Cassidy Wood, from the Creston Valley Skating Club, was recently presented with the StarSkater of the Year Award by the Kootenay Region of Skate Canada.
According to a press release from the Creston Valley Skating Club, the StarSkater of the Year award recognizes a figure skating athlete who not only demonstrates passion and achievement in the sport of figure skating but also takes a leadership role in their club, both on and off the ice.
Head Coach Kerri Roberts explained that a star skater in figure skating is someone who is at a high level of testing and competes in multiple programs.
“They might have multiple programs. And they’re training hard. They’ve got a good work ethic. Their values and their dedication align with Skate Canada.”
“Meaning they’re passionate about the sport. They give back to the sport. Cassidy reached great gains this season through hard work, goal setting, and GRIT training.”
Roberts said she nominated Wood because of her powerful contributions to skating, which have inspired the entire club to reach for high goals.
“She’s put the club back on the map, where she showed eagerness and dedication to try competing. And because of the spark that she had, numerous other athletes are like, ‘Hey, you know what, I want to do that too’.”
“She’s really set the bar and set the spark back in the club to reach high for goals.”
The Creston Valley Skating Club had a total of 121 participants this season, in its learn-to-skate, PowerSkate, adult skating, and figure skating programs.
Skaters had an opportunity to show off their skills in a skills challenge that wrapped up the season in the middle of March.
Power skaters faced off in teams to test their speed, power, and agility against other skaters, while youngsters in the CanSkate learn-to-skate program had a chance to show off the many skating skills they had mastered over the year.
The skills challenge also included an opportunity for StarSkaters to showcase their competition programs, and Academy skaters, those who are just entering figure skating, to skate introductory programs in small groups.
“It has been an excellent year,” says Roberts. “We’re all so proud of the skaters for all their hard work and the progress and success they’ve achieved on the ice.”
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