Leaps and Bounds for Steamboat Springs' Skaters
03/24/2025 10:25AM ● By Madison Mohn
Genevieve Spillane, who has skated with the Steamboat Skating Club for seven years, competes at the Frightfest competition in Fort Collins. Photo courtesy of Steamboat Skating Club/Hilary Spillane.
The figure skaters of the Steamboat Skating Club erupted with cheers as they found out they won nine gold medals at the prestigious Aspen Invitational. Their hard work had paid off. The Aspen Skating Club trains for several hours a day, five days a week, and they won two gold medals. The Steamboat Skating Club gets ice time for only one or two hours a week, but they were the ones holding nine shiny gold medals.
“The Aspen Invitational 2023 was truly a magical experience,” says Kelli Standekar, the director of the skating club. “We saw a record number of competitors, with many skaters participating for the first time. It was incredible to witness all the athletes representing their community and the Steamboat Skating Club so proudly.”
The Steamboat Skating Club conquers ice time challenges and problem-solves not only to grow as skaters, but also to achieve competitive success. The rapidly-growing club – which went from 20 skaters post-pandemic to 50 this season – is at an ice-time disadvantage: They share Steamboat’s one rink with multiple (large) user groups including the Youth Hockey Association, the high school hockey team and rec leagues. But limited ice time has not deterred the commitment of the team. Overcoming these challenges by thinking out of the box has only made the club grow stronger.
Kelli became the club’s director in 2020 and has been focusing lessons on quality over quantity, which actually cuts down the total time the skaters have on the ice. But, it has resulted in smaller classes where coaches can hone in on specific skills and provide individualized feedback. Since Kelli started, the skating club has walked away from 30 competitions – against clubs in Denver, Fort Collins and Aspen, among others – with 197 medals.
Kelli attributes focus on refining basic skills and off-ice training to the team’s recent success. To keep the figure skaters in their best shape despite limited skating time, Kelli implemented ballet and movement classes, off-ice conditioning and off-ice specialized jumps classes. “I think my main focus when I stepped in was really going back to the basics of what our sport’s about,” she says. “Prior to that, the focus was more on a theatrical perspective, which is super fun and exciting. We’ve tried to keep some of that, but all the coaches that are on staff right now are really focused on fundamental skills and competitive development.”
Kelli took the role to help streamline the program, enhance skating technique and foster a positive environment. But her main goal is to create a skating community where skaters feel they belong. “Yes, we want to be successful, and yes, we want them to compete and feel good about that, because there’s lots of life lessons that you learn from that,” she says. “But mostly we’re about being a family, being a team, and trying to make sure that everybody has a place.”
Evelyn Sachs, a longtime member of the club, is grateful for the tight-knit community skating club has provided her. “If your day is feeling bad and then you go to skating, it lightens up your day,” she says. “I have all my friends there supporting me and it always makes all of us feel better. It’s like a second family.”
The figure skaters of the Steamboat Skating Club erupted with cheers as they found out they won nine gold medals at the prestigious Aspen Invitational. Their hard work had paid off. The Aspen Skating Club trains for several hours a day, five days a week, and they won two gold medals. The Steamboat Skating Club gets ice time for only one or two hours a week, but they were the ones holding nine shiny gold medals.
“The Aspen Invitational 2023 was truly a magical experience,” says Kelli Standekar, the director of the skating club. “We saw a record number of competitors, with many skaters participating for the first time. It was incredible to witness all the athletes representing their community and the Steamboat Skating Club so proudly.”
The Steamboat Skating Club conquers ice time challenges and problem-solves not only to grow as skaters, but also to achieve competitive success. The rapidly-growing club – which went from 20 skaters post-pandemic to 50 this season – is at an ice-time disadvantage: They share Steamboat’s one rink with multiple (large) user groups including the Youth Hockey Association, the high school hockey team and rec leagues. But limited ice time has not deterred the commitment of the team. Overcoming these challenges by thinking out of the box has only made the club grow stronger.
Kelli became the club’s director in 2020 and has been focusing lessons on quality over quantity, which actually cuts down the total time the skaters have on the ice. But, it has resulted in smaller classes where coaches can hone in on specific skills and provide individualized feedback. Since Kelli started, the skating club has walked away from 30 competitions – against clubs in Denver, Fort Collins and Aspen, among others – with 197 medals.
Kelli attributes focus on refining basic skills and off-ice training to the team’s recent success. To keep the figure skaters in their best shape despite limited skating time, Kelli implemented ballet and movement classes, off-ice conditioning and off-ice specialized jumps classes. “I think my main focus when I stepped in was really going back to the basics of what our sport’s about,” she says. “Prior to that, the focus was more on a theatrical perspective, which is super fun and exciting. We’ve tried to keep some of that, but all the coaches that are on staff right now are really focused on fundamental skills and competitive development.”
Kelli took the role to help streamline the program, enhance skating technique and foster a positive environment. But her main goal is to create a skating community where skaters feel they belong. “Yes, we want to be successful, and yes, we want them to compete and feel good about that, because there’s lots of life lessons that you learn from that,” she says. “But mostly we’re about being a family, being a team, and trying to make sure that everybody has a place.”
Evelyn Sachs, a longtime member of the club, is grateful for the tight-knit community skating club has provided her. “If your day is feeling bad and then you go to skating, it lightens up your day,” she says. “I have all my friends there supporting me and it always makes all of us feel better. It’s like a second family.”