Since Stanwood’s Madison Barczyszyn started figure skating in fourth grade, her mom has seen plenty to make her wince — slips, falls, bumps and bruises.
“Children crash on the ice, but somehow they pick themselves up,” said Jill Peterson, Madison’s mother.
Madison, now a 14-year-old member of the Everett Figure Skating Club, is one of about 20 skaters who’ll take to the ice Saturday to help those suffering from far more than bumps and bruises. She’s part of Skate for Hope, a fundraising exhibition starting at 3:45 p.m. Saturday at Everett’s Comcast Community Ice Rink. Spectators will be asked to support Mercy Corps, a nonprofit organization involved in earthquake relief in Haiti and Chile.
“One person or one family can only do so much,” Peterson said Thursday. “After the Haiti earthquake, we started thinking — what resources do we have? We had a remarkable opportunity with the skating club to bring people together.”
The exhibition was first planned as a Skate for Haiti after the January quake devastated the island nation. “Then the earthquake hit Chile. We broadened the scope,” Peterson said. “We checked into different charitable organizations, and the one we came up with was Mercy Corps.”
Event organizers are requesting a minimum donation of $5 per person, with proceeds going to the Portland, Ore.-based Mercy Corps’ emergency response fund.
The Everett Figure Skating Club’s goal is to turn Skate for Hope into an annual event. In the future, it may benefit a local shelter or other charity. “This is a good start,” Peterson said.
Skate for Hope will showcase skaters of varied ages and skill levels, from all over the region. The program will include the Everett Silver Blades Synchronized Skating Team, a group under the Everett club’s umbrella, and skaters from Seattle Ice Theatre and other groups.
Skate fans can expect to see elite athletes, as well as kids with fledgling skills. “It’s a full spectrum, a nice progression,” Peterson said.
Along with Madison, the Everett Figure Skating Club participants are Alexandra Gardner and Aimee Young. One standout at the event will be Mark Jahnke, of the Seattle Skating Club. A Boston University student, Jahnke is the 2010 U.S. National Silver Medalist in solo ice dance. Also skating will be two notable ice dancers, Niki Ang and Jean-Luc Baker.
Skaters are not only performing for free, many have made donations to Mercy Corps and helped with choreography, Peterson said.
As a bonus, spectators have a chance to lace up skates and make their own moves on ice. The Comcast Community Ice Rink will host a public skating session from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with admission fees waived for those attending Skate for Hope.
Kirsten Early, president of the Everett Figure Skating Club, said more than 20 skaters are expected at Skate for Hope, including groups coached by Paul Askham of the Olympicview Arena in Mountlake Terrace. With partner Sharon Jones Baker, Askham represented Great Britain as an ice dancer at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Early’s 19-year-old daughter Selah Early skates with the Everett club and is in training to be a skating coach.
For Peterson and her husband Ken Barczyszyn, their daughter’s skating aspirations have meant financial sacrifice and hours of commuting. Madison, who attends Stanwood Middle School and maintains a 4.0 grade point average, is at the Everett rink four to five days a week. They have two other children, one a competitive dancer, the other with an interest in motocross.
These days, Madison is focused on landing double jumps. She has mastered the double Salchow jump and double-toe loop. Her mom is happy Saturday’s event isn’t about competition.
“These are skaters who normally compete against each other,” Peterson said. “Here, they can set that aside, come together with their talent and time, and make a difference.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Skate for Hope
Ice skaters from the Everett Figure Skating Club, the Everett Silver Blades Synchronized Skating Team, Seattle Ice Theatre and other groups will perform at Skate for Hope, a fundraising exhibition, from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. Saturday at Everett’s Comcast Community Ice Rink, 2000 Hewitt Ave. Suggested minimum donation is $5 per person or $20 per family. Proceeds will benefit Mercy Corps for earthquake relief in Haiti and Chile.
Comcast Community Ice Rink will host a public skating session from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with admission fees donated to Skate for Hope. Donors who attend the show will get wrist bands for free skating. Skate rental fees required.
Information: www.everettfsc.org
To donate online: http://tinyurl.com/MercySkate
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