2013-2014 Annual Report
Chair’s Message Dear Members of Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut, Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut continues to be an effective and efficient organization dedicated to providing everyone the opportunity to participate in skating for fun, fitness, and achievement. 2013-2014 was the final year of the Section’s 2010-2014 Strategic Plan, and great strides were made in each of the four pillars of athlete, human resources, organization, and partner development. Athlete Development From CanSkate Element Events to the Arctic Winter Games to the Olympic Winter Games, 2013-2014 was a year to remember! We remained firmly committed to Skate Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development model, and took a major jump forward by introducing the STAR competition model. Following a successful Skate Canada Challenge where Section skaters won five medals, our Canadian Championships team produced ten top-10 results at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships! We are extremely proud of all athletes including our Canadian Champions, Keelee Gingrich and Davin Portz in Novice Pairs, and Kaetlyn Osmond in Senior Women. A special congratulations is extended to Kaetlyn Osmond, 2014 Olympic Silver Medalist! Human Resources Development Kaetlyn wasn’t the only member of the Section in Sochi. She was joined by Ravi Walia (her coach), Cynthia Ullmark (team leader), and Jodi Abbott (judge). The development of coaches, officials, and volunteers continue to be an important component of skater success. The Section is committed to focusing on the recruitment and retention of officials, offering professional development opportunities for coaches, and recognizing the support of volunteers. The Section Office continues to be a valued resource supporting our membership. Organization Development We have completed our final year of our 2010-2014 Strategic Plan. Our committees made progress towards the completion of 175 of 188 (93%) key actions on the 2013-2014 business plan. Finances continue to be a focus as we compete for funding and sponsorship dollars needed to provide programs. Partner Development As part of our “Creating Opportunities for Skaters with a Disability” initiative, we collaborated with Special Olympics Alberta to have 25 skaters registered in Special Olympics events at the 2014 STARSkate Championships! Four pilot clubs participated in this initiative, and a partnership was also formed with the Alberta Sport and Recreation for the Blind, who helped us integrate opportunities for skaters with visual impairments. Appreciation is extended to our sponsors Calgary Professional Skate Service, Triple Flip, Duso’s, Artègo Canada, and the Alberta Figure Skating Foundation. We also acknowledge the Alberta Sport Connection (formerly ASRPWF) for their continued support. In closing, I wish to thank my fellow Board members, the Section Office, and our volunteers for their time and personal commitment to our organization. Your efforts make us strong and I look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming season. Yours in skating, Sharon Dingle Chair
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Our committees made progress towards the completion of 175 of 188 (93%) key actions in the 2013-2014 business plan.
Membership Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut’s overall membership continues to increase. In 2013-2014, this increase was primarily due to an increase in CanSkate membership. The percentage of male members continues to grow, rising from 29.0% in 2012-2013 to 32.4% in 2013-2014. In 2013-2014, 25% of the Section’s membership was male skaters age 10 and under in CanSkate.
In 2013-2014, the Section had 167 clubs and skating schools, a decrease of two from 2012-2013. The Section had 30 synchronized skating teams in 2013-2014, an increase of three teams from 2012-2013. The Section welcomed the Olympia Skating Club, located in Calgary, which focuses on programming for adult skaters.
This year, a membership survey was circulated to obtain valuable feedback on operations and programming. The results are being reviewed and actions for improving services to the Section’s members are being considered. Change (from 2012-2013)
Year
Membership Class 2013-2014
2012-2013
2011-2012
2010-2011
2009-2010
#
%
488
437
459
413
442
-51
+11.7%
CanPowerSkate
1,619
1,723
1,685
1,364
1,646
-104
-6.0%
CanSkate
16,076
15,309
15,080
14,622
13,242
+767
+5.0%
286
298
297
281
273
-12
-4.0%
3,332
3,348
3,449
3,310
3,435
-16
-0.5%
110
112
122
126
142
-12
-1.8%
1,057
1,083
1,141
1,110
1,108
-26
-2.4%
126
128
134
133
137
-2
-1.6%
23,094
22,438
22,367
21,359
20,425
+656
+2.9%
AdultSkate
CompetitiveSkate STARSkate SynchroSkate Executive Officials Total Membership
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Athlete Development 2013-2014 athlete development achievements by numbers: 18 skaters representing 3 teams (Alberta North, NWT, Nunavut) competed at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games 2 Arctic Winter Games training camps held in Iqaluit and Grande Prairie 64 skaters at the Canada Winter Games Performance Camp in Canmore 57 skaters competed at the 2014 Alberta Winter Games 20 skaters attended the STARSkate and Skating Techniques Seminar in Lethbridge 35 male skaters at the 2014 Brian Pockar Male and Mini-Male Seminar 13 skaters were monitored through an athlete-centered monitoring pilot support by AFSF 39 entries at the 2014 Skate Canada Challenge resulting in 5 medals 16 entries at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships 3 entries at the 2014 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships 106 skaters competed at the 2014 Skate Canada Adult Figure Skating Championships 51 skaters on the Junior Development Team 44 skaters on the Select Team 2 skaters invited to the 2014 National Development Camp 2 successful Section Showcases in Leduc and Pincher Creek 88 skaters at the 2014 Spring Development Camp 20 skaters tested through the Canadian Sport Institute 2 gold medals at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships
ONE medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi!
