An Unreported Fact about Canadian Figure Skating

The Canadian figure skating championships are on this weekend, so I’m a skating widower. My wife is a former national-level competitive skater, and spends much of the weekend yelling at the TV.

I’ve become quite informed about the sport, and, in a pinch, can tell a lutz from a loop. Here’s an interesting fact that never gets mentioned in broadcasts. They often state that the top five skaters (or pairs, where applicable) in each event earn ‘international assignments’. This means that they’re sent to Grand Prix events (for example, Cup of Russia or Skate America). However, if you place in the top five, you receive funding from Skate Canada. For skaters’ families who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their develop, this money is critically important. I guess the commentators don’t want to sound mercantile, but this is often a bigger deal than the international competition.