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(June 16, 2005)

Skate Canada member clubs and skating schools, get ready for one exciting challenge.

At the 92nd annual Skate Canada Annual General Meeting, which was held on June 11 in Winnipeg, Skate Canada introduced a new program called the Chairman’s CanSkate Challenge. The program, which has the main goal of increasing the association’s CanSkate membership to 125,000 members by 2010, also aims to build awareness of CanSkate membership recruitment goals and recognize the effort and dedication of clubs, skating schools and sections in increasing CanSkate membership.

CanSkateCanSkate, which is presented by BMO Financial Group, is Skate Canada’s flagship learn-to-skate program. CanSkate membership for the 2004-2005 season stands at 105,592 as of May 19.

“This contest provides the opportunity for everyone to become involved and to pull together to help increase our CanSkate membership,” said Jeff Partrick, Skate Canada Chief Membership Officer.

Under the Chairman’s CanSkate Challenge, Skate Canada member clubs and skating schools will aim to increase their CanSkate membership annually in order to reach and exceed the goal of 125,000 CanSkaters by 2010. Numbers will be compared from March 31 of the current membership year with the previous year’s final CanSkate membership numbers.

As an added incentive of the program, the Skate Canada section with the highest increase in CanSkate membership will be recognized at the Skate Canada ACGM through the presentation of the Chairman of the Board’s CanSkate Honour Roll certificate. In addition, the top-seven clubs or schools plus the top club or school from each of the 13 Skate Canada sections will be recognized annually at their section AGM with the Chairman of the Board’s CanSkate Honour Roll certificate and will receive two all-event tickets to the BMO Financial Group Canadian Championships for the following year.

This season, the top-five clubs or schools nationally will receive two all-event tickets to the 2006 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and four nights accommodation in Calgary.

The cut off date for the first year of the Chairman’s CanSkate Challenge will be Feb. 15, 2006.

“Our goal of 125,000 CanSkate members by 2010 is very realistic. If every club added and retained three new CanSkate members each year of the program until 2010, we would reach our goal,” said Partrick. “I think it’s possible to surpass this goal.”