MOGANTOWN — Sunday afternoon, at the far end of the Morgantown Ice Arena:
The Zamboni made one more pass, to go with last-minute tweaks to the house lights and music for the routines.
And the skaters, all members of the Mason-Dixon Figure Skating Club, were at the ready.
Claire McCusker was there, bouncing on her edges, along with Chrissy Withers, Gina Geils, Vanessa Wojcik and Erica Hilling.
Right behind them were Holly McMullen, Breanna Li and Kitty Withers (the identical twin sister of Chrissy), who were joined by Grace McCusker, Ellie Zu and Belle Lu.
Marisol Sura was part of this skater’s bunch, as were Keira Dunn, Samantha Martinez and Celina Liang.
Kinley Hines, Ellie Xu and Rebecca Brazaitis rounded the roster.
Collectively, they were a group of (budding) athletes, with a performer’s bent, prepared to take Newtonian physics to the literal edge.
Then, Mary Beth Withers (the mom of twins Chrissy and Kitty) spotted that wayward thread.
“Whoa, whoa, Kitty,” she said, laughing. “Hold up. You’re gonna come unraveled.”
“Oh,” said 10-year-old Kitty, who wasn’t unraveled at all. “We wouldn’t want that.”
“No, I don’t think we would.”
Gliding and giving
The occasion was the club’s annual “Season for Giving Ice Show,” which also contributes to area causes.
Non-perishable food items were donated to Christian Help as part of the admission price to this year’s show.
Angela Barclay, the club’s director, said she looks forward to the show every year.
Of course, there’s the community service component, she said.
And the fact that the show raises the profile of figure skating in the land of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“You might watch it during the Winter Olympics and see the music and grace,” she said.
“But figure skating is a real physical workout.”
Barclay should know. The 28-year-old nurse practitioner has been at it since she was 5.
She even harbored Olympic dreams, but life has a way of making you not stick your landings sometimes, she said.
“I’m always gonna stick with skating, though,” she said.
“I enjoy watching the skaters when they’re just starting out. It’s beautiful when their confidence starts to build.”
Anyone can join the club, Barclay said.
Its members include those just past the toddler stage and recent WVU graduates who were members of the university’s figure skating club.
If you don’t know how to skate, they’ll teach you. Just visit www.skatemorgantown.com for more information.
Jumps, spins … and heaves?
Spectators in the know pointed out budding axels, salchows, crossovers, camels spins and — “Look! A Beillman! She did it!”
The skaters cheered one another and told rueful stories after their routines:
“There was no way I was gonna try that jump, ’cause the back of my outfit was riding up,” said one coach, who skated then offered last-second encouragement to a couple of her students, who also performed.
“My timing was off,” said one teen member, “but I was already committed, so I just went for it.”
Meanwhile, the twins, Kitty and Chrissy, had their own war stories.
Chrissy was done out in pinkish, princess-like hair for her turn in the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.” Kitty, in contrast, skated to “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” for her glide under the lights.
Chrissy: “I didn’t want to go too fast in my final spin. I was afraid I was gonna fall down.”
Kitty: “Really? I was afraid I was going to heave with my final spin.”
“Always interesting with these two,” their mom said. “And they love the skating.”
