Dan Falloon
The local Border Skating Club saw 35 years of combined experience take its final bow over the weekend.
Graduating skaters Dana Drennan (14 years), Bailey Whitefield (13 years), and Christine Cridland (eight years) all laced up their skates at the Ice For Kids Arena for one last time on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
The trio were part of a contingent of about 90 skaters performing in “Under the Big Top,”, a circus-themed show that served as the 38th edition of the club’s annual production.
Keeping with the theme, all skaters were outfitted in costumes related to the circus.
For their solo skates, Whitefield, who closed out the show’s first half, was dressed as a gypsy while Drennan, opening the second half, was a juggler/illusionist.
Cridland then closed the show as a fun house attendant.
All three are sorry to see their time with the club come to an end.
“It was sad, I’ll miss it,” lamented Whitefield. “I’ve learned a lot of new things, and life lessons.”
“It was actually really sad, a little bit nerve-wracking,” Cridland admitted of her final skate with the BSC.
“It was kind of sad, but honestly it was kind of fun,” enthused Drennan. “It’s my favourite thing in the world to do.”
The three graduates also pointed out they have a mother-daughter relationship with their coaches, given all the time they spend together.
“They’re like second mothers to me,” Whitefield said. “They’re really supportive.”
Drennan said she’s closest with Gerry-Lynn Cousineau, who has been her full-time coach for about five years.
“She’s like a mom to me, she’s the best person in the world,” Drennan lauded.
“All my competitions, all my tests, everything. She’s been there for everything.”
Cousineau knows the relationship between coach and student is important, and conversations often delve beyond skating.
“It’s incredible how many of these kids think of us as their moms and their best friends,” she said. “You spend so much time with them.
“You go through everything with them because you know everything about them.”
Cousineau added she takes joy in watching her students grow, not only on the ice but in life.
“It’s been an experience to watch them grow up,” she remarked. “We’ve gone through a lot of growing.
“It’s been fun to go to competition and test days with them, and it was nice to see them reach the goals that they’ve set for themselves,” Cousineau continued.
“They always set their goals of what they want to reach in skating, and some of them, they’re unrealistic,” she noted.
“Then they get older and they realize, ‘This is all I’m going to be able to do.’”
Cousineau said all three grads have learned to set attainable goals, and all were happy with their progress, especially over the last season.
“Dana’s gotten to what she’s wanted to do, and Christine’s skated the least time, and she’s gotten to what she wanted to do this year.
“And Bailey, she hit her goal, too.”
Coach Nicole Katona-Campbell instructed all three this season, and pointed out the persistence and hard work they displayed over the course of their time with the club.
For example, she recognized how Whitefield pushed through to become the skilful skater on display over the weekend.
“Skating was never an easy feat for Bailey, but she carried a passion that would push her forward to achieving her goals,” Katona-Campbell said in an e-mail.
“Dance was always Bailey’s love, and this year while skating for the last time in the ice show, she chose to do her solo with dances from her most recent achievements.”
Meanwhile, Katona-Campbell praised Drennan for her early development since those skills provided a solid base for the advanced ones to come.
“Dana is a powerful skater, and showcases this talent in everything that she does,” Katona-Campbell lauded.
“At a very young age, she was able to achieve her Gold level in Skills, and more recently two of her Gold Dances.”
For her part, Cridland was able to put her strengths to good use, helping her overcome some weaknesses.
“In her very short time with the club, Christine has accomplished many goals, including some segments in skating that plagued her for years,” noted Katona-Campbell.
“She is a pleasure to watch as her spirited personality comes through every time she performs.”
Other solo acts from the weekend’s ice show included Jillian Bobczynski as a fortune teller, Sophie Potvin-Begin as a bareback rider, and Michael Nelson as a tiger trainer.
Nelson and Potvin-Begin also performed a pairs routine as popcorn sellers early in the show—displaying some of the lifts and jumps that helped them capture a gold medal at the Ontario Winter Games in Huntsville last month.
Other entertainers included Chelsea Mosley, Sarah DeGagne, and Sierra Cousineau as contortionists, Ashley Croswell and Joleigh Hayes as tightrope walkers, Jenna Wilson and Alexa Kadikoff as clowns, and Kiela Ford and Chloe Hudson as magicians.
The CanSkate groups provided the animals commonly seen at the circus, dressing as lions, tigers, poodles, and elephants, while others dressed as magicians and motorcyclists.
As promised, the arena was transformed into a true circus setting. A large bucket of “popcorn” (filled with white and yellow balloons) sat at the centre red line while a large clown smiled at the audience from centre ice.
As well, skaters emerged from a big top circus tent after being introduced by ringmaster Randy DeGagne.
