50 Years of History
On Thursday, October 24, 1974, a public meeting was scheduled in order to establish the feasibility of organizing a figure skating club.
Through the enthusiasm and determination of several persons in the community, the initial organizational steps took place, and the winter of 74- 75 saw the beginning of the Drayton & District Figure Skating Club, with a registration of approximately 150 skaters all in varying stages of skating expertise and all eager to learn.
Under the instruction of Miss Olive Lapp from Wingham, Ontario, our skaters got their "feet wet", and the executive was kept busy supplying badges and learning the ropes of such an organization. Several meetings were held that year.
We began the 75-76 season somewhat confidently, with Miss Lapp's promise to instruct our club for another season. Approximately 130 registrations, all a little more "seasoned" this year, were instructed. Of our more advanced girls, several were able to act as coaches and aid the instructor in her supervision and instruction.
The climax of the season proved to be our evening "Drayton on Ice", March 27, 1976, an ice “Carnival" thoroughly prepared and executed by Miss Lapp. And so our season ended with an appropriate enthusiastic flash of skates, and we're looking forward as an executive to another successful skating season in 76-77.
We've run into a major obstacle, however, like many other arenas in Ontario, ours too has come under inspection, and results have not been made public. In any case, our club will continue with its work and perhaps seek other ice alternates.
Thank you
Original signed by
Nellie van Donkersgoed
Minutes of the First Drayton & District Figure Skating Association Meeting
Minutes from the first meeting
Tuesday, October 30, 1974
Following an open meeting held on October 24, 1974 in the Council Chambers, the previous week, several volunteers met under the chairmanship of Ab Hesselink who opened the meeting with a general welcome to those present. They were Joan Ford, Tina Haldenby, Linda Jack, Susan Moore, Kathy Watt, and Nellie van Donkersgoed.
After some discussion, offices of the board were allotted as follows:
Ab Hesselink -Chairman, Joan Ford - Treasurer, Instruction Chairman- Sandra Caesar, Public Relations-Kathy Watt, Registration Chairman- Susan Moore, Ice Chairman- Linda Jack, Property Chairman- Tina Haldenby, Secretary- Nellie van Donkergoed.
Letters informing parents of registration time will be prepared by Kathy and distributed throughout the area schools (1000 copies). Posters will be displayed in the villages of Drayton and Moorefield. It was moved and carried that registration fees be set at $10.00 for children up to the age of 6 as of December 31, 1974 and $20.00 for skaters over the age of 6 with a family rate(3 or more) of $45.00.
These fees are based on a suggested registration of 50, with group instruction of 7 for 15 minutes with 5 minutes of supervised practice. (Suggested 5 patches on the ice)
Registration time was established on November 9, 1974 from 10:00am-2:00pm in the Drayton Town Hall & Maryborough Township Hall in Moorefield under the supervision of Susan Moore.
After some general discussion about registration details, meeting was adjourned.
Absent: Julia Holmberg
Signed by:
Chairman: Ab Hesselink
Secretary: Nellie van Donkersgoed.
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Well the arena was condemned, and no one skated for the 1976/77 season. A dance studio was brought to town to offer the kids something to keep active at and it survived for a few years. The Drayton and District Figure Skating Club was back in full swing in 1977/78 in a beautiful up-to-date facility. Miss Lapp took a one year leave of absence to upgrade her education and she returned to us in 1979/80. Miss Lapp (Olive Jeffray) has a very special place in the hearts of the skaters who she taught and still does to this day to those whom she taught for a long period of time.
The club has continued to succeed over the years and has seen many coaches and skaters and executive members come through the doors. We even have some third generation families with us, the Jack's and the McIntosh’s (Culp) and second generation the Israel’s (Nauta). These families and many others were all instrumental in the clubs building and staying alive.
The club has seen many precision teams over the years, some Gold test dancers and a few competition trophies. The club has continually supplied a well-balanced program for the recreational skater, offering them ample ice time and coaching for them to achieve their goals.
The Drayton & District figure Skating Club has hosted The Blue Water Competition in 1982, the Tri County Inter-Club Competition in 1987 and Weskate Fun Competition in both 1999 & 2000. Every executive member over the last 25 years has been committed to providing the best for the skaters. In 1998, a fall Off-Season program was added to extend the winter season for those wanting to get an early edge on the sport. In 1999, the club added to the Free Skating program with the addition of a Jump Harness. The Club's enrolment fluctuates seasonally between 100 & 130 skaters. The Club has seen in the past 25 seasons, a changing in the Badge system from the N.S.T. program (National Skating Test) to the New Canskate program in 1998. We have gone through the era of figures being removed from the competition level and then from the Test Stream in 1997 and replaced with the Skating Skills tests. We have experienced the addition of the Preliminary Free Skate test and the change in the dance structure adding the Baby Blues dance to the Preliminary level, moving the Swing Dance to the Junior Bronze and the Ten Fox to the Senior Bronze, the Keats Foxtrot to the Junior Silver, adding optional dances to the Senior Silver, the Silver Samba and the Cha Cha Congelado to the Gold level and of course the set of Diamond dances. The test system has gone from being judged by a panel of 3 to being evaluated by one.
