ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17 Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club

ANNUAL REPORT www.kwsc.org 2016/17 Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club

Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club Annual General Meeting 11 JUNE 2017 2:30-3:15PM FORBES HALL, MANULIFE SPORTSPLEX, RIM PARK

AGENDA

A. Reading the Notice of Meeting and Declaration of Quorum

B. Introduction of Board and Guests

C. Minutes of the preceding AGM

D. Business arising from the minutes

E. Vice-President: Finance Report

F. Auditor’s Report

G. Appointment of Auditors

H. Executive Director’s report

I. President’s report

J. Other Reports

K. Adoption of Reports

L. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws

M. Appointment of scrutineers and Election of Directors

N. New Business

O. Introduction of New Board MISSION Inspiring a lifelong passion for excellence through skating

MOTTO Passion Lives Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AGM AGENDA 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICE STAFF 5 PREVIOUS YEAR’S MINUTES 6

BOARD AND STAFF REPORTS President’s Report - Alison Sims 10 Executive Director’s Report - Marie Pringle 11 Technical Director’s Report - Jean-Michel Bombardier 12 Gold Test Achievements 13 Club Relations Report - Rachel Kerswill 14 Membership Statistics 15 Competition Results 16 Coaching Committee - Melinda Kunhegyi 21

PROGRAM REPORTS SchoolSkate- Nancy Licata and Tammy Van Scheyndel 22 Synchronized Skating- Rebecca Babb 23

SPECIAL EVENTS Gala- Carolyn Eckert 24 FreeSkate Festival- Angela Stark 25 Showcase – Stefanie Wright and Yiyu Xie 26

Alumni Committee – Marilyn Johnny 27 Trust Report- Don Johnny 27 Grand River Council – Duncan Millar 28 Board of Directors Slate of Officers- Stefanie Wright 29

2016-17 Financial Statements Detached insert KWSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICE STAFF

OFFICE STAFF 2015/16 BOARD OF

Executive Director DIRECTORS Marie Pringle Club Relations Coordinator President Rachel Kerswill Alison Sims Past President Technical Director Paul Mallet Jean-Michel Bombardier Vice President Operations Accountant Carolyn Moss Debbie Weber Vice President of Finance Jill Bush PARTNERS & SPONSORS Secretary Stefanie Wright Directors at Large Mike Levinski Duncan Millar Olga Petcherkina Ken Stark Patrick Therrien Yiyu Xie Coaches’ Representative Melinda Kunhegyi

5 Annual Report compiled by Rachel Kerswill 2015/16 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

MEETING INFORMATION

MEETING DATE: June 12, 2016, 3:00pm

LOCATION: Forbes Hall, RIM Park, Waterloo, ON

BOARD ATTENDEES: Paul Mallet (KWSC President and Meeting Chair), Lesley Germann, Stefanie Wright (recording secretary), Alison Sims, Melinda Kunhegyi (coaches rep), Duncan Millar, Carolyn Moss, Anders McKenzie, Joanne Kuntz (from 3:15), Ken Stark (from 3:30)

SPECIAL GUESTS: Marie Pringle, Debbie Weber, Paul MacIntosh, Cheryl Hugill (BDO Canada), Ashley Purvis (City of Kitchener), Cheryl Dotzert (Chair Grand River Skating Council), Carolyn Fedy, Mark Psutka (KWSC Trust and KWSC Past-President), Bill Poje (KWSC Past-President)

REGRETS: Patrick Therrien

MEETING MINUTES

Meeting was called to order at 3:05 pm.

The Chair welcomed all in attendance, and acknowledged that the KWSC constitution states that only honorary and voting members have a voice at this meeting, and announced that any questions from the floor must be made through the Chair. The Chair asked members to please stand, address the Chair and clearly state their full name and any affiliations for the record. The chair also asked, in the interest of opening up communications, for a motion to give a voice to all in attendance.

Motion to give a voice to all those in attendance: M: Rita Mallet S: Anders McKenzie Discussion: none Carried.

The Chair invited Board Secretary Stefanie Wright to provide the notice of meeting:

6 MINUTES CONTINUED

A) Board secretary announced that the Notice of Meeting and Notice of Elections was posted in the lobby and the website on May 3rd, with a nominations deadline of May 15th and a slate of nominees posted in the same locations on May 17th.

According to By-Law 8.9 of the KWSC Constitution: 8.9 Elections shall be determined by written ballot and an elected candidate must receive a majority of the unspoiled votes cast. Voting on other matters will be by a show of hands, unless one-fifth of the voting members in attendance request voting by Yeas and Nays, or any one voting member requests a written ballot which shall have priority over any other form of voting. [Skate Canada By-Law 1306 (3b), Robert’s Rules of Order 38]

Quorum was reached with 23 voting members present. A majority decision on any motion was 12 (half plus one).

B) Introduction of guests and Board Members was made by the Chair. Board members: Lesley Germann (Past President), Alison Sims (VP-Operations), Joanne Kuntz (VP-Finance), Dr. Stefanie Wright (Secretary), Melinda Kunhegyi (Coaches’ Representative), Jill Brush, Duncan Millar, Anders McKenzie, Dr. Carolyn Moss, and Dr. Ken Stark. Regrets from Patrick Therrien, who is currently out of country Guests: Ashley Purvis, City of Waterloo; Cheryl Dotzert, Chair Grand River Skating Council; Mark Psutka, KWSC Trust and KWSC Past-President; Bill Poje, KWSC Past-President; Cheryl Hugill, BDO Canada; Carolyn Fedy; and KWSC Staff members Marie Pringle, Debbie Weber, and Paul MacIntosh

C) Minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meeting: Chair referred to the minutes being in the AGM booklet.

Motion: to accept the minutes of last year’s KWSC Annual General Meeting. M: Stefanie Wright S: April Gowing Discussion: none. Abstentions: none Motion Carried.

D) Business arising from the minutes:

None

E) Financial Auditors Report:

Chair introduced Cheryl Hugill - accountant from BDO Canada. Cheryl presented financial statements for KWSC for 2015-2016. The Chair invited to field questions from the membership.

Motion: to accept the 2015-2016 financial report as presented.

M: Jill Brush S: Rita Mallet Discussion: none Abstentions: none Vote: Motion carried .

7 MINUTES CONTINUED

Quorum was reached with 23 voting members present. A majority decision on any motion was 12 (half plus one).

C) Minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meeting: Chair referred to the minutes being in the AGM booklet.

Motion: to accept the minutes of last year’s KWSC Annual General Meeting. M: Stefanie Wright S: April Gowing Discussion: none. Abstentions: none Motion Carried.

D) Business arising from the minutes:

None

E) Financial Auditors Report:

Chair introduced Cheryl Hugill - accountant from BDO Canada. Cheryl presented financial statements for KWSC for 2015-2016. The Chair invited to field questions from the membership.

Motion: to accept the 2015-2016 financial report as presented.

M: Jill Brush S: Rita Mallet Discussion: none Abstentions: none Vote: Motion carried .

8 MINUTES CONTINUED

L) Retiring Directors and Appointment of Scrutineers and Election of Board of Directors:

The Chair acknowledged the retiring directors: Joanne Kuntz, who was very helpful in policy development during her tenure; and Lesley Germann, who championed the “skater first” philosophy and brought in the current governance structure to the board while serving as KWSC President.

The Chair then turned the floor over to Past-President Lesley Germann. As posted on May 17th, there was a slate of nominees for all but one of the vacant Director positions; Lesley indicated that the board had identified a need for an individual whose skillset included a legal background, and so the Board had decided to leave a Director position vacant until a suitable candidate could be found that fulfilled this need. Lesley also announced that the Coaching Committee had recently re-elected Melinda Kunhegyi as Coaches’ Representative, and so she would be starting another 2-year term of office on the Board of Directors. A symbolic ballot was then cast by the Board secretary Stefanie Wright to acclaim the nominees.

