Even after 50 years of serving the Okanagan figure-skating community, Diane Nielsen was still in shock was she received a call in 2020 about being recognized on a province-wide scale.
The Penticton resident was among the inductees into the Skate Canada British Columbia/Yukon Hall of Fame香蕉视频直播檚 Class of 2022 after decades of work with the Glengarry Skating Club.
From helping raise close to $1 million for local skaters across the province to being part of the athlete support system during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Nielsen has done just about everything behind the scenes in the world of figure skating since 1972.
That香蕉视频直播檚 why on April 30, she was honoured in Burnaby for dedicating much of her life to building a strong figure-skating community in B.C.
香蕉视频直播淚 was speechless,香蕉视频直播� Nielsen recalled when asked about when she first heard an induction into the 香蕉视频直播渂uilder香蕉视频直播� category would soon come. 香蕉视频直播淚 heard two years ago after getting a call from Ted Barton (Skate Canada香蕉视频直播檚 BC/YK executive director) and didn香蕉视频直播檛 even know what to say. He did most of the talking.香蕉视频直播�
Nielsen香蕉视频直播檚 fundraising efforts have helped local figure skaters afford registration for various programs. A total of $800,000 in total money raised for the BC/YK Section Athlete Support Fund headlines her monetary achievements.
香蕉视频直播淓ach athlete may get $300 by the end of it, but it really helps with registration and other things,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淓very little bit counts.香蕉视频直播�
The support fund has helped B.C.-raised figure skaters compete in provincial championships.
Skate Canada香蕉视频直播檚 BC/YK Hall of Fame induction ceremony was delayed by two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hence why Neilsen had known about the honour for just as long.
It香蕉视频直播檚 not just local athletes she has supported; it香蕉视频直播檚 international competitors as well.
Nielsen香蕉视频直播檚 work over her five decades of experience includes acting on the support-system board for figure skaters who competed at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Originally from Whitehorse, the newest Hall of Famer inductee didn香蕉视频直播檛 waste any time making an impact on the figure-skating community once she arrived to the Okanagan. She quickly joined Glengarry FSC, holding every position on the club board, Okanagan Region Board and eventually the BC/YK Section Board.
And if getting recognized for 50 years of work wasn香蕉视频直播檛 emotional enough for Nielsen, there was still one surprise waiting for her when she finally received her induction.
香蕉视频直播淚 got to go on stage with four of the skaters I have worked with and that just put me over the top,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚t was very emotional.香蕉视频直播�
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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