A skating club in a small Manitoba town hopes to gain a head start at the festival after winning the final of a national video festival celebrating the sport.
The Minnedosa Skating Club decided among 106 entries from across the country for Skate Canada’s national Skate with Us competition.
To participate, participants had to watch a video in one of 3 categories: Skate Canada Has Talent, Skating Clubs and Schools and Skate with Us.
When Minnedosa Skating Club president Jacquie Gerrard heard about the contest, she thought her club would be the best candidate. The city has been active, he said, but it has really embraced skating during the pandemic.
“Everything shut down with code red through COVID, and it was surely a lovely winter, if you remember,” he recalled in a phone interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
“Our total network gathered here, just the other people living in the lake and other people, to make this total circuit around the lake transparent for skating rinks. “
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)
When they couldn’t get together at home, the skating rink occupied a gathering position to safely socialize and play the game they love.
Its popularity has continued through the winters ever since. Gerrard said they have only about 60 registered skaters, which is a lot for his club.
To celebrate their small but tough skating town, the network gathered here to shoot their video under the direction of local videographer and former figure skater Brittany Hewlko.
“(Brittany) captured the spirit we were looking for. We wanted it to be not just about our club, but also about our city and the network spirit we have here,” Gerrard said.
The Minnedosa Skating Club video ranked among the 3 most sensitive in the category of skating clubs and schools. The videos were evaluated according to various criteria, adding creativity and theme.
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)
Now it’s up to the public that Minnedosa wins the jackpot. From now until February 15, other people can log in to the Skate With Us online page and vote once a day for their favorite submissions.
Winning the contest has as its theme the verbal exchange in the city.
“We have a local co-op store where we do all our grocery shopping and every time I walk by, the user in line says, ‘I vote each and every day for the video,’ and the user at the checkout says, ‘yes, me too,'” Gerrard said.
The first prize is $5,000, followed by $1,000 for the current position and $500 for the 3rd position.
Gerrard said the money would take a long time to help his small club, adding the hiring of a new coach to guide the budding skill at the net and keep the game as available as possible.
“Obviously, our network rink needs to stay open, so we’re forced to juggle between paying our ice fees and keeping our rates as low as possible.
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)