Skaters make fundraising waves
BY CHRIS EDMONDS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
They have sold cookies and bulbs and now they are auctioning off tables, sort of. In an on-going effort to fundraise creatively, the Island Waves - Nantucket's synchronized skating team - will host a fundraiser Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9 and 10 at Preservation Institute, complete with silent auction for tables designed by designers, business people and restaurants.

The Independent file The Island Waves won gold medals this season and last season at synchronized skating competitions in Bourne and Connecticut.

Members of the community have volunteered to design tables, be they for the holidays, birthdays or other special events, which the public will have the opportunity to bid on during the two-day fundraiser. Winning bidders will have the table designs boxed and sent to their homes.

"We've done a lot of fundraising, but we're trying to think of different kinds of fundraising events," said Amy Wiggin, one of the coordinators of the event.

Friday's reception launches what the Waves hope will be a fruitful weekend. Tickets for Friday are $50 and come with a private showing of the tables, drinks, food, raffle and viewing of a video of the Waves competing. Saturday's tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors, and entitle buyers to see the tables and the competition video.

Nantucket Golf Club Foundation has set forth a matching challenge grant. If the Waves can raise $10,000 at the Preservation Institute event, the foundation will donate the same amount to the team.

"We're excited about it," said Carolyn Thayer of the club's matching offer. "We're happy to meet the goal because it will make a huge difference."

Thus far, the response has been positive, said Thayer. A variety of island businesses have elected to sponsor tables. Among the many entries, Holly McGowan of Coastal Design and Cheryl Emery of Nantucket Sewing and Design have teamed for a table, with wedding planner Christina Boling and salon owner Darya Afshari also donating their time and efforts.

"A lot of people are curious about it," Thayer said. "It's a commitment for someone to take on a table. There's the expense, and it's time-consuming, but the people who get it are really into it."

Just as the Waves skaters themselves are really into their sport. The Waves won their division in their very first competition in December 2005, for which the team pushed through a snowstorm on the Cape, with just 10 skaters. Now, nearly two years later, the Waves have three separate teams, with the top team planning a trip in January to a competition in Virginia.

The Nov. 9 and 10 fundraiser, like previous efforts by the Waves, will be used to offset the numerous expenses of training and competition, from purchasing ice time to plane and ferry tickets to competition costumes.

"It's a way to defray the cost," said Thayer. "Some people have a tough time meeting the expenses, especially people with more than one child in the program."

Waves skate in the house, beginner or pre-juvenile teams. Advancement through system depends on a skater's individual ability, which coaches Kristin DeFrancisci and Belinda Yancy refine in individual practice sessions, a requirement for all Waves skaters.

"The difference from being on one team to the next is how far a skater has moved along in her Moves in the Field testing," said Thayer, whose daughter Lizzie is a member of the Waves. "You have to reach a certain level to be on a particular team, and that requires individual coaching, which is expensive."

The pre-juvenile team, the Waves' most advanced group, will travel to the Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional in Richmond, Va. in January. The team skated in last year's Easterns when they were held in Providence.

"It's exciting because we wouldn't even have considered such a trip before, but the girls have come so far

so fast," said Thayer. I

For tickets or information, call (508) 654-5617 or Nantucket Ice at 228-2516. Tickets are available for purchase at the rink and at the door Friday, Nov. 9. Advance purchase is encouraged.