INNISFAIL – Holding a colourful sign and a bouquet of flowers William Cochrane was clearly proud of his granddaughter Brooklyn.
She had just dazzled on the Innisfail Twin Arena ice at the Skating With Heart event; a Skate Canada sanctioned Star 1 – 3 competition hosted by the Innisfail Skating Club on Feb. 8 that featured 193 committed young figure skaters from across Alberta.
And grandpa William from the farming community of Alhambra, 80 kilometres northwest of Innisfail, was mighty proud, as well as mom Nicole.
“I thought she skated amazing. I was so proud,” said Nicole, who is also the treasurer of the Innisfail Skating Club.
For Brooklyn, an 11-year-old Grade 6 student at Innisfail Middle School, she was one of 10 young Innisfail Skating Club athletes who stepped on the ice to prove they had the right stuff to move through the multi-level Star program that helps them develop basic skating skills.
The skaters at the Innisfail event ranged in age from about eight to 15 but the Star competition is not judged on an age basis.
Instead, it is designed through levels of skill, and the Star program has as many as 10.
If young skaters get through the Stars program they can then go to the elite gold level.
Brooklyn competed in 2024 at Innisfail's inaugural Stars 1 – 3 event, and with family and friends in attendance, she was determined to put on an excellent solo performance at her Star 3 level before a panel of judges.
Specifically, the young skater wanted to nail the camel spin, a classic figure skating move.
“I think I got it pretty good,” said Brooklyn on her execution of the camel spin, but also for her entire two-minute performance. “It just makes me feel happy and good, how I improved even from the last time I did it.
“And knowing that while I am nervous I can still perform well, kind of forget (the nerves) and focus on what I’m supposed to be doing at that present moment.”
Brooklyn would win a silver medal for her solo performance, bettering the bronze she earned in 2024.
She also earned a gold in the team competition, where skaters are tasked to perform four elements, including jumps and spins.
“They're just competing against themselves, so they go out and they’re super excited and they get to showcase all the things they've been working on throughout the year,” said Nicole, who was one of the local skating club’s organizers for the event. “They're practising their solos and all their jumps and their spins, all the elements they work so hard on throughout the year.
“They get to come here and go in front of a panel of judges and show them, ‘hey, look, this is what I can do. This is what I've learned. This is how hard I've worked," she added.
“And then they'll all come out and get a gold, silver or bronze medal.”
While the Innisfail Star 1 – 3 competition on Feb. 8 is not one that automatically moves participants to higher levels, it does serve to give aspiring skaters a huge boost.
“Yes, 100 per cent. Kids come out. They skate, and do well and feel just great,” said Nicole. “It brings pride to them, like, ‘I worked hard and look at what I got out of it. I got this medal.”
The Innisfail Skating Club will be hosting its annual season-ending skate show on March 16, a chance for the public to watch the progress of all young skaters, from as young as three-years-old to the club’s top older Star skaters.
