Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to this month’s Skate Ontario Member Spotlight: Gloucester Skating Club! Founded in 1971, over the past 54 years the GSC has been the home of many accomplished skaters and coaches who have successfully competed at the National, International and Olympic levels.

GSC continually strives for excellence in all aspects of their operations. They are known in their community for being a welcoming place for skaters of all levels.

Community

Halloween at GSC

For those at the heart of GSC, community is key. “We value community and when you walk into the GSC, even as a competitor, you become a part of our community. Our skaters very much enjoy showcasing their talents on home ice, but we are most proud of the friendships that have been made throughout the years with other competitors,” says Natasha Mitchell, President of the Board of Directors at GSC. “It is not uncommon to see our membership in the stands cheering on each other or new friends from neighboring clubs, sometimes even when they are competitors in the same event. In fact on a few rare occasions, our GSC coaches have stepped up to support a guest skater whose coach was unable to attend. We want to see everyone perform their personal best.”

To those involved with the club, the GSC is more than only a collection of people who come together to do a sport. At every level, this club is a vibrant community that cares about each other.

Coaches 

GSC Coaches

GSC has exceptional coaches who live out the values of club, Skate Ontario and of Skate Canada. According to Natasha, “They are the lifeblood of the community. Their passion and joy for the sport and our skaters is on display every day. It is contagious – and with intention they are instilling that joy in our skaters … It is not a coincidence that many of our coaches have coached at GSC for over 35 years… There is definitely something that pulls everyone back to GSC!”

In addition to coaching, GSC skaters support club activities in other ways. During the 2024/25 season, 32 STAR/Competitive skaters were program assistants in the CanSkate program, and 13 GSC members trained or contributed as officials at various competitions and test days.

Events

Each year, the GSC is proud to host a Skate Ontario Provincial Series Event, the Elizabeth Manley Winter Classic. “During planning for this and other events, the focus always remains the same – making sure each and everyone who is in attendance feels welcome, heard and supported,” Natasha says.

Elizabeth Manley attending the EMWC

Each year, the club looks for new and innovative ways to improve upon this event. “This year the event fell on Valentine’s Day. The LOC incorporated opportunity for the skaters to write messages to their coaches as well as words of encouragement to each other. These notes were posted in both the Coaches room and in the main hallway of the facility for all to enjoy.”

The club prioritizes ensuring that guest and home skaters feel safe and supported before, during and after each competition by limiting access to the staging areas and providing everyone with options on dressing room facilities based on their chosen gender identity, including at least one room dedicated as an all-gender change room.

GSC also asks for feedback from event participants, coaches and officials through surveys to capture any recommendations for improvement, or comments about parts of the event that they enjoyed. The Board reviews these and does their best to incorporate any recommendations for future events.

Programming

As the club continues to grow, GSC has recently expanded its ice time for both youth and adult skaters in hopes of providing the opportunity for more community members to skate.

Christmas at GSC

The club has continued to meet standards in both the CanSkate and STAR 1-5 Excellence programs. In addition, they provide an Enrichment Program for all STAR 1- GOLD athletes, with coaches providing specialized classes both on and off the ice.

“We have continued to improve our off-ice programming to be more inclusive and well rounded for athletes of all levels and with specific limitations – Pre-STAR, STARSkate, Podium Pathway, Special O and Adaptive athletes and of course our Adults,” Natasha says. “Annually, we hold our Club Competition which builds and encourages team building events and creativity in our athletes. The impact of this attention to our Skate Canada Programming has made the skaters want to skate more and to build life-long friendships with their team mates.”

Innovation

GSC is always looking for new and fun ways to engage their community. For example, the club was extremely excited to announce the launch of the GSC Ice Ambassadors program last season. This exciting new program serves as an excellent example of GSC’s creativity and innovation.

The objective of the program is to enhance the visibility of the Gloucester Skating Club, create a recognizable brand and foster community engagement. This program profiled select GSC skaters from various levels on the Club’s social media, check out the video below to learn more.

According to Natasha, “GSC is a special place. We try not to take that for granted. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to share GSC’s story. It allows us to reflect on what makes our club special and ensure that this legacy continues for future generations.”

Thank you, GSC, for sharing your story with us and for being such incredible representatives of our sport in your community. Please join us in congratulating this wonderful club on their many successes.