Mitch Calvert
The Border Skating Club’s 37th-annual ice show, performed before a near capacity crowd Saturday night and again Sunday afternoon, captivated family and friends with the musical theme of “Broadway.”
The season-ending show saw 87 local skaters take to the ice at the Ice for Kids Arena to the tune of old classics like “Phantom of the Opera” and new hits including “Shrek” and “Legally Blonde.”
A large group of 26 skaters opened the show with “Phantom of the Opera,” followed by nine BSC members skating to the theme of “Oklahoma!”
Dana Drennan performed the first solo routine (“Rent”), which led into “Fame” skated by Bailey Whitefield, Chelsea Mosley, Kelli Cole, and Sydnee McLeod.
The long-time pairs duo of Sophie Potvin-Begin and Michael Nelson then put on a flawless rendition of “Man of La Mancha” before the duo of Kiela Ford and Sierra Cousineau took on roles from the Lion King in their duet.
Jillian Bobczynski was near-perfect in her performance from “Evita,” skating to the song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” while graduating skater Danielle Gustafson put on an excellent solo skate to “Mamma Mia!”
Other group numbers in the first half of the show included “Hairspray,” “Cats,” “Billy Elliot,” and “Shrek.”
The second half started off with a bang—complete with red dresses—to the theme of “Chicago.” That was followed by “Mary Poppins” (played by Potvin-Begin) as she skated around with an umbrella in tow as 10 young skaters dressed as penguins followed in hot pursuit.
Other acts included “Can Can” (Avery Wilson-Hands, Ashley Croswell, Joleigh Hayes, Emma Keeler, and Angela Cole) as well as a choreographed presentation of “9 to 5” (Sarah DeGagne and Christine Cridland)—complete with table, chairs, and coffee mug props.
Nine young skaters dressed as the red-headed “Annie” took to the ice next for a crowd-pleasing routine.
Then the trio of Jenna Wilson, Chloe Hudson, and Alexa Kadikoff skated to “Riverdance,” all taking turns in the spotlight with challenging tricks and artistic elements.
With additional performances paying homage to “The Sound of Music,” “Grease,” and “New York, New York,” audiences were treated to a pair of entertaining shows over the weekend.
The ice show also marked the final performances of a pair of graduating seniors. Danielle Gustafson (“Mamma Mia”) and Ashlee Nordstrom (“Legally Blonde”) each took a turn in the spotlight with solo acts to cap each half of the show.
“Each season has been filled with its own ups and downs, the breathless skates, a hard fall, tears of frustration, then a successful solo, a well-deserved medal, or a passed test,” Gustafson enthused.
“But at the end of each season, the skaters smile after the ice show, remember the good, learn from the bad, and smile at our glitter-covered change room,” she added.
On the other hand, many of the featured skaters in the ice show were very young—but showed a lot of courage soaking up the spotlight in front of a big crowd.
“We have skaters starting as young as three years old and within a few months they are skating circles around their coaches,” BSC coach Penny McComb enthused. “[Saturday] you will see the improvement and success I am referring to.
“The ice show is such a huge undertaking. I would like to thank all those who helped in any way,” McComb added.
“This has been an exceptional year for all our skaters, where personal achievements were made by all,” BSC president Lori Ford wrote in her letter to skaters and their families.
“I congratulate all of our skaters on a wonderful year and job well-done,” she noted.
For videos of the show, check out www.fortfrances.tv
