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 Skate Canada Cancels Competitions and Events from Coast to Coast – A Complete List
World Figure Skating Championships
To The Worlds – An Interview with Wendy Ord
"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 To The Worlds – An Interview with Wendy Ord
To The Worlds – An Interview with Henrietta Penney
"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 To The Worlds – An Interview with Henrietta Penney
This isn’t a Guns N’ Roses Song – Why Synchro Should Be an Olympic Sport
2015 Grand Prix Figure Skating Final, Team Paradise/Wikipedia Synchronized figure skaters must have a lot of patience. There was hope synchro might be included in the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, but it didn't happen. As the 2010 Vancouver Games inched closer, another carrot was dangled and then chopped up. In 2014, a glimmer … Continue reading This isn’t a Guns N’ Roses Song – Why Synchro Should Be an Olympic Sport
A Conversation with Heather Kemkaran-Antymniuk
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 A Conversation with Heather Kemkaran-Antymniuk
Figure Skating Federations Need to Change Olympic Selection Process
It seems some skaters had their ticket pre-punched to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, courtesy of their friendly figure skating federation. Which begs the question: why bother to hold a national championship when the federation has already determined who they want on their Olympic team? For the sake of ruining mascara and innocent Kleenex, skating federations … Continue reading Figure Skating Federations Need to Change Olympic Selection Process
Mandatory Compulsory Silence – Figure Skating’s Nemesis
I almost miss compulsory figures. Those horrible, former mandatory double-bubbles of trouble. Or three circles for a serpentine. Scratching out figure eights for up to four hours a week was not my idea of a good time. However, when we skated patch, our arena was so quiet you should hear a skate rivet drop. The … Continue reading Mandatory Compulsory Silence – Figure Skating’s Nemesis
How Tonya Harding Tried to Cripple a Canadian Champion
Even 20 years later, there’s still an appetite for the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan saga. On Jan. 6, 1994, it seemed only the lives of Kerrigan and Harding where changed. It’s a lesson to never underestimate Tonya Harding. Harding was well-documented train-wreck. Her wardrobe malfunction at the 1993 U.S. Nationals and her skate issues at 1993 … Continue reading How Tonya Harding Tried to Cripple a Canadian Champion
Figure Skating and Steroids – The ISU Needs Tougher Sanctions
Banned substances keep finding their way into the bodies of top-level athletes whether through accidental ingestion or on-purpose injection. The ISU released their Anti-Doping Procedures for this season. I don’t believe their sanctions are strict enough. Major League Baseball bans a two-time offender while under the ISU, a second infraction might garner a four-year suspension. … Continue reading Figure Skating and Steroids – The ISU Needs Tougher Sanctions
Remembering Johnny Esaw
Figure skating has lost a legend. Johnny Esaw, the dynamic commentator with CTV from the 1970s to 1989 died on April 6, 2013. He was 87 years old. Esaw was already an established football and hockey reporter when he brought figure skating to the forefront. At a time when skating was all glitz and glamour, … Continue reading Remembering Johnny Esaw
No Limit on Talent
Clara Peters, Paul Richardeau, and Reyna Hamui. A skater should be excited to win their national title. It’s like finding the golden ticket in a chocolate bar/ Or an invitation to that cool kid's party. Unless that invitation was meant for someone else. In 2011, someone at the ISU had an ingenious idea, "Hey! Let's … Continue reading No Limit on Talent
A Conversation with Lisa Sargeant-Driscoll
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 A Conversation with Lisa Sargeant-Driscoll
Patrick Chan Fell, Get Over It
Did you hear? Patrick Chan fell four times at the Japan Open earlier this month and placed last? Blog upon blog have dumped on Chan since his result, and Twitter wasn’t too kind either. With Chan going into the Skate Canada Invitational as the two-time defending champion, no doubt the Japan Open is weighing on … Continue reading Patrick Chan Fell, Get Over It
Midori Ito at the Adult Worlds
Midori Ito made her debut at the adult worlds this June. The 1989 World Figure Skating Champion, who made history by landing the first triple Axel in world competition, competed in the ISU Adult Figure Skating Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. Ito finished second to Jan Calnan in the Masters Elite II level. While there were … Continue reading Midori Ito at the Adult Worlds
A Tribute: To the Lives Lost in the Sabena Flight 548 Disaster
On March 24, the ISU decided Moscow would host the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championship as Japan continues to recover from the repercussions of a tsunami and nuclear crisis. It's a sigh of relief for many figure skaters and coaches who trained all-year for this moment. At the Worlds in Toyko, Japan, there were … Continue reading A Tribute: To the Lives Lost in the Sabena Flight 548 Disaster
Binder, Paper, Scissors – An Adolescence Well Documented
The winds passed like a Chinook over the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Amateurs turned professional, allowing new faces to emerge, such as American sweetheart Jill Trenary, pair strongholds Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, and Canada’s Cowboy Kurt Browning. I started to document their progress - and skaters at the local level. Collecting newspaper clippings … Continue reading Binder, Paper, Scissors – An Adolescence Well Documented
The Gold, the Silver, and the Wildcard – It Makes a Great Movie, But Not Real Life
On a clear day in Arborg, Manitoba, I’d have my pick of CBC, CTV, CKND (Global), and MTN. However, most days, it was CBC programming, which explains my love for Degrassi Junior High. CBC showed memorable movies back then, such as Love and Hate - The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher and Loyalties. And for … Continue reading The Gold, the Silver, and the Wildcard – It Makes a Great Movie, But Not Real Life
Holly Cook – Making a Statement on the World Stage
At the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, American Champion Jill Trenary won the world title. Japan’s Midori Ito placed an unheard of 10th in the compulsory figures - unheard of for a defending world champion while Trenary won the segment. But a short program was a different story. After a … Continue reading Holly Cook – Making a Statement on the World Stage
Plushenko, Meet Karma
Remember the kid who was whined when you would beat then at Sorry or Life, or even Chinese Checkers? Accusations of theft, high-jinx, deception or illusion would surface. They say things like “you didn’t deserve to win” and “you looked at my cards.” And you, being the good sport, just bite your tongue and walk … Continue reading Plushenko, Meet Karma
Bye Bye Compulsory Dance
Who doesn’t love to snuggle up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch three hours of compulsory dance? Hopefully no one. The International Skating Union’s announcement on June 17, 2010 was a longtime coming. They voted to nix compulsory dance at junior and senior competition and will devise a plan to retool … Continue reading Bye Bye Compulsory Dance
Skating Scene 