Linda Florkevich
Encyclopedia
Linda Florkevich (born February 3, 1970 in Kelowna
, British Columbia
) is a Canadian
figure skater who competed in ladies singles
.
, British Columbia
, Canada
in 1970. Her figure skating started when she was 4 years old.
Linda's first success was gold at the Canada Winter Games (Saguenay
/Lac Saint-Jean
, Quebec
) as a Novice in 1983.
Then she moved on to win a Junior National bronze medal (1985) and finally she captured the bronze medal at the Senior National level
in 1987.
Her biggest international success is the bronze medal at the 1986 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
.
As a professional skater, she has skated with Canada Ice Dance Theatre.
After her competitive days were completed she turned to coaching young talents to reach their goals. Linda is a NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) level 3 certified coach. She is developing talents from the learn-to-skate programs of CanSkate to National level competitors and work together with individual skaters to choreograph creative skills, interpretive and singles programs.
Youngest son Braiden was born in 1998 with Cerebral Palsy
. The first diagnosis was that he would not walk or see. Later he was diagnosed with Autism
as well. After years of hard work, passion and commitment he can read, walk and complete races.
Linda and her family support Braiden as he participates in running races and donates his pledges for support to local charities that support kids with Physical disabilities and Autism. They have hosted charity hockey
challenges, social
evenings and a very special New Years Day Charity Ice Show.
Linda hopes that Braiden's story will be an inspiration to all people with disabilities to create their own miracles and realize there are no limits to what can be achieved. Braiden’s ‘INSPIRING POSSIBILITIES’ mission supports Variety, the Children's Charity
along with Victoria Riding for the Disabled Association
.
Kelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
figure skater who competed in ladies singles
Single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating, wherein a single person skates alone. Men's singles and ladies' singles are both Olympic disciplines and are both governed by the International Skating Union. The other Olympic figure skating events are pair skating and ice dancing...
.
Biography
Linda Florkevich was born in KelownaKelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1970. Her figure skating started when she was 4 years old.
Linda's first success was gold at the Canada Winter Games (Saguenay
Saguenay River
The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac....
/Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated 206 kilometres north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of 1003 km² Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) as a Novice in 1983.
Then she moved on to win a Junior National bronze medal (1985) and finally she captured the bronze medal at the Senior National level
Canadian Figure Skating Championships
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...
in 1987.
Her biggest international success is the bronze medal at the 1986 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...
.
As a professional skater, she has skated with Canada Ice Dance Theatre.
After her competitive days were completed she turned to coaching young talents to reach their goals. Linda is a NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) level 3 certified coach. She is developing talents from the learn-to-skate programs of CanSkate to National level competitors and work together with individual skaters to choreograph creative skills, interpretive and singles programs.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87 |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships World Junior Figure Skating Championships The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion... |
3rd | ||
| Canadian Championships Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has... |
3rd J. | 3rd | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
6th | ||
| Merano Spring Trophy | 2nd |
Personal life
Linda is married (husband Dean) and has two sons (Nathan, Braiden).Youngest son Braiden was born in 1998 with Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
. The first diagnosis was that he would not walk or see. Later he was diagnosed with Autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
as well. After years of hard work, passion and commitment he can read, walk and complete races.
Linda and her family support Braiden as he participates in running races and donates his pledges for support to local charities that support kids with Physical disabilities and Autism. They have hosted charity hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
challenges, social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
evenings and a very special New Years Day Charity Ice Show.
Linda hopes that Braiden's story will be an inspiration to all people with disabilities to create their own miracles and realize there are no limits to what can be achieved. Braiden’s ‘INSPIRING POSSIBILITIES’ mission supports Variety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity is an organisation founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1927, when a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On Christmas Eve 1928, a small baby was left on the steps the Sheridan Square...
along with Victoria Riding for the Disabled Association
Riding for the Disabled Association
The Riding for the Disabled Association, also known as the RDA is an United Kingdom based charity focused on providing horse-riding and carriage driving lessons to people with both developmental and physical disabilities....
.