The Comox Valley Skating Club wrapped up the 36th and final Barbara Rasmussen Memorial Competition this past weekend, with over 280 competitors taking part, including 26 local skaters.
Comox Valley has been host for 35 of the 36 years that this competition has been run, with coach Dawn (Rachuk, Spelay) Ladret being an integral part of the organizing and production of the event for 30 of those years. Several members of the Rasmussen family, including Barbara鈥檚 mother, son and grandson, were in town to celebrate the long run of the event and help close it out. "A big thank you to the organizing committee lead by Lisa Wigard for making this last one a special event for all involved," said CVSC coach and director of skating Greg Ladret.
"While most competitions are hosted by a different community each year, having this event in one place every year has created personal connections for many of the local people that has had a long involvement with it," Ladret said.
"One interesting development has been that in the past couple of years a few of our youngest skaters have become the third generation of their family to compete in the Barbara Rasmussen Memorial Competition."
Ladret said the local skaters did themselves proud with personal best skates, picking up five performance ribbons, and a mixture of first-, second- and third-place medals.
Though the Super Series Star Skate Provincial Final which will be held March 23-25 in Surrey is the official end of the Star Skate season, many Island skaters who only skate the fall and winter seasons have come to consider the Barbara Rasmussen Competition the end of the season, Ladret noted.
Comox Valley skaters have the first event of the new Super Series season in Parksville April 13-15, so most of them will not be taking a training break until the end of May, he added.
For information on the CVSC spring session of Canskate, Pre-School and Pre-Power which starts April 2, go to comoxvalleyskatingclub.ca.
鈥� Comox Valley Skating Club
