Elvis will soon be in the building.
On Feb. 24 and 25, Elvis Stojko, Canada’s most celebrated men’s figure skater and his wife Gladys Orozco will visit the community for two days of seminars at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.
Skate Virden Coach Patty Hole and President Samantha Greenbank secured and organized the whirlwind visit, arranging for accommodations, flights and other logistics to bring the pair to Virden.
“In the fall, we brought in Kaetlyn Osmond – that was just for our club members,” Hole said. “They were trying to figure out who else they could bring in. This might be the smallest place he (Stojko) has come to. He does Stars on Ice all over the place.”
Hole, with more than four decades of experience coaching the sport, is excited for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host the three-time world figure skating champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist.
“I want the skaters to have some fun,” she said. “For him to take the time to come here I think is just a wonderful thing. They’re (skaters) all excited. He’s giving back to the young athletes, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
The Saturday and Sunday seminars will consist of on-ice and off-ice fitness and yoga classes, spins, jumps and footwork.
“We’re offering higher-end Can Skate Stage 6 and Star 1 and they’ll just come one day,” Hole said. “And then the older ones, from Star 2 all the way up to Novice Junior Ladies, they will skate both days and get a couple of sessions on-ice and a couple of sessions off-ice. One will be with Gladys because that’s what she loves to do. She does off-ice. They’ll learn as much as they put into it. He (Elvis) has got more tricks up his sleeve. He’s old schooled so he loves good strong skating. When he skated it was like he just did what Elvis Stojko wanted to and that was skate and jump and go fast and do whatever you needed to do. He was always the guy that just did what he believed in. He’ll come here and just teach what he’s been doing all his life and just have some fun.”
Despite Stojko, 51, being one of Canada’s most celebrated male figure skaters, he will be new to many of Skate Virden’s young participants.
“I think the biggest thing is most of the little ones don’t know who Elvis Stojko is,” Hole said. “It’s us... it’s our era. A lot of older people.”
Putting on skating seminars and clinics is a bit of a departure for Stojko and Orozko.
“They don’t come to really instruct,” Hole said. “When Kaetlyn (Osmond) came in she just came and hung out with us. Just being on the ice doing some things. Just for the kids to know that anybody could reach that level if they worked hard. She’s one that goes to small communities and she loves to do this. I don’t think he would have time to do much instructing because he’s so busy going (places). I think he’s just helping out people when he can. He’s still jumping and twisting and turning and.... hopefully he’ll pull of a couple of moves for the kids to see. Other than that just being on the ice with Elvis Stojko, it’s wonderful. You don’t usually get to do that.”
Hole said that the response, from both members and non-members, was overwhelming.
“We gave our kids in the club first chance and gave two days for them to register,” she said. “Then we warned them all that it was going to open (to the public) on a Tues. night at 7 to everybody that was following and waiting for their chance to come. At 7:03 it was full and we had a waiting list. He can’t take a lot of people. I think he only takes about 60 or 70 kids and he doesn’t work for hours on end. If you want to get in, you need to be ready with that speed dial.”
The Tundra Oil & Gas Place arena will be open throughout the weekend and the public is welcome to drop by and catch a glimpse of skating prowess.
“We’ll have probably the most walkers (at the track) you’ll ever see,” she said.
