Olympian Patrick Chan and former competitive pairs skater Elizabeth Putnam were in Squamish to pass on some of their wisdom to local skaters.
They ran a seminar for about 40 Squamish and Whistler skaters on April 14 as part of the Skate Sea2Sky Star Skate program.
The skaters — ranging in age from six to adult — broke into groups Star 1-3 in the first group and Star 4 and up in the second group.
"During the amazing seminar, Patrick and Elizabeth worked on specific elements in jumps, spins and footwork. There was a fantastic 30 minutes of creative skating run by Elizabeth," Kari-Ann MacDonald, head coach with Skate Sea2Sky. told The Squamish Chief.
"This is my third time working with this incredible couple. Not only do the skaters thoroughly enjoy themselves, but myself and the coaching team always come away with a different approach or technique to a skill here and there," added MacDonald in an email to The Squamish Chief.
Chan and Putnam are also life partners.
The two previous times MacDonald worked with the pair were in Whistler, so she said she was happy to be able to offer the program in Squamish.
"To have such elite skaters come into small communities speaks volumes to them as people …[It’s] always worth every penny to see all the smiles of excitement."
For those who want to capture the gold medallist in action, Chan is returning to Stars on Ice at Roger's Arena on May 18 alongside many other champions, including Elvis Stojko, Kurt Browning, and Canada’s reigning national champion Keegan Messing.
Find out more on the Stars on Ice website.
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