Two years ago, a group of students who participated in figure skating outside of school approached Mr. Pettinger with the hope of creating a club. The proposal was approved, and in addition to their installment as a BSM club, they also received Varsity lettering.

Seniors Anna Cron and Maddy Kennedy lead the figure skating club and help to schedule monthly meetings for the skaters to discuss things like fundraisers, new ways to raise awareness about their club, and plans to find other skaters who might want to participate. “Not a ton of people know about the club because it hasn’t been around that long. We have superfan figure skating shirts [because] we are trying to promote the club and spread the word to the student body,” said Cron.

Since the figure skaters do not all attend the same club or train with the same coach, the requirements for joining are less restrictive than another BSM club or team. “Anyone can join the club, it doesn’t matter how often you skate or what level you are at. It’s an informal induction into the club––they can contact me or any of the other members in the club [in order to join],” said Cron.

In addition to the time spent in meetings and promoting the club, each skater has to devote hours to practice and other preparation for skating tests and competitions. “I skate five times a week individually. My practices include individual lessons from a private instructor, power classes, and spinning classes. I work to pass tests that allow me to get to higher levels and also compete at higher levels,” said junior Maggie McGill.

Because they skate at different clubs, BSM skate club members competing against each other is a possible but infrequent occurrence. However, when competition is inevitable, the skaters support each other. “Most of the competitions we participate in are in town. It usually turns out that we are at the competitions at the same time, so we can stay and watch. There are a ton of different levels in figure skating, so we rarely compete against each other, but it does happen,” said junior Katherine Foy.

A common theme in each of the members of the figure skating club is a passion for skating and the willingness to work hard at the sport. “I love everything about figure skating. The rhinestones, dresses, different programs, shows, competitions, as well as the many friends I have made throughout the years. I love the feeling of landing a new jump or placing first at a competition because it shows that all of my hard work and dedication pays off,” said McGill.