Join The Club: Hitting the Ice With the St. Cloud Figure Skating Club [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD - This week for our Join The Club series we hit the ice with the St. Cloud Figure Skating Club for an early morning practice.

An incredible amount of dedication goes into the sport for members. Each of the older skaters usually attend several early morning practices every week to practice their routines. Emma Backes has been skating since she was five and says the sport requires a lot of dedication.

"There's a ton of practice, it's a lot-Monday, Wednesday, Friday is what I skate most of the time," Backes says.

The club has been teaching all levels of figure skating since 1973 and now provides lessons and practices to area skaters year round. By the time skaters reach their senior year in high school they typically have over 10 years worth of experience.

Remi Deyak has also been skating since she was five and says many members are also involved in other sports.

"I was put into hockey by my parents and I saw the figure skaters out there and I wanted to do that too, I ended up doing both-there were times where I was wearing figure skating dresses under my hockey gear," Deyak says.

Any girl interested in joining can attend one of the clubs "Learn to Skate" lessons on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Club members say the hard work all pays off during performances and when they’re able to reach new levels in the sport.

"How you can achieve so many levels in skating is I think what draws me to it, I don't think I've ever been in a bad mood skating because of what I've learned and the people around me," Backes says.

The St. Cloud Figure Skating Club has their 2015 annual ice show this upcoming Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The shows will be at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex, tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for children.

For more on the show, check out their website.

-If you have a suggestion for a club to be featured in this series, contact Dan DeBaun at dan@wjon.com or 320-257-7205-