Prince of Wales FSC - early days
In December 2001 we interviewed Wendy Mercer (nee Chapman) on her memories of the early days of Prince of Wales Figure Skating Club.
 Wendy |
The Club started in 1963, although it was not known as Prince of Wales Figure Skating Club, or officially part of the CFSA for another two years. A Mrs. Edmunston moved to St. John's from Ontario with her husband, an RCMP officer who was stationed here for two years. She was surprised that there were no learn-to-skate programmes in the city - St. John's FSC had been in existence for a long time, but at that time mostly consisted of a group who got together at the stadium to practice in a social setting. Mrs. Edmunston, who was a professional skating instructor, approached the Avalon Consolidated School Board and was given permission to start such a programme. It was advertised through the schools and operated at Prince of Wales and Feildan Gardens. She set it up with four hour-long sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the groups separated by level and identified by colours - Green Red, Blue and Yellow. Wendy registered for the skating lessons - she was 11. At the end of year (March) there was an ice recital, with costumes made out of crepe paper in the colour of the group. The colours ran when the crepe got wet!
 Nutcracker cast |
Next season (1965) the club was registered with CFSA on a trial basis sponsored by St. John's FSC. Five skaters went to the summer school and took lessons and tests there. Wendy passed preliminary figures, 1st figures, first ice dances, and Junior Bronze level dances.
 Alexander Balisch |
In 1966, Mrs. Edmunston had left as her husband had transferred - the Club had no coach. The five skaters who had been away to summer school acted as amateur coaches. These included Wendy, Shirley MacLeod who was about 16, and also her brother Brian MacLeod. Brian later became a famous guitar player and rock musician with the band Chilliwack before dying of bone cancer in 1989.
Shirley was the most experienced and oldest amateur coach - she had skated in Oshawa before they moved to Newfoundland. She acted as head coach and helped run the programme, following Mrs. Edmunston's methods. This was the first year with a separate "Junior" programme - dances, figures, free-skate - for the more advanced skaters.
That summer many skaters went to summer school. Wendy went to Montreal for nine weeks. The Macleods went to Ontario, and Chris Chapman (Wendy's younger sister) went to St. Andrews NB with some others. That year the executive talked to St. John's FSC and agreed that they'd try and bring in a coach for the two clubs, as St John's were by now doing more teaching. They asked Alexander Balisch to move to St. John's. He was originally from Vienna, where he had competed at a high level, and had skated shows. He was also a high school history teacher, and a job was found for him at Memorial University in the history department. He arrived with his wife (Faith, who still works at the University) and young son to became the Club's first professional coach.
 Brian Macleod, Alex Balisch, and Wendy Chapman returning from 1967 Atlantic Provincials |
Alexander Balisch instructed for two full seasons with the two clubs, but then decided to leave coaching. After that another joint coach Hans Algren (still coaching in Ontario) came to St. John's for a year. He was a young European skater, and had done lots of show work. This resulted in more ambitious ice shows with a more professional look. From then on the Club held big shows every year, mostly at Memorial Stadium, often with guest skaters from mainland. Around this time skaters started going to competitions on the mainland.
 Wendy Chapman, 1969 Atlantic Junior champion |
 Ralph Adomeit |