M) Introduction of new Board of Directors

 The 2015-16 board of directors includes the following individuals:

Mike Levinski (2 year term) Anders McKenzie (2 year term) Alison Sims (2 year term) Ken Stark (2 year term) Stefanie Wright (2 year term) Yiyu Xie (2 year term)

Jill Brush (1 year remaining) Duncan Millar (1 year remaining) Carolyn Moss (1 year remaining) Patrick Therrien (1 year remaining) Vacancy (1 year remaining)

Paul Mallet, Past President Melinda Kunhegyi, Coaches Representative

Motion: to accept the acclaimed slate of directors for 2016-2017. M: Paul Mallet S: Stefanie Wright Discussion: none Abstentions: none Carried.

N) New Business: None.

O) Meeting adjournment:

Motion: to adjourn

M: Lesley Germann S: Yiyu Xie

Meeting adjourned at 3:45 pm. 9

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

It has been both an honour and a privilege to serve my first year as KWSC president. This year we finalized our ambitious strategic plan and posted it for the world to see. I have had the opportunity to spend time with many past presidents of the club and they highlighted our shared goals throughout the decades. I thank the volunteer board of directors, staff, coaches and all members who have and will continue to participate in the strategic process as we strive to achieve our goals and live up to our vision - to be a world-class skating centre for the entire community. This year we have seen the many disciplines of figure skating raise their performance level worldwide including our Canadian skaters. This is why as a club we continue to strive to innovate, and improve to give our skater at all levels the best chance to succeed and achieve their goals whether it be skating with their friends at city hall or skating on the world stage for their country.

Skate Ontario was formed this year by the amalgamating the Northern, Western, Central and Eastern Ontario Sections. The transition has given us one Provincial Sports Organization to represent Ontario. As this new chapter for skating in Ontario begins, the four sections have closed their books by celebrating their histories and achievements.

At the Western Ontario Section Awards Gala, Hall of Fame inductees included our members, alumni members and one current coach. KWSC’s coach, Melinda Kunhegyi, was inducted into the Western Ontario Hall of Fame to recognize her achievement as a pair skater representing Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games in Saravejevo with her partner Lyndon Johnson. The following alumni were inducted this year Sherri Baier for Pairs at Worlds 1977 in Tokyo; Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for Dance at Worlds 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,2017 and Olympics 2010, 2014, and Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch for Pairs at Worlds 2011, 2013, 2014 and Olympics 2014. Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje, who have particularly local roots with Andrew learning to skate at KWSC, were recognized for Dance at Worlds 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and Olympics 2014. We look forward to cheering on our local favourites this coming season at the 2018 Olympic Games along with the entire Canadian Team. We also congratulate our WOS Award Winners – Melinda Kunhegyi as the Skate Canada Western Ontario Section Club Coach Award of Excellence Winner and Everest Zhu as the Western Ontario Section Competitive Skater of the Year.

During the year, we are very fortunate to host many special events. These would not be possible without an extraordinary group of volunteers, coaches, and dedicated staff members. I thank everyone who gave their time, love and sweat this year to make our shows, competitions, performance opportunities, and everyday activities successful and most importantly FUN!

As we close our books on 2016-17, I would like to thank the entire board. I especially thank our retiring board members Duncan Millar, Ken Stark, Patrick Therrien, and Anders McKenzie who retired earlier in the year. Each individual board member has shared their talents, experiences, and insights; this has made us more relevant and effective as we navigate our board work. I welcome new board members this year including Sameh Gam, Natalia Grichina, and Gordon Robson.

I look forward to being both a positive participant and an energetic cheerleader as we continue to push our organization forward to meet our mission, “Inspiring a lifelong passion for excellence through skating”. I know everyone will join in and we will get there together as one community.

Alison Sims KWSC President

10 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

In May of 2016 the Board of Directors approved the framework for the 2016-21 Strategic plan and later that year they approved and published the final document. This set a bold new direction for the club and all activates and decisions taken by the staff this past year were in support of it.

As Executive Director one of my major responsibilities is to help the organization achieve its goals and this document has given me clear direction on where we are going. One of the first tasks undertaken was to evaluate our team and organization structure and make recommendations regarding our ability to be adequately resourced to accomplish the goals set out by the Board. From this flowed a number of decisions that brought a new full time Technical Director roll to the club with all contract program coordinator’s and coaches reporting through this position. Former skater and two time Canadian champion Jean Michel Bombardier joined our team in September in this new role and has set to work focusing on a number of the goals related to skating operations. We manage club support functions with a very small staff so when Justine moved on in January and we welcomed Rachel Kerswill as our Club Relations Coordinator, she together with Jean Michel created a 50% staff turnover situation. They brought new ideas, skills, a fresh perspective and energy to the office operations. I am proud to say we are a cohesive team who support each other in service to our members and we are a dedicated group of professionals.

For the past 4 years I have collaborated with our President in lobbying Skate Canada to create a two tier Skate Canada membership fee to help make our Learn to Skate programs more affordable and remove barriers to entry in our sport. To date we have not been successful and last June Skate Canada announced a 10% increase in the fee for all members to support the safe sport program. We continue to try and engage the national association to help them understand our challenges in this area on behalf of our members.

I am pleased to report that we concluded and signed off on a successful 4 year renewal of the CFSC lease providing stability in long term planning for club programming. This new lease resulted in the very popular ‘controlled parking gate’ being installed at RIM and it gave us the ability to enter into another long term rental agreement with Krav Maga using AC space which helps reduce skater fees.

In addition to regular programs each year we run numerous special events which draw large number of participants to celebrate their achievements, demonstrate their skills and share their passion for our sport. These special events are run largely by our wonderful volunteers and to them I am profoundly grateful because I have seen the results of all their efforts in the joyful faces of our skaters. The larger events are reported elsewhere in this booklet but I am proud to mention that in 2017 our StarSkate Stars On Ice summer camp in August had our largest registration ever with 43 skaters so I want to thank Melinda Kunhegyi for a job well done with that program for the past few years.

In 2015-16 we launched a new online system for our learn to skate and power skating customers and in 2016-17 we expanded that service to our STAR and Competitive customers. We had to create new processes to facilitate this transition which involved among other things a new pre-registration system generated through a coach allocation advance meeting. This procedure allows coaches to work together to group their skaters on sessions using criteria they determine best, reduces the haphazard arrangement the “first in line” system creates and better promotes small group teaching to support affordability for customers. As with many new systems there is always a learning period but as coaches and customers became familiar with this system its value is being appreciated. Parents enjoy the convenience of online registration and coaches have a greater role in planning and grouping their skaters. The ironic part of this “new” system is that after the fact I learned that it is not new at all. Mrs. Fedy has told me that back in the Rink In the Park days she would bring all the coaches into a meeting and nobody was allowed to leave until every skater had a spot on the sessions they needed. So in this we come back to our roots in providing great service to our members and as always Mrs. Fedy is smart.

We have ambitious plans for the upcoming year and I look forward to working with our great coaches, staff, volunteers and Board members to accomplish the goals outlined in our 2016-2021 Strategic Plan.

Cheers,

Marie Pringle KWSC Executive Director 11 TECHNICAL DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Joining Kitchener Waterloo Skating club mid-September 2016 has been very rewarding personally. To be named Technical Director of Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club has been such an honor. Since being here, I noticed our members work hard to get ready for competitions, test sessions, Freeskate Festival and Showcase. There were so many numerous highlights throughout the year! What really stands out is how much our skaters love skating here and are proud to represent the KWSC organization.

