Local Skaters Take to Ice at Bay State Games
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| Christmas Brook Skating Club performs on Saturday night. |
Across the way, the winners' podium for 2008 Winter Bay State Games was empty, but would soon be filled with smiling faces of young figure skaters.
Mackenzie, who's been skating since she was 4, was hoping this would be her year to nab a medal or at least move closer to the top. Her performance in the free skate last year wasn't medal worthy, but she had a positive attitude going in this year.
<L2>"I just want to try and improve on last year," Mackenzie said. Laura Cece, who has been coaching her "forever," seemed pleased with her routine on Saturday.
Mackenzie was just one of hundreds of young people - and not so young people - who descended on the Berkshires over the weekend to compete in the Bay State Games with hopes of standing on the podium with medals around their necks.
Organized by the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation, the Bay State Games' mission is “to promote personal development, education, fitness, teamwork and sportsmanship through athletic competitions and scholarship programs for the people of Massachusetts." This is the 23th year for the Winter Games, which has grown from its inception from 300 athletes to nearly 1,000 representing three sports. The older Summer Games draw triple that number in 28 sports.
The figure skating competitions are recognized by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Instititute. This year also saw the return of Alpine skiing, held at Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield for high school students. The master's hockey games, with two divisions (over-40 and over-50) were held over three days at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in North Adams.<R3>
The Christmas Brook Figure Skating Club, based in Adams, once again brought its experienced contingent to the ice.
In her sixth year as club president, Lisa Waltermire has seen the membership grow to about 65 kids from Vermont, New York and Massachusetts. She said membership has increased in part because of the lowered-age restrictions in sanctioned competition.
"It used to be 10 years old and then they moved it to 9 and now its 8 years old," Waltermire said. She said the girls attain their competition levels through testing.
The age drop allowed the club to enter 20 skaters at this year's games."We have eight to 10 coaches and allow new coaches when they turn 16," Waltermire said.
Jenna Waltermire, her daughter, has been skating for 11 years and this will be her sixth Bay State Games.
Her training schedule is a rigid one. She practices for 90 minutes three days a week. On Sundays, Jenna adds an hourlong off-ice workout to her day as well. She works hard to make her routines more difficult.
"My most recent goal is to perfect my double axle," Jenna said. She has won two gold medals in previous games and hoped to do more of the same this year.
<L4>She started off on Friday by taking a bronze medal in the novice ladies' short program competition; she was to compete in the free skate competition on Saturday.
Christmas Brook skaters were also slated to perform at the Bay State Skate Show on Saturday night.
Christmas Brook Figure Skating Club was founded in Williamstown during the 1960s and was incorporated in 1967. The club is named for Christmas Brook and, at one time, the skaters practiced regularly at the Williams College skating rink. They now call the Vietnam Veterans' rink on South Church Street in North Adams home.
