Tag Archive for: Volunteer

City Mayor Makes a Difference at World Championships

If there is one common theme in France Bisson’s life, it is her commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. Since 2013, France has served as the Mayor of Saint-Sébastien, Quebec, where she has worked diligently to build a better world for her community.  

Outside of city limits, France also invests her time in giving back to the sport of figure skating. As a long-time volunteer with Skate Canada and Patinage Québec, France recently held the position of Director of Volunteer Recruitment for the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Worlds). 

Keep reading to learn more about France and her role at Worlds, which included overseeing the more than 400 volunteers who helped bring the event to life. 

What were you were responsible for as Director of Volunteer Recruitment?  

I ensured that all volunteer teams had the right number of volunteers, and the right candidate for the job required. We had many requests from volunteers, and the main objective was to place the volunteers in a team so that their experience was positive and so that the service provided would be above the requirements we had defined. 

How is your position as Mayor of Saint-Sébastien related to your volunteer work?  

The position of Director of Volunteer Recruitment and the position of Mayor have many similarities, the most important of which is to work to build a better world. In a role supporting volunteers like mine is with Skate Canada, it is important to put a lot of effort into welcoming the athletes, the teams, and visitors to create a memorable experience. Selling this idea to all the members of the Local Organizing Committee is really a challenge that I prioritize in my involvement. 

What do you like about volunteering for Skate Canada?  

I want to stay present in a sport that I’m passionate about. It’s the most beautiful sport in the world. Being a volunteer allows you to get to know people who often become friends afterwards. Over the past 20 years, I have seen volunteers grow up, and at each event, I admire the adults they’ve become and the generosity they demonstrate. 

What do you like about volunteering in general?  

I like making a difference in people’s lives and working in kindness to have beautiful relationships with people. 

Why do you think volunteering is important for young people?  

It allows you to gain experience and confidence. The involvement allows you to meet volunteers of all ages and to develop friendships. 

How many events have you participated in with Skate Canada?  

I actually don’t know. I have been a Team Leader for many Skate Canada national competitions for over 20 years with Patinage Québec. For event organizing committees, my first experience was in 2011 at the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City. Since then, I’ve held the position of Director of Volunteer Recruitment for each Skate Canada Challenge, Autumn Classic, and Skate Canada International event held in Quebec.  

Tell us about a favorite memory from an event you attended. 

At all the events I participate in, there are always magical moments. I love to have fun, laugh, and learn. In all events, these moments happen. I like to say that memories of happiness are still happiness. 

The most recent memory is when the first warm-up started at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal. We were a bunch of volunteers in the volunteers’ lounge. We looked at the television and saw the beginning of the event, looked at each other and just started cheering because it was finally happening – eight years of work later. The emotion was overwhelming. 

I’d like to share another memory too – it marked my ‘career’ as a volunteer with Patinage Québec. It was on a trip to the Canadian Championships in 2015. We were Team Leaders for a group of 50 people from Montreal to Halifax. The practices started the next day. Unfortunately, our flight got cancelled as well as another group of 50 people later that day. With all the qualities and creativity of the Team Leaders and volunteers of Patinage Québec, we found a charter flight, buses, hotel rooms, comforted the skaters and parents, and all our skaters arrived in time for the practices. When we landed in Halifax, I thought it was a miracle and I still think it was. 

Skate Canada is grateful to France for her years of dedication to the sport and to the thousands of like-minded volunteers across the country who not only help make our work possible, but who help uplift skaters of all ages so that they can realize their dreams.  

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Skate Canada, please click here. 

A podium worthy volunteer career

For super volunteer Fran McLellan, her interest in community activities began in her hometown of Ingersoll, Ontario, with parents who were strong role models when it came to offering their time to help.

Volunteering was definitely a community and family priority.

Fran remembers being inspired by the Director of the local YMCA, Al Clark. “He encouraged me to form ‘Teen Town’ and organize Friday Night Dances at the Y. He also helped me to swim competitively and hired me to teach and lifeguard at our local pool.”

That experience and others set the stage for Fran’s love of sports. “We swam in the summer and skated in the winter,” says Fran. “Along with my older brother and two younger sisters, we started skating at a very young age. My brother played hockey and the girls took figure skating lessons. I remember our mother driving us to early morning ‘patch’ lessons and then getting us to school on time.”

Many of her fondest memories revolve around skating in the club Ice Shows and wearing the wonderful costumes. “Some of the costumes were rented from the Unionville Skating Club. I also remember one year when our coach, Liliane de Kresz, skated a solo to the music Sabre Dance. I’ve never forgotten how fast she could skate!”

Growing up, Fran was dedicated to advancing her own skating skills, eventually earning her silver medal in dance. Once married, she and her husband John moved to Oakville where the Oakville Skating Club was a major star in the community. Fran thinks back, “Coming to Oakville, one of my first recollections was the parade welcoming home Maria and Otto Jelinek from the 1962 World Championships in Prague with their gold medal in pairs figure skating.”

That event sparked her interest in the Oakville Skating Club.

“One day I got brave enough to walk into the Club to see about registering our children for lessons and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to sign up. Louis and Marijane Stong were their first coaches – group lessons – three times a week.”

While Fran continued to skate herself and take on new volunteer club responsibilities at the same time, her children were following in her skating footsteps, Michael in hockey and the girls in figure skating. During this time, Fran was also discovering another side to the sport, precision skating, now called Synchronized Skating.

It was at an ACGM where she attended a precision workshop and listened to advocate Elizabeth Swan. “She was so keen to talk about this new discipline that everyone in the room became excited about taking the information back to their clubs.”

Realizing that not every figure skater could become a Barbara Ann Scott, Fran liked the team element. “There were very few team sports for girls when I was growing up,” admits Fran. “Finally, with precision, the girls and I had something we could do together!”

Fran remembers the beginning of the sport. “At first the teams were very large, 24 to 32 skaters, so it meant a lot of individuals found a new home at the rink. The skaters could set new goals, travel as a team to overnight competitions and share in the expenses.”

Fran was so attracted to precision, she continued to skate competitively for 25 years on adult teams and even sometimes on teams with her daughters. Yes, both Laura and Leanne caught the precision bug too, skating on teams in Oakville and in Burlington all while pursuing more traditional skating honors, Laura eventually earning her gold medal in Figures, Free Skate and Dance and Leanne earning her gold medal in Dance.

“Laura started judging when she was sixteen and is qualified to judge all disciplines – singles, pairs, dance and synchro,” boasts Fran. “At the age of 9 Leanne was an alternate on the senior team in Oakville and continued to participate in the sport until she retired at the age of 34.”

Fran recalls her proudest moment as a synchro skater. “It was at Synchro Nationals in 1994 in Verdun, Quebec and our Oakville adult team, skating to Pomp and Circumstance, earned a bronze medal.  I believe that was the first time a mother and two daughters skated together and won a national medal.”

Fran McLellan

1994 Adult Nationals – Fran McLellan

Once Fran hung up her skates, her transition to becoming a full-time volunteer was completely natural. Although she’s tiny in stature, her infectious spirit and endless enthusiasm meant she could take on jobs and get things done.

“Somehow it just happens. One day you’re driving your kids to the rink and the next thing you know you’re attending planning meetings and voting on budgets.”

Skating wasn’t the only activity on Fran’s list of priorities. “I volunteered at our high school, church and the YMCA, helped out with all the activities at school, volunteered at our hospital and the IODE, sat on several town committees and was a founding member of the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame.”

But it was when she was appointed Accreditation Director for the Winter Special Olympics that Fran found one of her most challenging and rewarding experiences.

“My committee accredited over 10,000 participants, officials, managers, chaperones, entertainers, food vendors, directors and special guests. It was a year-long process working closely with the Kodak people to develop the photo ID system. The experience and the people we met along the way were priceless.”

Back in the rink, Fran devoted countless hours volunteering at local, regional, provincial, national and international skating competitions. “At most of the synchro competitions I was judging, skating and managing. Always a challenge for the Tech Rep,” Fran laughs. “I had to make sure I removed the headset before going back on the panel!”

Today as Business Manager for Canada’s World Champions, NEXXICE, Fran is looking forward to the sport’s acceptance into Olympic competition. “My prediction is 2022 in Beijing, China.  And now this year for the first time Synchro will be part of the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. As the old saying goes, we’ve come a long way baby!”

For her vision and commitment, Fran has been recognized by both Oakville and her skating community. She was inducted into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame this year and has been the recipient of the Elizabeth Swan Memorial Award for her contributions to synchro skating. While delighted with these honors, Fran’s proudest moment came after the 2013 World Synchro Championships in Boston when NEXXICE presented her with the Team Spirit Award.

oakville-sports-hall-of-fame-induction

Oakville Sports Hall of Fame Induction

Over the years Fran’s name has become synonymous with volunteering. “I’ve learned that it takes a ‘team’ effort to make things happen. I’ve gained a lot of friends – young and old.”

For Fran, volunteering has worked two ways. While she’s given her time and dedication, volunteering has given her a lot in return. “It’s kept me grounded,” says Fran.

Her advice? “Get involved and stay involved. One day you’ll be glad you did and the memories will live with you forever.”

Skate Canada CEO Dan Thompson giving back during Pan Am Games

Skate Canada CEO Dan Thompson is giving back to a sport – and a community – that has given him so much.

With the 2015 Pan Am Games currently in full swing in Toronto and the surrounding GTA, Thompson, a former Olympic swimmer himself, is volunteering at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatic Centre, the Games’ official swimming venue.

Allan Gordon, a member of the Skate Canada Communications team, is also giving his time as a volunteer during the Games.

Like skating, swimming is in Thompson’s blood, even to this day.

In fact, the names of his two dogs? Splash and Ripple.

“There should always be a passion in your life, and you should embrace that passion and always give more than you take,” Thompson says. “Swimming has been an integral part of my life, and this is my way of saying thank you and giving something back.”

“It’s been a great time so far.”

For Thompson, the swimming venue is a perfect fit.

Thompson, a member of the Toronto 2015 sports program and legacy committee, was a double silver medallist at the 1979 Pan Am Games (100 m butterfly, 400 m men’s relay) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

These days, Thompson is at the helm of the Skate Canada ship, but still manages to find time to experience the joy of swimming. Not unlike the joy of skating – just water at a different temperature.

Last summer, Thompson claimed gold in Montreal in both the 50 and 100 metre butterfly events at the FINA World Masters Championships. He was also a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning 200-metre medley relay.

Pan Am swimmers.During the Pan Am swimming events, Thompson, who sits on the UANA technical swimming committee, works behind the scenes in the “ready room” as the athletes prepare to compete. Those moments are a throwback to his competitive days, as Thompson is with the athletes in their final moments before they step into the pool area. The surroundings allow a unique opportunity to watch world-class athletes attempt to find their focus and get into their zone.

These Games have also afforded Thompson a chance to get an up-close look at how other sports organizations operate.

“Learning comes from anywhere, and this has been an educational experience, as well,” Thompson adds. “You get a chance to get out and see how various organizations run their sports and organize their events. There are great ideas all around, and maybe I can even take one or two back to Skate Canada.”

It’s about the only thing Thompson will take this week.

Everything else is about giving back.