Kelsey Christensen doesn’t keep her passion for figure skating a secret. “PeaceLoveSkate” can be found in the Edina High School senior’s email address.
Christensen, who has been skating since age 3, has found all three of those words in her experience with the Braemar-City of Lakes Figure Skating Club over the past three years. For that reason, the local club’s annual Spring Ice Show April 27-28 will be bittersweet. It will be Christensen’s final show with the club before she heads off to college.
“I'm sad to leave because it's been an amazing experience being part of such a welcoming community,” Christensen says. “I'm sad to leave my coaches, Pam (May) and Toni (Swiggum), who I adore so much, and all my really good skating friends. I'll really miss it, but I will always have the memories from the experience I had.”
The 47th annual ice show is for skaters like Christensen, according to show director/organizer Evelyn Bone. “It gives them a time to show friends, family and the public what they have learned in the past year in skating in a show performance atmosphere—rather than a competitive event," she says.
Approximately 150 skaters, tots to adults, will participate in the show, which showcases local park and recreation skaters from the City of Edina’s Learn-to-Skate program as well as club skaters and nationally competitive skaters and national and international competitive synchronized skating teams.
The club has made a name for itself thanks to success at the national and international level over the years. Recently, the club’s synchronized skating teams brought home gold and silver medals in March at the 2012 United States Figure Skating (USFS) Synchronized Skating National Championships in Worcester, MA. Team Braemar Junior won gold, while Team Braemar Novice won silver. Also, for the first time in 15 years, the Team Braemar Juvenile team participated in the national championships, placing 10th in the country. All three synchronized teams will be performing at the spring show.
Christensen was on the Novice synchronized skating team all three years she’s been in the club. “It's an incredible experience to be part of, with all the wonderful competitions and friends that you meet,” she says. “The coaches are wonderful people, and so considerate of everyone. That has been one of the biggest highlights of being at the club I have ever experienced.”
Christensen wants to continue skating in her college’s figure skating program. But before that, she’s hoping the spring show will serve as a grand finale to a memorable club career. She’s in a career-high seven different numbers in the spring show, ranging from freestyle to her senior solo to synchronized to father-daughter.
Performances start at 6:30 p.m. on April 27 and 28 at the Braemar Ice Arena. Tickets for the show (which cost $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students) will be available via club members after April 10 and at the arena ticket office the day of the show. Parent passes will be available from the Braemar office the week of the show.
Tryouts for 2012-2013 synchronized skating teams are scheduled for May 7, 2012 at Braemar Arena. Additional information can be found at www.braemarfsc.org, www.icenetwork.com and www.usfigureskating.org.
Club Highlights
Novice Team
2008: 7th place at Nationals
2009: 3rd Midwestern Sectionals
2009: 3rd Nationals
2010: 1st Midwestern Sectionals
2010: 2nd Nationals
2011: 3rd Nationals
Junior Team:
2007: 3rd Nationals
2007: 1st Snowflake Trophy in Zagreb, Croatia
2008: 7th Prague cup
2008: 5th Nationals
2009: 2nd at Junior World Qualifier to be 1 of 2 teams to represent the USA at the Junior World Challenge Cup (JWCC)
2009: 1st at Midwestern Sectionals
2009: 2nd Spring Cup, Milan Italy
2009: 1st Nationals
2009: 5th JWCC
2010: 2nd Spring Cup, Milan Italy
2010: 1st Nationals
2010: 4th JWCC
2011: 1st French Cup, Rouen, France
2011: 2nd Nationals
2011: 3rd JWCC
2012: 6th French Cup
2012: 1st Nationals
2012: 4th JWCC
Individual or Freestyle State Medalists
2010
Hanne Considine - Pre-Preliminary – 2nd place
Coco Kaminski - Juvenile 1st place
Alex Johnson - Senior Men 1st Place
Elise Keller – Junior 3rd place
Samantha Considine – Pre-Juvenile – 3rd place
2011
Izzy Chapman – Pre-Preliminary – 1st place
Haley Voltz – Junior Ladies Test Track – 4th place
