In 1991, Elvis became the first man to ever perform a quadruple toe loop, double toe loop combination jump, in competition. In 1997, Elvis again made Canadian history by becoming the first and only man to perform a quadruple toe loop, triple toe loop combination jump, in competition.

Elvis has been involved in a number of shows and tours. Since 1994, Elvis was a leading skating star for the Tom Collins Tour of World Figure Skating Champions, touring over 50 U.S. cities each year. From 1994 to 1998 and 2002, Elvis starred in his own tour across Canada – The Elvis Tour of Champions.

Despite a busy training schedule, skating performances, charity events and product endorsements, Elvis finds time for other interests. He loves riding dirt bikes (he received his first motocross bike for his seventh birthday). He has a black belt in karate which he earned at the age of 16. He then moved on to Chinese Kung Fu in 1989 and studied under Sifu Glen Doyle, for which he attributes much of his success in skating.

In the summer of 1994, Elvis was chosen the first “Kids Ambassador” for Ronald McDonald’s Children’s Charities. In addition, Elvis has helped a number of other charities, including Parkinsons, The United Way, Variety Village and Sick Children’s Hospital. He is a supporter of the Special Olympics and frequently has been a spokesperson for other charities, as well as finding time to coach many of our young figure skaters.

The Governor General of Canada, in January of 1996, presented Elvis with one of the highest awards in this country, the Meritorious Service Decoration, which is awarded in recognition of a deed or activity performed in a highly professional manner or of a very high standard that brings benefit or honour to Canada.

Elvis has appeared in a number of professional television skating shows, including a Disney special, Brian Orser’s Blame It On The Blues, the Anne Murray Classic Christmas special, and many other television productions. In 1994, Elvis performed in his own television special, Elvis Airbourne, aired by Baton Broadcasting Station, which won a Gemini for the Best Sports Series or Program for 1994, beating out such finalists as The Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Lillehammer Olympics. Another television production was Elvis Incognito, shown in 1997 for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, in which Elvis’ performance was nominated as one of the five best performances in a Variety Special.

After winning the Silver Medal at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, Elvis won the gold medal at the 1994 World Championships in Japan. Elvis won gold medals in two further competitions, namely, Skate Canada and the Nations Cup in 1994. The year 1994 was culminated by Elvis’ choice as Canadian Male Athlete of the Year.

In 1995 and 1997, Elvis again won gold medals at the World Championships.

In 1998, Elvis won the silver medal at the Nagano Olympics in Japan, notwithstanding a serious groin injury. He was recognized as a national hero by all Canadians as well as all skating fans around the world, for his courage and determination to compete notwithstanding his disability.

In August of 1998, Elvis’ Olympic performance was recognized by the Governor General of Canada in winning the Meritorious Service Cross. The Governor General announced that Elvis was named the sole recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross for outstanding service to Canada. Later that year, he received the silver Greek cross in recognition of deed or activity performed in an outstanding professional manner or of an uncommonly high standard that brings considerable benefit or great honour to Canada. This award recognized the high level of professionalism at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games despite a painful groin injury. The citation states “his tremendous courage under such adversity won him a silver medal and demonstrated his indomitable spirit and dedication to the pursuit of excellence.”

Also in 1998, Elvis was chosen as the winner of the Gillette World Championship for his on-the-field achievements and his off-the-field humanitarian contributions to the community and his charitable involvements.

On July 1, 1998, Elvis was asked by the CBC to co-host the Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa. This was a one hour special on the lawn of the Parliament Buildings, and attended by over 100,000 patriotic Canadians. Elvis’ performance received rave reviews and was the highest rated Canada Day special of all time.

In December, 1998, Elvis starred in Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas Angel with Dorothy Hamill on NBC. Elvis also had a starring role with Michelle Kwan in a Disney skating special in February, 1999.

In 2000, Elvis won the gold medal at the 2000 Canadian Figure Skating Championships and went on to win another gold medal at the ISU Four Continents. He also received a silver medal at the 2000 World Figure Skating Championships.

In 2002, Elvis won the gold medal at the 2002 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, making him a seven-time Canadian Champion. Elvis finished eighth at the Olympic Games and then announced his retirement from amateur figure skating.

Elvis joined the cast of Danny DeVito’s Death to Smoochy where he doubled for Robin Williams as well as doing the skating choreography for the movie. Elvis also joined the cast of David Foley’s Christmas special titled The True Meaning of Christmas Specials which aired Christmas, 2002.