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Coaching Coaching continues to play a vital role in the development of skaters. Congratulations are extended to the coaches of the skaters who medalled at national and international competitions during the 2013-2014 season: • • •
Ravi Walia (Ice Palace FSC): Ravi is the coach of Kaetlyn Osmond, 2014 Canadian Champion in the Senior Women’s event and 2014 Olympic Silver Medalist in the team event. Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay (Calalta FSC): Anabelle and Cody are the coaches of Keelee Gingrich and Davin Portz, 2014 Canadian Champions in Novice Pairs. David Schultz and Vicki Schultz (Cypress School of Skating): David and Vicki are the coaches of Graham Schaufele, Bronze medalist at the 2014 Skate Canada Challenge in Pre-Novice Men.
In 2013-2014, a focus was on ensuring that Section coaches are more aware of changes and important information coming from Skate Canada. Coaching-specific e-newsletters and electronic information blasts were issued by the Section as critical information was received. This resulted in timely dissemination of information affecting skaters. Through this, coaches were more involved and connected with the Section and Skate Canada. The coaches meetings held in 2013-2014 were well-attended, and a coaching survey was completed by 100% of the coaches who attended the coaches’ meeting at the 2014 Sectional Championships. Coaches are being further integrated into Section activities through the Section Coach Achievement Award, which will be launched at the 2014 Awards Banquet.
NCCP ISPC Courses: 2009-2013
NCCP CanSkate, Primary STARSkate and CanPowerSkate Courses: 2009-2013 140 120
16
124 113
104
100
104
12
95
8
60 20
29 11
16
23
5 5
25 12
2010
CanSkate Trained
2011
2012
2013
Primary STARSkate Trained
CanPowerSkate
6
7 7 5 5
6 6
7 7
8
9 9 9
4
0 2009
8 8 8
7 7
42
36
27 22
10 10
9
9 9
80 40
12 11 11
0
0 0
2009
2010
2011
2012
ISPC Sport Science
ISPC Skating Skills
ISPC Singles
ISPC Dance
ISPC Synchro
ISPC Pairs
2013
Ravi Walia (Ice Palace FSC), attended the 2014 Olympic Winter Games as the coach of Kaetlyn Osmond.
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Events From the 2013 Annual Convention, General Meeting (ACGM) and Awards Banquet in Red Deer to the 2014 STARSkate Championships in St. Albert, the Events Committee had a very busy and exciting year! The 2013 ACGM was one of the Section’s best-attended ACGMs with workshops for coaches, skaters, officials, and parents. It introduced the new CanSkate program and STAR Pilot, along with a fantastic keynote presentation from Barb MacDonald, Skate Canada’s Director of Corporate Communications. For the first time, the Annual General Meeting was live streamed over the Internet, allowing members across the Section to view the proceedings. The Awards Banquet was a resounding success, with Jamie Salé and Barb MacDonald entertaining the awards recipients and attendees as Masters of Ceremonies. There was major competition restructuring in 2013-2014 with the new STAR competition structure. This was implemented to align the development of skaters in the STARSkate stream with Skate Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development model. Throughout 2013-2014, there were 18 competitions for AdultSkate, SynchroSkate, STARSkate, and CompetitiveSkate competitors. The Ice Palace FSC co-hosted the 2014 Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut Sectional Championships Presented by Calgary Professional Skate Service. Their local organizing committee, lead by Co-Chairs Donna Kormos and Nenette Legaspi, provided a high quality experience for all competitors. The Alberta Figure Skating Foundation continued to support the development of skaters by becoming the Presenting Partner of the STARSkate Championships. The 2014 STARSkate Championships, hosted by the St. Albert Skating Centre, provided many memorable events, including a large number of skaters entered in the Special Olympics events. The Section, through its Event Technician Sub-Committee, continues to explore opportunities to use technology to increase the quality and exposure of competitions. In 2013-2014, six events were live streamed and archived. More technicians received training to increase the number of volunteers who can provide competition support.
