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Second year for the Best of the Best CanSkate Coach Program

(May 19, 2009 - OTTAWA, ON) – Skate Canada is once again thrilled to be offering the Best of the Best (BOB) CanSkate Coach Program in conjunction with the 2009 Annual General Meeting and National Coaches’ Conference, June 3-6, 2009 in Edmonton, Alberta.

The purpose of this exclusive program is to recognize, reward and train some of the best CanSkate coaches who have demonstrated great potential with planning and delivering the CanSkate program. Ten coaches have been selected to attend the 2009 BOB program and will be trained in fundamental areas of the CanSkate program. They will be able to return to their clubs and share their overall experience with coaching colleagues.

This year’s participants are:

Rachel Stewart of the Nelson Figure Skating Club (Skate Canada–British Columbia/Yukon Section) is NCCP Level 1 certified and has been coaching since 1988. A silver CEP coach, Rachel is currently the head coach of the club responsible for all programs.

Cathy Wright of the Skate Regina Club (Skate Canada–Saskatchewan) is NCCP Level 3 certified and has been coaching since 1983. A gold CEP coach, Cathy has been involved with various high profile projects over the past 25 years. She is currently the developer and conductor of Saskatchewan’s CanSkate Leadership Clinic.

Megan Svistovski of the Skate Brandon Club (Skate Canada–Manitoba) is NCCP Level 1 certified and has been coaching since 2003. A gold CEP coach, Megan is involved at both the Club and Section levels. She is currently a PA Motivational Clinician in Manitoba and has been the Club Coach Representative since 2006.

Tamara Van Scheyndel of the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club (Skate Canada–Western Ontario) is NCCP 1 and has been coaching since 1989. A CanPowerSkate certified coach Tamara has devoted many volunteer hours to various areas of operating a successful club.

Jacoba Dodge of the Brooke-Alvinston Skating Club (Skate Canada–Western Ontario) is NCCP Level 3 certified and has been coaching CanSkate since 1995. A Kindergarten teacher, Jacoba is also a successful synchronized skating coach and is currently the Club Coach Representative in her club.

Marci Elliott of the Elmvale Skating Club (Skate Canada–Central Ontario) is NCCP Level 2 certified and has been coaching since 1990. A gold CEP coach, Marci was the recipient of the Skate Canada Club and Recreational Coaching Award of Excellence in 2008 and is currently an Outreach Consultant for CanSkate programs in COS.

Tina Stevens-Forani of the East Gwillimbury Figure Skating Club (Skate Canada–Central Ontario) is NCCP Level 2 certified and has been coaching since 1997. Currently the CanSkate Coordinator in her club, Tina is also a Mentor Coach who ensures that the next generation of coaches will continue to promote passion and spirit in the sport.

Dalene Murray of the Skate Canada Brighton Inc (Skate Canada–Eastern Ontario) is NCCP Level 2 certified and has been coaching since 1990. A gold CEP coach, Dalene is busy teaching eight CanSkate sessions a week at three different clubs in EOS. She also sits as the Club Coach Representative on two club boards.

Mary-Liz Wiley of the Beaconsfield Skating Club (Skate Canada–Quebec) is NCCP Level 3 certified and has been coaching since 1988. Currently the Head CanSkate Coach at her club, Mary-Liz is also the Skater Development Team Leader for CanSkate and Debutant level skaters in the Lac St.Louis region.

Neal Thorne of the Conception Bay North Figure Skating Club (Skate Canada–Newfoundland) is NCCP Level 2 certified and has been coaching all levels from CanSkate to competitive skate since 2003. A gold CEP coach and former competitive skater, Neil is also a Sectional level Technical Specialist.

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Skate Canada, the national governing body responsible for the development and administration of skating in Canada, is the largest figure skating association in the world. With skating programs for athletes of all ages, offered at 1283 clubs and 54 skating schools* across the country, Skate Canada is an association dedicated to providing every Canadian the opportunity to learn life skills while experiencing the power, strength and creativity of one of Canada's premier sports.