Professional skater and TikTok star takes first 'twirl' on Uptown rink
Professional figure skater Elladj Baldé laced up his skates Wednesday to give the new holiday rink at Saanich’s Uptown Centre a try.
Baldé was the first Black Canadian male figure skater to join the cast of Stars On Ice. Now, he travels the world to share his talent, athletic ability and passion for the sport of figure skating.
He says by showing his skills in public places, like the rink at Uptown, he hopes to inspire others to put on a pair of skates.
“It was hard for me to fit into a mold that didn’t feel like myself,” said Baldé. “Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of representation in the sport and so part of what I do is to be the representation for the next generation of Black, Indigenous and people of colour to see that they can be part of the sport.”
With more than 1.5 million followers on his TikTok and Instagram accounts, Baldé says he has a massive platform to share his message to encourage young people to try figure skating.
“I’ve always loved sharing my art and my passion with people when I performed for audiences,” said Baldé. “Now, it feels like I can do that on a whole other level because I’ve been given this platform to continue to share what I do and inspire others to pick up a pair of skates and believe they can be part of the sport.”
The rink at Uptown is just one of the holiday-themed activities the Saanich shopping centre has in store for its shoppers.
At almost 16 metres in height, a Christmas tree with thousands of lights towers over the square. Illuminated igloo-like domes line Uptown Boulevard offering a cozy place to warm up after shopping or skating on the more than 18-metre synthetic rink.
The cost to skate on the holiday-themed rink is $5 and Uptown is donating half of the admission fee to Victoria’s 1-Up Single Parent Resource Centre.
“We chose the single parent resource centre as our charity because we feel they do amazing work,” said Uptown General Manager Kristy Lowes. “They’re such an instrumental part to helping so many people by gathering donations and we wanted to do something nice for them to give back.”
The rink opens to skaters on Dec. 7 and will stay open until March 2022. For information on the rink visit the Uptown website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.