(HARRINGTON, Del.) - Before Winter Wonderfest came to town three years ago, Sussex County had never seen an ice rink.The closest one was the Centre Ice Rink in Harrington. When it opened in 2002 the Bay Country Figure Skating Club made it their home. Over the years it has given skaters from across Delmarva the opportunity to take lessons and ultimately be cast in shows and compete. Bella Metz of Rehoboth Beach is one of them.
"I have been skating since I was 5 and I started skating at Bay Country Figure Skating Club when I was 6. My favorite part about ice skating is probably getting to know everyone and making friends and just having fun and doing the shows," Bella says.
Skaters like Bella are shaping up to reach their prime as the skating season takes full swing. Members of the Bay Country Figure Skating Club have their annual show coming up.
"We're doing A Very Marry Poppins Holiday," says Director of the Centre Ice Rink Jerry Santoferrara.
Bella says, "I'm going to be Uncle Albert."
It's these shows that keep the club thriving. Co-Director of the show, Tom Harrison explains, "It's a very expensive sport and it's really incredible that we're going to keep the rewards by doing the show this year to help with our ice costs."
"The show is December 7th and 8th. We have three shows. We have one show Friday evening at 6. We have two shows on Saturday at 3pm and 7pm," says Santoferrara.
It's up to the skaters to practice a lot on their own because rehearsal time is limited. Coaches spend 25 minutes a week for two months teaching skaters their group numbers and lot has to happen during that time.
"We have to do all the music, we have to do the costumes, we have to gather all of those things together, props, then we have our dress rehearsal which is about 3-4 hours the Thursday before the show," says Santoferrara.
Harrison adds, "It really doesn't give us a lot of time to put everything together but it works. The stress level is extremely high but in the long run it turns out to be just a wonderful show."
The skaters still have a couple weeks left to practice for their roles in Marry Poppins but tickets are already available. They can be purchased online on the Delaware State Fair's website or at the door. The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children. All proceeds go to the Bay Country Figure Skating Club to help them pay for ice time and keep their club growing.