A public meeting on Oct. 24, 1974 to discuss the possibility of organizing a figure skating club in Drayton proved successful, as the winter of 1974-75 saw the beginning of the Drayton and District Figure Skating Club.
Over 150 skaters with varying degrees of skating experience took to the ice at the Drayton arena for the first of what has now reached a count of 40 seasons.
Registration fees were $10 for children up to six years old and $20 for skaters over six. A family rate (three or more) was $45. A one-hour practice consisted of 15 minutes of group instruction and 45 minutes of supervised practice.
Olive Lapp of Wingham, the club’s first coach, instructed skaters while the executive kept busy supplying badges and learning how to run an organization.
The 1975-76 season saw an equal amount of skaters on the ice with the more advanced skaters acting as coaches and assistants. The year climaxed with a carnival, Drayton on Ice, prepared and executed by Lapp.
After the closure of the Drayton arena, the club was left without an ice surface to use the following year. A dance studio opened and offered children activities for a few years.
By the 1977-78 season the new PMD arena was opened and figure skating resumed. Lapp took a year’s leave of absence to upgrade her education. Upon her return the following year she continued to teach until the end of the 1983-84 season.
Many coaches, skaters and executive members have been involved with the club over the past 40 years. Some third generation families include the Jacks and McIntoshs while the Israels are enjoying their second generation.
Volunteers who have made long-term commitments to the club include Sandy Ladd as president from 1988 to 1999, Deb Mantler in the role of treasurer 2007 to 2010 and president from 2010 to 2016, and Maureen TenHoopen in secretarial and presidential roles from 2001 to 2010.
Freelance coaches Darlene Armstrong-Loo 1991-99, Jeannette Shaw 1998-2016 were instrumental in the success of many skaters during their tenure.
Current club coach Kelly Culp began as a freelance coach in 1985. She became the club coach in 1991 and continues to hold this position in 2016.
The club has a well-balanced program for the recreational skater, providing ample ice time and coaching, allowing skaters to work towards their goals. Precision teams, gold test dancers and competition trophies have made up a large part of the group since the club formed.
The Drayton club is very proud of its accomplished skaters who have received over 55 gold medals in skills, dance, skate and interpretive categories since 1988. Gold is the highest level that a skater can achieve.
The Drayton club has been host to the Bluewater Competition in 1982, Tri-County Inter-Club competition in 1987, Weskate Fun Competition in 1999 and 2000 and Weskate Area Competition in 2004, 2010, 2016.
Revenue from hosting competitions keeps registration fees reasonable and allows the club to offer above-average standards in programming, officials say.
A fall off-season program added in 1998 extended the skating season for those wanting an early edge on the sport. By 1999 the free skating program and a jump harness became a reality. Over the club’s 40 years, enrolment has ranged from 70 to 150 skaters.
The Canskate program replaced the badge system for the National Skating Test in 1998. Figures were removed from the competition level and the test stream in 1997, and replaced with skating skills testing.
In addition to the preliminary free skate test, many dance routines changed levels. The test system previously judged by a panel of three judges was reduced to one judge.
The Canskate Program became the New Canskate program in 2014. The program encourages skater movement, includes training props and aids and coloured circuits drawn on the ice. Figure skating skills have been removed and hockey skills elements added.
Other changes have occurred to develop growth and access federal funding and are driven by the creation and implementation of a National Long Term Athlete Development Program.
Provincially, skating clubs are divided into four sections. The Drayton club is part of the Central Ontario section. Each section is managed under Skate Ontario. The Drayton club has been a sanctioned club with the Canadian Figure Skating Association for 40 years.
The organization was recently renamed Skate Canada. The Drayton club has unofficially changed its name from The Drayton and District Figure Skating Club to the “Drayton Skating Club” in order to be all-skate sport encompassing.
Due to its large and successful Star Skate membership the club hesitates to change its incorporated name as figure skating is a large portion of its programming, officials say.
In the spring of 2008, the club was saddened by the passing of Olive (Lapp) Jeffray, the club’s first coach. To honour her memory and love for the sport of figure skating, the Miss Lapp/Olive Jeffray Spirit Award was created in the 2008-09 season. This award is presented each year to a member of the club who exudes spirit and passion.
The Drayton Skating club continues to annually present a full-scale themed ice carnival. The format was changed from a Friday/Saturday two-show presentation to holding both shows on Saturday. A mid-afternoon and early evening show help keep expenses and set up/tear down manageable. Over the years themes for the carnival have included the Wizard of Oz, Canada, Grease, Olympic Dreams and Munsch Mania.
