'Our whole community came together': Manitoba town’s skating club reaches finals in national video competition
A skating club in a small Manitoba town hopes to get the edge on the competition, after landing in the finals in a national video competition celebrating the sport.
The Minnedosa Skating Club was chosen out of 106 entries from across the country for Skate Canada’s Skate With Us National Contest.
To enter, participants had to submit a video in one of three categories – Skate Canada’s Got Talent, Club and Skating Schools, and Skate With Us.
When Minnedosa Skating Club president Jacquie Gerrard heard about the contest, she felt their club would be a perfect candidate. The town had always been active, she said, but it really embraced skating during the pandemic.
“Everything got shut down with code red through COVID, and that was just an absolutely beautiful winter, if you remember it,” she recalled in a phone interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
“Our whole community came together, just people who live on the lake and other individuals, to clear this whole loop all the way around the lake for skating trails.”
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)
When they couldn’t gather in their homes, the skating trail became a meeting place for people to socialize safely and do the sport they love.
Its popularity has continued in the winters since. Gerrard said they have almost 60 skaters signed up, which is a lot for their club.
To celebrate their small but mighty skating town, the community came together to shoot their video entry under the direction of local videographer and former competitive figure skater Brittany Hewlko.
“(Brittany) was really able to capture the spirit that we were going for. We wanted it to be more than just about our club, but about our town and about the community spirit that we have here,” Gerrard said.
Minnedosa Skating Club’s video cracked the top three in the Club and Skating Schools category. Videos were judged on several criteria, including creativity and understanding of the theme.
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)
Now, it’s up to the public to help Minnedosa win the big prize. From now until Feb. 15, people can log on to the Skate With Us website and cast a vote once a day for their favourite submissions.
Winning the contest has become the talk of the town.
“We have one local Co-op Store that we all shop at for groceries and every time I go there, the person behind me in line says, ‘I'm voting every day for the video,’ and the checkout person is saying, ‘yeah, me too,’” Gerrard said.
The first prize is $5,000, followed by $1,000 for second place and $500 for third.
Gerrard said the cash would go a long way to helping their little club, including hiring a new coach to mentor the community’s burgeoning talent and keeping the sport as accessible as possible.
“Obviously our community rink needs to keep its doors open, so we're always stuck juggling between paying our ice fees and keeping our fees as low as possible.”
(Source: Brittany Hewlko)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.