First Skate Fest a Success Amid Hard Economic Times

More than 84 participants from 11 local figure skating clubs showed off their talents Saturday morning, but it might not have happened had Royal Oak and Berkley not merged their clubs earlier this year to sponsor the first annual Skate Fest.

Lisa Bonello, president of the newly formed New Edge Figure Skating Club, said membership declined significantly in 2009 in both Royal Oak's North Suburban Figure Skating Club and Berkley's Royal Blades Figure Skating Club. Economic strains forced families to make the tough call, she said, to cut back on an admittedly expensive sport.

The merger, however, ended up having a positive impact. Dues are set according to the number of members available to divide the cost of the ice and other expenses associated with using the towns' civic ice rinks. At one time four years ago, the Royal Oak club had approximately 130 members. By 2009, it had just 60. Membership highs of 75 in Berkley had dwindled to 25 over the same time frame. 

"Without this merger, I'm sure the two clubs would have dissolved," said Bonello, who previously had been associated only with the Berkley club.

All that business was in the back of Bonello's mind Saturday morning, however, as she busily signed up participants and made sure the event was ready to go at 9:30 a.m. at the in Royal Oak.

Teen and pre-teen skaters ranging in skill from beginner to intermediate were scheduled to compete in more that 100 events until the early evening. Most of the events were nonqualifiers, meaning the skaters' routines were meant to simply give them exposure and competitive experience. But one event, the showcase in which  skaters perform skits with music and props, will allow the top four to compete in the national showcase competition in Cleveland in 2011.

Linda Perrault, of Royal Oak, had for years watched her 14-year-old daughter Renee participate in the North Suburban FSC, but agreed the recent loss of members put a strain on the organization. In fact, the Royal Oak club had not sponsored its own similar competition for the past two years because of a lack of volunteers. Renee performed in several events Saturday, taking second place in the preliminary test track freestyle.

The New Edge FSC has 77 members from Berkley and Royal Oak and hopes to grow and sponsor the Skate Fest every year, organizers said.

"I feel like it's more family oriented now," Perrault said of the merger. "There's a better sense of community. It's a good thing."

Figure skating coach Lisa Bradley, who has been linked to the Berkley club, had 12 students participating Saturday. She coached, among others, longtime student Morgan Anderson, 17, who took first place in the pre-juvenile/juvenile showcase event to qualify for the national showcase event in Cleveland.

"Being at Berkley for 10 years, you're sad to see the club go away," Bradley said as she coached Morgan on the ice. "But it's still the same atmosphere. Now it's just a bigger family."

Morgan's mother, Lisa Anderson, was the hospitality chair for the event and described herself as a lifelong figure skating fan who is happy her daughter took so well to the sport.

Anderson, of Huntington Woods, said the Skate Fest is crucial for kids if they want to learn how to control their nerves, accept defeat and perhaps skate more competitively in the future.

"My daughter (Morgan) came in dead last in her little pink costume when she started 10 years ago, but she kept on going," Anderson said.

For that she was grateful, adding that the clubs' merger will ensure that events like the Skate Fest stay alive.

"It was hard at first, but it really was a necessity," Anderson said.