GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Figure Skating Club’s “The Elements on Ice” allows the skaters to showcase all that they've been practicing over the past year.
“We showcase skaters from very young ages where they just learn how to skate, to adult skaters who may have also just started skating,” said Stephanie Kazior, president of the Great Falls Figure Skating Club, “All the way to our seasoned club competitive skaters.”
“The Elements on Ice” has fifty skaters performing pieces that showcase earth, wind, air, and fire through the lens of figure skating. For Coach Stephanie Kazior, it means even more, as her own figure skating coach is in the audience.
“Everything in my life [has] come full circle from…the time I started skating at four years old,” Kazior said, “And now my coach, my mentor from when I was a little girl is here and gets to see my skaters and the show that I'm producing.”
- Moose roaming in Black Eagle
- Boil Water Advisory for Havre
- Obituary: Bonnie Bonahoom Peretti
- WATCH: elephant runs loose in Butte
Along with the local skaters is very special guest Tam Bui, who has taken silk ballet to a whole new level.
“I love figure skating and the challenge, intricate move[s] and being able to perform to music and stuff like that,” said Tam Bui, “And that's wh[en] I got into it. And then ballet and circus performance I started when I was 37 years old.”
Bui knew that there were other younger skaters with more training than he had, so he developed this as his niche. Despite challenges and setbacks, Bui always returns.
“I actually fell from one of those apparatus and fractured my spine,” Bui said, “But I love skating, I love performance and I love, like, the challenge. That's why I came back to it.”
Bui and Coach Stephanie both have so much love for the sport of figure skating, and simply want to share it with those around them, encouraging anyone interested to try it out.
“You know what? Life is too short. Have fun,” Bui said, “If you like doing something, go for it. Even if you don't accomplish it, at least you know you tried it and you don't live with regret.”
If you have interest in the Great Falls Figure Skating Club, you can learn more here.
