Pumped to be back on the ice in Vermilion

The Vermilion Skating Club kicked off a new season with the first night of power skating on Tuesday.

With ice in the stadium, young hockey players were thrilled to get back on it, develop their skating skills, endurance and conditioning.

“We are definitely excited to get back on the ice and see all the children again,” said Becky Zajic, head coach.

The club’s older and more advanced skaters, Star Skaters, will begin on Friday. The learn to skate program, CanSkate, will begin October 27.

This year things will look a little different for the young ones as they are unable to run a pre-CanSkate class for 3–5-year-olds. Children that age can join the CanSkate program as long as they are able to stand up on the ice by themselves and move a bit.

They are hopeful that even into next year, the province will move into Phase 3 so they can open the pre-CanSkate group again.

Zajic said some of the older skaters really wanted to finish some of their achievements, but until Phase 3 is announced, they are unable to do the assessments. The club is also unable to hold a carnival until restrictions are lifted.

“Many clubs in the area could not have their carnival last year. At least we got to have ours last year, and we have an awesome idea for this year – I’m just hoping we can do it,” said Zajic.

Regularly having two ice surfaces, the town is waiting to examine the number of users before deciding whether they will flood the arena as well.

There are also town and club protocols to follow including the completion of checklists before entering the building.

Zajic said skating is a skill that you can use anytime in your life. Kind of like riding a bike, she said you might be a bit rusty over time but you can always figure it out again.

“Anybody can skate at any age. You can join a team, or do it individually or as a family. Skating a great way to enjoy the winter. When you feel like there’s nothing to do, you can go to the rink and skate,” said Zajic.

The Vermilion Skating Club is limited in the numbers they can take, but will accept late registrations.