GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Figure Skating Club is one of the oldest figure skating clubs in the nation, chartered in 1929. Since then, they have strived to make an impact for those who dream to make life on ice a reality.
Each year, they host a program called "Learn to Skate," which introduces youth and adults of all abilities to various disciplines on the ice.
"What that means is, whether you intend on going into hockey, ice dance, or any other discipline of skating, you have to learn the fundamentals of how to skate first," said Stephanie Kazior, who is the president of the Great Falls Figure Skating Club and Director of the "Learn to Skate" program. "From all the way to the baby three-year-olds, to skaters as old as 70 and 80, you learn how to fall and get up, how to generate power from the different parts of the blade, how to stop properly, and how to center yourself over your skates."
Kazior said despite some challenges in the past, the "Learn to Skate" program has grown over the years.
"When we were at Gibson Pond, we transitioned to the Civic Center when they had ice, and then we moved to the Four Seasons Arena. That was the Heyday of our club's history. We had about 300 active members. When the Four Seasons shut down, we relocated to the Ice Plex by the airport, and our club dwindled to a very minuscule amount of skaters. We didn't have ice for two years. We were commuting back and forth to Helena and up to Canada. Since 2015, our program has steadily grown. We had the highest number of participants in our 'Learn to Skate' program since 2015."
Josie Delorit has been a part of the Great Falls Figure Skating Club for over four years. Her skillset earned her as one of the instructors of the program. She said the program has been a unique experience ever since she hit the ice for the first time.
“It was like training for competitions," Delorit said. "It was really fun, being in an environment with other people, and getting different coaching point of views.”
The Great Falls Figure Skating Club is home to a few greats, such as Misha Petkevich, Scott Davis, Kathy Casey, and Avery Bandel. These skaters are National Champions, Olympic Medalists, and Olympic Coaches.
There is also Eleanor “Ellie” and Emily Weaver, who are standouts on the ice. Last year, the duo qualified for a national event in Ames, Iowa, in which they took home a combined four gold medals.
Emily said she was inspired by her sister Ellie.
“When my sister first started, I would always watch on the bleachers and think, ‘I want to do that someday.’ Just watching her jump and have an amazing time, really wanted me to do the same.”
While all eyes are on the skaters, those who are part of the program said the crowd serves as the support system.
“It’s a blast coming into the cold rink and watching the kids skate," said Megan Delorit. Not only did Megan's daughter Josie participate in "Learn to Skate," her other daughter took part in the program to pursue hockey. "It’s one of my favorite things to do as a mom, just to see them grow and have so much fun," she stated.
"Learn to Skate" Friday classes start on September 8th, and the Monday classes start on September 11th. For more information, click here to visit the website.
The Great Falls Ice Plex is located at 4001 29th Street SW; click here to visit the website.
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