The Michigan Tech Figure Skating Club is trying to bring figure skating to the Tech community, and despite being a new club on campus, they are taking big steps towards that goal. “We want to show people that you can continue skating in college, especially because programs aren’t pushed as heavily in high school,” said Melanie Talaga, second-year president of the club.

The club was founded just four years ago by Rosanna Chopp, who wanted to continue to skate and show that you could continue to skate into college. Talaga has been with the club since its inception, making her a good choice for the position of president. It started with more community members than Tech students, but more students have been getting involved, including three new freshmen this year.

The club has stuck with their roots, always trying to stay in the public eye and staying very involved with the local figure skating community. One of the biggest ways they stay involved is through the Copper Country Skating Academy’s Spring Ice Show, which the team is invited to every year. The club does a performance for it, which this year will fall on March 21 and 22.

There is a fundraiser that the club puts on at the CCSA Ice Show where they will paint and do the hair of the participants in the ice show. “The parents really appreciate it, and we have fun talking to the younger skaters about opportunities in college,” said Talaga.

The club also hosts a Halloween Ice Party for the local community. They decorate the ice arena and host games and contests for kids on the ice. “We have a lot of fun doing the ice party,” said Talaga. “The kids always seem to love dressing up and skating around.”

Fundraising is another way the club stays active. They are working on a t-shirt fundraiser to help raise money to compete more. “Skating is expensive, and we have to save up to make it to our next competition,” said Talaga. They haven’t been to one in a while because of the cost to attend, but the club has been working hard to rectify that.

The club meets once a week on ice and once every other week off ice. They are always looking to make improvements for its members, including the recent hiring of a skating coach for newer skaters. Some people in the past have wanted more instruction from the club, and they made it happen.

This club keeps a great standing with the community and is making great strides in their goal of making it possible to continue skating into college. Hopefully this freshmen class can keep them going in the years to come.