Music, props, costumes. No club ice show would be complete without these three items. When it comes to costumes, clubs do everything they can to find the most beautiful pieces for their shows.
The Clinton Figure skating Club in Clinton, New York, is proud of its two huge costume vaults, overflowing with hundreds of costumes. So, when it came time to prepare for their 70th Anniversary Show scheduled for March 2020, what better place to start then with the special costume vault?
Board member and ice show committee member Rebecca Kelly and club publicity chair Michelle Batson came up with a unique idea.
“We really do have costumes that go all the way back to the 50s,” Kelly said. “After each ice show so many people in the community would say to me and others that they wore this costume, or their aunt sewed that costume and they were thrilled to see it being used in shows again.”
Because the upcoming show is celebrating 70 years of the Clinton Figure Skating Club, the two thought they could display some of the old and new costumes for all to see during this special show.
That idea, although fascinating for the public, would still not divulge the history behind each costume. So, the club turned to its Facebook page.
On a warm Saturday morning in June, Batson invited the children of coaches and board members and set them loose in the costume vault.
“Only a handful was able to come, but they were great,” Batson said. “We sent them in to the room and told them to pick. They were like kids in a candy store.”
The skaters then modeled the costumes for a series of photographs. Models posed from the neck down, but since many costumes included some great hats, some faces appear in the photos.
“We photographed 40 costumes in one hour,” Batson said. “After our season starts up, I will gather some other skaters to take the rest of the pictures.”
Of course, Batson picked 70 costumes to celebrate the big anniversary, and used Facebook’s scheduling feature with ready created posts for all the costumes photographed. The series appears every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m.
“The response has been fantastic,” Batson said. “So many of us that are newer to the club thumb through these costumes planning our annual show and laugh as we try to envision some number it may have been used for. It’s been a lot of fun hearing from the alumni telling us about the number they wore it in, the theme of the show that year and even sharing photographs.”
The club’s current president did not only wear one of the costumes featured but her mother helped make it.
“It’s a rich history, and we’re proud to be a part of it,” Batson said.
Batson hopes skaters feel a lot of nostalgia seeing the costumes, especially the club’s alumni, who will have a special number in the anniversary show.
“Last year I posted a photo of something during our show with the backdrop wall behind it,” Batson said. “A former skater noticed a signature on the wall. It’s a tradition for the kids to sign the wall. The post blew up on Facebook. So I posted photos of every piece of the wall and the response was huge. I knew this idea would have the same result.”
Batson believes the weekly posts simply bring skaters back to those special childhood moments.
“We hope this show will be fantastic and everyone, past and present skater and family member that’s along for the ride, has a wonderful time,” she said.
