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Arctic Edge Skating Club presented the Finding Frozen ice show Saturday at the Canada Games Centre at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Star spoke with Ann Milton, director of skating for Arctic Edge, in-between the two shows. She said the 鈥渇irst show was exceptional, really. It came together very nice. All the soloists skated well. Sets worked well. Lights worked well, so it really came together.鈥�

Milton was asked what she was expecting for the second show.

鈥淎 little more energy and excitement. This is wrapping up our skating season this year and so it鈥檚 kind of the grand finale of a month that鈥檚 been super-busy ... we had two and a half to three solid weeks of practicing for the ice show, so it鈥檚 come together really quickly after a really busy month already.鈥�

鈥淚deally, we have a lot more time than we did this year. With the pandemic and the unpredictability, we made the call at the beginning of March, so the music and all of the preliminary work started, but the skaters didn鈥檛 start on the ice until three weeks (ago) and then we just worked solid and hard at it. A lot less time than we normally like but they pulled it off.

鈥淚t is pretty amazing,鈥� she added.

Milton explained what the show is about.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very very simple plot. Our skaters have wanted to be Disney characters or portray them in their own eyes for many, many years and so we just found a storyline that would work around them and so we鈥檝e taken Olaf, the fun little snowman and using Tinker Bell to use her magic and between the two of them they鈥檙e looking for the Frozen characters and along the way through the Enchanted Forest they come up with a whole bunch of other characters.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just taking a moment from each of the movies that the characters are from and just portraying it on ice. It鈥檚 a combination of acting, skating and just some real fun dancing on the ice.鈥�

There were about 50 skaters in the program.

鈥淲e only did our Starskate figure skating programs,鈥� said Milton.

鈥淯sually we include our Canskate as well, but with the timeline, it just wasn鈥檛 possible this year.

鈥淥ur youngest is three and our oldest is 38.鈥�

The 38 year-old is Carrie McClellend, who played Enchantress in the Beauty and the Beast portion of the program.

鈥淪he鈥檚 someone who鈥檚 committed to Sport for Life and continues to progress, continues to volunteer with our club and be a huge inspiration for kids. She just keeps persevering and achieving year after year,鈥� said Milton.

As far as seeing the program in action, 鈥渋t鈥檚 exciting,鈥� said Milton.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also a little bit bittersweet and sad, because normally, our ice show, we have more skating afterwards and this sort of wraps up our season for us.

鈥淭his season was a super-challenging year. It was very hard, with skaters not knowing each day if they鈥檇 be able to come to the rink, or if they鈥檙e classified to isolate and planning training around all that unpredictability 鈥� not knowing if we鈥檇 able to have an ice show, not knowing if we鈥檇 be able to travel 鈥� this was beyond a doubt the most difficult year.

鈥淥ur skaters have risen to the challenge. They鈥檝e really impressed me. Even when they were isolating, they were doing off-ice training, they were doing virtual off-ice classes and they were back and keen and just kept pushing themselves forward and setting their goals, even if they didn鈥檛 know what they might be working towards. So it鈥檚 been a very special year for me to see them come to this.鈥�

Milton added, 鈥淚 just hope the audience enjoys it and I think it鈥檚 just a fabulous way to wrap up a season that was full of challenges and show the kids鈥� perseverance and success, that 鈥榮tickin鈥� with it.鈥欌��