Photos from kilt skaters across the country were posted on the Gallery at ottscot.ca. And for the first time, the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO), which organizes the Great Canadian Kilt Skate nationally, undertook a survey of kilt skate participants.
Read MoreWhat began as an idea by the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) to have the 2021 kilt skate take place as a safe, socially-distanced “Home Edition” series of mini-events has morphed into a pan-Canadian party that will take place this Saturday across six time zones. February 27 will see an as-yet undetermined number of skaters across Canada join together in the first-ever Great Canadian Kilt Skate Zoom & Facebook Party.
Read More“Kilt skating began in 2015,” says Don Cummer, Director National Kilt Skate for the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO), which organizes the pan-Canadian event each winter. Some kilt skates bring together scores – even hundreds – of participants. “This year,” says Cummer, “we’re encouraging kilt skaters to stay safe. Skate on your own. Get out with your family. Follow the rules. Have a good time this winter. Oh, and send pictures to #kiltskate.”
Read MoreThe Scottish Government will once again partner with the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) to support kilt skating in Canada as a unique and colourful way to celebrate Scottish culture with bare knees and ice. An agreement has been reached between the government and the SSO that will see eight Canadian cities host kilt skates this year.
Read MoreWhen you have a kilt skate in the heart of Manhattan, the imagination tends to run vertical. Once again this year, the American-Scottish Foundation held its Second Annual Tartan Kilt Skate NYC in partnership with Bryant Park at the Bank of American Winter Village. Next door to the New York City Library, and a block from Grand Central Station, skaters weave around the rink where the skyline soars high above. This inspires some to make a great leap upward.
Read MoreAlthough the thermometer has been above freezing for most of the past weeks, in recent days, winter has come back with a vengeance. The morning of the kilt skate dawned with temperatures of minus-25 with the wind chill, and a blizzard forecast for that evening. But none of this stopped the intrepid skaters, many of whom have been coming out year after year ever since Ottawa hosted its first kilt skate to celebrate the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald in 2015.
Read MoreAs statues of Sir John A. Macdonald are vandalized or removed in the country he founded, the late politician is also being disavowed by the country where he was born. A Monday report in The Times wrote that “all references” to the Scottish-born leader are being excised from official Scottish government websites and documents.
Read MoreA government spokesman said: “We acknowledge the controversy around Sir John A Macdonald’s legacy and the legitimate concerns expressed by indigenous communities on the commemoration of his life. The views of these communities must be respected, and we will continue discussions with Kilt Skate organisers and indigenous representatives on the branding and purpose of the event before taking a decision in respect of future funding.”
Read MoreAfter a flurry of social media posts, Scots came out in great numbers to Toronto's second annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate. Outdoor kilt skates are always vulnerable to the weather, and on the Saturday on which the skate was originally scheduled, the rain poured on Nathan Phillips Square. Mind you, that didn't stop some Torontonians from trying out their skates, but I'm glad the City asked us to move our event to Sunday.
Read MoreThe Ottawa version of Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate continues to grow. This year, about a hundred kilted and tartaned skaters gathered at the Lansdowne Park Skating Rink, milling about the tents and taking to the ice on a beautiful winter day. Skating, eating birthday cake and, of course, playing the bagpipes.
Read MoreThe temperature was just above freezing but the refrigeration coils kept the ice surface hard at the Natrel Skating Rink in the Old Port of Montreal. More than a hundred Saturday skaters were on the rink, and of them, 34 had donned their kilts and tartans to celebrate the Fourth Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate in that city.
Read More“The Great Canadian Kilt Skate is growing into a truly national celebration of what it means to be Scottish in Canada,” says Chris Maskell, the Scottish Government’s representative in Canada. “The Scottish Government is delighted to be supporting again this year. We’re especially interested in reaching out to a younger generation in our Year of Young People, and we love the exuberance and sense of fun of Canada’s kilt skates.”
Read MoreFor the second straight year, the Scottish Government has come forward with funding to help communities across Canada celebrate their Scottish Heritage with bare knees and ice. It has signed an agreement with the Scottish Society of Ottawa that will see the SSO distribute money that will support Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
Read MoreAs a result, the amount of funding from the Scottish Government and other sponsors will depend on the size of the event and the opportunity it provides to showcase the sponsors. For 2018, there will be three different categories of participation in Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
Read MoreScots can be a clannish lot, taking care of our own affairs and letting others tend to theirs. But when we do get together to share ideas and compare challenges, the results can be invigorating. The Scottish North American Leadership Conference (SNALC) has been held in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Edinburgh. On August 10-11, 2017, in honour of Canada's 150th birthday, the 16th annual was held in Canada for the first time at the University of Guelph.
Read MoreThe middle of summer may seem a strange time to be thinking about skating, bare knees, and ice. But the plans are under way to organize the Fourth Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
In fact, there's a flurry of activity as we prepare for upcoming Scottish events where we'll raise the hockey stick saltire.
Read MoreWith the temperatures in the previous week in the minus-42 range, Kendra Jones McGrath wasn't sure how many people to expect for the Lloydminster's inaugural kilt skate. The great thing about Canadians, though, is we tend to be infinitely adaptable to the vagaries of winter. After a cold spell of 42 below zero, when the temperatures rise on the weekend to a balmy minus-11, well the weather seems almost tropical.
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across canada, communities host kilt skates to celebrate scotland’s contribution to our multicultural fabric.