Elvis was a commentator for CTV/TSN for the Men’s Figure Skating competitions at the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships in Washington, D.C.

Elvis was on The Simpsons in 2004 playing himself in the episode “Kill Gil” Volumes I & II during Season 18. 

In 2004, Elvis embarked on a singing and acting career in which he had a leading role as DJ Vince Fontaine in the stage performance of Grease.

In 2005, Elvis became the Canadian Champion in the Kung Fu forms division of the WKA Federation and went on to win a silver medal at the World championships that same year.

In 2012, Elvis starting racing karts and in 2013 became the vice champion of Canada in the ASN Canadian Rotax Nationals in the DD2 Masters class. He continues to race on a national and international level aspiring towards racing cars in the near future.

In March 2014, Elvis took the stage on Broadway playing the iconic character Billy Flynn in Chicago. He performed eight shows in New York and eight shows in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre garnering great reviews. He continues to take acting classes to pursue his career in acting for stage, TV and film.

Elvis works with his long-time friend and Kung Fu instructor Glen Doyle on different entertainment projects. Both Elvis and Gladys Orozco performed on stage in a roller blade show written by Glen and choreographed by his wife Roselle Doyle. The Land of The Eternals show was performed in the Burlington Theatre in the fall of 2012 and again to a sell-out crowd in Richmond Hill in 2013.

Elvis lived in Ajijic, Mexico for 12 years and met his wife, Gladys Orozco, in 2009. They were married on June 20, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV. In June 2014, Elvis and Gladys moved back to Canada to pursue their respective careers. Elvis and Gladys are animal lovers and have three rescue dogs; two Blue heelers and one Red heeler with collie mix named Sunna, Bestla and Isis.  

Elvis launched his own red wine on May 8, 2015 through Peter Jensen of Match Point Wines. A 2010 QUAD Reserve Meritage from the Niagara region was launched in cases of 12 and a limited 80 cases were produced. A percentage of sales benefitted Skate Canada to help in the development of skaters. A new batch of wine was launched during 2016-2017 season through Palatine Hills Winery in the Niagara region.

On June 24, 2015, Elvis was chosen to carry the Pan Am torch through his home town of Richmond Hill.

In association with Skate Canada, Elvis assists skaters on technique, mental training, and competition preparation. He is passing on his knowledge from what he has learned from his years of competition and his Kung Fu training. Elvis has also been working with hockey players on skating skills, due to live performances being cancelled during the past year.

He continues connecting with the community with motivational speaking in schools and businesses.

Elvis finished his kart season in 2015 with a third place at the Canadian Tire ASN Rotax Canadian Nationals in the DD2 Masters class.  He had a successful auto racing debut at the Trois Rivieres Race in August, 2015 in the Nissan Micra Cup Race finishing in the Top 10 out of 26 drivers. For 2023, Elvis tested with Steffen Rilli of Rilli Racing in the Revolution Prototype Car and adapted so quickly that the manufacturer of Revolution race cars took notice and offered Elvis a seat to race at the famous Spa Circuit in Belgium. Only going to learn and not focused on placing, he drove above expectations placing 3rd in both races after only testing in the car for a couple of days. Elvis is focused on building sponsorship for the 2024 season and race the Prototype Challenge in Canada with Rilli Racing. From there he is looking ahead to Pro level racing in Prototype cars. 

In the summer of 2024, Elvis was offered a race seat by Operation Motorsports to participated in the 12hr Endurance Race of Remembrance in Wales UK on Remembrance Day and represent team Canada with three other drivers. Elvis had the honor of working directly with veterans from Canada and the US. In 2025 the race will take place at the famous VIR Race Track in Virginia and Elvis has been asked to represent Canada again.

During the 2016 season, Elvis took a step back from kart and car racing and focused on his acting career.  Elvis played the role of Mercury in the TV movie Ice Girls, which began airing nationwide on the Family Channel Canada on March 11, 2016.  For the 2018 season, Elvis appeared on an episode of the Canadian crime drama Murdoch Mysteries. In the fall, 2019, Elvis enjoyed acting on the TV show Hudson and Rex. Most recently, Elvis appeared in an episode of CBC’s Pretty Hard Cases that aired in 2021.Other film projects which are non-skating related are in the works for Elvis as well.  He attends acting classes at Milne and LB acting studios in Toronto.  He is represented by Kate Kellner of The George Agency in Toronto.

