St. Cloud Figure Skating Club Glides into 50th Anniversary with Cinematic Spectacle

(KNSI) — The St. Cloud Figure Skating Club is celebrating its golden anniversary with the sounds of the silver screen.

“Gliding to Golden: A Cinematic Celebration” will take to the ice at the MAC at 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. on March 23rd. The group’s board is run entirely by volunteers, mostly parents of skaters in the program. One of those is Sara McDonald.

She tells KNSI News that the organization has developed into the best of its kind in central Minnesota. “This is the highest level club that you can belong to as far as where skaters are testing and the skill level they’re achieving. And she [McDonald’s daughter] had her sights set on something a little higher than where she was at, and so this club was the club.”

Over 40 skaters have passed at least one U.S. Figure Skating Academy Gold Level test since the club was formed. That includes the skills evaluation and, in recent years, dance. Ten have made it through the singles test, including current member Charlotte Lau. She will have a plaque added to the MAC’s “Wall of Distinction” during the 50th anniversary exhibition show.

Lau’s mother, Theresa, is also the board president. She says the group has three types of classes across various experience levels. All will be a part of the show.

“Every skater has the opportunity to be involved, down to the youngest skater. And they are often some of the most enjoyable to watch.” She laughs, adding, “they’re adorable!”

The club starts with Learn to Skate classes. Learn to Skate Plus helps ease the transition into advanced freestyle lessons. The club has a total of 105 members, with 57 participating in the anniversary exhibition.

Board member Jen Collier says it highlights individual progress, which makes it special for parents and participants alike. “One of the reasons why the ice show is so fun to go watch is because when you look back at the beginning levels and you remember when your daughter was there, it’s just cute to see and fun to see like how much they’ve grown and how much they’ve improved since they were at those beginning levels.”

Tickets are available online beforehand. A link is here. They can also be purchased at the door.

Some of the movies that will have songs featured in the show include Barbie, Ghostbusters, Lion King, the Muppets, and Star Wars. It is the culmination of a ton of work. The club offers sessions in all four seasons, with classes taking place from three to five days per week.

McDonald says the St. Cloud group differs from some of the high-end organizations in the Twin Cities that focus exclusively on figure skating. Members there have eyes on a national title and even Olympic medals. In the St. Cloud club, everyone has a separate hobby or activity that they devote time to at some point in the year.

Collier says some St. Cloud alums have made waves. A former member skates with the Northernettes synchronized collegiate team, where she traveled to Poland to perform. Dance is becoming a more important part of the club. Collier’s daughter, Ava, competed in Texas at the Dance Excel National Festival in the summer.

Collier, McDonald, and Lau all say that dance helps to accentuate how creative figure skating is, which helped attract many of the members to the sport in their early days.

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