Tricenturena Skating Club continues to grow

Waterford Tricenturena Skating Club skaters Leah Barry, Colton Schira, Gracen Pickard, Ellie Laferriere, Alexis Barry and Quinn Stefan. 

Brenda Moser

Advocate Correspondent

I remember clearly learning to skate as a young girl growing up in the Waterford area and it involved donning skates and finding a patch of ice in a nearby field or wooded area. Not the best of conditions but fun, nonetheless.

Today kids are fortunate to have a variety of programs for them to learn to skate and have a lot of fun doing it.

Waterford Tricenturena Skating Club is a long running program that has taught countless kids the fine of art of skating. It is the aim of the club to foster a love of the sport in their skaters and it was clear in the smiles on the faces of the dozens of children I watched that they were loving what they were doing. 

The club offers programs at both Waterford Tricenturena and Talbot Gardens in Simcoe. Their programs run throughout the year, including the Spring and Summer seasons. They offer CanSkate, Me & My Parent CanSkate and StarSkate for youth as well as adults. They are quite happy that they have ‘a ton’ of adults in their Learn to Skate proving you’re never too old to learn. This season they have over 315 skaters registered across the various programs. The youngest, a member of the Me and My Parent group, is just 2 years old, while the oldest is, let’s just say, of the senior generation. Regardless of the age they were all having fun.

The CanSkate program is for anyone 4 years of age and up, regardless of skating skill level, with close to 150 skaters registered in this program at present. Many of their senior skaters come back every year to improve their skills while having fun. Age and skill level are definitely not deterrents for anyone wanting to learn to skate! They see figure skaters, hockey players, power skaters, senior citizens… anyone just wanting to learn to skate and/or improve skills they already have learned.

The Fall and Winter programs run about 13 weeks and Spring and Summer session about eight weeks. They also have a good turnout for their Hockey CanSkate that starts in June and runs through July and August. Registration for this program begins in May and you can go to their website at www.waterfordtricenturenaskatingclub.com or email wtsc.info@gmail.com to register.

At present the club is working on their upcoming March 29 carnival, Broadway on Ice. There is not only a lot of practice that goes into such an event but also a lot of behind the scenes work. Volunteers are always needed and welcome! There are lots of returning parents and skaters but new faces are welcome!

With all of the hustle and bustle of a Thursday night session you can bet there will be one familiar face you will see each week. Sandy McDonald has had a connection to the club for many years and is affectionately known by skaters and parents as their ‘Skating Nana’. She has been a dedicated volunteer with the club for many years and is always open to hugs from her ‘kids’.

If you would like more info on any of their programs, be sure to check them out on one of their social media platforms. If you are interested in tickets or more info on the upcoming carnival, feel free to contact them. You can always stop by on a Thursday night to check things out and talk to one of the Executive or volunteers.