The Arctic Edge Skating Club has kept busy in the off season.

Jason and Karen Mongrain, who head the BMO Centre for Skating Excellence in Kelowna, B.C., held a high-caliber seminar for the Whitehorse club at the Canada Games Centre, Aug. 27-29.

The five-week seminar wrapped up the summer training season for the 25 Arctic Edge skaters who participated, and kicked off the 2010-2011 season.

From Aug. 13-16, six club members competed in the SummerSkate in Burnaby, B.C., an event that was also attended by competitive skaters Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Rachel Pettitt won first out of 15 skaters in the juvenile ladies free skate and first in total points out of 30 skaters.

"I missed a jump, I never did the double loop,” Rachel said of her program, adding timidly that the competition was not what she expected. "From watching a long time ago when I was in pre-juvenile, and I was going up to juvenile, I thought they would be a lot better.”

"Maybe it's just that you improved,” club coach Trish Pettitt said.

Amelia Austin and Braedon Donaldson won second in the junior pairs free skate at the SummerSkate, while Bryn Hoffman finished fourth in the pre-novice ladies short program and seventh in the free skate.

Rounding out the club's skaters at the event were Kevin Caron, who finished fifth in the senior men's free skate, Kelcy

Armstrong, who placed 10th in the junior bronze ladies 12-and-under free skate, and Teneil Caron, who finished 13th in the novice ladies short program and 14th in the free skate.

Each of the skaters had personal best performances.

"I think that's pretty exceptional for the club, and it shows the high level that our competitive skaters have,” Trish said.

Four of the skaters at the event also traveled outside the territory for more intensive skating schools.

Hoffman spent six weeks at the Coquitlam Skating Club in Vancouver, where Armstrong also trained for two weeks; Pettitt spent five weeks at the Calalta Summer Skating School in Calgary; and Millie Austin auditioned for and got a pair's partner after trying out earlier this year in Montreal.

Trish said Austin's skating line and style caught the eye of the evaluators.

"It's an awesome opportunity to be picked out of all the people trying out,” Pettitt said of Austin.

Michelle Gorczyca is another Arctic Edge skater who stepped up a level.

She passed the test in May to move up to the senior level after doing the prerequisite triple jump, among others, to qualify.

Now she has her sights set on sectionals in Kelowna, B.C., in November.

In addition to the work she's put into becoming a senior skater, she is also helping Pettitt coach.

"I'm trying to find a good balance between coaching and skating,” she said, adding,

"I coach because I want to see them improve.”