Busy spring for Langton skaters

By Wanda Backus-Kelly

Things are gearing up at Langton Skating Club in preparation for the annual ice show on Saturday, April 5. All levels of the club are currently working to get ready for the big event, from the very youngest CanSkate participants to the more seasoned adult skaters and everyone in between, as well as the club’s five synchronized skating teams.

The theme for this year’s show is Down on the Farm, which will take a light-hearted and whimsical look at rural life. Coaches have worked hard to incorporate local themes into the lineup of numbers, with the closing number recreating a tobacco harvest party.

Special guest skaters for this year’s show are Ayan Tsai, 13 years old, from Brantford, and Lukas Poort, 14, from Mount Pleasant. The free skate pair are a pre-novice level pairs team that train at the Brant Figure Skating Club.

Each year, Langton’s annual ice show comes together thanks to a great group of volunteers headed up by carnival chairperson Danielle Jones. Under her direction, a small army is assembled to set up and tear down the show.

Board member Laura Mackenzie gathers a team of student volunteers to paint the large wooden backdrop that serves as the focal point of the show. Long-time backdrop designer Brian Grzech, son of board member Lynda Grzech, draws the design for the backdrop each year, based on the theme picked by the club’s coaches. Other board members take on numerous jobs, including the major task of creating the souvenir carnival booklet which falls this year to Jessica Van Laecke. Showtimes on April 5 are 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with tickets available at the door.

With Norfolk County keeping Langton arena open until late in May, the club is excited to be able to extend the skating season. Registration is open for a spring session, which will allow skaters another six weeks to hone their skating skills.

This opportunity for spring ice time works especially well for the club’s adult synchronized skating program, who are headed to Ghent, Belgium, in late April to compete in the Ice Crystal Trophy synchronized skating competition.

Organized by Gentse Schaatsclub Kristallijn, this is an invitational event open to skaters from all over the world. Coach Alexandra Casier-Smith explained, “When we first heard about the competition over a year ago, we felt we just needed to go because our team name is Ice Crystals! We felt like the competition was calling us!”

A mix of skaters from Langton’s two adult teams have come together to create the travel team, which consists of 16 skaters ranging in ages from 23–57. The team leaves for Belgium on April 22, and competes on April 26. Fundraising to offset costs associated with travel for this event are being undertaken and sponsors are also actively being sought out. Anyone who would like to contribute is encouraged to reach out to the club through langtonskatingclub.com.

Originally printed in The Good News, April 2025.