Pincher Creek Figure Skating Club to celebrate 50th anniversary with regional showcase March 22

• Event to include Skate Canada's 2014 South Showcase

Skate Canada:Alberta-NWT/Nunavut has selected the Pincher Creek Skating Club to host their 2014 South Showcase, which will send 4 to 6 young athletes that are in the competitive stream of figure skating to perform at our annual carnival, called "50 Years On Ice" this year to acknowledge the Pincher Creek Skating Club's Golden anniversary.

50 Years On Ice will be held at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena this Saturday March 22, starting at 2:00 pm, and everyone is invited to what promises to be a spectacular event.

Skate Canada Sectionals act as stepping stones for events such as Canadian Nationals, Worlds and Olympic teams. The Showcase project provides performance opportunities for developing athletes as well as to increase interest and awareness in the sport of skating in our community.

In addition to our own Pincher Creek Skating Club skaters, the audience will be treated to performances from:

• Dawson Nodwell, Springbank FSC, Juvenile Men U14 2014 Sections Silver Medalist
• Shaylyn Jackson, Calalta FSC, Juvenile Women U11 2014 Sectionals Gold Medalist
• Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak, Calalta FSC, Novice Pair 2014 Sectionals Bronze Medalists
• Black Gold Juvenile Team, Calgary Synchronized Skating Club, Juvenile 2014 Mountain Regional Bronze Medalists
• Isabel McQuilkin and Jacob Portz, Springbank FSC and Calalta FC, Juvenile Dance 2014 Sectionals Silver Medalists

Bryn Hoffman and Bryce Chudak

We caught up with instructor at the MCC arena earlier this month, where he was instructing 10 local skaters in Partner Ice Dancing, helping them prepare for testing.  " It's great, and a lot of fun. All the girls are working hard, and I hope that they are enjoying it," he said. "They all have dances that they are working on. In total here in Canada I think we have 28, 29 dances that they could be working on.  Whatever they're working on, I take it from there, and try and help them improve it, and get them comfortable doing the dance to the music, with me. "

"I first put on skates when I was two, I played hockey, mostly, while I was learning how to skate, and then started into figure skating at eleven. My coach really encouraged me to do dance. I moved to Edmonton when I was 14, to focus just on dance, and have a few dance partners over the year. I competed at Nationals 6 times, won Canadian Novice, and Canada Winter Games, that was in 1995. The last year I competed was 2000. I've been coaching all the way through, ever since."

Pincher Creek Skating Club StarSkate Coach Krystle Bordyschuk, now finishing her fifth season with the club, talked a little about the "50 Years On Ice" programme.  "It will be alittle bit of everything. We tried to get some music that all generations can enjoy, not just new stuff, because it is 50 years on ice. We have the Beatles, ABBA, Queen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and some disco stuff.

"It's a stressful time, until you get through the day," said Bullick.   "The morning after, you go 'That was awesome!', but leading up to it is very stressful," added Bordyschuk.  "It's always rewarding in the end."