Watertown Figure Skate Club Reaches 15-Club Goal for Historic Competition

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown Figure Skate Club has reached its original goal of attracting 15 clubs to Watertown for what Taylor Johnson described as the local club’s first official U.S. Figure Skating competition.

During an interview on Northeast Radio SD, Johnson said registration remained open for another eight days at the time of the conversation, and interest suggested the final field could grow even larger.

“Our goal was to have fifteen clubs attend, and we are officially at fifteen clubs,” Johnson said.

With that milestone reached, Johnson said organizers have set their sights on a new goal.

“Let’s go twenty,” Johnson said. “Let’s go shoot for twenty clubs. That’d be amazing to bring twenty clubs from around the area into Watertown.”

The competition is scheduled for Dec. 11-13.

Competition marks a first for Watertown club

Johnson said the Watertown club previously hosted Learn to Skate-level competition, but this event expands to U.S. Figure Skating competition covering a much wider range of skating levels.

“This is historic because this is the first ever U.S. sanctioned competition,” Johnson said. “So in the past, we’ve always done just a Learn to Skate level, which is just for the littles, the basics. This year is a U.S. Figure Skating, so it’s every level from our itty-bitty tiny Snowplow Sam kids all the way through the senior division.”

That range is already showing in registrations. Johnson said a senior-level skater from St. Cloud, Minnesota, had registered the night before the interview.

Competition will include individual events as well as team performances. According to Johnson, skaters will compete in their technical programs along with showcase events. The competition is also part of the National Showcase Series qualifying process.

Watertown plans to enter teams of its own, including the club’s Learn to Skate competitive team. Johnson said one team performance will feature a James Bond and Pink Panther mix and will mark the group's first time competing as a team.

Legacy Cup adds club championship

The Watertown competition will also introduce a club championship through the Legacy Cup.

Skaters will be able to accumulate points for their clubs through events including compulsory, free skate and showcase competition. The club finishing the competition with the most points will take home the Legacy Cup and the club championship title.

Johnson said the Legacy Cup competition is specific to the Watertown event rather than part of a season-long points system.

Medals were in the final stages of production at the time of the interview, with personalized ribbons planned for competitors.

Teddy bear toss returning

Another feature will put a different spin on a tradition commonly associated with figure skating.

Instead of flowers, stuffed animals will be tossed onto the ice following performances. Johnson said the club's national team is using the teddy bear toss as a fundraiser, with stuffed animals available for supporters to purchase and throw for skaters.

The club is also accepting donated stuffed animals for the event.

“If you have stuffed animals that you’re trying to get rid of, or that are ready to go to a new home, if you want to bring them up to the rink, we would gladly take them,” Johnson said.

Some donations have already been considerably larger than expected.

Johnson said one family donated stuffed animals that included two approximately life-size items, setting up what could be a memorable moment when supporters attempt to get them over the glass and onto the ice.

Local skaters continue competing

The upcoming home competition follows continued activity by Watertown skaters outside the community.

Johnson highlighted Elizabeth, a Watertown Figure Skate Club graduate who is currently attending college in Brookings but continues returning to Watertown to train and compete. Johnson said Elizabeth recently competed in Wisconsin and earned gold and silver finishes.

“Elizabeth graduated last year and she is in college in Brookings right now, but she still comes back on the weekends, trains and is still out competing at all these big events,” Johnson said.

The club's younger skaters have been working toward endurance milestones of their own.

Johnson said young skaters have been attempting 5K skating challenges, with a 6-year-old becoming the first to complete the 5K before other skaters followed. Some are working toward longer-distance goals, including a full marathon.

Community events continue around competition preparation

The club also recently held a Halloween skate party, which Johnson said attracted participants from the community, including some who took to the ice for the first time. The event featured costumes, games, trick-or-treating around the rink and even limbo on skates.

A Christmas show is also planned, although Johnson said much of the club's attention is currently centered on preparations for the December competition. The Christmas event will feature skaters performing shorter programs to Christmas music rather than the more theatrical format associated with the club's larger end-of-season show in May.

For now, however, the focus is on preparing to welcome at least 15 visiting clubs, and potentially more, to Watertown.

Residents can follow the Watertown Figure Skating Club, Watertown, SD Facebook page for club information. OR at watertownfigureskateclub.com as the club's website.