If ever proof was needed that bigger isn’t necessarily better, you needed to look no farther than the Emo Figure Skating Club’s annual ice show that took place Saturday night at the Emo-La Vallee Community Centre.
As in past years, the show had a theme—and this time it was dubbed “Colours of the Wind.”
Each of the club’s 36 members had at least one role to play in the 90-minute showcase of ensembles, duets, and solo performances before a packed house.
EFSC head coach Marie-Josee Potvin said she was particularly pleased with the efforts of her charges since there was less time to put the show together than in past years due to the number of other events and competitions.
“This March was pretty hectic because we had four skaters at the All-Ontarios,” Potvin noted Monday.
Those four were Kennedy and Taylor Latimer, Madison Boisvert, and Kelsey Jonassen.
“Four is the most we’ve ever sent to the All-Ontarios,” enthused a beaming Potvin. “That’s pretty amazing for a little club like ours.”
In addition to the All-Ontarios, which took place in Waterloo, EFSC members competed as far away as Winnipeg and Thunder Bay this past season, as well as in two competitions in Minnesota.
Last September, Kendra and Kalene Krause placed eighth in the Preliminary Ladies Freeskate and third in the Prejuvenile Ladies Freeskate, respectively, at the Maplewood Fall Classic.
Kalene then duplicated her third-place performance two weeks later at the U.S.A. Upper Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships.
Both girls hail from Baudette, Mn. and the fact they choose to skate with the EFSC clearly is an indication of the quality of coaching they are receiving.
Back in November, the EFSC sent 11 members to the Skate Winnipeg Super Skate and brought home no less than 26 medals out of 30 events.
Then in December, six girls competed in the Skate Thunder Bay competition, in which Taylor Latimer took first place in all four of the events in which she competed.
Dana Drennan came home with three firsts and a third while Sophie Potvin-Begin took three firsts and a second.
EFSC members also fared well at the Sunset Country Region Interclub event in Dryden, the Festival of Stars (Skate Canada Northern Ontario Sectionals in Sault Ste. Marie), the Land of the Lakes International Figure Skating Classic in Grand Rapids, Mn., and the Thunder Bay Open.
Senior skater Taylor Latimer capped off the year with the Gold Skills award.
“This year has been another successful one for all of our skaters,” Potvin remarked. “It is exciting to look back over the year and remember all the accomplishments that each skater has made.
“I would like to congratulate all the skaters for their hard work and dedication, and for the goals you reached this season,” she added.
Of course, it takes more than the efforts of one person to put together a season like this and Potvin was quick to spread the credit where it belonged.
She singled out freelance coaches Penny McComb and Nicole Campbell as being particularly indispensable, as well as junior coach Molly Thoroalson.
This year also marks a transition of sorts since junior coach Sarah McComb is leaving the EFSC for Lakehead University in Thunder Bay in the fall. Potvin said she has no plans to replace her at the moment.
The two junior coaches skated a lovely duet entitled “White and Pink” during Saturday night’s ice show, in which each performance was named after a colour except for a special All-Ontarios presentation by Boisvert, Jonassen, and the Latimer sisters.
In all, there were 16 different presentations, culminating in a grand finale aptly entitled “True Colours,” which involved the entire club.
Judging by the enthusiastic response of the jam-packed arena, the EFSC will have no problem maintaining the interest of the public next winter.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