We have hired three new Base Coaches and two certified Personal Trainers for our off-ice programs. Our new Base Coaches are Christopher Mabee, Victoria Bernardo and Alyssa Wise, and our Personal Trainers, Alyssa Wise and Stephanie Pocock. A focus of mind is to build a team environment; a team that wants to work together at all levels on and off the ice. Together we are stronger and better.

Some of our new initiatives at KWSC; Adult Synchro Team, SET Enhancement, significantly increased off-ice fitness training and a new event named Skate with Santa.

This past year, fitness has been a real focus at KWSC. For every on-ice session you will now find a fitness class led by a personal trainer immediately before or after the on-ice session.

The brand new Skate With Santa event had a respectable turnout with 160 in total registered online in advance with about 60% showing up. From the people who attended, we were able to donate a large amount of non perishable food items to the food bank. On Friday July 8th the 3 time World Champion and 2 time Olympic silver medalist, Elvis Stojko, was the guest instructor on every session offered that day. He was so energetic and the many parents who showed up loved the day. That same day the ‘Triple Jumps Board’ was signed by Liam McKenzie, Victoria Bernardo and Elvis Stojko (who did a triple for the kids). Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje continue to make us very proud. This season they relocated to Russia to train with Mr. Morozov and completely changed their on-ice look showing great results with a 4th place finished at the World Championships in Helsinki Finland and a 2nd place finished at the National Championships in Ottawa, Ontario. We wish them all the best for the upcoming Olympic season!

Including Kaitlyn and Andrew, 8 skaters competed at the National Championships. Sophia Strachan and Everest Zhu (8) Novice Dance, Olivia Hann and Grayson Lochhead (8) Junior Dance, Angelina Ekatarinina and Sebastian Arcieri (7) Senior Pair. 17 skaters competed at Skate Canada Challenge in Pierrefonds Quebec. We had 24 skaters competing at the Western Ontario STARSkate Championships in Aylmer Ontario, 9 skaters competing at Futures in Lucan Ontario, 6 skaters competed at the Skate Ontario Championships in Port Colborne, and 8 adults competed at the Skate Ontario Adult Invitational in Fort Erie. Each year at KWSC we have a number of successful Gold Tests achieved in Freeskate, Skills or Dance discipline. This past year was no exception with fifteen skaters achieving that level. Congratulation to our Gold skating members (please see next page)!

Skaters and employees of KWSC would like to thank the City of Waterloo, the City of Kitchener and the many hundreds of volunteers who make skating possible for over 2000 Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club skaters. In conclusion I would like to thank all skaters, skating parents, KWSC employees and our Board of Directors for being so welcoming.

Jean-Michel Bombardier KWSC Technical Director 12

“Each year at KWSC we have a number of successful Gold test achieved in Freeskate, Skills or Dance discipline. This past year was no exception with twenty-one skaters achieving that level. Congratulation to our gold skating members” – Jean Michel Bombardier, Technical Director

GOLD TEST RESULTS

SKATER GOLD TEST SKATER GOLD TEST

SYLVIE MCGEOWN INTERPRETIVE/SKILLS EVEREST ZHU DANCE

REBECCA BROWN SKILLS ANYA SHELTRA DANCE

GRACE SMERCHINSKI SKILLS ANDREW MACDONALD DANCE

EMMALINE STARK SKILLS KARA HOGG DANCE

ERIC MILLAR SKILLS AINSLEY DOTZER DANCE/SKILLS

HEATHER METZLOFF FREESKATE SOPHIE STRACHAN DANCE

ANGELINA EKATERININA FREESKATE ROSE BRAWLEY DANCE

SCOTT NORTON FREESKATE

13 CLUB RELATIONS COORDINATOR REPORT

Now that I’ve been with the KWSC for over two seasons, I can truly say how privileged I feel to be working alongside such a talented and hardworking team of skaters, coaches, board members, staff and volunteers. Spring 2017 brought many changes with the introduction of the STAR 1-10 program, new test day procedures, and the restructuring of our CanSkate programs, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the KWSC parents and guardians who are constantly supporting our young athletes and are enthusiastic about evolving with KWSC’s strategic plan.

I’m very excited about the future and look forward to another successful year at KWSC. In the chart below, you can see that our registration numbers are quite steady when compared to the previous years. You will notice increase participation in the winter CanSkate sessions and our spring and summer StarSkate programs!

Rachel Kerswill KWSC Club Relations Coordinator

OUR MEMBERSHIP

PROGRAM SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER Intro to F.S 21 10 27 27 Junior STAR 102 59 113 113 Intermediate STAR 49 18 36 36 Senior STAR 23 10 16 16 16+ 30 9 25 25 PRE- Intermediate Accel 24 25 23 23 PROGRAM SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER SEASON Competitive Singles 17 16 14 14 Parent and Tot 12 N/A N/A 38 51 Comp Dance 16 15 17 17 PreCanSkate 145 32 60 258 395 Comp Pairs 3 4 8 8 GroupStar 13 N/A 13 13 CanSkate 312 83 71 495 688 Social Dance 6 N/A 8 8 Learn to Skate N/A N/A N/A 27 42 Adult Synchro Skills N/A N/A 13 13 Adult/Teen CanSkate 14 3 N/A 24 28 Synchro Skills 33 N/A N/A N/A Enrichment 17 11 N/A 11 28 Beginner Synchro N/A N/A 6 6 Pre-Power 14 N/A N/A 7 9 Juvenile Synchro 15 N/A 16 16 TCHSS 166 42 36 156 178 Pre Novice Synchro 17 N/A 16 16 16-17 TOTALS 369 166 351 351 16-17 TOTALS 680 171 167 1016 1419 15-16 TOTALS 314 133 351 348 15-16 TOTALS 712 178 202 1169 1373 14-15 TOTALS 301 135 329 329 14-15 TOTALS 743 226 249 1232 1449 13-14 TOTALS 364 226 318 323 13-14 TOTALS 688 188 170 1087 1384

14 STATISTICS

OUR MEMBERSHIP

COMPETITIVE 2%

INTRO/Enrichment 4% TCHSS 17% COMMUNITY LTS 2%

STARSkate 12% CanSkate 63%

*Based on total number of registered members in program(s)

15 COMPETITION RESULTS REPORT

Mar 31-Apr 2, 2017 - Skate Ontario Adult Invitational (Fort Erie, ON ) Feb 17-19, 2017 - Western Ontario STARSkate Championships (Aylmer, ON ) Adult Bronze Freeskate 4th Clare So 11.20 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 1 2nd Alice Li Women Class II

5th Jeanette Magurn 10.65 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 2 9th Kailyn Davidson

Adult Bronze Freeskate 3rd Deborah Bennett 11.95 Women Class III-IV STAR 5 Boys U13 2nd Jacob Stark 14.38

4th Catherine Hewitt 9.64 STAR 5 Girls U10 4th Sasha (Alexandra) 18.19 Grichine Adult Gold Freeskate 7th Lindsay MacKenzie 21.08 Women Class I STAR 5 Girls U13 Flight 1 11th Meghan Wright 10.13

Adult Gold Freeskate 7th Judy Chow 10.42 Women Class II-III STAR 5 Girls 13+ Flight 3 10th Charlotte Levinski 9.92

Adult Introductory 2nd Deborah Bennett 15.92 Interpretive Women Class STAR 6 Women Flight 3 11th Emmaline Stark 18.58 IV

Adult Silver Interpretive 8th Judy Chow 19.19 STAR 8-9 Dance 1st Rebecca Brown / Aiden 20.84 Women Class III-IV Dotzert

