Introducing this month’s Skate Ontario Member Spotlight: Norwich & District Skating Club! Norwich & District SC is the winner of the 2024 Skate Ontario Outstanding LOC Award, which honours the work of the club’s incredible Local Organizing Committee.

This LOC has accomplished a tremendous amount! To name just one example, they have put on a very successful Star 1-4 event for the last two consecutive years, with an increase in size from approximately 180 skaters in 2022-23 to over 500 skaters in 2023-24! At this event, all categories were on time for the entire weekend! Norwich & District provided a warm and welcoming environment for skaters, families and friends to feel comfortable both watching performances and awaiting results. This fun and positive atmosphere helped to foster a love of figure skating for all that attended.

According to Katherine McSpadden, whose 3 children skate at Norwich & District SC, “In terms of the daily execution of the STAR 1-4 competition, I found the flow and events to have run flawlessly. All of the categories were on time for the entire weekend. Music was played well and results were tabulated and distributed in a timely manner. The NDSC board recognized that many families travelled longer distances and/or had multiple children attending multiple events. Thus, we were able to clearly mark and recommend local food options as well as having an open canteen all weekend that served snacks, coffee and other beverages. There also was ample space for parents and families to sit and relax when not actively participating in an event. I believe that because we were able to create such a friendly and welcoming environment we had more people stay to watch other categories – and thus having other athletes watch and cheer each other on was a great way to encourage sportsmanship and love for skating.”

When this event also included Synchro for the first time, the LOC expertly managed the logistics of this change, providing adequate space to accommodate warm-ups and congregating to receive results and awards. We are incredibly thankful for the work that this LOC has done to promote figure skating in their community, and were pleased to have respresentatives from Norwhich & District SC join us to accept their award live during our 2024 End of Year Broadcast!

In addition to the incredible success of their STAR 1-4 events, Norwich & District currently has over 100 skaters registered in their programs, from Pre-CAN all the way to STARSkate! According to the club, “We have a wonderful coaching team and a committed board to make sure our skaters have fun, are safe and are able to reach their skating potential and goals!”

Please join us in congratulating this wonderful club on their many achievements! Congratulations, Norwich & District SC!