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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
Heather Kemkaran was three years old when she first stepped onto an outdoor rink. Her neighbour, Mr. Black, in the small town of Strathclair, Manitoba - northwest of the City of Brandon - offered to teach Kemkaran and her brother to skate. Kemkaran’s dad agreed and made an outdoor rink. Little did the Kemkaran family... Continue Reading →
Last November, I covered the Skate Alberta-NWT/Nunavut sectionals for the Edmonton Journal. Once home, I wrote my story and compiled competition results, and live–tweeted – for fun(!) The deadline loomed, and my computer screens constantly changed — the adrenaline definitely flowed. I stepped away from the computer for not more than three minutes, and I... Continue Reading →
Lisa Sargeant strikes a pose at the Royal Glenora Club - Credit/Edmonton Journal The first Canadian championship I ever watched was the 1989 Canadians from Chicoutimi, Quebec. My older sister and I were at my grandparents' for the weekend, and we nibbled on Baba’s puffed wheat cake as we watched CKY’s endless hours of coverage.... Continue Reading →
The Royal Glenora Club's ice facilities faces possible closure due to high operating costs and renovations: Undated photo The 2013 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships haven't even started and drama is already unfolding. The Royal Glenora Club's skating facilities in Edmonton, Alberta will cease operations on May 31, 2013. The reason? Allegedly, the arena... Continue Reading →
When a vehicle is broken into, usually the items stolen are easily replaced. Unless one of those items are an $1800 pair of figure skates. On Oct. 22, Kayla Harrison, an 18-year-old figure skater, left morning classes to head to the Royal Glenora Club. Only one problem: her Jimmy was broken into, and three of... Continue Reading →
Whenever I interview 16-year-old Kaetlyn Osmond, there’s something I notice about her – besides her triple-triple combination. It’s her smile. It never leaves her face. And right now, Osmond has a lot to smile about. On Friday, Osmond mamboed her way to second place in the short program at the 2012 Skate Canada International competition... Continue Reading →
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