For 16 local figure skaters, the weekend presents an opportunity to showcase everything they’ve been working on in front of parents, family and friends.
Joining them will be around 150 skaters from 16 clubs in northern and central B.C. for the Cariboots ‘N’ Blades regional figure skating competition at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
The event, after a one-year hiatus from the lakecity in Vanderhoof, will now be hosted in Williams Lake every second year.
The event goes Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and again Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until noon in rink one at the complex.
“Admission is free to come and watch, and we want to encourage everyone to come out and support the skaters,” said Williams Lake Figure Skating Club president Wendy Lonson-Hoffman.
“This is a competition to improve their own personal skills and earn medals.”
Lonson-Hoffman said Williams Lake Figure Skating Club coaches Joanne Macnair and Sandi Sandrock have been working extremely hard with the local skaters to prepare them for the competition.
“There will be Star Skate and competitive skaters [at the meet],” she said.
This year’s theme, Cariboo Nights, is something many of the volunteers, parents and skaters had fun designing, Lonson-Hoffman said, and noted the support from the community in helping host the event has been phenomenal.
Adding to the excitement of the event for local figure skaters will be the debut of the club’s new jackets, featuring the Williams Lake Figure Skating Club’s new logo.
“We appreciate the excellent support by the community through donations and sponsorship,” she said.
“Also, there are a great number of volunteers — club members and from the community at large — that are helping put it on.”