School skating sessions start
Fort Simpson youth take to the ice at rec centre
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 11, 2014
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Students from Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson were lacing up their skates and taking some wobbly strides on the first day of school skating this week.
Seth Okrainec-Cli skates down the ice on Dec. 8 as part of skating sessions during school hours at the Fort Simpson rec centre. - Shane Magee/NNSL photos
|
Students who brought skates and helmets were on the ice Dec. 8, the first day of skating sessions this winter.
Several of the students in Class 3 were tightly gripping frames to stabilize themselves as they skated around the ice, occasionally falling flat.
The older students in Class 5 took to the rink surface without much problem.
Ava Erasmus, a Class 5 student, was lacing up her speed skates ahead of the her class' afternoon session.
She said she enjoys having the chance to get some extra ice time in.
Erasmus, who is part of the Fort Simpson Speed Skating Club, said she's already practising three times a week with the club.
"It's fun," she said of the club. "It can be frustrating if you're trying to learn a new skill."
The extra time she gets on the ice, she considers another practice session.
"I think it's good to have more time and it's really fun," Erasmus said.
Erasmus, 10, was one of nine members of the club who returned from the NWT Speed Skating Championship in Yellowknife in March with a medal.
She won a silver in the D group of division two of FUNdamentals.
She's looking forward to going with a few other team members to a meet in Calgary in February.
Ten-year-old Hayden Kraus said he's also taking part in speedskating, where he's learned to skate and has played games.
Kraus said he's hasn't been skating long, only a few days with the club. But he said the sport is fun.
He said it's good to be able to skate during school time.
The school's various classes rotate through the rec centre in 45-minute blocks through the winter months. The use of the ice is free to the school and the school uses about 15 to 20 hours of rec centre ice time per week. Sessions will continue into next year, providing a chance to learn to skate and get physical activity.
The time has been set aside for school children for at least a decade, said village recreation co-ordinator Nathan McPherson.
"It's getting them active. It's been a great program," McPherson said.