There is no doubt that the Drayton and District Figure Skating Club will continue for another 25 seasons and grow in strength and ability. Congratulations to everyone who has skated with the club or who has been an organizational part of the clubs growth and longevity.
…..now it is 2015/2016 and the DDFSC is celebrating 40 seasons on ice as a sanctioned Skate Canada Club. Oh yea, the name has changed from Canadian Figure Skating Association to Skate Canada.
To Continue the story from 25 years to 40 years we have again seen the Canskate Program develop into a 'New' Canksate program in 2014. This new program encourages skater movement and we now see training props/aids and coloured circuits drawn on the ice, figure skating skills have been removed and hockey skills elements now included. The Skating Skills Discipline has been revamped with some revised exercises and the music removed. Test Stream Figure Skating levels have been renamed Star Skate. A Fourth Discipline 'Interpretive' free style skating with permitted vocal music has been added to Star Skate. All these changes are developed for growth and federal funding and driven by the creation and implementation of a National Long Term Athlete Development Program. 2017 will institute many other changes in the Star Skate level with the implementation of Professional Coach Assessment at the Star 1-5 level and continue with the option of soloing Dance tests which was new in 2015-16. Provincially, the 4 sections of which we are included in the Central Ontario Section, will all join and be managed under one umbrella "Skate Ontario".
The Drayton and District Figure Skating Club has unofficially changed its name to operate as the 'Drayton Skating Club', to be all ice sport encompassing. Due to the large and successful Star Skate membership it hesitates to change its incorporated name, as Figure Skating is a vast and successful portion of the programing.
Precision skating has evolved into a renamed 'Synchronized Skating'. The funding that was remaining from a Club Precision program was transferred to a Figure Skating Professional Development bursary to be awarded to club skaters in $100 amounts, for NCCP certification and Judging/Evaluator training. The Drayton Skating Club has produced many Professional coaches over their 40 seasons.
The Club hosted the Weskate Area Competition again in 2004, 2010 and for a 5th time in 2016. The profits of hosting this area competition 5 times has helped to keep registration fees reasonable as well as offer above average delivery standards in on ice programing.
As all sports cycle in popularity with other sports and activities to compete with, the skating club has seen its ups and downs this last decade. The membership numbers fluctuated between 70 -90 skaters. In 2011/12 ice time was reduced and the Pre Junior program was dropped in an effort to balance the budget.
This 2016 anniversary season has seen the highest number in a decade and surpassed the 100 skater mark. 2015/16 has seen a reinstatement of the Pre Junior program on blended ice with the Intermediate session.
Since the turn of the century the club has seen an abundance of skaters achieve Gold Test Medals. The club is continually a very strong, talented club in the grouping of Western Area of Central Ontario.
The Drayton Skating Club is also one of the last clubs to annually present a full scale themed Carnival Ice Show complete with costumes and spot lights. This show has gone from a Friday/Saturday two show presentation to both shows on Saturday, a midafternoon and early evening show. This helped in keeping expenses down and set up/tear down manpower manageable.
Sadly in spring of 2008, the loss of the Clubs beloved and respected first coach, Olive (Lapp) Jeffray hit hard. She was still very involved in the sport to her much too early end. Her daughter Amber has also been a DDFSC coach. To honour Olive's love for the sport, the Miss Lapp/Olive Jeffray Spirit award was created in the 2008/09 season and is presented every year to a member of the club who exudes spirit and passion within the Club.
It appears this skating club 'since 1974' has no plans to slow down and continues to be a thriving community partner in athletics. Its leadership and membership can be congratulated for their part in the continued success and longevity of the Drayton and District Figure Skating Club.
… the 2023/24 season, the DDFSC is celebrating 50 season since founders Ab Hesselink and Sandra Caesar met in the grocery store and discussed activities for the youth in Drayton and the Drayton & District Figure Skating Club was born.
Since last writing April 2016, a similar story of the club continues. Registration continues to post around the 100 member level. A full-fledged carnival is held each seasons end.
2018 was the final Weskate Area Competition as Skate Ontario was changing the format of competitions within the province. The new format does not allow our rural club to be competitive as a recreational club. This was indeed a sad day for skaters within our club.
In the 2019/20 the Club achieved CANSKATE EXCELLENCE – Exceeded standard, the highest award within Skate Canada. This season was also the season when the world shut down due to COVID, we just snuck in the annual skating carnival and final high test day and the PMD arena doors closed with a world wide shut down as we left the arena.
2020/21 no Carnival was had due to COVID and the season was modified when the arena was allowed to open. 2021/22 was also a modified season with a modified carnival.
2021/22 saw a new head coach take over, the first in 30 years. Coach Kelly Culp retired as a full time coach and has been a supply coach only since. Jeannette Giffin Shaw was hired as a very fitting head coach for the Club and continues in this capacity into this 50th season. 2023/24 is Jeannette’s 25 anniversary with the Club. She has dazzled us with her carnivals for decades.
Since reopening after COVID the club has continued a solid growth with an average of 100 -125 skaters. In 2022 we had a banner season and needed to create a waiting list for some programs as the programs were full to capacity.
Congratulations to the skaters and the volunteers who have been instrumental in club operations ‘since 1974’. The DDFSC continues to be an athletic option in the community and appears like it will be for another 50 years.