Going out with style; Skating club ends season with annual ice show - Chatham Daily News

The Chatham Figure Skating Club dropped the curtain on the winter season Friday night by holding its ice show at Thames Campus Arena.

It was a season in which several Chatham skaters returned from the provincial and national championships with medals.

The big winners were Christi Steele and Adam Johnson, who earned bronze medals in junior pairs at the Canadian championships in Vancouver.

The podium finish kept them on the junior national team. They went to Estonia and England for Junior Grand Prix events last fall and can expect more international assignments this year.

"They are going nowhere but up," club president Colleen L'Abbe said. "They are a team we should keep our eye on because they're really doing well.

"We're very, very proud."

Steele and Johnson train in Strathroy, but they returned Friday night to perform for their hometown fans.

Justin Junior was the other Chatham skater to compete at the nationals this season. He was 19th in the junior men's division.

Also scheduled to perform Friday was Katrina de Liberato, who won a bronze medal in juvenile ladies at the Ontario Winter Games.

Three more Chatham skaters - Paige Newman, Ashley Glassco and Olivia Stallaert - made club history by qualifying for Skate Ontario's Trillium STARSkate Championships.

"I don't think we've ever had three girls go on (to provincials)," vice-president Cherie Alexander said.

Local skaters do well - Chatham This Week
Members of the Chatham Figure Skating Club excelled at recent competitions.  Paige Newman and Ashley Glassco won silver medals at the Trillium provincial competition at Waterloo on March 8.  Prior to the competition, Ashley won a gold medal at the Windsor qualifier, while Paige won silver.  Their coach is Joelle Daigneau.

Meanwhile, Katrina de Liberato captured a bronze medal in the juvenile ladies division at the Ontario Winter Games in Barrie on March 8.  Katrina is scheduled to skate in this weekend's skating carnival in Chatham and competitively at the Spring Fling, April 18 in Cambridge.

Alexanders skate to five medals - Chatham Daily News
Benjamin Alexander and Madelyn Alexander of the Chatham Figure Skating Club combined to win five medals at the Mountain Town Classic on Saturday.

Benjamin won gold in basic skills showcase, bronze in basic 3 elements and was sixth in beginner freeskate.

Madelyn won silver in preliminary improvisation and bronze in preliminary showcase and preliminary freeskate.

De Liberato tops medal haul - Chatham Daily News
Katrina de Liberato of the Chatham Figure Skating Club won two gold medals at the Spring Fling competition on the weekend. Ashley Glassco, Mattea Deleary, Mackenzie Taylor Noah and Olivia Stallaert earned one gold apiece.

De Liberato was first in the pre-novice ladies short program and freeskate.

Also finishing first were Glassco in pre-juvenile competitive, Deleary in pre-preliminary 'B' limited, Taylor Noah in preliminary 'B' limited and Stallaert in preliminary ladies.

Alicia Newman won a silver in silver interpretive. Zach Ferren won a bronze in STARSkate preliminary men.

Rebecca Fehr and Brianna Lachance in pre-preliminary 'A' limited and Emily Craven in silver interpretive were fourth. Jenny Doermer was fifth in pre-introductory interpretive and ninth in STARSkate senior bronze, Keely Gunn was sixth in silver interpretive, Ashley Hundson was seventh in pre-preliminary 'A' limited and Paige Newman was 10th in juvenile competitive.