STARSkate Bronze 5th Rose Brawley 35.64 Interpretive Women Team Event 6th Team Sparkle Mar 29-Apr 2, 2017 - ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Helsinki, Finland) STARSkate Silver 10th Avery McDonald 25.51 Ice Dance 4th Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew 184.81 Interpretive Women Poje Mar 25-25, 2017 - Bernie Deveau / Bert Winfield Memorial Competition (Chatham, ON ) STARSkate Gold Triathlon 7th Jane Hallett 96.83 Women Juvenile Synchro 2nd Revolution 31.57 Mar 17-19, 2017 - Skate Ontario Championships (Port Colborne, ON ) STAR 5 Boys U13 1st Jacob Stark 16.21 Adult Bronze Freeskate 1st Deborah Bennett 26.52 Women

STAR 8-9 Dance 1st Rebecca Brown / Aiden 24.37 Dotzert Adult Gold Freeskate 1st Judy Chow 21.17 Women

Pre-Juvenile Men U11 6th Kieran Deeley 15.79 Adult Introductory 1st Deborah Bennett 26.52 Interpretive Women

Pre-Juvenile Dance 1st Sasha (Alexandra) 15.00 Grichine / Jacob Stark Adult Silver Interpretive 4th Judy Chow 26.74 Women

Mar 4-5, 2017 - Futures Central (Lucan, ON ) STAR 4 Boys 1st Aleck Sun Pre-Juvenile Men U11 1st Kieran Deeley 15.32

STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 1 1st Rebecca Brown Pre-Juvenile Women U13 10th Grace Smerchinski 18.10

Pre-Juvenile Women U11 10th Jessica Lahosky 20.57 STAR 4 Girls 13+ Flight 1 2nd Avery McDonald

11th Gabby Lahosky 20.55 12th Lily Wilberforce 20.32 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 1 2nd Abby Huo

3rd Eloise Hulks Pre-Juvenile Dance 1st Sasha (Alexandra) 21.75 9th Charlotte Doyle Grichine / Jacob Stark

Juvenile Women U14 11th Winifred Li 22.10 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 2 3rd Esther Banjo Feb 16-19, 2017 - ISU Four Continents Championships (Gangneung, Korea) Ice Dance 5th Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew 180.09 Poje STAR 4 Girls 13+ Flight 2 5th Madison Hirsimaki Feb 10-12, 2017 - Ontario Regional Synchro Championships (Downsview, ON ) Juvenile Synchro 10th Revolution 26.50

STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 2 5th Kailyn Davidson Pre-Novice Synchro 11th Revolution 39.29 16 COMPETITION RESULTS CONTINUED

Feb 3-5, 2017 - Dennis Silverthorne Memorial Invitational (St. Thomas, ON ) Jan 28-29, 2017 - Synchro Capers (Oakville, ON )

STAR 8-9 Dance Pattern 1st Rebecca Brown / Aiden 20.62 Dance Dotzert Juvenile Synchro Silver 2nd Revolution 19.97 Final Jan 28-29, 2017 - Pat Abela / Lyle McPhedran Memorial Invitational (Leamington, ON ) WO Development Level 2nd Jacob Stark 16.44 2 Men Adult Gold Freeskate 3rd Judy Chow 14.29 Women WO Development Level 3rd Sasha (Alexandra) 16.14 2 Women Grichine Adult Silver Interpretive 5th Judy Chow 27.31 Women STAR 9 Women Flight 3 5th Emmaline Stark 20.03 Jan 16-22, 2017 - Canadian Tire National Skating Championships (Ottawa, ON )

Novice Dance 8th Sophia Strachan / Everest 73.29 STARSkate Bronze 3rd Rose Brawley 36.00 Zhu Interpretive Women Flight 2

Junior Dance 8th Olivia Han / Grayson 112.08 STARSkate Gold 6th Jane Hallett 101.72 Lochhead Triathlon Women

Pre-Juvenile Men Free 2nd Kieran Deeley 17.14 Senior Dance 2nd Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew 192.90 Program Poje

Pre-Juvenile Women 7th Jessica Lahosky 19.55 Senior Pairs 7th Angelina Ekaterinina / 125.90 14th Gabby Lahosky 16.80 Sebastian Arcieri

Jan 13-15, 2017 - Charles Dover Memorial Invitational (Grimsby, ON ) Pre-Juvenile Dance 1st Sasha (Alexandra) 23.94 Pattern Dance Grichine / Jacob Stark STAR 4 Girls Flight 3 8th Eloise Hulks

Juvenile Women U12 7th Grace Smerchinski 18.89 Flight 1 STAR 4 Girls Flight 4 10th Kailyn Davidson

Juvenile Women U14 7th Sydney Embro 18.71 Flight 1

STAR 4 Girls Flight 5 6th Esther Banjo Juvenile Women U14 4th Winifred Li 22.08 Flight 2 6th Anya Sheltra 20.01

7th Katie Zavitz 16.87 STAR 5 Boys 2nd Robert McKinnon 13.28

Pre-Novice Women 11th Angela Ling 19.47 Short Program Flight 1 STAR 5 Girls Flight 1 9th Charlotte Levinski 12th Keanna Davidson 18.59

Pre-Novice Women 10th Anya Sheltra 14.45 STAR 5 Girls Flight 3 7th Ruth Meyer Short Program Flight 2

Pre-Novice Women 4th Angela Ling 36.89 Free Program Flight 2 STARSkate Bronze 5th Rose Brawley 27.70 7th Keanna Davidson 27.72 Interpretive Women Flight 1

Pre-Novice Dance 1st Sydney Embro / Eric 27.59 Pattern Dance Millar STARSkate Gold Triathlon 8th Jane Hallett 77.21 2nd Angela Ling / Aidan 25.88 Women Wright 3rd Natalie Mallet / Scott 22.98 Norton

Adult Bronze Freeskate 3rd Clare So 13.65 Pre-Novice Dance Free 1st Angela Ling / Aidan 41.90 Women Dance Wright 2nd Sydney Embro / Eric 36.12 Millar Pre-Juvenile Women U11 8th Lily Wilberforce 16.29 3rd Natalie Mallet / Scott 33.24 Flight 2 Norton Dec 10-11, 2016 - Bill Philips Memorial Synchronized Skating Competition (Stratford, ON )

Novice Women Short 4th Natalie Mallet 27.88 Pre-Novice Synchro 10th Revolution 31.84 Program Flight 1 17 Nov 30-Dec 4, 2016 - Skate Canada Challenge (Pierrefonds, QC ) Nov 11-13, 2016 - Skate Canada Western Ontario Sectional Championships (Komoka, ON )

Pre-Novice Men 29th Everest Zhu 59.45 Pre-Juvenile Women U13 10th Grace Smerchinski 14.05 32nd Eric Millar 50.93

Pre-Juvenile Women U11 7th Gabby Lahosky 16.46 Pre-Novice Dance 7th Angela Ling / Aidan 63.30 Flight 1 Wright 12th Sydney Embro / Eric 60.34 Millar 18th Natalie Mallet / Scott 54.43 Pre-Juvenile Women U11 6th Jessica Lahosky 16.03 Norton Flight 2

9th Lily Wilberforce 14.83 Pre-Novice Pairs 4th Mackenzie Ripley / 71.40 Owen Brawley

Pre-Juvenile Dance 1st Sasha (Alexandra) Grichine 20.33 / Jacob Stark Novice Dance 8th Sophia Strachan / 71.75 Everest Zhu

Juvenile Women U14 Flight 8th Katie Zavitz 18.08 Junior Men 22nd Matthew Wright 105.50 1

Junior Dance 9th Olivia Han / Grayson 112.86 Juvenile Women U14 Flight 6th Winifred Li 20.85 Lochhead 2 7th Anya Sheltra 19.31 Senior Pairs 5th Angelina Ekaterinina / 46.20 Sebastian Arcieri

Nov 19-20, 2016 - John McKay Memorial Invitational (Tillsonburg, ON ) Pre-Novice Men 1st Everest Zhu 72.24 STAR 4 Girls U10 Flight 1 1st Alice Li 4th Eric Millar 67.21

