Elizabeth Manley puts a new spin on figure skating

Emma Lapierre could hardly contain her excitement as she stepped off the ice and slid her blade guards over her skates.

"Did you see that?" she excitedly asked one of her coaches, a smile stretching from ear to ear. 

Lapierre, who has been skating for the past 12 years, had nearly landed her triple salchow — a jump she's been working on for quite some time.

"I haven't landed that before, so I was really excited," she said.

Lapierre, along with a group of other local figure skaters, had just spent the past hour on the ice being mentored by Elizabeth Manley — the 1988 Olympic silver medallist in figure skating, the 1988 World silver medallist and a three-time Canadian champion.

This was Lapierre's second seminar with Manley, and she said the experience was definitely beneficial.

"She's a really good coach," said the Grade 10 Lockerby student. "It's helping a lot. We were with her for just an hour and it's already helping a lot today."

Lapierre said Manley suggested a slightly different technique that "just clicked" for her.

"I don't necessarily have the right way to do things ... I just give them ideas to try things that could work," Manley said. "Today, one of the skaters landed a jump for her first time and she was all excited, because I had her try something a little different."

Manley was at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Arena Nov. 19 as part of the Rainbow Country Region's annual skater's development seminar. Figure skaters, between the ages of eight and 16 and representing seven local clubs, were in attendance.

Rachael Duhamel, development co-ordinator for the Walden Figure Skating Club, said it's "huge" to offer the kids a fresh perspective when it comes to coaching, especially when that fresh perspective is coming from an elite — and famous — athlete.

"They're inspirational and it always helps to get the point of view of a champion," Duhamel said. "No two kids learn the same and sometimes there's something that just clicks. They can take what they're learning here and go back with their own coaches and work with what they've learned."

Duhamel said she's been a big fan of Manley's her entire life and followed her career since Duhamel was a child.

"She's got a lot to offer our kids," she said. "She's the best ambassador for figure skating in Canada."
 

Elizabeth Manley is pictured working with Emma Lapierre, a member of the Walden Figure Skating Club. Photo by Laurel Myers.

Manley makes comeback with star-studded skating event

Despite Manley's reputation as a star skater, her life hasn't been without its bumps along the way.

"I went through a depression when I was 16 and I had a nervous breakdown," she said. "I wrote a book about it after the Olympics and sought out help and got treatment and came back to win the silver at the Olympics."

Manley retired from amateur skating in 1988, after winning silver at the world championship. The 47-year-old Ottawa native has since turned her attention to charity work, specifically teen mental health. For the past two years, she has been working with Youth Services Bureau (YSB), and this year, she decided she wanted to do something for the organization that would have "a bigger impact."

On Jan. 26, Manley will host a "spectacular skating show" at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. Elizabeth Manley and Friends will include performances by other notable skaters, including Joannie Rochette, Elvis Stojko and Nancy Kerrigan, among others. Lively's Meagan Duhamel and her pairs partner Eric Radford — the 2011 Canadian champions — will also take part in the production.

"If it becomes a success, which I'm praying it will, there could be a chance that eventually I'll try to bring it on the road — so it could end up in Sudbury," Manley said.

For more information about the show, visit ElizabethManleyandFriends.com.