If there was ever a list created of “Super Volunteers’, Ross Phelps’ name would be at the top of that list.

Over the course of his volunteer career, Ross worked his audio magic at hundreds of events, including 278 Sectional competitions, 27 Canadian Championships, 23 Skate Canada Internationals, 25 Precision/Synchro Canadians, 3 Grand Prix Finals, 4 World Championships, 2 Olympic Games, and countless Club Ice Shows. In addition to building club sound systems, he also worked with coaches and skaters on the recording and editing of some 600 skating programs, so it’s no surprise Ross has learned a thing or two about volunteering.

Despite those credentials, Ross’s introduction to skating wasn’t all that exciting or exceptional.

“I’m from Orillia born into a family of volunteers and sports enthusiasts … but my skating journey started quite by accident,” Ross recalls.

“A good friend of mine lived across the street from a family who was very involved in the Orillia Skating Club.” After some teasing and a dare about learning to figure skate, Ross and his friend joined the club, eventually working on their Preliminary figure tests and Dances. “We also had great fun participating in the club ice shows where we would get all the crazy fun parts.”

Ross’s progress on the ice led him to enroll at the Lakeshore Skating School in Toronto where for two weeks in the summer he lived in a boarding house across the road from the arena. Every day at the rink he was witness to some great skating. “There were skaters training there who went on to big things … Petra Burka, Donald Knight, Valerie Jones … but I never got the competitive bug,” Ross admits, “and by the time I was in Grade 12, although I was already dabbling in music stuff, I’d almost completely dropped out of skating. I continued to have an interest but certainly not an involvement.

Ross Phelps and Kelsey Bennett

As Ross’s adult life evolved, fast forward to his Western Ontario relocation and to his career with Ralston Purina where the majority of his last 40 years there was spent in information technology. But lucky for skating, something new was waiting in the wings.

“Through a colleague at work I met a skating coach who coached the adult skating program at the Woodstock Skating Club. She eventually convinced me to lace up my skates again and join the program.” And it didn’t take long before Ross also became involved with the operation of the club, in particular, working to build a new sound system and eventually to taking a seat on their Board of Directors.

“To get me fully up to speed on skating and the running of a club,” Ross remembers, “I was sent to ‘Skate In’ at the Ontario Leadership Camp near Orillia. In addition to learning about new things, like finance and professional contracts, I also enjoyed the networking opportunity it provided. I met other Section people, folks I’ve remained friends with and worked with throughout the years … lifelong connections were born that weekend. It’s also where I met Bill Dowding, the foremost sound and music expert of the day.”

As they say … one thing led to another. With Ross’s passion for sound and music, it wasn’t long before he was a regular at events working alongside Bill. “We got along very well … and Bill was a great teacher. I loved soaking up all that free information.”

Over the years as technology advanced, Ross advanced with it. “When I started with Bill, skaters had their own records. Then we went to reel-to-reel tapes, then to cassettes, then CDs and now to digital files. I was even part of the team that rebuilt Skate Canada’s sound equipment and its delivery system.”

Ross Phelps wins the Skate Canada Volunteer Award of Excellence for Ontario in 2018. Photo Credit: Skate Canada on Facebook

Along the way Ross prided himself by working not only at elite events with elite athletes but also with local clubs when they had music issues or needed help with their ice show. “Collaborating with those people has been a real source of satisfaction for me,” Ross admits.

Whatever the occasion, Ross was always motivated to strive for excellence. Like the competitors he regularly helped to construct and arrange their program music, his goal was to provide the best performance situation for the athlete and the best experience for the audience.

Long-term volunteering taught Ross many new skills. “Helping out not only brings enormous value to the sport,’ claims Ross, “it also enriches your life. You can discover talents you didn’t know you had. Of course none of it would have been possible without the support of my wife, Joanne, and our two daughters.”

What is Ross’s proudest moment?

In 2010 at Skate Canada’s reception in Vancouver after Tessa and Scott won the Olympic gold medal, SC President Benoit Lavoie introduced them and paid tribute to their accomplishments. Scott graciously replied to Benoit’s comments and in his final words said, “And thank you ‘Rossi’ for the music.”

“It was at that moment that I realized my music work was appreciated and helped these two athletes achieve their goal.

“To me … that’s what it means to be a volunteer.”