A small-town rink was running at full tilt last weekend as the Pense Skate Club hosted a major Skate Saskatchewan regional figure skating competition, drawing nearly 200 skaters and a steady flow of families and spectators through the doors.

The Skate Saskatchewan Regional 2–5 event took over the Pense Memorial Rink on Feb. 7 and 8, bringing skaters from 28 clubs across Regions 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Vanessa Chastko, president of the Pense Skate Club, said the first half of the event had gone smoothly, crediting the effort of officials, volunteers, and months of planning behind the scenes.

“Everything has been going wonderful,” she said. “So far, from what we’ve heard from the parents, everything has been organized and on time — we’ve actually been early — and our officials have been great to work with. Our tech directors have been wonderful to work with, too.”

While the Pense Memorial Rink is no stranger to hockey games and tournaments, Chastko said the scale of this weekend’s event was something the club didn’t take lightly, especially with a limited board of directors.

“Well, because we do have a small board — there’s just four ladies on the board here in Pense — it was certainly a divide-and-conquer situation,” she said.

The club began preparing in early December as the details began to stack up.

“We’ve been planning this since early December,” Chastko said. “That’s when we started getting down to the details, like the medals and the ribbons, the d?cor, the volunteer schedules and all of that kind of stuff.”

The competition brought close to 200 skaters to Pense. Even with a few last-minute withdrawals due to illness and injury, the weekend still delivered a full rink and a steady stream of visitors.

Events were divided by skill level rather than age, with competitors skating from Skate Canada’s Star 1 categories through Gold. That structure meant younger and older skaters could compete in the same group if they were assessed at similar levels.

“You can have a six-year-old in Star 2, and you can also have an 18-year-old in Star 2,” she said. “So it’s just different levels and different types of skaters that all get to come together.”

While the weekend was a competition with official judging and placements, the format also gives skaters a chance to test their progress against others at the same skill level.

Chastko said the club was grateful for mild winter conditions, with skaters travelling in from communities across the region, including Regina, Pilot Butte, Assiniboia, Willow Bunch, Coronach, and Clavet.

She also credited the club’s coach, Jenna Betcher, for helping guide the planning process and bringing experience from other competitions.

“She’s really been the one who sat us down and said, ‘Here’s this opportunity, guys,’ so she’s been a huge help as well,” Chastko said.

Chastko said the broader skating community also stepped up, with volunteers from other clubs helping fill positions. The skating community, she noted, resembles a close-knit family.

“When we put the call out, we sent emails to the Regina and Moose Jaw clubs, and within five minutes they said, ‘Send us the link and we’ll sign up,’” she said.

With a full rink and positive feedback, Chastko said the long hours were already paying off.

“We’ve got lots of compliments today,” she said. “So it makes the months of prep, and the early mornings and late nights, all worth it at this point.”

To learn more about the Pense Skate Club, visit “Pense Skate Club” on Facebook or email PenseSkateClub@gmail.com. For more details about Skate Saskatchewan, visit SkateCanadaSaskatchewan.com.

Aaron Walker

Reporter

Moose Jaw Express