The STAR competition model was introduced in 2013-2014. 6
Officials Officials are an integral part of skating. Their dedication to the success of our athletes is evident through the countless hours they spend each year supporting competitions and test days. Highlights of activities in 20132014 include: Data Specialists: • • • • •
Surveyed their membership and gathered information on promotion goals and availability Held a successful two-day training update moderated by John Van Schyndel of Skate Canada, providing valuable hands-on learning and networking opportunities Worked diligently to adapt to the new STAR program scoring system Assisted new candidates and increased promotions; Introductory Data Specialists were mentored at various region-based competitions Section Data Specialists were in attendance at Skate Canada Challenge and Skate Canada National Synchronized Skating Championships
Evaluator/Judges: • • • • •
Conducted training in the following areas: Preliminary to Sr. Bronze Evaluator, Jr. Silver to Gold Evaluator, Juvenile Singles Judge, Jr./Sr. Synchronized Skating Judge, and a Technical Specialist and Technical Controller Seminar in Singles and Pairs Update and Q & A opportunities were offered for technical panel, technical representatives and STAR officials Sectionals Trial Judge Program and a Mentor Pilot project undertaken to further develop officials The Official Edge newsletter was published in the spring and fall Judges and technical panel officials supported Section events along with many provincial, national and international events including a judge being selected for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games
A total of 223 test days were held. 9,761 tests were evaluated with a pass rate of 76%.
Region South Calgary Central Edmonton Northwest Northeast Peace NWT Total
Test Days 26 55 26 68 10 25 16 7 233
Tests 1,081 2,894 1,128 2,173 490 1,128 580 287 9,761
Pass % 80% 87% 72% 77% 71% 70% 73% 74% 76%
Section officials received national and international assignments including the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. 7
Regions
The Regions Committee is comprised of Region Representatives, as well as a Regions Chair and Vice Chair. The Region Representatives work within their respective regions to provide support to their local clubs and members for test days, coaching, athlete workshops, officials workshops, carnivals, competitions, club board policies and procedures and general membership questions. The committee works diligently throughout the year to ensure communication of Skate Canada updates reaches all members. The Regions Committee continues to educate clubs about all aspects of the new CanSkate program. Ensuring that clubs are aware of the new program and the resources that are available to clubs and coaches is key to ensuring full implementation by September 2014. The Regions Committee supported the Skating Programs Committee in offering the new CanSkate workshops throughout the Section. The committee provided information and guidance for club development. CanSkate Element Events were promoted within regions resulting in 17 events being held within clubs. In addition, 92 carnivals were held to celebrate skater achievements at the club level.
The Regions Committee embraced the new CanSkate program and continue to educate clubs about all aspects of the program. 8
The Region Representatives communicate with their clubs by sending out annual surveys which they may use to gather information and feedback from their clubs and members. This feedback provides direction for the development of Club tools. The following new club resources were reviewed and/or developed by the Regions Committee and are available on the Section website: • Bullying Prevention in Sports • Club Administration Position Reference Guide • Section Delegate and Proxy Forms The Regions Committee provides feedback to the Awards Committee. The Regions Committee was pleased to provide feedback and support to the Duso’s Helping Hand of the Month Awards. The Duso’s Male Skater of the Month initiative, in particular, was enthusiastically received and promoted by the regions. Region Representatives assisted the Section Office by promoting this award to their clubs and members. It was a very successful year in recognizing volunteers throughout the Section.
Skating Programs Synchronized Skating Synchronized skating offers a myriad of opportunities for skaters at each stage of Skate Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development model. Recognition for the uniqueness of this discipline was highlighted by the “Think Tank” session hosted by the Section to discuss the present and future of synchronized skating. The following initiatives stemmed from this session: • Approximately 40 people from British Columbia to Ontario participated in the Section’s first technical update webinar, hosted by Canadian-level Technical Specialist Julie Petrilli • The synchro workshop was expanded to the Synchro Development Camp, which was held over two days and featured world-class coaches Marilyn Langlois (Les Supremes) and Alyson Eccles (Nexxice) • Video monitoring was offered for all teams and direct feedback session offered to the three teams (Lethbridge Ice Angels Novice and Intermediate, Black Gold Open) qualifying for the 2014 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships • Synchro teams participated in the Section Showcases and in the opening ceremonies of Sectionals
Special Olympics and Athletes with a Disability The Section made significant progress in 2013-2014 in the engagement of skaters with disabilities through the initial phase of its “Creating Opportunities for Skaters with a Disability” initiative. With support from Alberta Sport Connection and Sport Canada, funding was provided to three clubs to help reduce barriers to participation. A relationship was formed with Alberta Sports and Recreation Association for the Blind, and several skaters with visual impairments were registered with Section clubs. Support was also provided for the 25 skaters who registered to participate in the 2014 STARSkate Championships. The 2014 STARSkate Championships was the largest inclusive skating competition ever hosted by the Section. Special Olympics skaters were also featured in the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Sectional Championships, and in the northern Section Showcase. Appreciation is extended to the Technical Representatives and officials who assisted with the various inclusive skating initiatives.
Adult Skating In recognition of the uniqueness of AdultSkate, an inaugural AdultSkate Workshop was introduced in 2014 with sessions facilitated by Cynthia Ullmark and Maikki Kraatz. The workshop included a unique social component. An AdultSkate teamwear program was successfully launched. The Section was represented by 106 skaters at the 2014 Skate Canada Adult Figure Skating Championships (21 singles skaters and 5 synchronized skating teams). Recreational Skating Recreational skating initiatives were focused on assisting clubs with the implementation of the new CanSkate program. Over 55 people attended the general New CanSkate webinar in September. Based on the popularity of the webinar, a second “roundtable” webinar was offered to a limited audience in November with approximately 15 people in attendance. Both webinars were presented by CanSkate Resource Team members Tammy Greidanus and Leona Boyle. Tammy and Leona provided additional support by facilitating three CanSkate Update Clinics, with clinics being held in Yellowknife, Medicine Hat, and Slave Lake. The “CanSkate Connection” continues to be a very popular feature of In the Loop!
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Thorne Sharpe Images
Awards The following awards were developed in 2013-2014: Section Coach Achievement Award Recognizes an active professional coach who excels in helping athletes or clubs achieve a milestone
Duso’s Pre-Juvenile Women Awards
Recognizes the highest placing skater in the U11 and U14 Women’s event at Sectionals
Duso’s Choice Award
Recognizes the highest placing Pairs and/or Dance team not recognized by other awards
Alberta Figure Skating Foundation STARSkate Merit Award
Awarded for an outstanding performance at STARSkate Championships
Jesse Smith Memorial Award
Recognizes the highest placing skater in the Pre-Juvenile U11 Men’s event at Sectionals
Gateway Skating Club Post-Secondary Bursary Award
In recognition of the Gateway Skating Club’s 50th Anniversary, an award will be presented to a skater pursuing post-secondary education while continuing to compete (first recipient to be named in 2015)
2014 Skate Canada Achievement Awards Recipients
2014 Section Awards Recipients
CanSkate Athlete Award STARSkate Athlete Award Program Assistant Award CompetitiveSkate Athlete Award Officials Award Volunteer Award Volunteer Award of Excellence Volunteer Coach Award
