Katona skates away with awards

Shane Katona was the big winner at the Border Figure Skating Club’s season-ending awards night earlier this month, skating away with five trophies.
Katona won the Border Shield Award for attaining the highest achievement in the point system for tests passed in figure, freestyle, and dance.
The skater must be working on senior bronze free skate and higher, and the senior bronze and dance and higher.
He also picked up the Coaches Trophy as the skater who develops team spirit through his/her encouragement and support to fellow skaters as well as their attitude.
Katona also won the Abitibi-Consolidated Trophy as the most improved senior recipient for skills, and for showing the greatest effort, best attitude, and good attendance throughout the season.
To top that off, he was awarded the Mr. Congenial Trophy, selected in a private ballot by the senior skaters, and also won the first-ever Carrie Selin Award as the club’s top skater.
Meanwhile, Monique Bekesi picked up the Agnes McEvoy Memorial Trophy as the most improved and most dedicated skater. Effort, attitude, and attendance are all considered, and the award is not necessarily based on the badges passed during the season.
Winning the McTaggart’s Trophy, for the skater with the highest achievement at the preliminary and junior bronze level in freestyle and dance (according to the point system), was Kate Basaraba.
Christy Herr took home the Rhonda Patterson Memorial Trophy for the most dedicated skater. She had to take skills, freestyle, and dance lessons while attendance, effort, and attitude were also considered.
Sarah McComb won the Artistic Impression Trophy as the skater who–through the use of their hands, flow of body, and facial expression as well as attire–is able to show skill, taste, and excellence of their ice-skating performance.
Alexa Buttner picked up the Skates and Blades Trophy for the Can Skater who is the most improved and most dedicated, and puts forth a solid effort (attendance and attitude also considered).
Tylan Silander was awarded the Border Travel Trophy for the most improved skater in the pre-school program (attendance and attitude also are considered) while the most dedicated program assistant was given to Jessica Wilson.
Also picking up Abitibi-Consolidated trophies were Rylee Blasky (junior recipient for dance), Alyssa Larson (junior recipient for freestyle), Brianne Hebert (junior recipient for skills), Christina Romaniuk (senior recipient for dance), and Melanie Herr (senior recipient for skills).
But it was a tremendous season for all of the skaters, BFSC president Tammy DeAmicis said.
“Oh yeah, the kids did really, really well,” she enthused, adding the highlight for their season was winning the top points total at the Dryden regional competition.
“It was just an incredible competition and every kid in an event won a medal,” she recalled.
“I thought the season went really well,” echoed coach Tanis Mann. “The kids did tremendous, especially at competitions.”
Still, it was Katona who stole the show this season and continues to have a very bright future in figure skating.
“Shane is just wonderful,” stressed DeAmicis. “His attitude is really great and he’s a really nice kid . . . all the kids like him and he likes to skate and it shows that he likes to be there.”
Mann said the fact Katona captured five club trophies showed just how great and successful a season he had.
“Shane did just tremendous obviously. He had a major improvement from last year,” she noted.