BFSC captures third at Prairie Polar Blast

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BROOKINGS – Axels, salchows, toe loops, lutzes were aplenty as the Brookings Figure Skating Club (BFSC) recently hosted its home figure skating competition at Larson Ice Center.

The 2017 Prairie Polar Blast, sanctioned by the Ice Skating Institute, featured a total of 53 skaters competing in individual events and another 21 skaters competing in pairs and team events. Skaters represented four figure skating clubs from Minnesota and South Dakota: the New Ulm Figure Skating Club, the Yankton Figure Skating Club, the Sioux Falls Figure Skating Club and the host Brookings Figure Skating Club.

Sioux Falls captured the title in the team competition, followed by New Ulm, Brookings and Yankton.

A one-day competition for the past several years, this year’s competition expanded to a two-day event.

Saturday morning opened with events for beginning skaters in the Pre-Alpha through Delta levels, and then progressed into freestyle, compulsory, footwork, and ‘spotlight’ events in which skaters wore costumes and performed routines choreographed to music associated with familiar movies, characters and important societal issues.

Sunday’s events began with hockey skills, a new category of events for the Prairie Polar Blast, and then returned to more traditional figure skating events including interpretive events in which competitors must choreograph their own routines to music they are hearing for the first time; ‘jump and spin’ events featuring two skaters demonstrating their jumping and spinning skills, respectively; and rhythmic events incorporating balls, ribbons and hoops into the choreography.

BFSC President Todd Stratmoen was extremely pleased with the competition.

“We moved this year’s competition from March to January and saw the number of skaters more than double from last year’s event,” Stratmoen said. “We also increased the size of the competition to nearly 100 different events, but we’ve got a fantastic group of parents, skaters, and coaches that all pitched in to help things run seamlessly the entire weekend.

“The feedback on the competition we received from the visiting clubs was very favorable, and is a credit to everyone that helped with the competition.”

The Brookings Figure Skating Club promotes the sport of figure skating in Brookings and surrounding communities by providing developmental and training opportunities for figure skaters, as well as an annual camp, competition, and ice show.

The theme of this year’s ice show is “Princess Stories”, with an evening performance at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 7, and a matinee performance at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, both at Larson Ice Center in Brookings.

For more information about the BFSC and its programs, visit www.brookingsfsc.com or send an email to brookingsfsc@gmail.com.

2017 Prairie Polar Blast Results for the Brookings Figure Skating Club:

Cloë Barber: 4th – Footwork 4; 1st – Solo Compulsory Freestyle 4; 2nd – Open Freestyle Silver; 1st – Freestyle 4

Ruby Barber: 1st – Solo Compulsory Pre-Alpha; 1st – Stroking Pre-Alpha

Savannah Barber: 1st – Hockey Skating; 1st –Puck Handling/Shooting

Shevy Barber: 3rd – Artistic Freestyle 4

TJ Cass: 2nd – Drama Spotlight Freestyle 1; 5th – Rhythmic Ribbon Freestyle 1; 2nd – Freestyle 1

Jensi Jensen: 1st ­– Light Entertainment Spotlight Freestyle 3; 5th – Freestyle 3; 1st – Character Spotlight Freestyle 3; 4th – Rhythmic Ribbon Freestyle 3; 1st – Interpretive Freestyle 3

Charlotte League: 5th – Drama Spotlight Freestyle 4; 3rd – Footwork 4; 2nd – Freestyle 4; 3rd – Jump & Spin Silver; 5th – Open Freestyle Silver; 2nd – Interpretive Freestyle 4

Kennedy Ronning: 2nd – Beta; 3rd – Character Spotlight Beta; 1st – Solo Compulsory Beta

Piper Schulz: 1st – Freestyle 4; 2nd – Rhythmic Ribbon Freestyle 4; 4th – Open Freestyle Silver; 1st – Artistic Freestyle 4

Emily Stratmoen: 2nd – Footwork 5; 4th – Open Freestyle Silver; 2nd – Drama Spotlight Freestyle 5; 2nd – Artistic Freestyle 5; 2nd – Freestyle 5

Kamryn Streich: 1st – Stroking Alpha; 1st – Character Spotlight Alpha; 2nd – Solo Compulsory Alpha

Kate Struck: 1st – Stroking Delta; 3rd – Delta; 2nd – Light Entertainment Spotlight Delta; 1st – Solo Compulsory Delta