On Saturday, March 23, Sooke’s very own international figure skating pair, Pilar and Leonardo Maekawa, will be skating at SEAPARC. Supporters of this dynamic due are invited to join in on an hour-and-a-half public skate, after which Pilar and Leonardo Maekawa will perform.
This skate will serve as a fundraiser, and the funds raised will go towards the costs of this year’s Olympic training.
“This new season is the Olympic one, and for that they will have to train harder than usual,” writes their mother, Conchita, in an email. “For this purpose they will be travelling to Detroit to train for four weeks. This will give them the opportunity to skate with the best in the world (the Canadians and Americans) and train with them.”
Most recently, Pilar and Leonardo when to Japan to compete at the Four Continents Competition where they placed 13th.
“They had the opportunity to compete against the World Champions, the Americans Meryl Davies and Charlie White and 2010 Olympic Champions the Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir,” continues Conchita, “For Pilar and Leonardo, sharing the ice with them was an extraordinary experience. They didn’t only compete against them, but they got to meet them in person, on and off the ice!”
This Saturday’s skate will be a “Skate Bursary,” meaning that all of Sooke is invited to share the ice with Pilar and Leonardo. Admission will be by donation.
At the end of the public skate, Pilar and Leonardo will perform for everybody.