What began as an idea by the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) to have the 2021 kilt skate take place as a safe, socially-distanced “Home Edition” series of mini-events has morphed into a pan-Canadian party that will take place this Saturday across six time zones. February 27 will see an as-yet undetermined number of skaters across Canada join together in the first-ever Great Canadian Kilt Skate Zoom & Facebook Party.
Read MoreIf the Home Edition competition for the Kilt Skate Capital of Canada were a horse race, the pack is rounding the bend and heading into the homestretch. One horse that has run off the pace is now making a determined bid on the outside and may overtake the leader. With one week left in the Great Canadian Kilt Skate, can Toronto’s plans to host a Zoom and Facebook kiltskate party win the roses? The early signs are that it can!
Read MoreThe pandemic has made us innovate. When public health protocols made community events problematic, we adapted. Everyone was encouraged to kilt skate in a safe, outdoor, socially distanced manner in what we dubbed the Great Canadian Kilt Skate — Home Edition. Now in the GreateriToronto Area (GTA), they’re taking innovation to the next step: the Great Canadian Kilt Skate Zoom & Facebook Party. Join it from 11 a.m. until noon on Saturday February 27.
Read MoreIt’s on! A Kilt Skating community event has been scheduled in the heart of Manhattan for Thursday, February 25 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. This is the third annual Tartan Kilt Skate NYC, hosted by the American Scottish Foundation in partnership with with Bryant Park.
Read MoreThis year, we’ve invited everyone to send us photos and videos from their own socially-distanced kilt skate. It’s part of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate — Home Edition. Over the past weeks we’ve received terrific photos and videos. We’ve highlighted them over the weekly blogs.
Read MoreA polar vortex may have descended on much of Canada bringing subarctic temperatures, but the days are getting longer and brighter. And no matter what the thermometer says, Canadians are getting out onto the ice in our kilts and tartans. For the MacPherson family in Ottawa, kilts add a new twist to the national game.
Read MoreA cold front hit much of Canada this past week and it may have discouraged some kilt skaters. But the Scots have a word for obstinate determination to do something that seems totally irrational to everyone else. That word is THRAWN. And “thrawn” may be the word that best describes those determined to celebrate Scottish culture with bare knees and ice. And pink skates no less!
Read MoreOn Robbie Burns Day day itself, Cathy was interviewed by CTV Television under the title “How You can help Winnipeg become Canada’s Kilt Skate Capital.” Cathy again emphasizes that you don’t have to be Scottish to participate in the kilt skate. “You only have to have Scottish spirit, which all of us have inside us.” She was also asked whether it’s ok to wear longjohns under the kilt. Some may dispute her answer, but let me point out that Cathy has been skating daily throughout a very cold Winnipeg winter. And that “Scottish spirit”” she talks about includes a healthy dose of pragmatism.
Read MoreThe third week of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate finds more Canadians celebrating Scottish heritage on the nearby outdoor ice where they can safely skate socially distanced. For the third week in a row (and her 18th skate so far this winter), the ever-enthusiastic Cathy Laver-Wright was flying the flags proudly on Winnipeg’s Centennial River Trail.
Read MoreThese past weeks of continued pandemic, some provincial governments have tightened their public health protocols, urging people to stay indoors and stay isolated. In Ontario, the list of reasons to leave home includes exercise, and local governments add their own restrictions on how and where to do it. If you’re going to skate, they caution, do it locally. Well, you can’t get more local than the stream that runs through your property in South Glengarry — now frozen so that, as Joni Mitchell longed for, you have a river you can skate away on.
Read MoreIn the Covid winter, we’re doing things differently. The “Home Edition” of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate has been launched on rinks across Canada. Rather than gathering for community events, kilt skaters are encouraged to find their own safe and socially-distanced kilt skate space — and send us pictures. And they have!
Read MoreCOVID won’t stop Canadians from celebrating Scottish heritage by skating in kilts and tartans this winter. The Seventh Annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate will go ahead with a new twist – a “Home Edition.”
Read MoreEach year since 2003, Scottish organizations across North America have gathered together in what is now known as the Scottish North American Community Conference (SNACC). Each year, the conference rotates through cities across the continent. This year, it was scheduled for New York City, but since public health protocols prevented a physical gathering, the 18th annual conference, December 4-6, 2020, was held on Zoom. All seemed to agree that this was the best Conference ever, largely because so many more could participate online.
Read MoreOur guide for the whisky tasting was Mike Brisebois, the Brand Ambassador for Distell Group, the South African company that has a long history in wines and brandies and is now earning a global reputation for Scotch whiskies. Mike led us through the expressions from three of the company’s distilleries in: Bunnahabhain on the remote northern tip of Islay; Deanston in southwest Perthshire; and Tobermory on the Hebridean island of Mull.
Read More“Kilt skating began in 2015,” says Don Cummer, Director National Kilt Skate for the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO), which organizes the pan-Canadian event each winter. Some kilt skates bring together scores – even hundreds – of participants. “This year,” says Cummer, “we’re encouraging kilt skaters to stay safe. Skate on your own. Get out with your family. Follow the rules. Have a good time this winter. Oh, and send pictures to #kiltskate.”
Read MoreThe Scottish Government will once again partner with the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) to support kilt skating in Canada as a unique and colourful way to celebrate Scottish culture with bare knees and ice. An agreement has been reached between the government and the SSO that will see eight Canadian cities host kilt skates this year.
Read MoreThe 2020 kilt skate season seems long ago and a world away. In this year of pandemic, it’s good to remember how, last winter, we were able to gather together in numbers and celebrate Scottish heritage with food, dance, and lacing up the skates. All in all, it was an outstanding season for bare knees and ice.
Read MoreAt its 8th Annual General Meeting on June 13, the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) took steps to strengthen the coordination of the kilt skate phenomenon as it grows across Canada and internationally. As part of a new governance structure to renew and revitalize the SSO and to empower all of its directors, a Director of the National Great Canadian Kilt Skate will hold a position on the SSO’s board.
Read MoreThe last kilt skate of the 2020 season was held in Williamstown, in the Township of South Glengarry. The kilt skate combined with other indoor and outdoor events to create something new: a winter carnival with a Scottish heritage theme.
Read MoreAt just 31 days of skating, the 2020 season of the Rideau Canal Skateway has been among the shortest, but it’s been wonderful nonetheless. After returning from Dublin in early February, I managed to get out on the Skateway a total of 11 times. Now that I can look back on some wonderful times.
Read More
across canada, communities host kilt skates to celebrate scotland’s contribution to our multicultural fabric.
