Carpenter named new figure skating coach

Ken Johnston
editorial@RainyRiverRecord.com

With nearly 20 years of skating experience to back her, Randi Carpenter, 23, has taken on the full time job of being the local coach for the Rainy River Figure Skating Club (RRFSC).

Carpenter, formerly of Rainy River, now resides in Devlin and works full time as a dental assistant in Emo. She started skating at the age of four and never stopped except when she took a break to go to college. She really missed the ice at college and not long after was right back on it.

Randi grew up skating in the RRFSC and served as an assistant coach last year with the club. Now full time she is excited about teaching the kids.

She has her plate full this year with many new youngsters signed up.

While junior and senior skater numbers have dropped a bit this year, the beginner levels have seen a massive influx of new people. Forty-four skaters in total are taking lessons on Thursdays and Sundays at the Rainy River arena and Carpenter said she has noticed a marked growth in skills since they took to the ice Nov. 1st.

She works first with the beginners teaching them basic skating skills. “It is really exciting to see how much the little ones have improved from day one,” said Carpenter.

Then she works with the CanSkate kids where they learn figure skating skills

and eventually move up to Junior and then Senior levels. Those two levels were combined this year as the numbers had declined.

Carpenter said that the club is a recreational one and thus no badges are awarded to the skaters. However she noted that they are gearing up for an ice show which is what most recreational clubs do. However this year the ice show will be two weeks later than normal. It usually is the first weekend in March at the winter carnival. However they decided to take advantage of the fact that the ice will still be in for another two weeks and hold practises and the show later.