Skating club revived in Rivers

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Published on Sunday, March 20, 2016

By Sheila Runions

Banner Staff

Rivers Women’s Institute was responsible for organizing a figure skating club in this town in 1951. The club continued until early 2005 when its last skating carnival was held. In November 2011 a 10-week Learn to Skate program was co-ordinated by Corina Lepp. Its success was so great the program was held each year until September 2015 when the group re-named itself Rivers Skating Club, based on parental comments.

“We surveyed parents at the end of last season to see what they were wanting for this year's program,” says Corina. “Based on these evaluations we decided to pursue becoming an official Skate Canada club with certified instruction and the "next level" of skating in Rivers. Skate Canada is a recognized Canada-wide program which offers many different levels and comprehensive programs. We are very pleased with our outcome for our first year; we hope to continue to grow. To have three Skate Canada programs running the first year is a big accomplishment, according to Skate Canada officials. Our program was evaluated about a month ago by a Skate Canada representative from Winnipeg; they were very impressed with our level of instruction and quality of our program, so we are happy too!”

The “new” skating club held its second annual show on Friday, March 12 and in less than 30 minutes, all three divisions had a turn on the ice at Riverdale Community Gardens. The CanSkate group was so large it was split into two groups, the CanPower group raced around the surface demonstrating power skating skills with their hockey sticks, junior instructor Aimee Creighton performed a solo and the synchronized skating team ended the program. 

Larissa and Tyler Luptak of Brandon teach the 40 kids of Rivers Skating Club; they are both certified Skate Canada coaches who have expressed a desire to continue teaching here next year. They are assisted by Carson Smith, Nathan Krahn and Aimee Creighton. 

During her duties as emcee, Corina expressed gratitude to “parents for your commitment to getting your children to the rink. We have had a lot of fun watching the learning with them and we look forward to seeing them all on the ice next year!”

A 50/50 draw held that evening was won by Dee Thomson, who went home with an extra $91.