Kiara Slabik is the granddaughter of Joan and Arnold Petracek of Esterhazy. She lives in Gull Lake, SK and attends Grade 12 at Gull Lake School. Kiara’s home club is the Gull Lake Skating Club but she is also a member of the Swift Current Skating Club, Skate Saskatoon, the Centre of Excellence in Regina, and Skate Canada – Saskatchewan’s Team Sask (in 2020-21 on the High Performance Team and for the 2021-22 season on the Elite Team.)
Kiara has been skating her whole life. At the age of 3, she started CanSkate in Gull Lake. In her first year, Kiara started on hockey skates but moved to figure skates soon after. She learned quickly and by January of grade 1 she had moved up to skate with the figure skaters in the senior group. This was very exciting for her and after the club planned an outing to watch Saskatchewan Stars on Ice in Maple Creek, and the following year in Swift Current, she was hooked. The first year she attended Skate Canada’s Stars on Ice show in Moose Jaw, a member of the club won the meet and greet and they let all the skaters from Gull Lake’s little club go in to meet the Canadian greats; this only strengthened her love of skating.
With club coach Dorothy Gillis’s encouragement, Kiara attended spring and fall sessions in Swift Current and eventually became a full time member of the Swift Current Skating Club. Soon she began summer skating in Saskatoon where she met Dale Hazell, Padget Riediger and many other great coaches. She attended many seminars and events throughout the years and across the province. Her training expanded to include Regina and coaches Barb Roberts and Christine (LaPrairie) Godfrey on a weekly basis. Every year has become more exciting and her training more intensive. She has made many friends in the skating world who she considers her skating family. Now she skates the whole year through.
In grade 4, Kiara put in an application to become a member of the Sask Competitive Development Team and the following season started as a member of the Sask Team under Coach Dale Hazell. Through the years there have been many changes to the team as she advanced from one level to the next. This year she skated as a Junior Woman representing not only Gull Lake Skating Club but also the Saskatchewan High Performance Team.
For this past season, Kiara was selected by the section as one of 2 women to represent Saskatchewan at Skate Canada Challenge 2021. This is a national competition that was done virtually this year. Videos were done in skaters’ home provinces and sent in to the Skate Canada national office to be judged by officials across the country. Kiara’s final score ranked her as 25th in Junior Women across Canada.
Kiara also represented the Gull Lake Skating Club in Skate Canada – Saskatchewan’s first virtual Sectional Competition. This is a provincial competition that normally has our top skaters in the province travelling from all over to compete in one rink. This year skaters videoed their programs and had them sent into the section office to be judged by officials. We are so proud to say Kiara is our Junior Women’s Provincial Champion for the 2021 season.
It seems so long ago that Kiara borrowed a skating dress and took her first test day in Shaunavon and competed in her first regional competition in Kincaid. She has always found joy in learning a new skill and has set goals for herself like passing the next test, reaching the next competitive level, going to new and more difficult competitions, earning her place on the higher level of the Sask Team and now coaching. Kiara has recently received her certification as a CanSkate Coach and has been practicing in hockey skates in order to get her CanPower coach training as well.
Like so many this last year, Kiara rose to the challenges we faced with COVID restrictions. She found sloughs to skate on when she couldn’t skate at the rink and intensified her off ice training. Her determination to improve through these tough times gave her a new level of confidence in her skating.
Kiara acknowledges all her coaches that have helped her to reach this level of skating – from first coach Kim Davis who recognized her talent to her team of coaches: Dorothy Gillis, Dale Hazell, Barb Roberts and choreographer Christine (LaPrairie) Godfrey as well as Padget Riediger and Shaila Humphrey who have helped her to achieve her goals. She has received many lessons from many coaches over the years who have all played a part in her career. Kiara was lucky to have the community of Gull Lake and family and friends which have given her so much positive support throughout the years.
Kiara will be moving to Saskatoon to take Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan when she graduates. She will continue her skating career as a member of Saskatchewan’s Elite Team at Skate Saskatoon under Dale Hazell as her base coach.
Kiara Slabik with the plaque and medal she received by mail for Skate Canada Saskatchewan’s Sectional 2021 Competition.