Sioux Lookout, Ontario is a tight-knit community of approximately 6,000 people about 350km northwest of Thunder Bay and home to the Sioux Lookout Skating Club. The Sioux Lookout SC took part in the very first Skate Ontario Club Modernization Pilot Program during this past 2023-2024 season. This program focuses on mentorship and support from Skate Ontario on how to combine key elements of on-ice coaching with off-ice physical literacy, enhancing athletic development and a renewed passion for skating.

The first year of the pilot program was met with overwhelming success in Sioux Lookout, adding consistency to the delivery of their on-ice and off-ice programming as well as substantial coach improvement. Two coaches from the club, Kayleigh Bates and Aubrey Bates, who both have their Regional Coach certification, sat down with us to discuss how much impact this pilot program had on their skaters, coaches and club as a whole.

Aubrey said, “After being a part of Skate Ontario’s Club Modernization Pilot Program, our club has become even more tight knit and confident both on and off the ice. Our off-ice component being even stronger and the kids were able to attempt more things off the ice, which enabled them to complete things on the ice.”

Kayleigh mentioned, “It’s just been great to watch the kids confidence come back on the ice and see them really enjoy skating.”

In addition to improving overall on and off-ice programming, the Club Modernization Pilot Program is geared towards introducing multiple coaching methods paired with comprehensive coach development. Skate Ontario is with the clubs and coaches every step of the way, no matter how big or how small the questions may be or seem. “The most valuable piece of the pilot program for me was being able to have somebody I could call and talk to, to ask questions and make sure I was doing things correctly even if I was unsure of the direction I should be going,” said Aubrey. “For me, it was just having the support from Skate Ontario and also the resources that were provided to our club for our various programs being the CanSkate and STARSkate programs,” added Kayleigh.

Kayleigh and Aubrey also had the opportunity to take part in a coach mentorship piece of the program, where they both spent some time with National level coaches including Janice Morgan, Alison Purkiss and Nancy Lemaire at their home rinks. After shadowing the coaches and observing different sessions, Kayleigh said “it’s just been really cool to see how the basics that we use up in our club, the progressions are still applied down here with skaters in higher levels, it’s very cool to see how that translates over.”

Coach and skater development go hand in hand, and the Club Modernization Pilot Program takes an integrated approach that is tailored to the club/skating school’s unique strengths and weaknesses. A highlight from the Sioux Lookout SC this year was their participation in the Thunder Bay Open, which was a great competitive experience for the skaters and coaches. Another highlight was their year end ice show, where the skaters were really able to show off in front of their friends and families how much progress they made over the past year. One of the skaters’ parents said that “everyone had such fun and were proud of being part of the club following the show. The kids didn’t want the year to be over.”

The ice show marked the end of the 2023-2024 skating season for the Sioux Lookout SC, and being a part of the Club Modernization Pilot Program has reignited the passion with skaters, coaches, parents, board members and volunteers within the skating club. As they look ahead, Aubrey said “what I’m looking forward to most next season for our club is having the skaters taking what they have learned this past year and implementing it into a routine for next year, so that we can give them more opportunities and they can go even further with what they have learned.”

Skate Ontario is thrilled to be opening up the Club Modernization Pilot Program to up to five other member clubs or skating schools for the 2024-2025 season! “For any clubs or skating schools who might be hesitant to try out Skate Ontario’s Club Modernization Pilot Program, I would say just go into it with an open mind. You might try a lot of new things that you wouldn’t necessarily have tried before and it might end up working out better than you thought! And it might benefit your skaters more than things you have done in the past,” said Kayleigh.

For more information on this exciting, new program, please visit the Pilot Program page on our website. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Scott Rachuk, Director, Sport.

“We would just love to say thank you to Skate Ontario for all of their support with this pilot program. It’s been great. They have gotten back to us when we’ve asked questions, and have been really pleasant to work with, so huge shout out to them.” – Kayleigh