Hard work pays off for Nevin

A former Gander Silver Jets Figure Skating Club president has been honoured by Skate Canada for her many years of dedication to her sport.

Karen Nevin was given the 2009 Skate Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Volunteer Award of Excellence at Skate Canada's annual convention and general meeting this past weekend in Toronto.

Nevin, who is currently chair of the competitions committee for Skate Canada Newfoundland and Labrador, said she was "flabbergasted" when she discovered she had won the award.

"I'm very flattered to win this award...it's a huge award and not everybody wins it," she said from her Gander home last week. "I was really shocked because there are a lot of hardworking volunteers that I've met over the years, so I was flabbergasted."

Nevin has been involved with figure skating for roughly 12 years, and started working on the local scene when her daughter, Stephanie, joined. It didn't take long for Nevin to climb the local ranks.

"I started doing publicity with the Silver Jets, and the next year, the club wasn't going to run unless it had a president, so I skipped all of the other positions and went right to president," said Nevin with a laugh. "I did that for about five years...and eventually it lapped over to the regional board. I had to go to all of the regional meetings so I could bring information back to the local executive and the parents. I went to one meeting and they all burst out laughing when I walked in. I said, 'What's so funny?' and they said, 'We said the next person that walks through the door is going to be the new secretary.' The next thing you know, I'm the secretary of the central region."

Nevin later helped bring more competitions to the area so local athletes didn't have to travel to places like St. John's to compete. She also chaired committees that brought bigger events to Gander. She also spent a lot of time working on regional figure skating schools and clinics and organizing test days. Eventually, all of her hard work was noticed by the provincial figure skating board.

"Those on the provincial board are always looking for new people to take over for those leaving," she said. "I guess they noticed me and asked if I would take over as chair of the competitions committee."

Nevin had to be nominated for the award, and although she knows who nominated her, she wouldn't reveal their identity. The nomination went through a selection committee, and then Nevin was chosen the winner based on the award's criteria - the winner needs to be involved in figure skating for at least 10 years, and made significant contributions to figure skating in the province.

Nevin had no idea when she first started working with the Silver Jets that she'd be recognized for her work by the national figure skating board.

"You start at the local level because when somebody needs help, you think about your kid being in this activity, so you have to do some work," she said. "The next thing you know someone needs to run the club, so, ok, I'll run the club; we need some competitions, ok, I'll run some competitions; and the next thing you know you're doing more and more."

Nevin was selected as the winner out of 12 other nominees. She's excited about attending the awards gala, as well as the ACGM itself.

Once she returns home, it'll be business as usual. Nevin said she continues to work in figure skating because of what she saw nearly 10 years ago while she was still with the Silver Jets.

"About eight or 10 years, we were hosting a fun competition here in Gander. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off at 7 a.m. and I happened to go by the registration desk. In through the door comes three or four girls, and one girl in particular, who just started skating in September and this was December, was going to her first competition," said Nevin. "She looked like she was going to explode, she was so excited. She had a huge grin on her face, she was able to walk through the doors with her club suit and her skate bag, and you could tell she couldn't believe she was going to get to go on the ice. That was it...I was hooked."

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