WHITMAN – It was the nearly of the end of the summer skate camp at Carousel Family Fun Center on Thursday, Aug. 22, as parents escorted their children to check-in for their name tags, made sure they had everything they needed for the day and made arrangements to pick them up later.
One mom approached Carousel owner Charlene Conway about her son’s being still a bit tentative on skates. A few suggestions for the mother, a check-in with the check-in table to see how things are going and then some things to drop off at the snack bar, still lay between Conway and her morning interview with this writer to outline the next program on her rink’s calendar: a Learn to Skate camp on Saturdays beginning Sept. 7. At only $10 per child per week, the program fee includes skates and is open to all ages at the rink, 1055 Auburn St., Whitman.
But first, there was a lot to say about the successful summer [see column, page 6 ] – and that included herding the young participants together for a photo.
“They’ve come a long way, from crawling on the floor,” Conway said, gesturing as the class sat doing warmup stretches before their lesson. The one-week camp ran from Aug. 19 to 23. “Tomorrow they’ll get certificates. It’s a very active place – the skating club, classes and programs.”
She said there’s been a resurgence of participation at the rink since COVID when everyone had to skate outside.
“That was good for us after being closed for two years,” she said. “And of course, Usher from the Super bowl – that was huge.”
Carousel is also having success with skaters they’ve brought up through the ranks making themselves known on the competition circuit.
Mary Osborne, who’s been skating at Carousel since she first learned to skate, was one of the 19 medalists (nine gold, nine silver and four bronze) from Carousel’s All Stars Skating Club, who competed in the USA Roller Sports National Championships in Lincoln, Neb., in July. Another All Star skater who got her start at Carousel was Laura Miller, of Brockton, who’s been skating for about eight years.
“She’s been placing at Nationals that whole entire time,” Conway said with pride.
The All Star skaters competed in a number of artistic skating disciplines: dance, figures and creative skating. Each discipline includes levels for skill (intermediate and advanced) and age range. To compete in the National Championship, skaters must first qualify at their local and regional meets.
Carousel hosted the Northeast Regional Championship meet in June – including skaters from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. All those who quakify, earn the chance fo compete at the National Championships. There were 15 All Star Club members who qualified at the Regionals and earned 21 medals in figures (17 gold, two silver and two bronze); 11 medals in dance (eight gold and three silver) and took home four medals in creative (one gold, two silver and one bronze).
The qualifying skaters ranged in age from 14 to 80.
“Skaters have to qualify to make the club,” Conway said. “We have a junior level and a senior level.”
There’s a program of lessons they must complete to get to the junior club, which meets for practices on Wednesday nights and the senior club practices on Sundays. Conway said there are currently about 20 members and there are close to 40 members with a nine-person teaching and coaching staff.
After a successful National Championships, skaters from the All Star Skating Club returned to Whitman with an impressive total of 19 medals (nine gold, nine silver and four bronze).
Conway said the rink’s busy times of the year coincide with the school year.
“For our competitors, that’s their season for competition,” she said. “The club meets 12 months out of the year and they still come and train when we’re not rented.”