.png "Cover of the book \"The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating\" by Ryan Stevens")
I have been writing the Skate Guard blog since 2013 and I cannot thank all of you enough for your readership and kind words of encouragement over the years. It is truly a labour of love.
For far too long, family and friends have said to me, "You should write a book!" I am a firm believer in creating the things that you wish existed and that's why I finally decided to test my mettle and write "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating".
A truly in-depth history of Canadian figure skating hasn't been published since 1993, when Skate Canada (then the CFSA) published a wonderful book called "Reflections on the CFSA: A History of the Canadian Figure Skating Association 1887-1990". Peter Newman, who was the chair of the CFSA's Museum and Historical Committee around that point in time, wrote that the book did "not attempt to deal fully with the Association's skaters nor with its programs because these important parts of the Association's history will be the subject of further volumes." Sadly, those books never came and the Museum that the CFSA hoped to eventually open never materialized.
Though some wonderful efforts have been made to celebrate Canada's rich skating history, so much of it has fallen into obscurity. The achievements of many of the sport's earliest champions have gone unrecognized. Results from competitions that took place before the days of the internet have never made it online. Records of many early happenings in the sport's history were sadly thought to be destroyed forever when the Minto Skating Club lost its rink for a second time in a tragic fire in 1949.
Through careful research in newspaper and magazine archives, books and other records, "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating" reconstructs that 'lost' history. The book features hundreds of short biographic stubs highlighting the accomplishments of Canada's skaters, coaches, choreographers, judges and builders. Complete records of the Canadian Championships at the senior, junior and novice level are featured as well. The book is also chock full of fascinating facts and figures - everything from tours to skating clubs to Section Presidents over the years. You can read a free preview on Amazon below.
It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy flipping through this fascinating reference book as much as I enjoyed researching it and putting it together. Treat yourself or the skating fan in your life to a copy this Christmas! To purchase a copy of the hardcover, paperback or Kindle eBook edition on Amazon, click here.
I would love to hear what you think about the book - please leave a review! It would be an incredible help in getting this important history out there to more people.
Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.