5th Aidan Wright 59.48 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 3 3rd Uliana Karyakina

Pre-Novice Women 23rd Angela Ling 58.91 STAR 4 Girls U13 Flight 5 5th Kailyn Davidson 26th Heather Metzloff 53.30

30th Samira Rechsteiner 50.89

STAR 5 Boys 4th Robert McKinnon 8.97 31st Keanna Davidson 48.14

STAR 5 Girls 13+ Flight 5 4th Ruth Meyer 13.90 Pre-Novice Dance 4th Sydney Embro / Eric Millar 57.29

5th Angela Ling / Aidan Wright 52.15 STAR 6 Women Flight 1 4th Emmaline Stark 18.85 6th Natalie Mallet / Scott 50.55 Norton WO Development Level 1st Jacob Stark 13.02 2 Men Pre-Novice Pairs 1st Mackenzie Ripley / Owen 69.11 Brawley WO Development Level 3rd Sasha (Alexandra) 15.41 2 Women Grichine Novice Women 10th Natasha Tymko 73.33

WO Development Level 2nd Kieran Deeley 10.89 11th Joy He 72.30 3 Men 14th Natalie Mallet 70.03

WO Development Level 11th Gabby Lahosky 18.07 3 Women Novice Dance 3rd Sophia Strachan / Everest 69.55 13th Jessica Lahosky 17.52 Zhu

Junior Men 1st Matthew Wright 102.91 WO Development Level 1st Sasha (Alexandra) 24.38 3 Dance Grichine / Jacob Stark

Junior Dance 1st Olivia Han / Grayson 102.33 STAR 10 Women 10th Jane Hallett 22.99 Lochhead

Senior Pairs 1st Angelina Ekaterinina / 133.44 STARSkate Gold 6th Jane Hallett 36.76 Sebastian Arcieri Interpretive Women

Nov 18-20, 2016 - ISU Grand Prix Audi Cup of China (Beijing, China) Nov 4-6, 2016 - ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup (Moscow, Russia) Ice Dance 2nd Kaitlyn Weaver / 181.54 Ice Dance 3rd Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew 178.57 Andrew Poje Poje

18 COMPETITION RESULTS CONTINUED

Oct 12-16, 2016 - Octoberfest (Barrie, ON ) Aug 5-7, 2016 - Summer Sizzle (Waterloo, ON ) Pre-Juvenile Dance 1st Sasha (Alexandra) 21.70 4th Charlotte Levinski 9.21 Grichine / Jacob Stark

2nd Olivia Han 38.88 Pre-Novice Women Flight 13th Samira Rechsteiner 50.21 6

6th Jessica Lahosky 16.36 Novice Men 8th Liam McKenzie 90.65

Sep 16-18, 2016 - Isabelle Henderson Memorial Invitational (Paris, ON )

Pre-Juvenile Women U11 10th Lily Wilberforce 16.69 10th Lily Wilberforce 14.79 Flight 1 11th Gabby Lahosky 14.78 14th Gabby Lahosky 14.47

1st Sasha (Alexandra) Grichine / 20.07 Pre-Juvenile Women U11 4th Jessica Lahosky 21.30 Jacob Stark Flight 2

6th Annika McKenzie 24.11 Juvenile Women U14 8th Anya Sheltra 17.89 Flight 1 10th Winifred Li 16.80 9th Winifred Li 18.36

Juvenile Women U14 9th Katie Zavitz 17.46 Flight 2 2nd Rebecca Brown / Aiden Dotzert 20.51

Juvenile Dance 2nd Rebecca Brown / Aiden 42.06 Dotzert 1st Rebecca Brown / Aiden Dotzert 21.85

Pre-Novice Men 6th Eric Millar 51.76 4th Everest Zhu 67.46

9th Aidan Wright 50.81 7th Aidan Wright 57.84

Pre-Novice Women Flight 11th Keanna Davidson 46.76 8th Eric Millar 56.98 1

Pre-Novice Women Flight 8th Samira Rechsteiner 54.76 11th Keanna Davidson 42.07 3

Pre-Novice Women Flight 7th Angela Ling 58.67 11th Samira Rechsteiner 46.94 4

Pre-Novice Dance 6th Natalie Mallet / Scott 47.00 3rd Heather Metzloff 58.37 Norton

13th Angela Ling 55.70 Novice Women Flight 3 1st Natasha Tymko 94.17

8th Joy He 70.28

Sep 8-11, 2016 - ISU Junior Grand Prix (Yokohama, Japan) 2nd Angela Ling / Aidan Wright 60.15

Junior Dance Short Dance 8th Olivia Han / Grayson 41.14 Lochhead 3rd Sydney Embro / Eric Millar 52.78

Junior Dance Free Dance 8th Olivia Han / Grayson 57.88 2nd Mackenzie Ripley / Owen 26.57 Lochhead Brawley

Aug 11-14, 2016 - COS Summer Skate (Thornhill, ON ) 4th Liam McKenzie 77.75 Pre-Novice Dance 3rd Sydney Embro / Eric 56.70 Millar 4th Angela Ling / Aidan 56.37 Wright 7th Joy He 71.42

Novice Dance 4th Sophia Strachan / Everest 70.78 12th Nicole Chalhoub 60.61 Zhu

Junior Dance 4th Olivia Han / Grayson 107.24 2nd Sophia Strachan / Everest Zhu 71.26 Lochhead 19 Jul 28-31, 2016 - MInto Summer Skate (Ottawa, ON )

Pre-Novice Men Short 2nd Everest Zhu 22.73 Program

5th Eric Millar 20.96

7th Aidan Wright 18.40

Pre-Novice Men Free 4th Everest Zhu 34.26 Program

6th Aidan Wright 32.85

8th Eric Millar 31.14

Pre-Novice Women Short 17th Angela Ling 16.47 Program Flight 1

Pre-Novice Women Free 19th Angela Ling 31.69 Program Flight 2

Pre-Novice Dance Pattern 2nd Sydney Embro / Eric Millar 24.18 Dance

6th Angela Ling / Aidan Wright 21.07

Pre-Novice Dance Free 3rd Angela Ling / Aidan Wright 39.34 Dance

5th Sydney Embro / Eric Millar 32.50

Novice Women Short 13th Natasha Tymko 24.89 Program

Novice Women Free 7th Natasha Tymko 46.97 Program

Novice Dance Pattern 6th Sophia Strachan / Everest 15.32 Dance Zhu

Novice Dance Free Dance 7th Sophia Strachan / Everest 38.09 Zhu

Junior Dance Short Dance 6th Olivia Han / Grayson 43.06 Lochhead

Junior Dance Free Dance 5th Olivia Han / Grayson 62.04 Lochhead

Jul 19-23, 2016 - Skate Detroit (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan US)

Junior Women A 8th Stephanie Rechsteiner 79.19

20 COACHES’ REPORT

I have had the honour to fulfill another year (now my 3rd) as coaches' representative on the Board of Directors. It has been a year with many changes, including new leadership. A big welcome to Jean-Michel Bombardier in his new role as Technical Director. He has quickly jumped on board with fresh ideas that support the Clubs' Strategic Plan.

Also, a shout out to our newest Base Coaches: Alyssa Wise, Victoria Bernardo, Suzy Petrosino and Christopher Mabee. Their enthusiasm and energy are infectious and we look forward to working with them both on and off the ice.

Aside from a successful competition season, and impressive test day pass rate, we have been busy educating and training ourselves to begin judging. Yes, you heard that right! This is happening as a result of the new Skate Canada Star 1-5 testing system, which all clubs will implement as of Sept 1, 2017. Change is never easy for anyone, so please be sure to thank your coach for staying involved, and up to date, with our ever changing sport ...

