Camel spins and toe loops: Older figure skaters find joy, competition

Gaye Cail took some time to reflect when she turned 60. Part of that reflection included stepping back out onto the ice. 

That was five years ago.   

She recently took home gold and bronze medals at the International Adult Figure Skating Competition in Ottawa, sponsored by the International Skating Union.

Her club, Capital City Figure Skating in Fredericton, sent her along with Beth McCluskey-Pelletier to the competition, but Cail said they never expected to do as well as they did. McCluskey-Pelletier also won a bronze.

"It was kind of icing on the cake that we just were able to come home with medals," said Cail.

She said competing on an international stage was overwhelming. when she first got back into skating, it took her awhile to get comfortable. Now she's able to complete toe loops, flips, loop jumps, waltz jumps, sit spins and camel spins. 

McCluskey-Pelletier started figure skating as a kid and stopped around the age of 15. Then she picked it up again when she was 45. Her daughters were skating by then and adults were allowed to skate for an hour at the same time. 

"I go on the ice and I [don't think] about anything else," said McCluskey-Pelletier. "It's a getaway from work, family. So it's just my time. And because I am a little competitive, I want to do better and I want to improve."

Other New Brunswickers also competed at the international competition in Ottawa, including Pat Noddin from Moncton.

"[Noddin] was out on the ice and everybody was kind of in tears because here she's 86-years-old and she still loves figure skating," said Cail. 

Noddin started figure skating in her late 50s and competed for the first time at age 60. But she said she had always loved skating.

When she was a kid and would skate outside on the ice, she said she didn't know figure skating was a thing. She called it "fancy skating."

Noddin said sometimes in the winter it can be hard to motivate herself to get up and go to the rink. But she said when she does, "it's just like floating." 

Noddin has been at big competitions before, but when she went to Ottawa, she wasn't expecting to actually compete this time.