Kamloops Skating Club hosts World & Olympic Champion

KAMLOOPS — Until this spring, it had been 45 years since a Canadian woman had stood atop the podium at the World Figure Staking Championships; with a 150.50 score in her free skate, Kaetlyn Osmond ended that drought in style.

On Saturday, the reigning World and Olympic team-event champion was in Kamloops with her coach Ravi Walia, working with skaters from across BC.

“I went to seminars growing up, every year since I was about five years old,” Osmond told CFJC Today. “I remember being the little one trying to learn everything. It feels so inspiring to go back and realize I was one of these people at the seminars, so I like to keep it fun for them.”

The seminar was put on by the Kamloops Skating Club, and drew skaters from the Lower Mainland and as far away as Prince George. For one of the local athletes at the event, sharing the ice with a skater of Osmond’s calibre was a dream come true.

“Working with her is really, really nice because instead of seeing it from the perspective of your coach, you get it from a little different perspective of a skater,” Kamloops athlete Victoria Warner explained. “She’s been through so much, going to the Olympics and everything, so it’s super cool to have her here.”

It used to be you only saw figure skating on television, and then only during big competitions. Through Twitter and Instagram, keeping an eye on your skating idols has become easier than ever before.

It’s really easy to follow her because she’s on social media,” Warner said. “It was super cool to watch her go to the Olympics, and now she’s here.”

For Osmond, her skating idol was a little closer to home.

“My sister was the biggest thing for me,” Osmond said. “She’s three years older than me and she was always willing to learn, always willing to try new things whereas I was the klutzy, terrified-of-everything person. Even though she was three years older than me, I thought she was better than everyone else in the world.”

Along with teaching some foundational skills, seminars like this are a chance for Osmond to show her passion for the sport; it’s that passion that drove her to the great heights she’s now achieved.

“I started skating because I just love being on the ice,” Osmond said. “I never thought about competitions too much, I never thought too far ahead. I just stuck with what I could do on that day, and that was the biggest thing for me.”