Sparwood Skating Club’s annual ice show will feature a special guest this year.
Figure skaters will be joined by world champion Olympic athlete Kurt Browning in a series of Disney-themed performances on Feb. 23 and 24 at Sparwood Recreation Centre.
Browning will make a cameo appearance in their routines, as they journey down the rabbit hole with Alice, fight swashbuckling pirates with Jack Sparrow, fly to Neverland with Tinkerbell and leave the ball at the stroke of midnight with Cinderella. He’ll also have two performances of his own.
Head coach Melanie Barker said that athletes like Browning are a good role model for youth and she’s excited for all the skills they’ll be able to learn from him.
“It’s great for them to have some variety in the people that they’re learning from,” she said.
Added to the mix, are a few solo performances from club members who have performed competitively and a group skate with hockey players from the club’s power skating program, dressed as the Anaheim Ducks.
Barker said the show gives the skaters a chance to show off their skills and do something a little different.
“[it] highlights the things that they’ve learned and the progression that they make each year … figure skating is an individual sport, so a lot of the group routines are a chance for the skaters to actually work together in a team setting,” she said.
Browning will be giving lessons to club skaters before and after the show on Feb. 24, and to the public on Feb. 25, on technique and creative expression.
Hosting Browning has been a long time goal of the club. A few years ago, when the club attended a seminar in Lethbridge, Barker sent one of the parents on a mission to track him down and find out if he’d be interested in visiting in Sparwood, and they exchanged contact information with him. Last summer, the cards aligned and he accepted their invitation to take part in the show.
Barker said she’s excited to see the skaters perform and learn from Browning.
“It’s exciting to watch … the advancement that they’ve made over the year is pretty incredible to see. They work hard,” she said.
Performances take place on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m.
For more information about tickets and the coaching session with Kurt Browning visit www.sparwoodskatingclub.uplifterinc.com.