PORT McNEILL—For the second straight year, the Port McNeill Figure Skating Club closed out its season with a series of pairs dance testing last week at Chilton Regional Arena.
The club, whose members compete only in individual events throughout the course of the season, were guided through the compulsory steps by veteran instructor Patrick O'Brien, who recently relocated to the Okanagan Valley after years on Vancouver Island.
After a brief run-through of their routine, the skaters were paired with O'Brien for a series of dances ranging from waltz, foxtrot and swing to latin, swing and tango, depending on skill level.
The club's one male skater, Cole Klughart, was paired with fellow club member Lexie Murgatroyd as O'Brien directed their practice from centre ice.
It was the last skating in the arena until July, as the ice was melted for the season immediately after testing. Figure skating returns with the annual Canskate clinic the first two weeks of July. Registration for the summer camp will be announced in June, PMFSC coach Elizabeth Kines said.