Grand Falls-Windsor, NL – The roof nearly blew off the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium when Canadian figure skating sensation Kaetlyn Osmond took to the ice during the annual Sparkling Blades Figure Skating Club’s ice show.
The 22-year-old from Marystown is the 2018 world champion, and is a multiple Olympic medallist. So, on Sunday, in front of a packed house at the Joe Byrne, Osmond was welcomed with raucous applause, and responded with performances nobody will soon forget.
As it turns out, the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium is a place Osmond won’t soon forget, either.
“It’s always fun coming back here. I’ve competed in this rink,” said Osmond, moments after taking pictures with a fan following the ice show. “The last sectionals in Newfoundland that I competed in was here… so there’s a lot of memories for me in this rink.”
Osmond has competed on figure skating’s grandest stages, in front of massive crowds under the most pressure-packed situations.
On Sunday, however, Osmond was able to enjoy being a spectator for once. In between her performances, Osmond watched the ice show from the Bud Light Lounge with her parents, who took the trip to Grand Falls-Windsor to watch their daughter perform.
“Thankfully, I had a view so I could watch the show. Sometimes I’m stuck in a dressing room so I don’t get to see very much,” she said. “The club was absolutely amazing, their numbers were incredible and their outfits were so adorable. The tribute at the end was absolutely incredible, and I think this is the only rink where I’ve seen a black light performance. I saw it here five years (ago) and I was amazed by it then, and I’m equally amazed by it now.”
The tribute Osmond spoke of was for her performed by members of the Sparkling Blades. It was a black light performance, and skaters came out draped in the Canadian flag and held the Olympic rings.
Even though she has a plethora of figure skating hardware, Osmond said the tribute meant a lot to her, and so was having the ability to perform in front of the Grand Falls-Windsor figure skating fans and the club’s athletes.
“I love coming to the small town shows and the club shows. I get to see performances from skaters in all levels, from CanSkate and up, and the annual club shows I used to do as a kid was the highlight of the year,” said Osmond. “Those shows were the way we ended our season, and we didn’t compete much at a young age, so these shows were always so much fun and exciting to skate in.”
From the comfort from above the ice surface, Osmond indeed watched skaters of all levels and all skill levels perform.
She was once in their shoes — or skates in this instance — at one point and knows the thrill of performing in front of families and friends.
She did, however, leave some words of advice for all the skaters — from those who have trouble standing up by themselves to those skating and winning Atlantic championship medals.
“When you’re just learning how to skate, just have fun with it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. When I started skating I just wanted to be on the ice and I wanted to be like my sister. I didn’t think about the competitions. I think that’s the biggest part of what led to what I ended up doing was I always enjoyed every moment I was on the ice,” said Osmond. “That’s the biggest advice I can give to skaters of any age, but especially the younger ones.
“For the older skaters, it’s also important for them to have fun doing what they’re doing. You still got to have fun at any age,” she continued. “You always have to remember that it doesn’t matter where you come from. If you’re willing to fight for it, you can accomplish many things.”
