Out There With 12 Sports: Wichita Figure Skating Club

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Wichita will see firsthand the talents of the country’s best skaters when the U.S. Figure Skating Championships visit Intrust Bank Arena next January. The Wichita Figure Skating Club and the Wichita Ice Center’s learn to skate program are preparing to reap the benefits of the sport’s elite competitors visiting their town.

“It’s really great. We’ve got a lot of girls here that skate, a lot of girls that have been around here for a really long time,” said Samantha Wells, the skating director at the Wichita Ice Center. “I’ve been here since this rink’s really first opened. Our learn-to-skate program, in the spring and fall we get quite a few more. We get anywhere from 200 skaters up. We have tinies, we have anyone from age 3 to people in their 80s still skating.”

Following learn to skate completion, skaters undergo a progression in figure skating test levels. There are five different disciplines in which skaters may test: moves in the field, free skating, pair, ice dance, and solo dance. But advancing through the ranks takes time and work.

“I skate five days a week, sometimes twice a day – mornings and nights. Usually for around 2 hours each time,” said 15-year-old Lauren Schrader. “I love the feeling of the breeze on your face and how much you can flow down the ice. It’s so nice. It’s different from any other feeling. We went to a learn to skate thing one time and I just fell in love. That’s what started it all.”

Those interested in learning more can visit www.wichitafsc.com or wichitaicecenter.com.

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