The tragic murder of a popular Kitimat figure skater, reverberated around the local skating club last weekend, as they prepared for a competition in that city.
Local skaters were in shock as the reports of the sixteen year old girls passing and the nature of her death were made at the rink. The Daily featured the story as its headline story in the Wednesday edition.
SKATERS IN 'SHOCK' AFTER DEATH OF 16 YEAR OLD GIRL
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Page one
The Northwest region had to endure one of its toughest figure skating test days in recent history, and it had nothing to do with the weather.
Instead, the scheduled test day, hosted by the Kitimat skate club last weekend, was rocked by the terrible news that one of Kitimat’s veteran young skaters had died Thursday night.
With Northwest skaters arriving on the scene early Friday morning for practice sessions, it didn’t take long for everyone to realize something was wrong. The majority of the Kitimat skaters were in tears, and the parents were doing all they could to ensure their athletes didn’t find out what really happened.
Instead, the news was kept simple: 16-year-old Stephanie Joy Donnelly had passed away.
“It was pretty tough on everyone,” said Sheri Pringle, coach of the Rupert skating club. “We didn’t tell the skaters what had happened, or at least, what was hearsay in the crowd, except that she had passed away.”
Pringle had five of her skaters there, and it was very difficult for her to keep her athletes focussed on their tests.
“I got there Friday afternoon, and (my skaters) were in shock,” she said. “If it had been me, I would’ve cancelled the whole thing.”
Instead, a grief councillor was called to the scene, and spent the majority of Friday meeting with emotional skaters, especially those from Kitimat.
Even then, there was talk of simply postponing the meet out of respect for the late Donnelly, but the Terrace skate club stepped in, and agreed to take it over.
Then, some of the Kitimat skaters decided to take to the ice, because “they felt that’s what Stephanie would have wanted them to do,” said Pringle.
Even though the Rupert skaters only get to hang out with other Northwest athletes sporadically throughout the season, it was still difficult for them to take to the ice, said Pringle.
“Francesca (Amante) was singing with that girl in the dressing room only a month ago,” she said.
Blair Evan Donnelly, 47, the father of the deceased 16-year-old Mount Elizabeth Secondary student has been charged with second degree murder.
To find out how to subscribe to the Daily News (we can mail the paper anywhere), please give us a call at (250) 624-6785 or call toll free 1-800-343-0022.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment