Skating registration is now open for South Cariboo residents and children to expand their figure skating or hockey skills.
100 Mile & District Figure Skating Club president Danyelle Howard says everyone is welcome to sign up for public or private lessons, whether they would like to learn to skate, or to improve their current technique.
CanSkate is a public "learn-to-skate" program that runs once or twice weekly for either 13 or 24 weeks. It is offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with the season opening on Sept.12.
Usually, all children under the age of 12, and any others at the beginner level of figure skating (including adults) take this program first, Howard explains.
"It's a program that goes six levels, so you can take the first two levels and then call it quits, but we encourage kids to keep going right to the top.
"We do have a program after Christmas in case a child wants to continue."
STARSkate is a program offering private figure-skating lessons, and registration for that is open for its fall season beginning Sept. 12.
Howard says students can't start STARSkate until they finish CanSkate Level 6, unless they are 12 years or over and can demonstrate the skating skills required for the group, or they can sign up for individual private lessons.
People can register for CanSkate anytime during the fall and winter seasons, but many people prefer to learn figure skating from the start with the rest of the group, she notes.
CanPowerSkate is a 10-week public program to develop hockey skating skills for any reason, whether or not that involves playing on a team.
The fall season for CanPowerSkate starts Sept. 15 and runs on Thursdays to Nov. 24, 3:30-4:30 p.m. or 4:30-5:30 p.m. (Class times are determined by skill levels.)
For more information, costs or to register for any of these programs, call the skating club office at 250-395-1842 or e-mail 100milefigureskatingclub@gmail.com.
For low-income families, Howard says they may qualify for help with the program fees through grants from KidSport (contact the club to apply), or Jumpstart (apply for yourself at http://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca).