Skate Muskoka is thrilled to announce that preparations are underway for the 2021-22 skating season with two new coaches, wife and husband team Violetta Afanasieva and Pete Dack, joining the club.
Growing up in Russia and Canada, Violetta Afanasieva and Pete Dack competed at the National level in both singles and pairs events, wowing audiences with their signature combination of figure skating and gymnastics. They have toured the globe extensively in events like “Battle of the Blades,” Eugeni Plushenko‘s “Golden Ice of Stradivari,” Shizuka Arakawa‘s “Christmas On Ice,” and Katarina Witt‘s “Enjoy the Stars” tour. In 2006 they won the first ever “Extreme Ice Skating World Championships” in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“It is our great fortune that Violetta and Pete contacted Skate Muskoka to enquire about coaching after they chose to relocate and raise their family in Muskoka,” said Skate Muskoka president Natalie Smith. “We’re over the moon to welcome them to the club.”
They join returning coaches Christine Whyte and Elizabeth Piper-Beane. “This club would not be what it is today without Christine and Liz,” added Smith. “They love the skaters. The skaters love them, and it shows in the energy, confidence and the skill they are able to inspire in these kids on the ice.”
Skate Muskoka offers learn to skate, CanSkate, Rising Stars, Theatre on Ice and and STARSkate programming for kids of most ages. Sessions will take place at the Memorial Arena in Bracebridge, the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre and the Baysville Ice Skating Rink.
The new schedule will be available soon. The safety of the skaters, coaches and their families remain paramount, and Covid protocols will be posted on the website along with the schedule.
Registration begins in late August. Learn more at www.skatemuskoka.ca