Skating club takes fun and dancing to the ice
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon Members of the Thornton Skating Club perform during A Night at the Museum.

Saturday was Elan Hulme's fourth skating carnival.

Although the Thornton Skating Club member has been slipping on her skates for 11 years, each performance always seems just as difficult. There's always new routines to learn, costumes to get dressed in, and skaters to work with.

But she enjoys performing for a crowd, especially when it can be done with friends.

"This will be my fourth," she said, dressed in a security guard outfit, minutes before the afternoon performance began. "There's new routines, new costumes, a new order. It's fun."

Last week, Hulme, along with the other members of the club, participated in the on-ice carnival A Night at the Museum, at the Thornton Arena. The club performed two shows throughout the day, which were attended by hundreds of people. Club vice-president Charlene Vanderpost says the event is a huge success. However, it's not about raising money. Instead, the carnival is used to help promote the hard work club members have shown throughout the skating season.

"It's always a success," she said. "Today is about having fun and letting them enjoy themselves."

Many of the parents, volunteers and skaters have been working long hours, preparing costumes, painting the ice and practicing, said Vanderpost.

Others say the show simply gives the skaters a chance to have fun while learning camaraderie.

"Skating is an independent sport," said Elan's mother Heather. "When they start working on numbers as a group, the laughing and stumbling and working through their routines is what we pay for, to see them smile like that. This just gets them out and having fun."

Thirteen-year-old Gillian Hackborn says she enjoys performing for her friends and family.

"You get to invite your friends to come watch," she said, also dressed in a security uniform. "It's fun to be around people you're not around every day."

The club hosts an on-ice skating carnival every two years. The last carnival theme was Mardi Gras, which also generated a sold out show. Events like the carnival also help the club get noticed within the community, said Vanderpost.

"A lot of hard work went into this," she said. "This is not a fundraiser, we're obviously trying to break even for the costumes and other expenses, but it's about their love of skating."