SKATE MUSKOKA ADDS WORLD-CLASS COACHES FOR 2021-22 SEASON

MUSKOKA — Skate Muskoka says it 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.

Growing up in Russia and Canada Afanasieva and Dack competed at the national level in singles and pairs events, “wowing audiences with their signature combination of figure skating and gymnastics,” said Skate Muskoka president Natalie Smith in a club release this week.

The couple have toured the globe extensively in events like Battle of the Blades, Eugeni Plushenko’s Golden Ice of Stradivari, Shizuka Arakawas Christmas On Ice, and Katarina Witt’s Enjoy the Stars tour.

In 2006 the pair won the first 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,” added 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 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.

Registration begins in late August. Learn more at www.skatemuskoka.ca

The safety of the skaters, coaches and their families remain paramount, and COVID protocols will be posted on the website along with the schedule.