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Canadian Olympian LIZ MANLEY Coaches Local Children on the Ice
By Matt Stringer

In 1988 at the Calgary Olympics, Liz Manley wasn’t considered to be a contender in the Ladies’ Singles figure skating competition. She was sick with the flu. Many didn’t believe in her. Many had abandoned her years before. Yet, she completed one of her best long programs ever and won the silver, narrowly missing the gold by a fraction of a point for Canada.

“Nobody could believe I didn’t win the gold,” she said. But she did grace the covers of most magazines when she was photographed biting her silver metal in absolute joy. She became a Canadian national heroine instantly and people still remember her to this day and come up to her when she lands at airports in Canada.

The Calgary Olympics weren’t her first appearance at the Olympics. She skated at the Sarajevo games in 1984. But she wasn’t supposed to be there either. Several years earlier, she suffered from depression and stress-related alopecia, causing most of the hair on her head to fall out. She kept on skating and made it back onto the ice and recovered from her ailments. Then she was determined to go all the way—to the Olympics. “They asked me not to compete because it would be an embarrassment. I was going through that horrific period and they turned their back on me,” she said.

But neither Liz nor her mother gave up and the girl who was considered the pretender to the throne became the Queen of Canadian figure skating with her victory in 1988, and the girl who was once maligned had to deal with instant fame. “You’re like a president. Every time I came off the ice my clothes were stolen and I still had to go to the World Championships,” she said.

But, she doesn’t even remember her performance at the Calgary Olympics that catapulted her to fame. “They say when an athlete does their best performance you don’t remember because you’re in such a zone,” she said.

Though she doesn’t remember that particular performance, Liz still recalls how to skate and teaches her craft to children year-round at the IceWorks Skating Complex in Aston, Pa. “I’ve fallen in love with coaching,” she said. “I love being there for the kids, seeing them experience what I experienced, the ups and downs.”

And it’s what the young athletes put into the training that determines how far they’ll go. Liz said that you can become an Olympic skater, but the hours can be grueling. A top skater would have to be at the rink all day for most of the week every week. “I was on the ice nine hours a day when I was 10,” she said. “I was national champion by 14.”

Of course, that’s not counting the time that she and any child who wants to be among the world’s elite skaters also have to put into school. “It was hard. It made me a better person,” she said.

But the kids love it and the peak season for training is coming up: the summer. You may not think of figure skating in the summer, but most competitions are in the fall and the summer is when you train. For Liz, it can be strange since the rink is so cold. “I drive home with heat on,” she said.

But coaching too has its pitfalls for Liz, like when a child switches clubs or coaches. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “I put my heart and soul into a child. It’s almost like having your own child.”

That’s why her husband sometimes chides her for letting other coaches work with her kids. “I do it for the kids; I don’t do it for me,” she said. “Everyone works as a team. We pride ourselves in working with each other, not against each other. Coaches can become very competitive though.”

Liz does caution youngsters and their parents not to take skating or any sport too far if you don’t enjoy it, since there’s already so much pressure on kids in general these days. “Don’t let anyone put you in a situation where you’re not enjoying it,” she said. “Kids have a voice too and they should use it. I try to convince them to talk even if they don’t want to. You want to be there not only on the ice but off the ice as well.”

And, if you want to see Liz in action, check out “Animation on Ice,” an ice show featuring Liz, Kim Navarro, Brent Bommentre, Viktor Pfeifer the Austrian National Champion, and many more on April 13 at 7 p.m. and April 14 at 6 p.m. at IceWorks in Aston, Pa. The show includes a wide range of Disney characters and is sure to be a blast for kids and anyone who loves skating. Ticket prices range from $10 to $25. For more information, call 610.497.2200 ext. 117 or visit www.iceworks.net.

Matt Stringer is the editor of Curious Parents.