Sioux Lookout Skating Club skaters showcase skills at Thunder Bay Open competition 

Tim Brody - Editor

Eleven skaters from the Sioux Lookout Skating Club attended this year’s Thunder Bay Open competition and according to their coaches, they did very well.
Taking place in Thunder Bay from March 1-3, the Sioux Lookout Skating Club was represented at the competition by Brynn Baas, Emma Bates, Emilia Blandon Michelizzi, Julie Cole, Rhyah Gosse, Geneva Otto, Angelina Positano, Joelleen Pruys, Renata Rattai, Aubrey Slade, and Connor Supervich.
Skaters in the STAR 1-4 categories received a ribbon for their performances, senior level skater Emma Bates took home a silver medal on her element assessment, while fellow senior level skater Geneva Otto won a gold medal in her artistic assessment.
Sisters Kayleigh Bates and Aubrey Bates are two of the Sioux Lookout Skating Club’s six coaches.
Kayleigh Bates, Lead CanSkate & STAR Senior Coach for the club shared, “We did really well. For some of our senior skaters it was their first time going to that high of a level. They did really well. They matched the competitors at that level when it came to speed and power, which is what we were looking for this season.”
Aubrey Bates, Lead STAR Junior Coach and Pre-STAR Coach explained, “A lot of the skaters that I’m coaching right now, they went into the same event that they did last year, but we were super excited to see different results this year as they all improved in their power and their speed and just their overall results were really, really good.”
“We had a good time, and everyone walked away happy,” she added.
Emilia Blandon Michelizzi received gold on her element assessment and silver on her creative improv.
“It was really fun, and we all did really, really well,” she shared, adding it was a lot of fun to attend the competition with her fellow skaters from the Sioux Lookout Skating Club.
Connor Supervich received overall silver.
He said he’s been working extra hard this season and it felt good to be recognized for his hard work.
“I would say this year’s competition was definitely a big learning experience,” Kayleigh commented. “This is Aubrey and I’s first time coaching as regional coaches. We had never coached these levels before so going as coaches was new for us. It was also new for our skaters. This is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that we’ve had consistent coaching and a solid program. We’ve been able to run that only with the help of Skate Ontario and their pilot program. Just going and attending and just seeing how our skaters compare to the other skaters in the level was the goal for us, just to match the speed and power of other clubs that come to this competition, and I would say we succeeded in that.”
Under the Skate Ontario pilot program, the Sioux Lookout Skating Club is being coached this season by six current and former skaters in the club: Aubrey Bates, Adelaide Meekis, Emma Bates, Geneva Otto, Kayleigh Bates, and Ruth Broderick.
Kayleigh shared, “Everyone has grown up in this club as a skater, so it’s been really cool to see them step into that coaching roll and just working together as a team has been really great too. We each bring something unique to the table and that has really benefited our club this year.”
“We’re super grateful for their (Skate Ontario’s) help through their pilot program. They’ve helped us a lot just build up a new program that really focuses on learning the quality basics of skating.”
Skaters in the club have been practicing for their 2024 Year End Ice Show, “Our Skating Mixtape”. The year end ice show will be held this Sunday, April 7, at the Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena. The show gets underway at 2 p.m. Entry is by donation.
Kayleigh and Aubrey said skaters in the club are excited to show the community their skills,
“We’re really excited for the show. It will be a little bit different than our shows in the past, but I think the way that we’re running it will show all of the basics that our skaters have worked on throughout the season,” Aubrey said. 
Addressing the community, Kayleigh said, “if you’d like to come, we’d appreciate it. We’ll have skaters from our Can Skate program all the way up to our Star Senior program competing in the show… Some of our skaters who went to competition, the senior skaters, they’ll be performing their competitive programs at the show. If you’re interested in seeing what they do in competition, come check it out.”