Page 37 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 98

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #98 March 2021 37

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A Walk Down Memory Lane: Cavalcade on Ice

By Molly Kett competitive in the world of figure
skating.
ise Lalonde and Kim Digiosia, “From a personal perspective
Ltwo local athletes, were recently
from me going to watch my family
chatting about their skating history members in that original Cavalcade
and realized they had a shared
on Ice that I went to as a spectator,
memory from the past: performing basically bloomed into a career for
in Cavalcade on Ice. This was the myself,” says Digiosia. “I ended up
annual show for the Cornwall Figure
skating myself as a test skater and
Skating Club, drawing a large crowd then I ended up coaching for many
year after year.
years and I brought kids to Provincial.
After an afternoon skate spent That one show is what inspired me,
reminiscing about their athletic and it was like a dream come true for
history and realizing they were in
me just to participate in the show, and
the same skating club, Lalonde went then I ended up building a skating
home to dig up some old newspaper
career out of it.”
clippings and performance programs Photos Submitted
from her younger years. What she From building friendships to
hadn’t realized was that Kim Digiosia friends, way back when. career-defining moments, it’s
From those early moments on ice, amazing what one memory can hold
was featured on the cover of the very
same program she had tucked away Digiosia went on to become quite for everyone involved.
in her memory box.
Lalonde was only seven when she
performed in Cavalcade on Ice.
“I was really excited. In the
program it shows my name, and I
was a lion. I remember I was really
excited to wear a lion suit,” says
Lalonde. “I remember going on ice
and going in circles.”
Digiosia was about eight or nine
when she first started skating with
the Cornwall Figure Skating Club.
Her first experience with Cavalcade
on Ice, though, was as a spectator.
“I had some family members that
were members of the club and my “pretty cool”.
mom had asked if I wanted to go and “You got all dressed up in your
watch my cousins skate in this ice costume. You practiced for weeks
show,” says Digiosia. “I remember on end. And of course, the whole
walking into the Water Street Arena. Water Street Arena was all lit up
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the lights and great music. I watched and all kinds of artwork around the
all these numbers and I said to my boards,” says Digiosia. “The crowds
mom, ‘I think I might want to join were like kind of incredible…I don’t
the skating club.’ And that’s how I know how we attracted that many
started off. The following year, my people in this little town. The average
mom registered me with the club, and show would host probably about 300
I became really interested in skating. skaters.”
I fell in love with it.” The pair didn’t know each other
It was the next year that Digiosia back then, but they skated in the 711 Pitt Street, CORNWALL
first participated in Cavalcade on Ice. same show. Digiosia commented on
She remembers the experience of how neat it was to think that she had 613-932-2584
participating rather than watching as crossed paths with one of her now