Two-time Canadian Olympic silver medallist and three-time world champion Elvis Stojko is set to lace up his skates in northwest B.C.
The skater will be joining the Terrace Skating Club and Snow Valley Skating Club as a special guest for their ice shows on Mar. 10 and Mar. 12 respectively.
“After a difficult couple of years we are thrilled to offer this opportunity for our skaters to skate with such an icon and it is a fantastic opportunity for our community to come and see some world-class skating,” Snow Valley Skating Club director Cynthia Medeiros said in a media release.
Usually, both clubs hold a large ice show bi-annually, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time the events were held was 2019. The clubs hope to have full capacity seating at both events, depending on the pandemic situation.
Terrace Skating Club director of skating, Joanne Bartlett, said that after two years of uncertainty and cancelling events due to the pandemic, the clubs worked together to secure Stojko as the guest skater.
“He is extremely busy, so to be able to find a week that Stojko was able to come to the northwest and skate in our small communities really shows you what a role model he is,” she said.
“The skaters have all shown such dedication and passion for the sport during this pandemic, that has produced many challenges along the way. I am so excited to be able to help make this event happen for them and for the community.”
Stojko won silver medals in men’s singles at the 1994 winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway and in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. He was the first man to land a quadruple-double jump combination at an international event and in 1994 won the Lionel Conacher Award, presented to Canada’s best male athlete.
The Terrace Skating Club will be hosting Stojko on Thursday, Mar. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Terrace Sportsplex and he will be in Kitimat with the Snow Valley Skating Club on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tamitik Arena.
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