Happy Skating!

Melinda Kunhegyi KWSC Coaches’ Representative

21 SCHOOLSKATE REPORT

We are thrilled to have had the chance to work with local schoolboards once again this year, to deliver our unique SchoolSkate program made possible by a provincial grant as well as from financial sponsors. The program was well attended again this year with once again 1000 plus skaters partaking in it. The numbers are slightly lower this year as we avoided running the program during the time the club was relocated to Albert. It is our goal to positively impact student’s quality of life, which was exceeded as the students came every week with a smile on their face and ready to skate! The opportunity to gain skating skills will stay with these children for a lifetime. What an accomplishment! Cost, physical ability, time, or families not accustomed to skating, are a few reasons why these children have not had an opportunity to learn to skate.

The School Skate team welcomed Nancy Licata to oversee the off ice organization of the program and we are all looking ahead and preparing once again for new school year. We continue to look for financial sponsors and coop students to aid in allowing the program to continue to grow. The future of this worthwhile program needs the support of many in the skating world as well as our local community to pull it off in the coming years.

There are two key roles for this program that are vital to ensure that the program operates with continuity and success: skating on the ice and administration. The coaches are delivering a modified CanSkate program in a 6 week format complete with achievement ribbons. Challenging but so rewarding to see the students that were crawling on the ice week 1 to soring around the coaches by week 6. The coaches have to constantly adapt to unforeseen challenges such as late busses, behavioral or physical challenges, and the relationships with teachers and parents. Our staff manages on and off ice injuries and the day to day communication with the teachers. Because most of their parents are not there, independence and responsibility are gained by the end of the 6 weeks. The teachers and the schoolboard administrator can’t say enough about how fantastic the coaches, staff, and coop students are!

Tammy VanSchnydel & Nancy Licata

22 SYNCHRONIZED SKATING REPORT

It is hard to believe the 2016-17 year is coming to an end. We started the season with a fun filled seminar with one of Canada's best coaches, Pascel Dennis. He shared his knowledge and energy which all the skaters seemed to enjoy. In trying to build the quality of the synchro program at KWSC, I introduced the SET (stroking, edges and turns) session for all skaters. It was a mandatory class for the Pre-Novice team, but the whole Juvenile team enrolled as well, and the results were amazing! The quality and strength of the skills practiced will really benefit the teams this upcoming season.

In 16/17 we were fortunate to have a full Pre-Novice team as well as a full Juvenile team. There were also two non-competitive teams; the beginners, who learned basic skills and had a few opportunities to preform in front of an audience, and the newly added Adult team. This Adult team is made up of adult skaters who love to skate and challenge themselves and their teammates to be better. They made their successful debut at the clubs showcase. Unlike past years, next year’s teams will be named before we break for summer.

Skaters who are interested in skating on a team next year enrolled in our spring synchro skills and were evaluated during these sessions. It was truly exciting to see the improvement some girls made during this time. Teams will be named at the end of June which means we are already ahead of previous years. Looking forward to seeing how this years hard work will benefit the upcoming season!

Rebecca Babb KWSC Synchronized Skating Coordinator

23 SPECIAL EVENTS

HIGHLIGHTS GALA - June 12, 2016 ELVIS STOJKO – July 8, 2016 – Seminar SYNCHRO SEMINAR – September 11, 2016 – Pascel Dennis FREESKATE FESTIVAL - December 17, 2016 – Beach Party SHOWCASE – March 26, 2017 – Celebration of Excellence

GALA

Together with members, staff, family and friends, all were gathered at the 2016 Annual KWSC Gala on June 12’th to recognize the wonderful accomplishments of so many connected to our Club with more than 100 awards for their commitment, passion and success. Our awards included volunteer recognition, Gold Test recipients, Synchronized Skating Team awards, KWSC Athlete of the Year, Carolyn Fedy Bursary Award, KWSC Achievement Awards and many more.

Every year the KWSC Gala is held to recognize the exceptional contributions of so many of our membership, as well as volunteers, sponsors and those who work so diligently year round in support of our club and programs. We had a full room with our coaches, judges, volunteers, skaters, families, friends and everyone connected to the Club gathered to mingle and celebrate accomplishments.

As with all of our KWSC events, we had many groups and individuals who so graciously gave their time and expertise to make this event the success it always is. Special thanks to our decorating crew from the Revolution Synchro teams, photography by Danielle Earl and her team, as well as the audio/visual support duo - Bill Poje and Mark Psutka. Thank you to the Gala Committee, Award Committee and Volunteer Management Committee for the work you do ahead of the Gala. A personal thank you to Paul Mallet, KWSC President, Marie Pringle, KWSC Executive Director, Paul MacIntosh, KWSC Skating Programs Manager and Justine DeRabbie, KWSC' Membership Coordinator for all of your support ahead of the Gala and on the day of. As well, recognizing our co-emcees – Marie and Sebastian Arcieri for the event. Thank you to Natalia Grichina for your extra support and planning needed for the event. And so many others who helped make this day a special one.

The event wouldn’t be complete without the unveiling of our special banners showcasing the successes of our many teams with all of our Gala attendees watching from the windows. A perfect place and event for this occasion, along with exceptional food and refreshments! Thank you to everyone and all of our attendees for your continued support and encouragement of all our athletes through your volunteerism and participation.

Carolyn Eckert Event Chair 24

FREESKATE FESTIVAL REPORT

FreeSkate Festival 2016 Beach Party was held Dec 17, 2016 to great success. One hundred and forty five skaters participated and over 168 programs skated. The day started with 99 members skating in the creative Team Event, representing Sun, Sand, Sea and Surf. Thank you to our brave Team Leaders for their time and energy!

The exciting day saw skaters perform in the Star 1-6 StarSkate, Adult and Interpretive categories. KWSC Revolution synchronized skating beginner and pre-novice teams, and pre- novice ice dancers Angela Ling and Aidan Wright, skated exhibition programs.

Many people pitched in as needed during the day. Volunteers numbered over 50 and truly helped the day run smoothly. Thank you to all the skaters and volunteers!

Angela Stark Event Chair

25 SHOWCASE REPORT “Without the help of these enthusiastic volunteers, the event would never have run as smoothly as it did. We are truly grateful to every participant and volunteer for helping to create such a memorable team - building event for our club”– Yiyu and Stefanie

Celebration of Excellence 2017

KWSC’s year-end show “Celebration of Excellence 2017” was held at our home rink CFSC on Sunday, March 26th. Approximately one hundred and fifty skaters participated in two one hour-long shows. The shows included group numbers for Intro to Figure Skating, STAR, and Competitive skaters, with Rebecca Babb and Jean-Michel Bombardier providing excellent choreography for these numbers. The shows also featured performances by several KWSC skaters who had achieved competitive success this past season; these feature skaters ranged in age from 7 to adult, and represented singles, pairs and dance disciplines. All four of KWSC’s synchronized skating teams – Beginner, Juvenile, Pre-Novice and Adult – also performed in the shows. KWSC’s newest synchro team, the Adult team, was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

The skaters enjoyed being able to skate in front of a large crowd, especially for the second show which was sold out. Both shows were very well received by the audience, which was definitely impressed by the high quality skating demonstrated by KWSC’s skaters. Over twenty volunteers helped out behind the scenes, both before and during the shows. Without the help of these enthusiastic volunteers, the event would never have run as smoothly as it did. We are truly grateful to every participant and volunteer for helping to create such a memorable team-building event for our club.

