CANORA – “We are so proud of our skaters and it is really inspiring to see all the love coming from the stands.”
With those words, Canora Skating Club President Cecilia Keinick welcomed everyone to the Club’s annual ice show on March 15.
Guided by Club Head Coach Rebecca Trost, the theme for the special event was “One-Hit Wonders.”
Trost said the skaters were amazing in their performances, and just as importantly, “had a great time. It was awesome to see them having so much fun.”
For the singing of O Canada, Club President Cecilia Keinick was joined on the ice by flag bearers Olivia & Keira Owchar and Emmett & Riley Bobyk.
The first performance was by the youngest skaters from CanSkate 1 and 2: Bowyn Perepiolkin, Grace Giesbrecht, Annessa Hadubiak, Paisley Palchewich, Piper Sleeva, Beckham Otto, Wren Whims, and Samantha MacPherson. They skated to Heaven by Los Lonely Boys.
Introduced as “sure to make a splash,” CanSkate 2 and 3 skaters Elsie Stuart, Viktoriia Zmykalo, Natalie Sorestad, Tyler Otto, Poppy Fullawka and Emma Rozema skated to the 2002 hit The Tide is High by Atomic Kitten.
The first solo skate of the program was by StarSkater Chloee Abbott, performing to the 1979 one hit wonder Born to be Alive by Patrick Hernandez. Abbot competed twice during the past season, earning both silver and bronze placements.
The smooth sounds of the 1993 hit Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole accompanied Harper Chernoff on her solo performance. In two competitions this season, Chernoff earned silver and bronze placements.
Going back even further, the classic hit from 1981, Kids in America by Kim Wilde, provided the soundtrack for the CanSkate stage 2 and 3 boys: Jeronimo Gallego, Bennett Anderson, Xavier Lizotte and Clyde Abbott.
Rayna Edison, in her first year in the StarSkate program, skated a solo performance to No Rain by Blind Melon.
Having complete four StarSkate exams in the past two years, Emily Mentanko skated to 99 Luftballons, a 1983 hit by Nena.
The senior StarSkaters group of Olivia Owchar, Ashton Lamb, Harper Chernoff, Mahra Collingridge, and Antonia Gallego had the audience moving in their seats during their lively performance to The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) by Las Ketchup.
Keira Owchar skated a solo performance to Ex’s and Oh’s by Elle King. As a Star level 2 skater, Owchar skated in her first competition during the past season.
Before intermission, there was a special surprise performance by Coach Rebeca Trost and CanSkate Head Coach Mackenzie Anderson to the iconic 1974 Carl Douglas hit, Kung Fu Fighting. The audience was encouraged to show these women lots of love “as they believe they’re old and decrepit but they want to show the kids that skating is meant to be fun for life.”
The second half of the program started of with lots of energy with the CanSkate stage 4-6 boys skating to Gangnam Style by Psy. The group included: Anderson Coleman, Emmett Bobyk, Levi Waters, Riley Bobyk, Jebidiah Collingridge, Brayden MacPherson and Henry Tomcala.
The final CanSkate group number had Melina Kontis, Olivia Sorestad, and Zoey Daku, the CanSkate stage 4 girls, bringing “all the good vibes,” skating to Call me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson.
Going all the way back to 1977, Mahra Collingridge skated an energetic solo performance to Black Betty by Ram Jam. Collingridge trains full time between both Skate Yorkton and the Canora Skating Club.
Ashton Lamb skated to Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye & Kimbra, a hit from 2011. Lamb earned the first ever gold placement for the Canora Skating Club in competition during the past season.
Skating to the catchy hit Cheerleader by OMI were the up-and-coming skaters in the Junior Test program: Ava Stuart, Daiana Blauva, Jessica Petrychyn, Lena Sheltgen, Telienka De Necker, Elaine Sorestad, Dot Foster and Emma Ostafie.
A solo performance to the 2006 hit, Lips of an Angel by Hinder was skated by StarSkater Olivia Owchar, who attended her first competition at Wynyard during the past season.
