For my first ice show, I was a lollipop. The only thing I remember is touching my toes because my long hair fell in front of my face. I was a Beginner under the National Skating Test (N.S.T.) stream. This changed for the 1983/84 season when the Canadian Figure Skating Association (CFSA., now Skate Canada)... Continue Reading →
SUBMITTED PHOTO/Chanel Cabak Chanel Cabak's figure skating season was almost thrown for a loop. Luckily, the ambidextrous skater can perform a double in either direction. "I can write with both hands," said Cabak, via an email interview, "and I can do an Axel, a double Salchow, and a double loop the other way." The global... Continue Reading →
In 1989, I won my first singles gold medal. Technically, the anniversary is today - December 3, 1989. That's okay. My mom forgot too. It's still pretty, but why does the ribbon look melty? I won my first gold medal with my older sister in Primary Dance at that year's Interlake Regionals. While that was... Continue Reading →
On the heels of the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Skate Canada has announced further skating competition cancellations and restrictions in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. From the coast to coast, over 20 competitions have been cancelled, including Skate BC/YT's STAR Competition in Burnaby, BC from March 21 to 22, 2020. Skate... Continue Reading →
This weekend marks a changing of the guard. Or skate guards, so to speak. From March 6th to 8th, Tundra Oil and Gas Place in Virden will host the 2020 Manitoba Open. The three-day competition welcomes skaters from Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the STARSkate, AdultSkate, and Competitive levels. It's in competitive stream where senior women... Continue Reading →
Skating isn't all about the medals. It's about the memories. Medals are a bonus though. During the Arborg Skating Club's 1988/1989 season, our coach produced three successful synchronized (precision) skating teams. I was on the eight-member senior team, winning two silver medals. Two competitions, two silver medals. Not too shabby. We won our second silver... Continue Reading →
If you want to spark some motivation, watching To The Worlds on CBC Docs POV is your first step. To The Worlds follows six women from the Winfield Skating Club near Kelowna, BC as they prepare for the prestigious ISU Adult World Figure Skating Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany. Actually, there were seven skaters ... These woman,... Continue Reading →
Donna Bergvinson/CBC POV Promotional Photo/Submitted "I feel like I'm going through a second childhood." Adult skater and preschool teacher for the Boys and Girls Club in Kelowna, Donna Bergvinson, uses the lessons she teaches to the ice. "I wasn't the best skater. I had to figure it out. I learned how to do a three-turn from... Continue Reading →
"To The Worlds" is getting plenty of attention. From television, radio, online news, blog posts, four-time world figure skating champion Kurt Browning ... Yes. That Kurt Browning. Wendy Ord, the film maker and 59-year-old adult skater said, "(Kurt) He actually heard about this documentary about these crazy ladies going to Germany." Ord plays two roles... Continue Reading →
"Engaging in Aging." That's Henrietta Penney's outlook on life. Penney is one of the adult skaters whose story is chronicled in the CBC documentary "To The Worlds." The documentary follows six adult skaters who travel from Kelowna, BC to Oberstdorf, Germany to compete at the 2018 ISU Adult Figure Skating Competition. The 77-year-old adult figure skater... Continue Reading →
L-R: Isabella Ciocoiu; Donna Bergvinson; Karen Smith; Wendy Ord; Maureen Barnes; and Henrietta Penney It was a "filmmaker's dream come true." Independent filmmaker, assistant director, and adult figure skater, Wendy Ord, wanted to produce a documentary on adult skaters - ages 46 to 77 - who travel from Kelowna, BC to the ISU Adult Figure... Continue Reading →
It's 2018. And we still can't fix figure skating. No pun intended. Today, I was watching the free dance from the 2018 Canadian Tire Nationals via live stream. With Ted Barton and Debbie Wilkes. It was going swimmingly until it was announced the final six ice dance teams could be seen on TSN. So, flip... Continue Reading →
It was a cool show. Complete with a Stars on Ice warm-up section. On Saturday, April 8, 2017, skaters shared their skills at the Manitoba Grassroots Bursary Trust Ice Show before a receptive crowd at the St. James Civic Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The show included bursary winners - plus skaters who had a remarkable... Continue Reading →
Ice Intrepid lived up to their name tonight. The University of Manitoba team were fearlessness at the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships on Friday, February 24th. They skated the first portion of the competition, Free Program I, with endurance and poise, garnering a score of 52.30. They skate their Free Program II on Saturday, February... Continue Reading →
It was Nicole Rogowsky's first gold medal. As a synchronized skater. On January 21, Rogowsky competed in the 2017 Skate Manitoba Synchronized Championships with the University of Manitoba's Ice Intrepid team in Morden, Manitoba. After the competition, the 18-year-old watched the broadcast on Shaw TV Winnipeg. “It was really awesome … ” said Rogowsky. “There... Continue Reading →
They would've skated to the competition. On January 22, through the fog and slick roads, skaters from nine clubs travelled to Teulon for the 2017 Interlake Regional STARSkate Championships to vie for medals and ribbons. The competition went “All and all pretty smooth,” according to club president, Audra Nesbitt-Hume. “Nobody cancelled due to weather surprisingly,”... Continue Reading →
It was the 1990 Arborg Skating Club competition. Pitting Arborg skater against Arborg skater. While skating to Rick Springfield's "Don't Walk Away," a skater - who was pegged to win the gold medal - threw herself into an Axel. However, at close range, someone flashed the skater in the face with a camera. She tumbled... Continue Reading →
Skaters, start your sit spins. On January 11, the 2015 Interlake Regional STARSkate Championships land at the Arborg Skating Club. A total of 66 skaters will vie for medals and ribbons, plus the opportunity to represent their club at the Manitoba Open and STARSkate Championship. Skaters will travel to Arborg from East St. Paul, Stony... Continue Reading →
If Jessica Sergeant ever dreamed about skating on an ocean, she’s reached it. The 23-year-old signed with Willy Bietek Productions ice show earlier this year - which produce shows for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. WBP also produce Festival on Ice and Broadway on Ice. Sergeant’s coach, Angela Duffy, said they discussed her future in the... Continue Reading →
What a difference a year makes. In 2013, 11-year-old Stephie Gagnon was slowly being weaned off her medications that controlled her Juvenile Dermatomyositis – or JDM. Diagnosed when she was 6 ½ years old, it had been an uphill battle for Stephie and her family – which included around the clock care and uncertainty. Stephie... Continue Reading →
Skating Scene 