HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-01-07, Page 11The skater's waltz
By Chantal! Van Raay
. Z -A Reporter,
EXETER - They Dice their skates, stretch
their muscles, listen to a few words of wis-
dom from their coach ait ,anxiously tor
their .turn on the ice.•
.-This i t •-same.scenario tor hockey teams,
_precision teams, ringette teams and figure
skaters. •Blit perhaps one of the closest com-
parisons is how all of these athletes• glide
swiftly atop a frozen mass. ot water, practice
hard and strive to be the best.
Precision skating has been in Exeter for
about 20 years. There have been a lot of
changes in• the sport since then and like
many -tither .sports it. has had" its ups and
downsPresently precision -skating -is mak-
ing a quick skate towards the olympics.
"\laybe not -the next Olympics," said
Precision Club chairmaii Janice Brick. "But
maybe one year. It's becoming niore interna-
-tional than it's ever been." '
• One of the most- recant changes to the
sport has been the addition ot adult preci-
sion skating. There are about 20 adults who
are on the recreaticinal precision team. They
range iron members of the junior precision
tears \vho moved up to the adult . level
because ot its elimination just this past year,
to those who• just want the.ex& rcise and get
together %vitt othcrskaters.
• Brock said while the individuals on the
adult team tend to•precision skate' for tun;
"they need tc< have tigurt-skated before'. • -,
"You. 're dealing with ice and speed," said
Brock- adding -she has seen. her -share of
-niinor cuts and bruises: "You work vet•v
•close together so there's a lot of bumping
and grinding"
"One time 1 saw a skater fly tiff and slam
-up against a wall," she said, adding,' "Ire
`seen girls fall down and take two or three
Nvith them."
11'hi1e recreational precision can be afford-
able
for almost anyone, precision, like most
other sports, can be expensive When
competitive.
"It can dist up to S5,000 to $6,Ot)(1 tier, per-
son a year," said Brock, adding the skater
has to pay tor ice nine, costumes,•C,inada
jackets it skating internationally, .is well as.
theirown travel expenses.
On top of the cost, there is the amount ot
tine ' the skaters need to spend .on the ice. -
"At least Live hours of practice a week,
said Brock..
Juggling school, a ,job anis being a member
of a,competitiye precision teatfi may be ditti-
cult for some •skaters,butt it still is not as
time-consuming .as for a• competitive figure
. skater.. ,
"it can be tinie-consuming for. compefith
skaters," said Exeter Figure Skating -Clu'
president Juliannne Varley.- "Then can -
the ice up to 10 hours a week. The"h►(.o.c'r
level competitors would need., to give up
some things, whether it he going to a friend's
house or going to the mall. Some skaters
c'\•en have to miss sonic line from -school;"
she said, adding the skaters are normally
*able to.make the time and work up. • .
It you have a skater with some -talent andcompeting internationally, they need .to 'prac-'
lice seven days a week, Varlet' said.
She explained the popularity of figure nkat-
ing continually inc rcases.
-Aur registratil%i-i up ccrosiderably_thiL-
Year.- it has been one tit the largest increases
and 1 attribute that tit our Organization."
Varley -said the Exeter figure skating
organization is healthy and well -organized.
One -of the reasons for•this is Exeter's ama-,
teur coaches, Varley said. •
"These are deciicaited ,:skaters.who try to,
increase their 16.el- of expertise by helping
other,skafers," •Varley said, adding it gives
them an idea ot what itWs'ac;tt ally like to be a
skating coach. - ,
Another' sport util;/ing'the South Huron
Rec. Centre is Exeter minor hockey. In 'fact,
Exeter minor hockey teams litie more ice time
than Ant' other ice' sport, believes hockev
'Coach Jiihn Rascnbt,r-g. - .•
,-Exeter- minor-hcicker also =practices-a't-the
Hensal;l Arena. •
"We're able• t4,i gel reit' time out of ,l lensall. "
• • Otherwise iye'd be vera strapped," he -said.
This is the first year there has been a girl~
internieciia'te hockey =tram, ,adding to .the
-imount of time hockey twirls require ice.
IZingette teams also fight tor ice' time. Therrk
-are a number. of :age,categoric9 in this spcir'r'
including bunny, no\1ce- petite, tween, jun-
•ior, belle , -deb, \Vo•nu•iis...
%I:here are a number ot ways to'enjoy the
i'cc;. iwhether' it be precision, .figure, hockey,
ringette or,just for recreation. The South
Huron_Rcc Cent�
Centre is utilized so greatly Our-'
'ng.the \sinter months that many sports such
...as hockey and ringette use the Hensall
Arena, simply. because there; is not enough
time at.thc rec centre. .
"We're hooked. every night and all day
Saturday and Sunday," said program coordi-
nator Jo -Anne Fields.. - . -
. It new programs, such as the girls interme-
diate hockey team are introduced; 'We try to
accommodate there to the :iest of our ability,"
She explained,. adding -this is not «ilw ays i4�tiy.
How is our recreation centre
being utilized?
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Keep that stance. Above,
• Professional -coach Kathy
Merner ,coaches a number. of fig-
ure skaters at the rec. centre.
Here she coaches competitive -
figul'e skater Kristylee Varley,
11. Merner is also the head
coach for Exeter Precision .
Skating, both the Adult 'Exeter
Classique and Juvenile Mini
Classique.
,Practice makes perfect. At left,
Sisters Kristylee Varley, 1;1 and
Jenessa Varley, 5 practice some
figure skating moves, at the
South Huron`. Recreation Centre.
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