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Cariboots ‘n Blades glides into lakecity

The Williams Lake Skating Club is set to host its annual Cariboots 'n Blades skating competition this weekend in Williams Lake.
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The Williams Lake Skating Club’s Amanda Lane performs a routine in White Rock recently at the Jingle Blades skating competition. The WLSC is set to host its annual Cariboots ‘n Blades skating competition starting Friday at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.

The Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex will be transformed into an ice dancing palace on the weekend as 16 young men and women from the Williams Lake Skating Club host multiple clubs from around the province.

The event, the Cariboots ‘n Blades figure skating competition, is the club’s 28th annual meet and goes from Friday, Dec. 7 to Sunday, Dec. 9.

“We have 175 young men and women skating in 380 events,” said Margie Henley, president of the WLSC, adding clubs from Kamloops, Armstrong, Lillooet, Quesnel, Prince George, Dawson Creek, Kitimat and more will be attending.

The skating gets underway Friday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. and continues until around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the competition starts in the morning and finishes at 8 p.m. Sunday, skating wraps up around 3:45 p.m.

Henley said this year the club decided to do a gingerbread theme for the event.

“We are going to have some raffle tickets for gingerbread houses donated by a club member to help us fundraise,” Henley said.

“And we did a work bee in November where all the kids made all the decorations.

“It’s going to look really nice come Friday.”

Skaters at the competition will range in age from about five all the way up to 18 competing in various programs and events.

Joanne Macnair, coach of the WLSC, said the club will also have a number of new skaters competing in their very first meets.

“Six of our skaters are brand new first timers out,” Macnair said.

“And in the freeskating divisions the younger or newer skaters get an assessment of bronze, silver and gold instead of a placing so it’s more of a self assessment.”

The club’s skaters will compete in freeskating, interpretive, an elements competition and specific skills events throughout the weekend.

The club’s senior skaters recently returned from the Jingle Blades skating  competition in White Rock late November joining 29 other clubs from around the province.

In StarSkate 3 Jade Johnson skated to a bronze, while Alanna Walters placed eighth out of 12 in the StarSkate 4 division.

In the Pre-Juvenile Under 11 division Amanda Lane took 10th out of 18, while Dawn Henley, in the Senior Bronze Women’s division, claimed gold.

Macnair said the meet was a good opportunity for the club’s skaters to test out their routines and set goals for upcoming competitions.

“I think the senior skaters — they obviously want to place well — but they’re always looking at their scores, and always looking to improve their total points or just maybe land a jump they didn’t land the last time,” she said.

“I’m very pleased with them all.”



Greg Sabatino

About the Author: Greg Sabatino

Greg Sabatino graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008.
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