Hi Everyone!

I want to thank everyone for all of their support. It has been a BLAST!

I especially want to thank my partner, Tuffy, who retired 13 years ago…she came back and made me look good. She put up with me for 10 weeks which believe you me, can be difficult –ha ha ha! She also sacrificed a lot to do the show, being away from her twin boys and her husband, Don.

Also, I thanked many people last night after the show and I really meant my thanks! There are a number of people that don’t get enough recognition for the tireless work that they do, which make us all look good.

In addition, a sincere thank you to our fantastic choreographer, David Wilson, who I think is the best in the country – maybe even the world! His protégé, Una Kim looks unbelievable and with David’s choreography talents, she’ll be untouchable. I was very impressed with how brilliant he was. He made Tuffy and I…well I should say…made me look good, because Tuffy already was good!

As well, I really want to thank Kurt Browning for inspiring me to stay in hockey skates after the performance he gave in them! And, I appreciate his coaching me with my footwork and a lot of my facial expressions…he’s the best entertainer on skates there ever was.

I think both Kurt and Ron are doing an unbelievable job!

I’ve been asked to compare the girls and the guys, so here’s my analogy: It’s like taking a 25 handicapper (in golf), which means someone who is not a strong golfer, but who knows how to golf, and putting them in a competition against a scratch golfer (like Tiger Woods, Phil Nicholson, etc.) That exemplifies the difference between how skilled the girls are compared to us (the guys) as figure skaters. We can skate, and we definitely improved. So perhaps we went from a 25 handicapper down to a 12 or 15. Still not in the same league as the ladies, though!

Because of this amazing experience, I have a much greater appreciation for figure skaters now, than I ever had before. I also hope doing this show empowers kids out there who have second-guessed their decisions to be figure skaters and hockey players, due to peer pressure. For example, we had this 11-year-old boy’s parents send our producers a heartfelt letter. They said their son was being teased previously by his hockey teammates, because he was also a figure skater. Once the teammates heard I was on the show, learning to figure skate, it stopped all the teasing. Besides the Diabetes Hope Foundation benefiting from the show, hopefully we also made a difference for a few kids. To help the charity and kids, means that our time well spent and I’m glad I did the show!

I was so proud to skate for the Diabetes Hope Foundation (DHF). My son has diabetes, so this cause was personal for me. This organisation was formed to assist children and young adults living with diabetes in their endeavours to achieve their full potential in education, self-management and future independence. For a decade, DHF has supported youth and families throughout Ontario. Often they hear stories about families who have to decide between paying for food, and paying for life sustaining medications for their children. DHF’s dream is to be able to offer to assistance to the many hundreds of young students struggling both financially and emotionally with this insidious disease. This help could be Start Up Kits to newly diagnosed youth, or financial assistance to families who have difficulty purchasing the necessary diabetes supplies, or Hope Scholarships to students who will be pursuing post-secondary education in partnership with paediatric diabetes clinics. I am proud to raise awareness about this great charity and do my bit to help!

Now it is going to get very interesting, as only 3 pairs are left! Everyone asks who my favourite pair is-I don’t have a favourite. At this point, it’s anyone’s game! Whoever performs the best will win. I know it will be interesting- I’d certainly hate to be a judge!

Thank you for all of your kind words and votes!!!