On May 6, the DU Club Figure Skating team hosted their annual showcase in Magness Arena. During the competitive season, the team qualified for the Collegiate National Competition after winning the West Coast Regional Championship. Nationals were hosted by the University of Delaware in April. The team finished ninth.

Senior Amber Dierking (Naperville, Illinois) was very proud of how the competitive season ended.

“It’s always really fun to get to travel and represent DU Club Figure Skating, especially at the national level, and to compete against the best teams in the country,” she said.

The annual ice show highlights the competitors and their skills. They practiced for three weeks prior to the show to prepare.

The night opened with a fantastic group number to the Coldplay song, “Sky Full of Stars,” that introduced all 18 of the skaters.

Junior Nikki Frick (Grand Rapids, Minnesota) was the fourth soloist of the night, performing an upbeat animal kingdom montage routine. The music contained portions of songs including “The Circle of Life” from the Lion King, “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj, “What Does the Fox Say?” by Ylvis, and “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry.

Another noteworthy routine was performed by second year law student Sophie Fritz (Minnetonka, Minnesota) to Haley Reinhart’s rendition of “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Fritz brought the level of grace required to capture the meaning of the heartfelt song. This air of grace largely came from the amazingly flexible tricks she flawlessly executed.

Junior Erika Stith (Indianapolis, Indiana) brought a new style to the art of figure skating with her performance to Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam.” Stith rocked her routine and really had the crowd going with her unique flair.

Sophomores Zoe Roswold (Chicago) and Echo Cassill (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) also provided a very original performance with a creative rendition of Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control.” Their duet was fun and was almost a full-blown party on the ice.

The ice show also featured a surprise from the DU varsity men’s hockey team. The current freshman, sophomore and junior classes all participated in the show. The hockey and figure skating teams performed to songs from the musical “Hairspray.” At one point in the number, everyone formed a giant circle that later split to the girls skating in an inner circle with the boys zooming around the outside.

Having the hockey players join in this event is a fun bonus, according to Dierking.

“My favorite part—and I think this may be true for a lot of other girls on the team—is when we get to teach them some figure skating moves; how to spin and stuff like that. But this year we added an impromptu competition for the hockey players for them to show off a little, that was really fun as well,” she said.

Following the group performance, there was a competition amongst the hockey players to examine their unique ice skating skills and charisma. The team of juniors Evan Ritt (Lakewood, Colorado) and Evan Janssen (Green Bay, Wisconsin) won this skills portion of the evening thanks to their beautiful coordination and chemistry.

In the second half of the show, Cassill stole the show with her performance of Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman.” Her performance was so enthusiastic and impeccable that it earned a standing ovation from the hockey team. During this past winter quarter, Cassill worked with Ice Creative Entertainment performing professional shows across the country. 

The final number of the evening was a group performance to Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance”.

This year’s show was a great presentation of the team’s skill and charisma that also helped to raise funds for the team.