MSU Figure Skating Club restarts, aims to become club sport

The MSU Figure Skating Club is carving out a new spot on campus. It was just restarted this year and has intentions of becoming an official club sport.

“When we are together, we have a strong sense of friendship and community so we will typically chat about life, choreograph performances for the hockey games, and we also hold meetings and movie nights,” said Jessi Griffifths, the club’s senior vice president.

This tight knit group just got restarted this year and is looking to continue to grow in size and popularity on campus. Figure skating is a unique sport, and it can be challenging to pick up. Many members of the club have been skating almost their entire lives, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to learn.

“We have been trying to get the word out about our club so we can find more friends with similar interests. However, there aren’t a whole lot of figure skaters in Montana, but we do welcome beginners as well,” said freshman Mary Kondelik. “I have known Jessi and Cam [Vice President and President] for most of my life, so I was thrilled when they told me they would re-open the Figure Skating Club at MSU.”

Figure skating is not as well known as other popular sports in Montana, which means there aren't very many opportunities to skate as a group. That’s part of the reason Griffiths and Ewart worked hard to get this club back up and running, they said. Although the club isn’t an official club sport at MSU, they are actively looking to change that as early as next year.

“I am hoping next club year we will be able to be recognized as a club sport,” said junior president Cambria Ewart.

The club isn’t opposed to the idea of the competition side of figure skating which may come when upgraded to an official MSU club sports team.

“My plans for the club are to eventually have an ice show, go to competitions, perform more at the MSU games, and hopefully have a skating event for MSU students,” Ewart said. “Figure skating is an individual sport, meaning when we go to competitions we represent the club but are competing on an individual basis. When we go on the ice we are doing a routine by ourselves and are being judged against other skaters in our skill level.”

They are also looking for ways to get the word out about the club, including fundraising, Instagram, posters and skating instruction events. The main goal is to make the club more accessible.

“I hope that this club will help introduce people to the sport of figure skating, as well as giving current figure skaters a new perspective on the sport,” Griffiths said. “We currently do not have a competitive aspect to the club, but in the future we plan to hold competitions and fundraisers that involve a competitive sense like "who can slide the farthest" etc... (in order to raise money for the club to gain match funding).”

Whether you’ve been skating since two years old, just started last year or even just enjoy watching, the figure skating club is open for all.

“Being a part of this figure skating club has really changed my experience at MSU as a whole and I hope we get the opportunity to grow our club with more people who enjoy figure skating as much as we do,” Kondelik said. “I also hope to build the club up enough that it continues to grow for many years to come."

If you want to learn more about the team, check them out on instagram @msufigureskatingclub.