Yiyu Xie and Stefanie Wright Event Co-Chairs

26 COMMITTEE REPORTS

ALUMNI COMMITTEE REPORT

The Alumni Committee continues to oversee the bereavement policy of the KWSC. We have been fortunate this year that there have been no deaths of our members or associates to the knowledge of the committee. The role and longevity of this committee will be reviewed in the coming year by the Board of Directors with the object of re-defining our mandate. Respectfully submitted,

Marilyn Johnny Alumni Committee

TRUST COMMITTEE REPORT

The Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club Trust Committee is entrusted with the stewardship and management of the assets accrued to this fund. All funds entrusted to the Committee are currently invested in secure instruments as recommended by Belmont Financial.

The sub-committee created in 2016 to update the Trust agreement has met and will be bringing forth some recommendations as to the uses of some of the funds for Club programs and activities, respecting the original purpose of the creators of the Trust. During the next several years the majority of the Trust funds will be transferred to certain Club funds or activities as approved by the Board of Directors and agreed to by the Trust Committee. This will provide financing for projects that might otherwise require increased fees or special fundraisingBlack activities. Each year, the Board of Directors and Regionthe Trust 5 Committee will review the progress of these activities to ensureKetrzynski/ the funding is appropriate and still respectsRed the intent of the Trust. Rugosi (R5)

The sub-committee will continue to meet to review and modernize the Trust Agreement where necessary.

KWSC Trust Committee is comprised of: Don Johnny - Chairperson Susan Taylor - Treasurer Mary-Jo Fedy – Secretary Mark Psutka - Historian AlisonRegion Sims 3 - KWSC President Richmond/ Red Palermo (R3) Respectfully Submitted, ) Don Johnny Trust Committee

27 COMMITTEE REPORTS

THE GRAND RIVER SKATING COUNCIL

With the amalgamation of the four Sections in Ontario effective April 1, 2017, Skate Ontario has moved forward as a unified Skate Ontario team and as part of this amalgamation, Grand River Skating Council (GRSC) formally ceased operation March 31, 2017. Skate Ontario and member clubs will be taking on the functions of the GRSC with energy and enthusiasm for #onetario! Historically, the Grand River Skating Council (GRSC) was one of nine regions that comprises Skate Canada's Western Ontario section. KWSC was a member of the GRSC along with Ayr, Cambridge, Guelph, Hesepler, New Hamburg, Preston, Wellesley, and Woolwich skating clubs. The council met regularly to exchange ideas, plan competitions, and organize skater development program activities. The elected KWSC representative on the GRSC for the final year (2016-2017) was Duncan Millar and the final Grand River Skating Council executive was comprised as: • Cheryl Dotzert (Chair) • Alison Sims (Past Chair and Skater Development Chair) • Valerie McDonald (Vice-Chair) • Norma Poyntz (Secretary) • Sheri Pratt (Treasurer) • Coaches Rep – Janet Gibson/Patty Huschilt • Bursary Chair – Judy Chow *Plus each club alsoBlack has a sitting representative on the council Region 5 Ketrzynski/ HighlightsRed of the councils’ activities from the last year of operationsRugosi include: (R5) • Summer Sizzle August 5-7, 2016 at RIM park in Waterloo • Bursaries provided for eligible skaters attending Skate Canada Challenge in December 2016 and the Skate Ontario STARSkate Championship in March 2017 On behalf of the Kitchener-Waterloo skating Club, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to all Council members and congratulate them for their outstanding work this past year with best wishes on future endeavors in the skating world.

Duncan Millar Ret,d KWSC Representative, Grand River Skating Council

28 BOARD OF DIRECTORS SLATE OF OFFICERS

RETURNING BOARD MEMBERS

Carolyn Fedy (Honorary Lifetime Member)

Melinda Kunhegyi (Coaches’ Representative)

Paul Mallet (Past-President)

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I served as KWSC’s President for 4 years, 2012-2016. I have chaired or co-chaired several committees (e.g., volunteer management, awards, gala) and serve as the KWSC webmaster. Outside KWSC I have served on the Grand River Skating Council, and I serve as a Skate Canada WO Section Data Specialist. I have volunteered at many skating competitions including lots of invitationals, Canadian nationals, and ISU events such as Skate Canada International and the World Figure Skating Championships.

Other Information: My daughter’s love of skating sparked in me an ever-growing interest and commitment to the sport. Watching how much skating has taught her—not just skating skills, but also life skills—has inspired me to give back to the sport.

Mike Levinski

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I joined my first KWSC Committee in 2016 by Co-Chairing the bi-annual Ice Show. This opportunity allowed me to become more familiar with the structure and functions of the club. In addition to the Ice 29 Show I have volunteered at the Canadian National Synchronized Skating Competition, Summer Sizzle Competitions, Freeskate Festivals and welcome tables for our Learn to Skate members. Outside of skating I have coached 2 years of indoor house league soccer for Waterloo Minor Soccer as well as a 2 years coaching ball hockey.

Other Information: Although I never participated in skating lessons as a child, my wife and I have watched our daughter progress from CanSkate to Int. Star and Synchronized skating teams over the past 8 years. I have seen first-hand the impact a supportive, inviting sports atmosphere can have on self-confidence, building friendships and teaching how to embrace competitiveness in a positive way. I hope to encourage the development of these characteristics for all skaters. When not at the skating rink or soccer pitch I enjoy cooking, baking, building things and spending time at the family Cottage on Lake Huron.

Alison Sims

Skating committees/events/volunteer work KWSC: Ice Show - Chair: 2014, Co-Chair 2012 and 2016, Fundraising Lead 2010; Volunteer Recruitment and Scheduling, Welcome Tables Co-ordinator 2012-present Grand River Skating Council: Past Chair 2013 – present, Skater Development Chair (2013-present), Chair (2012-2013), Vice Chair (2011-12), KWSC Rep (2010-2011); Competition Chair for Summer Sizzle 2011- present, Starskate Championship (2012), Special Olympics Co-Chair (2012), Competition Registrar, Security Lead, Catering Skate Canada: Data Specialist KidsAbility Foundation: Board Member 2002-2007; Kids Can’t Wait Campaign Chair 2004-2006 RETURNING BOARD MEMBERS (Cont.,)

Mike Levinski

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I joined my first KWSC Committee in 2016 by Co-Chairing the bi-annual Ice Show. This opportunity allowed me to become more familiar with the structure and functions of the club. In addition to the Ice Show I have volunteered at the Canadian National Synchronized Skating Competition, Summer Sizzle Competitions, Freeskate Festivals and welcome tables for our Learn to Skate members. Outside of skating I have coached 2 years of indoor house league soccer for Waterloo Minor Soccer as well as a 2 years coaching ball hockey.

Alison Sims

Other Information: I am a stay at home mother with 5 children and an active volunteer. Prior to having children, I worked in management of a small local software company and in professional recruitment. My five children have exposed me to all club programs including Learn to Skate, Star Skate, Competitive Singles, and Competitive Dance. My goal as a board member is to provide the proper environment for all stakeholders to reach their potential whether they are an athlete, a volunteer, a coach, or a supporter.

Stefanie Wright

Skating committees/events/volunteer work Over the past 12 years I have volunteered at KWSC for a number of events and committees: Showcase/Ice Show, club competitions, and awards committee, and I was chair/co-chair for the Celebration of Excellence in 2013, 2015 and 2017. I have also volunteered at various regional, national and international skating competitions. Outside of skating, I have also volunteered as coach and 30 RETURNING BOARD MEMBERS (Cont.,) convenor for the Waterloo Minor Soccer Club and the Kitchener Soccer Club (2006-2012), and I have also volunteered at the K-W Humane Society (2010-2013).

Other Information: I have two children who have been skating at KWSC over the past 15 years. I have had first-hand experience as a skating parent at all levels, including Pre-School, Enrichment, CanSkate, STARSkate, and competitive singles, dance, and synchronized skating. As a former competitor in the sport of fencing I strongly believe in the notion of “sport for life” and I think that the “skater-first” philosophy must remain a priority at KWSC in order to give the skaters a desire to remain active in sport or other physical activity throughout their lives.