In summary, Elvis is a three-time World Champion, two-time Olympic Silver Medallist and seven-time Canadian Champion in figure skating.  His love for speed and excitement is quenched through his off-road dirt biking while his creative side is expressed through his acting, singing and skating.  Elvis is still active in performing in many skating shows across Canada and the U.S. He combines athletic talent, character, intelligence and a deep commitment to his continued involvement in many charities and communities.  He is considered by most Canadians as a role model and a national hero for his courage and his integrity.

Elizabeth Manley had the performance of her life at Calgary 1988 to win the Olympic silver medal in women’s figure skating. She followed up a few weeks later with another silver at the world championships.

Manley made her world championship debut in 1982, the same year she won bronze at the world junior championships. The following season, she moved to Lake Placid for a more competitive training environment, but battled homesickness and depression. She missed the podium at the 1983 Canadian Championships and considered leaving figure skating behind.

But she revived her career with the guidance of coaches Peter and Sonya Dunfield, returning to the Ottawa area, which had become her hometown. She qualified for the Canadian Olympic Team in 1984 and won the first of her three national titles in 1985. In 1987, she was in contention for the world championship podium after a second-place finish in the short program, but a difficult free skate left her in fourth place.

Heading into Calgary 1988, most of the media attention centred around East German Katarina Witt and American Debi Thomas. Their rivalry was dubbed the “Battle of the Carmens” as both world champions had selected music from Bizet’s opera. But Manley put herself into the podium mix by placing fourth in the compulsory figures and third in the short program. In the free skate, Witt skated conservatively and Thomas skated poorly, giving Manley the opening she needed. With her technically superior performance, Manley won the free skate to finish second overall behind Witt.

The 1988 World Championships were also a close competition. Manley placed second in the figures but was just fourth in the short program. She then finished second in the free skate for the silver medal overall.

Manley chose to end her competitive career with the Olympic and world championship silver medals. She published two volumes of her autobiography, Thumbs Up! and As I Am: My Life After the Olympics. She continued to perform in shows, including a CBC production, The Trial of Red Riding Hood. Manley has also done some figure skating commentary, including for CTV at Vancouver 2010.

She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1989, Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2001, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Born in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and raised in Caroline, Alberta, Browning is a four-time Canadian figure skating champion and four-time World Champion. He represented Canada in three Winter Olympics, 1988 (finishing 8th overall), 1992 (6th) and 1994 (5th), and was given the privilege of carrying the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway. Browning’s other achievements are numerous, including three Canadian Professional Championships, three World Professional Championships, a Lou Marsh Trophy for top Canadian athlete (in 1990), Lionel Conacher Award winner (1990 and 1991), Order of Canada recipient (in 1990), an American Skating World Professional Skater of the Year Award (in 1998), and a Gustav Lussi Award from the Professional Skaters’ Association (in 2001). He is also known as the Wayne Gretzky of figure skating due to his achievements, contributions to the sport and popularity in Canada.

On March 25, 1988 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Browning landed the first quadruple jump ever in competition. This accomplishment is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Browning is also known for his footwork.

He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and Canada’s Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2001. He also appeared in the 2006 FOX television program Skating with Celebrities. Most recently, Kurt received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Skating Union.

His energy and talent are welcomed by his fans, and embraced by his fellow skaters. An absolute craftsman on skates, Kurt’s natural humor and rapport with the audience will always be an obvious highlight of his performance.

For six seasons, Kurt has been a part of the popular CBC reality series Battle of the Blades. He has enjoyed his time on the show as a judge and a performer, as well as a co-host working with Ron MacLean.

He has provided color commentary for figure skating competitions on NBC and ABC, and is currently working for CBC. Kurt is looking forward to his 30th year with Stars on Ice.

In 2018, Kaetlyn Osmond became Canada’s first women’s singles world figure skating champion in 45 years. That was just a month after she won two medals at PyeongChang 2018, capturing bronze in women’s singles and helping Canada win gold in the team event.

Osmond helped make Canadian history at the 2017 World Championships where she won the silver medal to share the podium with bronze medallist teammate Gabrielle Daleman. It was the first time two Canadian women had stood together on the world championship podium.

Earlier in the season, after winning silver at both her Grand Prix events, Osmond had become the first Canadian woman to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix Final since Joannie Rochette in 2009. Those results had been long-awaited for Osmond, who had won gold at her first senior ISU Grand Prix event, Skate Canada International, in October 2012. But she then had several seasons derailed by injuries.

She withdrew from her Grand Prix events in the fall of 2013 due to a hamstring injury, but rebounded to win her second straight Canadian title in January 2014, qualifying her for Sochi 2014 where she helped Canada win silver in the inaugural Olympic team event. Osmond then missed the entire 2014-15 season with a broken right fibula that required two surgeries to first implant and then remove a plate and seven screws. She spent the 2015-16 season re-learning how to compete.

Osmond had burst onto the national scene at the 2012 Canadian Championships where she won the short program en route to a bronze medal, just a year after placing sixth in the junior ranks. In her world championship debut in 2013, she placed a surprising fourth in the short program before ending up eighth overall.

She claimed her third national title in 2017. Osmond returned to the top of a Grand Prix podium at Skate Canada International in October 2017. She went on to win bronze at the Grand Prix Final in December, the first Canadian woman to win a medal at that event since Rochette in the 2004-05 season. 

A little more about Kaetlyn

Getting into the Sport: Started skating at age two… Followed her older sister Natasha into figure skating and pushed herself to be as good… It was only during the Closing Ceremony at Sochi 2014 that she realized what the Olympic Games were all about, rather than just another competition… Leaving The Rock: During the late 1990s her family travelled to Montreal during the summers so that Natasha could train… When Natasha moved to Montreal fulltime, the family followed in 2005… It was while in Montreal that Kaetlyn’s potential as a skater was realized… The family then moved to Edmonton because her father Jeff, who had been an offshore oil worker in the Persian Gulf, was ready to return to Canada fulltime… Outside Interests: A big book lover who loves love stories… Also enjoys binge-watching TV shows on Netflix… Studying communications online through Athabasca University… Odds and Ends: After she won the 2013 Canadian title, Marystown, NL erected signs at the three entrances to the town recognizing it as her home… The town’s arena was re-named in her honour in April 2014… Favourite Olympic memory is watching Joannie Rochette win bronze at Vancouver 2010…  Favourite quote: “Never let the feat of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth…

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have carved their own path throughout their 14-year partnership, captivating audiences, and earning international recognition along the way. The Canadian Champions brought home the Silver medal in Ice Dance at the 2025 and 2024 World Championships, along with the Bronze at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, and were undefeated throughout the 2022 Grand Prix season, winning the Grand Prix Final.

Piper and Paul were awarded the 2023 Canadian Sports Awards – People’s Choice Award for the ‘Most Trending Moment of the Year’. The award recognizes a current or retired national team athlete who has inspired and motivated Canadians through their digital actions, athletic performance, or innovative use of a digital platform.

Piper and Paul push the limits of the sport with their innovative and creative style. As fan favourites since day one, they have skated their way to become a world-renowned Ice Dance team.

Piper and Paul’s genuine style shines through each time they step on the ice. It’s been a long and winding road, and it’s their pleasure to share it with each member of the audience.

The fan favourite pair will soon be gearing up for the 2026 Olympic Games.

With four Canadian championship titles before he even became a teenager, Nam Nguyen demonstrated not only extraordinary talent, but also the dedication and determination to rise to the top of his sport. In 2015, he added a Canadian senior title and a top five finish at the World Figure Skating Championships to his resume, making it clear he has what it takes to be a force in the skating world.

Not content being known as the youngest skater to win Canadian junior and senior titles, Nguyen has focused on becoming the best. Landing two clean quadruple jumps in his free skate, Nguyen reclaimed the Canadian title in 2019.

“I always strive to improve more,” said Nguyen. “I don’t focus too much on my achievements for a long period of time. I like to keep working hard.”

Nguyen first took to the ice at age 5 to play hockey. A year later, he started skating lessons to improve his hockey skills and fell in love with figure skating. He gave up hockey at age 8 after winning his first Canadian title, juvenile men.

When a coach shared with Nguyen and his parents his thoughts on Nguyen’s long-term potential in the sport, they were all a bit surprised. His parents were dubious, but Nguyen had an inner conviction that the coach was right.

“Something inside told me that I actually do have the potential and in order to make that happen I’ve got to train really hard for it,” he said.

For several years, Nguyen trained at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club alongside two-time Olympic men’s gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu and two-time World Champion Javier Fernández. Practice sessions had the intensity of an official competition practice, and Nguyen learned from his training mates.

