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Raft River students learn skating skills

A learn-to-skate program for students from Raft River Elementary School has been achieving its objectives,
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Primary-aged students from Raft River Elementary School plus adults wave to the camera after taking part in a learn-to-skate program at the Sportsplex on Friday. All students in the school are given the opportunity to take part in lessons at the arena.

A learn-to-skate program for students from Raft River Elementary School has been achieving its objectives, according to Christy Dobi, one of the organizers.

“This program has been amazingly successful,” she said. “There are students on the ice who are very strong skaters mixed with those that are on the ice for the first time. Each student is gaining skills and the progress we see each week is fantastic.”

Dobi explained that a few years ago the Raft River parents' advisory council received funding that allowed it to purchase enough skates in a wide range of sizes to outfit the various classes at the school.

In the past many of the classes went to the Sportsplex to skate but the time on the ice was always unstructured and just open skating.Because of her background as a skating coach, Dobi was approached by PAC to see if she would coordinate instructors and classes so that all the students would get lessons.

“Thankfully, the support we have received from parents willing to invest time in coaching has certainly made this happen!” Dobi said.

In addition, Dobi's employer, Royal Bank of Canada, has allowed her to take time off work to do the program. This was an indication of RBC's commitment to the community and to its learn to skate programs, she felt.

“With amazing support of people like Barb Coates and Daniela Schwaiger, as well as several CSS students (coordinated by Marie Giesbrecht) we now run six weeks of lessons on Fridays throughout the winter season,” Dobi said. “We have two classes come for lessons at 9, 10, and 11 resulting in six classes getting lessons each Friday. Most classes get two lesson times and some even manage to get there three times.”

Dobi noted that through the ongoing support of the community, the students at Raft River Elementary are being given the opportunity to skate, downhill ski and cross-country ski.

All of this enhances the education they are receiving and encourages them to gain new skills,” she said.