(November 20, 2006)

Over 500 skating fans had the chance to skate with some of Canada’s best skaters at the 2006 BMO Community Skate, which took place Nov. 18 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

It was an afternoon of excitement for the participants, as they skated on the Metro Centre ice with members of Canada’s national and junior national teams, including Lesley Hawker, Nicholas Young, Chantal Lefebvre and Arseniy Markov, Joey Russell, Jamie Forsythe, Kevin Darwish and Joanna Lenko and Mitchell Islam. The event also featured a special guest appearance by 2003 World Ice Dance Champion and 10-time Canadian Champion Shae-Lynn Bourne.

Between the two skating sessions, Bourne and the national and junior national team members treated the crowd to a very entertaining skating show that was hosted by C100 FM personality Nicole Bellefontaine.

CanSkaters form the local area also had the opportunity to showcase their skills for the Metro Centre spectators during the skating show.

Also on hand to participate in the day’s festivities were Halifax city councillor Dawn Sloane, Trevor Green, BMO Financial Group, District Vice President, Nova Scotia and Market Leader, Atlantic Provinces, and Debbi Wilkes, Skate Canada Director of Sponsorships and Marketing.

In addition to the community skate, skaters at two local clubs – the Sackville Skating Club and the Dartmouth Skating Club – also had the chance to skate with Bourne and members of the national team. Bourne and Hawker travelled to the Sackville Skating Club on Nov. 17 for a skating and autograph session, while Young, Lefebvre and Markov made their way to the Dartmouth Skating Club on Nov. 19.

To read more about the BMO Community Skate, be sure to read the upcoming edition of Skate Canada’s newsletter, Above the Crowd, later this week.