“I watched and learned from the two best skaters in the world,” he said. “Taking whatever helped them and trying to apply it to my own skating.”

At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC, Nguyen was chosen to perform a solo in the figure skating exhibition. “I was very happy and felt so grateful to represent the youth in the province of British Columbia and also for all the young kids in Canada showing the world that we love to skate and like to entertain people,” Nguyen said.

Today, he is still driven by a love of performing.

“Whenever I’m at a competition and there’s a large number of people watching, I feed off of their energy when they support me,” Nguyen said. “I like to perform for the audience and for the judges too because it takes the pressure off. It allows me to have fun and do the best I can.”

In the Spring of 2022, Nam announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.  Currently, Nam is a power skating coach with minor and professional hockey clients.  Nam enjoys living in Toronto with his dog Hudson.  Nam is looking forward to performing in front of the Canadian audience. 

Born and raised in Bowling Green, Ohio, Alissa has been skating since she was eighteen months old and cannot remember a time when she didn’t love skating. Her passion for the sport culminated in two U.S. National Championship titles and a win at the Grand Prix Final Championship – one of only four American women to ever win the event. Alissa is also a two-time U.S. National Collegiate Champion. She attended Bowling Green State University full time and graduated summa cum laude while also competing and training at the top levels of the sport. Additionally, Alissa is a two-time U.S. Professional Open champion and hopes to participate in more professional figure skating competitions in the future.

After leaving the competitive world of skating due to two consecutive hip surgeries and undergoing a third hip surgery several years later, Alissa is thrilled to be back performing and skating again. She has been passionate about returning to the ice and is an avid encourager to those who suffer setbacks in their own figure skating careers. Her tenacity throughout her career earned her a spot on the Detroit/Chrysler Super Bowl commercial and subsequent “Perseverance” video.

Alissa spends much of her time sharing her knowledge of and passion for figure skating with the current and next generations of skaters. She coaches full time, specializing in spins, and participates in seminars around the world, passing along her expertise and experience in figure skating to others.

Most recently, Alissa and Kurt Browning were married in an August 2022 ceremony and will be touring together in the 2023 Stars on Ice tour.

I started skating at age 4 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. My first experience skating was at a friend’s birthday party where I saw a coach teaching a young girl. I started copying the movements and the next day I was already taking my first skating lesson. The rest is history.

At 12 years old, I was the youngest competitor on the Mexican National Skating Team. 

For 10 consecutive years, I represented my country at international competitions, several Four Continents Championships and I was selected to participate in the Figure Skating World Championships in Nagano, Japan, in 2002.

I have two junior and two senior National titles.

In 2005, I started my professional career in show business. I auditioned for Disney on Ice and became a principal performer in different productions with global companies performing all over the world. 

My husband, Elvis Stojko, and I team up to teach seminars all over Canada and Mexico. I do choreography, edge work and off-ice classes. Since 2010, I have been his choreographer for all his skating numbers.

I’ve always had a passion for performing, for being on stage, in an arena or in front of a camera, so in 2012 I decided to take a step forward in my modelling career. I’m fortunate to have already worked with fabulous production companies, shooting music videos, commercials, print and runway, locally and Internationally.

At the moment I am a full-time model, professional show skater and I work as a freelance manager producing skating shows.  When possible, I volunteer and help admin a few different animal shelters and private associations to help homeless animals in Canada and in Mexico, I also run The Kibble project, a pet food bank I started due to Covid.

Violetta Afanasieva is a breathtaking performer who has taken the art of figure skating to an entirely new, boundary-pushing level. Born into a circus family, her mother was a three-time Moscow junior pairs champion and her father was a graduate of the Russian School of Circus Art. Violetta is excited to bring her extreme skating and acrobatic abilities to this season’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES.

Violetta competed nationally before retiring from amateur skating at 10 years old to perform professionally alongside her parents in the Moscow Circus on Ice, where she debuted her legendary hulahoops act at the age of 13. This act took her on skating tours all over the world, including the Holiday on Ice productions of “Gypsy/Broadway” and “Xotika” where she met her Canadian husband and current partner, Pete Dack. Since 2000, Afanasieva and Dack have been thrilling audiences with their exotic skating routine that incorporates cirque, contortion and acrobatics.

In 2006 they achieved their ultimate goal when they won the first-ever “Extreme Ice Skating World Champions” title in St. Petersburg, Russia, earning a perfect score from six of the seven judges.