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Hi everyone!
Ice Dance Elite @ Scarboro F.S.C held our annual gala and fundraiser, "So You Think You Can Judge?" at the Galaxy on Saturday October 29th 2005.
This was an event that had spent much time in the making. Last year, at around the same time, I had the idea to do an audience participation show, a sort of skating virtual reality. We called it, "You Be the Judge", and put it together in a couple of weeks. The comments the teams received from the audience proved to be such good food for thought that we were determined to do a bigger and better show this year.
At the same time, we wanted to put on a fundraiser for the dance program to help offset our costs. After a couple of false starts, we decided to combine the gala show and the fundraiser into one big event. And what an event it turned out to be!
Angela Yiorgiadis (Nikki's mum) and Janice Stoveld (mum to Laura and Jeff) galvanized their willing band of parent volunteers and put on a fantastic show of wonderful prizes for our "Fish Bowl Fundraiser" which gave you admission the show as well. Merville Hill proved once again that those candy kabobs are a winner for every child, especially around Halloween. (I love them too!) John Yiorgiadis donated wonderful treats, and we were able to offer coffee and pastries to our enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience. Jon Lane was a tower of strength as our social steward, ably assisted by Anna Stanislavska, and did double duty as our video operator. Unfortunately, he was so entranced by the opening of Laura and Jeff's free dance, he forgot to move the camera, for which he humbly apologizes! Nikki Delchev, a longtime Scarboro F.S.C. stalwart, did a wonderful job playing the music. Nikki has been a parent volunteer at the club for many years, and it is so nice to still see her on these occasions. Donna Iijima was in charge of audience feedback sheets, and she did a great job of directing operations in the seating area. You know you are a success when you have to quickly put up more bleachers to accommodate your audience!
We offer a huge thank you to our two "real" judges, Mary Claire Heintzman and Ron Conacher. Mary Claire and Ron have been so supportive over the years, giving up their time to help the skaters, and always bringing knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful advice to our teams. They have been a key factor in our success over the past two seasons. I know that I can always ask them for input and they will give it generously. These two people are true skating enthusiasts, and care about our sport and the people in it. We are lucky to be able to call on their expertise and support. Once again, many thanks!
To Tanya, our website designer, and Maria and Janina, two of our talented seamstresses, thanks for coming to watch the teams "in the flesh"!
Dancers, what can I say? (Yes yes, I know, I can say a lot! But I digress…………!) Your energy, enthusiasm and performance ethic wowed the crowd. From the biggest to the smallest, you looked polished, professional, and ready to take on the world. You all have what it takes to have a great competitive season. So….. Tanis& Ian(smooth & sexy) Laura,&Jeff(exciting, dynamic) Andrea&Spencer(romantic, intricate), Vanessa & Paul (mesmerizing, effortless) Lauren & Alvin ( fast, electric) Oliva & Simon (interesting, beautiful) Kharis & Asher ( WOW!, breathtaking) Nikki & Graham( fun, speedy)
Kelly & Jordan ( expressive, so much fun!), Joanna & Marc Andre (smooth, expressive)
Alexandra & Josh (great edges, polished) Katie & Dima (cute and cuter)
Kimberley & Andrew (fast, aggressive) Taryn & Derek (flowing, strong) these are just a few of the great comments on the feedback sheets you will be receiving in the next couple of days. Take it all on board and continue to improve. Remember, winning is in the details. (I say that a lot!)
To Juris, my partner in crime and choreography, when I see all the programs together like this, I am once again amazed by what we have been able to accomplish. No wonder we are tired!!!! But it's the most fun I ever had, and along with Jon and Donna, we've got the most fantastic coaching group. I can't wait for competition!
Go teams, go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |