Canada’s Skating Community Heads to Quebec City

OTTAWA, ON:  Quebec City, Que., will welcome more than 500 members of the skating community for Skate Canada’s Annual Convention and General Meeting (ACGM) and National Coaches’ Conference (NCC).  The events will be held from May 28-31, 2014 at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City.

Over the four days, delegates and coaches will be reminded that it’s our individual experiences that provide the basis for our sport’s growth and when those experiences are combined with a passion for skating, it’s clear: Canada Skates!

The NCC kicks off officially on Wednesday evening when coaches will be joined by 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Jeffrey Buttle at the opening dinner.  The action continues all day Thursday, when coaches from across Canada will attend workshops from world-class coaches, including Manon Perron, Richard Gauthier, Janet Champion and Cathy Dalton. Off-ice sessions will include a wide variety of topics ranging from “Sport-Related Pain and Injury” with Dr. William Bridel to “Coaching Business: Apps 101” with Cyndie Flett.

Thursday evening the ACGM begins by celebrating our success in Sochi and for the first time ever, having nine Olympic medalists in figure skating.  All members of the silver medal winning team event will be in present to share their inspiring stories at the convention opening: Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford; Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch; Kaetlyn Osmond; Kevin Reynolds; and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir.

On Friday, attendees participate in a variety of workshops, presentations and social events.  All of the workshops cover hot topic items including “Sport Psychology: Skating Begins in the Mind” by Dr. Sylvain Guimond, “Teaching the New CanSkate Program: Keys to Success” and “Bullying in Sport” by Dr. William Bridel.

A number of awards will be presented on Friday evening during the Skate Canada Achievement Awards Gala and Banquet. The program honours skaters, coaches and dedicated volunteers who have donated their time to improving the quality of skating in Canada. World renowned coach Kerry Leitch will also be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame during the evening.

The event concludes on Saturday with the 101st Annual General Meeting of the association.

Media looking to attend any ACGM or NCC workshop or presentation are asked to arrange times through Barb MacDonald, Skate Canada Director Corporate Communications, by contacting her at 613.894.1769 or [email protected].