Yiyu Xie

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I have volunteered for KWSC ice shows/showcases and other club level events since 2012 and was co- chair of KWSC’s Celebration of Excellence in 2017.

Other Information: I always enjoy watching figure skating on TV. Ever since my son started to learn skating in CanSkate nine years ago, and my daughter joined later six years ago, I've spent most of my time, at rink side, watching them enjoying every moment on ice. As they progressed through various programs offered by KWSC, I've witnessed the club evolved to better serve the community as well as strived to meet individual skater's need. I would like to make a contribution to the club’s growth and reaching its full potential, and be a more active supporter of the sport. In my spare time, I love Zumba, cooking, travelling and spending time with my family and friends. Returning Board Members for a new term:

Jill Brush

Skating committees/events/volunteer work Since becoming connected with KWSC in 2014 I have assisted with Summer Sizzle, KWSC Welcome Tables, and the 2016 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships held in Waterloo. I also joined the KWSC adult synchro team in 2017. Community volunteer work includes the Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener-Waterloo (Director 2009-Present, Chair 2011-2014, Past Chair 2014-2016); Waterloo Condominium Corporation No. 280 (Director 2013-Present, Treasurer 2014-present); Engage! K-W 2010- 2011; and KW YMCA Mentoring Partnership (Mentor 2008-2009).

Other Information: As a child and teenager, I skated with the Forest and Watford Skating Clubs. I participated in both singles and synchronized skating for many years, and I achieved my Skate Canada Gold Level Dance and Skills tests. I am involved with the KWSC Board as a way to give back to the community and to feel connected again to the sport. I provide a voice on the Board, as someone with knowledge of the sport but I will be objective as I do not have any historical ties to the club. I am proud to currently hold the VP of Finance role for KWSC. 31 RETURNING AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Carolyn Moss

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I have volunteered for KWSC as program assistant, co-chair of 2015 StarSkate Send-off, Ice Captain for the 2015 KWSC Celebration of Excellence, Eistanzfest (Adult Social Dance) organizer, and costume committee and dressing room supervisor for KWSC ice shows. In the past, I have been co-chair for the Ontario Psychological Association – Section on Independent Practice, a WeeWatch Board member, as well as the Environmental Director for the Cottage Association.

Other Information: Skating has been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I have been a KWSC member for over 20 years. I have participated at many levels of skating over the years, including learn to skate, regular skating stream, synchro, varsity skating team, and adult skating. I also now have two daughters who skate at KWSC, who have been involved in Pre-Canskate, Canskate, Enrichment, Intro to Figure Skating, StarSkate, Synchro, and Competitive Dance. I believe all skaters should be encouraged and supported to reach their potential and learn what they can from their time skating.

Olga Petcherkina

Skating committees/events/volunteer work I have always had a passion for skating and always wanted to get involved with a local skating organization. I have served on several boards of directors, including Manulife Staff Association Board of Directors for 10 years and Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington (B.I.A.W.W.). I have also volunteered at Out of the Cold Program for the homeless in KW for over 10 years, Short Term Medical Missions Abroad (STIMMA), Habitat for Humanity and several others.

Other Information: I love to travel, try new sports (dragon boats, pickle ball, synchronized swimming etc.), hike and cook. I love to dance (mostly Latin), but try take dance lessons to get better at ballroom, swing and other dance styles. I try to go dancing at least once a week. I have graduated from art school and still occasionally paint and draw.

New Nominees: New Nominees: Sameh Gam

SkatingSameh committees/events/volunteer Gam work: As an educator, I have dedicated many hours of work on weekends and nights to enhance the learning environmentSkating committees/events/volunteer for my students. In my school, work :I have organized many events (giving week at Christmas season,As an educator, career fair, I have book dedicated fairs, etc), many and hours I also of regularly work on volunteer weekends in and many nights other to schoolenhance-related the learning events andenvironment clubs. I participated for my students. for many In my years school, in the I have Saint organized-Jean French many celebration events (giving by working week at in Christmas the kitchen andseason, preparing career couscousfair, book that fairs, hundreds etc), and ofI also people regularly enjoyed. volunteer I now in look many forward other toschool volunteering-related events at KWSC whereand clubs. my children I participated currently for manyskate. years Community in the Saint spirit-Jean is very French important celebration to me. by working in the kitchen32 and preparing couscous that hundreds of people enjoyed. I now look forward to volunteering at KWSC Otherwhere Information: my children currently skate. Community spirit is very important to me. My 11 year old daughter has been skating at KWSC since she was a toddler. My 3 year old son loves to watch his sister skate and will be starting his own skating lessons in the near future. As a child I grew up on a city by the beach, so I spent countless hours swimming. I never skated before I moved to Canada, and I learned how to skate on the Canal Rideau in Ottawa. NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Other Information: My 11 year old daughter has been skating at KWSC since she was a toddler. My 3 year old son loves to watch his sister skate and will be starting his own skating lessons in the near future. As a child I grew up on a city by the beach, so I spent countless hours swimming. I never skated before I moved to Canada, and I learned how to skate on the Canal Rideau in Ottawa.

Natalia Grichina

Skating committees/events/volunteer work: KWSC: 2016 Annual Gala Committee Co-chair; 2014 – 2017 CanSkate welcome tables; 2015 and 2016 Summer Sizzle Invitational: Security team; 2015 and 2016 FreeSkate Festival: Ice captain and registration; 2014 KWSC’s 75th Anniversary Ice show: Dressing room coordinator Skate Canada: 2016 National Synchro Skating Championships: Security team Carousel Dance Centre: 2016 Spring Performance: Costume additions and Dressing room volunteer; 2017 Spring Performance: Backstage helper Little Mountain Parent Participating Preschool: 2008-2009 Board member

Other Information: In my spare time I enjoy gardening, photography and pottery (proud member of Waterloo Potters’ Workshop). Since my daughter started skating four years ago, I’ve spent a lot of time at rink side, watching her going through various levels from CanSkate to STARSkate and Competitive dance and learning a lot about figure skating in general and KWSC in particular. As a Board member I will do my best to represent the interests of the members of the Club and maintain a positive and supportive environment to ensure further successful development of our skaters and coaches.

Gordon Robson

Skating committees/events/volunteer work: • Director, KW Access-Ability • Former member of Kitchener Rotary Club • Have sat on various committees at First United Church in Waterloo

Other Information: My wife and I have two daughters and three grandchildren who all live in the region. We enjoy cottaging, skiing, traveling and spending time with family. I have no previous experience with the sport of skating or KWSC, and so I believe that my impartial opinions and perspectives will benefit the Board in its efforts to make the best decisions for the club.

33 RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS

Retiring Members of the Board:

Anders McKenzie retired from the board earlier this year after almost 2.5 years of Board service. We are truly grateful for the time he dedicated to the Board and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Duncan Millar is retiring after serving on the Board for the past 2 years, where he served as KWSC’s Representative on the Grand River Skating Council for the past year. His work on the Board was greatly appreciated, and we know that he will continue to be an active volunteer at KWSC for quite some time to come.

Ken Stark is retiring after 3 years of board service. Team building was one of Ken’s greatest passions throughout his board tenure, and he started the process of re-designing KWSC’s logo. We look forward to working with Ken in other volunteer capacities as he moves on from the board.

Patrick Therrien is retiring after 6 years of dedicated service to the Board, including 2 years as VP - Operations. His contributions to the Board will be greatly missed, but we wish him all the best as he moves on to pursue a career in law.

34 35 Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club 101- 2001 University Ave Waterloo, On N2K4K4 Phone: 519-886-5972

[email protected] www.kwsc.org