Okotoks Figure Skating club members have always known they are getting world-class instruction.
Now it’s official.
The club’s head instructor Kerri Roberts received her Level 4 certification it was announced last month.
“Level 4 is Skate Canada and it is International-Olympic coach certification,” Roberts said. “It is almost like a multiple degree – put together for what an Olympic coach would need.”
It was like working for a college degree.
“I had to do quite a bit of work with Skate Canada and I also did five years at the university in a program called the Advanced Coaching Program — travelling up to the university (U of C) and/or WinSport for different lectures — nutrition, biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology…”
Roberts submitted a 400-plus page report, which she presented to instructors from across Canada.
While earning her certification, Roberts didn’t miss a beat in coaching with the young skaters in Okotoks.
The community is where Roberts’ heart is — like a doctor coming home to practice, Foothills skaters will be the beneficiaries of her expertise.
“I am taking everything we have done and applying it to all the athletes here, it is working really well,” Roberts said.
She has been an instructor at the Okotoks club for nearly 30 years. She returned to school to earn her Level 4, about three decades after she left school for skating.
“Back then, I was at Mount Royal to become a physiotherapist — I loved school, my GPA was high,” Roberts said. “I was skating on the side to cover my tuition and books and I was going to transfer to go to physiotherapy.
“I told my mom and dad: ‘I’m not going to do that. I am going to stay and skate,’ and they were like ‘Noooo…’ Back then did I know I would be this certified? No. But I knew I had a passion for the sport, I could continue to learn and I could share my knowledge. I have turned it into a career.”
Making oneself better is applicable for the coaches and the skaters at the Okotoks club.
Co-coaches Lisa Hilbert and Kristen Fry both attained their Level 3 certification in the past year, which is national status.
“They can go to Canadians, any national experience and be in the coaches’ room,” Roberts said. “Unless you have that little tag you’re Level 3 you can’t be there.”
The coaches make an effort to learn from one another.
“I couldn’t do this on my own,” Roberts said. “They (Hilbert, Fry) and the rest of the team might see something different from a skater that I don’t see. Even in our last break, Lisa came in and said: ‘Hey, Kerri we got to grab this kid. She needs to be pushed more.’
“Every day, something from my knowledge, Lisa’s knowledge, Krista’s knowledge is impacting those kids. Our philosophy is we are life-time learners. I’m Level 4, who cares? I’m thinking ‘what’s next?”’
Hilbert has been Roberts’ student, co-coach and sometimes mentor for 21 years at Okotoks.
“She just continues to gain more knowledge,” Hilbert said of Roberts. “I think the cool thing is seeing how much she loves to teach and what she has learned and applied it.
“She has pushed to stay ahead… She has impacted me huge, that’s why I am still coaching.”
Roberts needs to love her work. She spends more time on the ice than a polar bear. It can be seven days a week during the winter.
Despite the grind, she might still be at her hometown club for another 30 years.
“When I step on the ice, still, it’s like, ‘wow, this is great,’” she said with a smile.
The Okotoks club is heading into its competitive season. For more information concerning the club go to okotoksskatingclub.com