Section Coach Achievement Award AdultSkate Passion and Spirit of Skating Award AdultSkate Creating the Edge for Life Award Special Olympics Skater of the Year Award
Hayden Harpe Carleigh Gorrigsen Taylor Lassiter Tressa Sabo Nicole Rapati Carrie Wohlgemuth Lee Johnson Lana Bellmore
Jessica Gosse Steve Robichaud Stevie Lee Temple Crystal Smith
Other Recognitions • • • • •
Kaetlyn Osmond was selected by the Alberta Sport Connection as the 2013 Alberta Junior Female Athlete of the Year. Program Assistants Contest celebrated 15 Program Assistants with a Triple Flip hoodie and recognized the contributions of 50 Program Assistants with a Triple Flip gift card Duso’s Skater of the Month bursaries presented to 15 skaters, having expanded to include separate male and female skater categories in 2014 Duso’s Helping Hand of the Month recognized 12 volunteers throughout the year Duso’s National Volunteer Week initiative recognized a volunteer from each of the nine regions
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Medalists 2014 Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut Sectional Championships Event
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Senior Women
Jane Gray
Jessica Sergeant
Lauren Christensen
Junior Men
Drew Wolfe
Christopher Mostert
Bryce Chudak
Junior Women
Taylor LeClaire
Kira Gallant
Nicole Joe
Novice Men
Grayson Rosen
Nathan Luong
Samuel Whitehead
Novice Women
Triena Robinson
Aislinn Ganci
Maria Pollock
Novice Dance
Ceduna Magee & Lucas Kitteridge
Nicole Salimova & Paul Ayer
Natascha Collier & Lee Royer
Novice Pairs
Keelee Gingrich & Davin Portz
Kendra Digness & Eric Thiessen
Bryn Homan & Bryce Chudak
Pre-Novice Men
Graham Schaufele
Yu Jin Armstrong
Joel Braganza
Pre-Novice Women
Quinn Gilmore
Tressa Sabo
Geerthana Somas
Juvenile Men (U14)
Brian Chiem
Dawson Nodwell
Jase Ritter
Juvenile Women (U11)
Shaylyn Jackson
Mana Sakaguchi
Amy Hong
Juvenile Women (U14)
Christine Coslovich
Willow Fedina
Brooke McAvena Pearl Kang & Vali Baimoukhametov
Juvenile Dance
Jasmine Lam & Mackenzie Mah
Isabel McQuilkin & Jacob Portz
Pre-Juvenile Men (U14)
Jackson Behiel
Joshua Burger
Pre-Juvenile Women (U11)
Chelsea Wong
Grace Johnson
Savina Somas
Pre-Juvenile Women (U14)
Sarah Dyrkach
Sophia O’Brien-Doerksen
Danielle Budgell
Pre-Juvenile Dance
Mychala Collier & Matthew Newnham
Mia Saunders & Joel Portz
Amelia Boone & Alessio Carello
2014 Skate Canada Challenge Event Senior Women
2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships
Rank
Athlete(s)
Event
Rank
Athlete(s)
Gold
Kaetlyn Osmond
Senior Women
Gold
Kaetlyn Osmond
Novice Men
Bronze
Grayson Rosen
Novice Pairs
Gold
Keelee Gingrich & Davin Portz
Novice Dance
Bronze
Ceduna Magee & Lucas Kitteridge
Novice Pairs
Silver
Keelee Gingrich & Davin Portz
Pre-Novice Men
Bronze
Graham Schaufele
2014 Skate Canada Adult Figure Skating Championships Event
Rank
Athlete(s)
Event
Rank
Athlete(s)
Bronze Men Freeskate Class I-IV
Gold
Shigeru Taya
Introductory Women Interpretive Class III
Silver
Maureen Bennie
Bronze Men Interpretive Class I-IV
Gold
Shigeru Taya
Pre-Introductory Women Interpretive Class YA-I
Gold
Morgan McGrath
Bronze Women Freeskate Class II
Gold
Isabella Ciocoiu
Pre-Introductory Women Interpretive Class II
Silver
Isabella Ciocoiu
Bronze Women Freeskate Class III
Gold
Dawn Fedina
Pre-Introductory Women Interpretive Class III
Gold
Dawn Fedina
Bronze Women Freeskate Class III
Silver
Diane Gilders
Silver Men Freeskate Class IV
Silver
Denis La Rochelle
Bronze Women Freeskate Class III
Bronze
Joan McGrath
Silver Women Freeskate Class III
Silver
Annette Nymeyer
Bronze Women Interpretive Class III
Gold
Diane Gilders
Silver Women Freeskate Class III
Bronze
Janneane Wutzke
Bronze Women Interpretive Class III
Silver
Joan McGrath
Silver Women Freeskate Class IV
Silver
Susan McFarland
Bronze Women Interpretive Class III
Bronze
Cathy Taylor
Silver Women Interpretive Class I
Silver
Morgan Laird
Bronze Women Interpretive Class IV
Gold
Jill Druery
Silver Women Interpretive Class II-III
Gold
Janneane Wutzke
Competitive Women Freeskate Class YA
Silver
Kaitlynn Ross
Silver Women Interpretive Class II-III
Bronze
Annette Nymeyer
Gold Men Interpretive Class IV
Gold
Denis La Rochelle
Adult SyS Class I
Bronze
Black Gold
Kaitlynn Ross
Adult SyS Class II
Silver
Ice Edition
Gold Women Interpretive Class YA
Bronze
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Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut recognizes its partners, supporters and sponsors for supporting ďŹ gure skating in our Section.