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ON ICE THAT’S NICE
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Carlie Oddo (10) of Canfield gets mascara put on by Mari Ellen Warvell of New Castle at Chevy Centre. Carlie participated in The Skating Club of Greater Youngstown's annual skating competition Sunday January 11, 2009
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Camille Stoffick (10) of Girard skates at Chevy Centre for The Skating Club of Greater Youngstown's annual skating competition Sunday, January 11, 2009
By Elise Franco
A Canfield girl said the Skating Club of Greater Youngstown has helped her form lasting friendships.
YOUNGSTOWN — It may have been cold outside Sunday, but inside the Chevrolet Centre, routines for the Skating Club of Greater Youngstown’s team competition were so hot they could have melted the ice.
Skaters from the Youngstown area, as well as Meadville, North Park, Pittsburgh, New Castle and Greensburg, Pa., arrived before 8 a.m. to take part in the daylong Ice Skating Institute competition.
Skating Director Maria Koman said kids ranging from age 4 to 17 and adults of various ages skated in different categories, such as figure skating, canasta tango, interpretive dance, synchronized formation and jump and spin.
She said each individual, pair or group is judged based on brackets broken up by age and experience level.
“During the day we tabulate scores for every team,” Koman said. “At the end of the day we hand out medals, and the top overall teams get trophies.”
She said the competition, which is in its sixth year, doubled in size this year.
“I’m sure from here we’ll grow even more,” Koman said.
She said the skating club has brought in people from all over the Youngstown area.
“This club gives kids ways to organize their time, and it helps them learn preservation,” Koman said. “They learn lifelong skills from skating.”
Koman said the SCGY skates daily at the Hess Ice Rink in New Castle, and uses the Chevrolet Centre for larger events such as the ISI competition.
“We love skating here,” she said. “Even some of the dads have sold their playoff football tickets to watch their children skate.”
Skip Gottschalk of Girard said he loves to watch his granddaughter Camille Stoffick, 10, of Girard compete.
“You can tell she loves it,” he said. “I just love watching her skate.”
Gottschalk said that when Camille decided to start skating, he would be the one to take her.
“I started going down with her, and trust me, it’s not easy to do,” he said. “She joined the club so she’d have someone to skate with.”
In between skates, Renee Oddo of Canfield and Mari Ellen Warvell of New Castle get Oddo’s daughter Carlie Oddo, 10, ready to hit the ice.
Carlie said she’s been skating for six years and got involved because of her older sister.
“My sister went to a birthday party and they went ice skating,” she said. “I just think it’s great.”
Carlie said her favorite part of skating for SCGY is making friends she’ll have for life, and her mother agreed.
“That’s number one for her,” Oddo said. “It’s a social affair.”
Warvell said skating together is an outlet of sorts.
“It’s a good way to make friends,” she said. “Not everyone is from here, but they all come together and skate together.”
efranco@vindy.com