Antonia Gallego, in her first season in the figure skating program, performed to Stereo Love by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina. In an impressive accomplishment, Gallego passed six exams during the past season.
StarSkate level 1 & 2 skaters Averie Michaluk, Emily Mentanko, Chloee Abbott, Keira Owchar and Rayna Edison skated their funky and upbeat group performance to the 1990s hit Groove is in the Heart by Deee-Lite.
Guest skaters performing for the Canora audience were Lydia Gryba-Smith, the Yorkton-based Saskatchewan Junior Ladies silver medalist, and Ty Russell, also from Yorkton, the 2025 Pre-Novice Provincial Champion.
All skaters were welcomed back to the ice for the Finale, performing to Closing Time by Semisonic.
Following the ice show, the club held its first awards banquet.
Awards and descriptions are as follows:
1. PROGRAM ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR
This award is dedicated to a CanSkate Program Assistant who demonstrates our club values on and off the ice, being a positive role model for our young skaters.
The Program Assistant of the Year for the 2025-2026 Season is Mahra Collingridge.
2. GOLDEN EDGE
The Golden Edge Award is chosen by the skaters in an anonymous vote, and recognizes someone who brings positivity, encouragement, and support to their fellow skaters and the rink environment.
The recipient of this award is Antonia Gallego.
3. DEDICATION & DRIVE
The Dedication & Drive Award recognizes a skater who consistently shows hard work, a positive attitude, and a willingness to learn without complaints. This skater approaches every practice with focus and determination, always striving to improve and reach new goals.
The Dedication & Drive Award goes to Junior Test skater, Jessica Petrychyn.
4. SPIRIT AWARD
The Spirit Award is given to a skater who brings enthusiasm, positivity, and encouragement to the ice. This skater’s joyful attitude and supportive nature helps create a fun environment for everyone in the Junior Test program.
The winner of the Spirit Award is Ellie Sorestad.
5. RISING STAR AWARD – JUNIOR TEST & STARSKATE
These Rising Star Awards celebrate skaters who have shown remarkable growth, dedication, and promise throughout the season.
The Recipient for the Rising Star Award in the Junior Test program is Telienka De Neckar.
The winner of the Rising Star Award in the StarSkate program is Antonia Gallego.
6. UNSHAKEABLE SPIRIT AWARD
This award recognizes a skater who shows resilience, determination, and strength through challenges. This skater demonstrated incredible perseverance and commitment, continuing to push forward with courage and passion while turning mistakes into motivation.
The winner of the Unshakeable Spirit Award is Chloee Abbott.
Coach Rebecca said it’s been a busy and rewarding season for the Canora Skating Club, including:
- attending two competitions (Wynyard, Moosomin), bringing home bronze and silver ribbons, and their first ever gold ribbon (Ashton Lamb, Star 3 Elements).
- hosting World Ice Skating Day, a family fun day including a skate with Santa and the Canora Cobras, and solos by our competitive skaters.
- receiving a grant from Skate Saskatchewan for the development of our club, allowing them to purchase off-ice training equipment and an on-ice jumping harness which has accelerated the development of our skaters.
- introducing the Junior Test program, which consisted of eight skaters. The Junior Test program is designed to prepare skaters in the last levels of the CanSkate program for the figure skating program (StarSkate).
- They had another successful season of exams, conducting 13 exams where some skaters moved up three levels.
- They added two more hours of prime time ice on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, thanks to a collaborative effort from the Town of Canora and Canora Minor Hockey, which allowed them to meet our program delivery requirements from Skate Canada. They also had a group of skaters train Thursday mornings before school every week.
We have seven skaters moving into the figure skating program next season, for a total of 20 returning StarSkaters.
The Club executive incudes:
- Cecilia Keinick, president
- Rebecca Trost, club head coach & director at large
- Mackenzie Anderson, CanSkate head coach & director at large
- Cassie Abbott, vice-president
- Joni Petrychyn, secretary
- Janelle Fullawka, treasurer
- Kylee Toffan, carnival co-ordinator & director at large
- Trish Chernoff, program assistant & assessment co-ordinator, director at large
- Amanda Daku, fundraising co-ordinator.
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