It Takes a Village to get to Nationals

By: Skate Ontario Staff

The skaters taking the ice at the 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships didn’t get here on their own. Helping them quietly in the background are all kinds of different supporters: friends, family members, and along with their parents the strongest supporters of all, the coaches.

While walking around in the bowels of the Harbour Station arena in Saint John, you get the chance to see first hand just how important that relationship is.

Coach David Long in Saint John with two students who qualified for the Junior Men’s event. David expressed his goals for his students this way, “Personal bests. To feel like when you left the ice you’ve done all you can. You left it all on the table and come away satisfied.”

Sitting in the stands is Laurene Collin-Knoblauch Manager, High Performance Development for Skate Ontario. Laurene’s job is to focus on the performances of the Skate Ontario Team, “We need to see what is out there so we can develop the best possible skaters for Skate Ontario.”

Eva Najarro also made the trip as a coach with one junior woman, to whom she offered this advice: “Trust your training, enjoy the ride and don’t hold back. GO FOR IT!” As a coach, Eva reflected on the lessons that being at Nationals can present, “The lesson is always different depending on the circumstances.” She goes on, “Stay calm not matter what.”

In the meantime, Laurene has additional insight about the importance of nationals: “It’s about creating a strong pipeline and continuous growth for athletes in our (Skate Ontario’s) competitive stream.”

#SkateOntarioProud