There is also an interpretive discipline that skaters could test in at the event.

The majority of the tests are setup with different evaluation category such as needs improvement, satisfactory, goods and excellent. The judge also has a bunch of different criteria that he or she is looking for and so skaters are marked on different criteria in each piece.

This changes between the disciplines and levels on what is required to move up, but skaters usually need satisfactory ratings or better to pass.

Altogether 20 skaters from the Arctic Edge Skate Club participated in the test day. A combined total of 39 tests were passed throughout the event.

Among the more notable achievements was Jodi Neufeld, who passed the Westminster Waltz and the Argentine Tango to complete her gold dances. 

This was a significant achievement for Neufeld, who is in Grade 12 this year and this is likely to be her last year of skating with Arctic Edge Skating Club. She has plans to go away to school next year.

Neufeld has now achieved Gold medal status in three disciplines of skating: Skills, Interpretive and Dance.

Zoey Krause also skated incredibly well, passing her Dutch Waltz Preliminary level dance test which is usually the first skating test that skaters take. This was Krause’s first test.

Other upcoming club events include the Victory Day Interclub competition in Surrey B.C. from May 15-18. A total of six club members will participate at this competition. The members are Kevin Caron, Teneil Caron, Maya Austin, Millie Austin.

This competition will mark the end of the 2007-2008 season. Skating will resume at summer school, which will run in July and once the ice is back in at the Canada Games Centre. An awards ceremony for the Arctic Winter Games and an Annual General Meeting will take place in late May or early June.

Van Blaricom said she was impressed with the skaters on Saturday.

“There were lots of very significant improvements in the tests,” she said. “They did really well. It’s nice, they get a sense of accomplishment. These girls compete mostly in the B.C. coast region, so it’s lots of tough competition, so you don’t always see top results. There are other ways to measure progress and that is nice for everyone.”

She said the tests are similar to a school report card.

“It’s not a competitive thing where they are competing against each other in anyway,” Van Blaricom said. “It’s just for them and for their own personal growth.”

Van Blaricom said this type of event gives skaters the opportunity to refine their skills in the sport.

“You just keep getting better, you get stronger,” she said. “That is what the sport is about, helping them see progress in themselves and develop themselves.”

Bryn Hoffman, 10, was one of the skaters who competed in the testing event on Saturday. Hoffman said her only goal was to pass all of her tests and skate a good program, which she achieved.

Hoffman, who started figure skating when she was around five years old, said she was pleased with the way the tests went and said she improved as a result of taking part.

Among the tests Hoffman passed included the juvenile competitive for the free skate and the Sr. Bronze - Ten Fox in the Dance discipline.

Additionally she also passed the senior bronze level in the Skills category and was the only skater who passed in the Interpretive event, which Hoffman competed at the bronze level.

Other successful tests in the Free Skate discipline included Chantal Emond, who passed the Senior Silver Elements. Nikita White and Kelcy Armstrong each passed the Preliminary Elements and program in the free skate category.

Kayla Hallonquist finished with the highest skills honour, achieving the senior silver level, while Rachel Pettitt finished with the junior silver level.

Besides Hoffman, Maya Austin and Mikaela Lane also passed the senior bronze level, while Kelcy Armstrong, Amanda Dendys, Rasheeda Slater and Nikita White all successfully completed the junior bronze level.