Jackson has
a home at Minto club
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By ROB BRODIE -- Ottawa Sun |
Wednesday, 24 June, 1998 |
His name is now attached to the rink he's called
home for the past dozen years. But you'll never catch Don Jackson talking
about going for a skate at "my house." It's just not his way. Here's
a guy who, thanks to one magical night in Prague 36 years ago, assured
himself a permanent place among figure skating's all-time greats. Nobody
had ever landed a triple Lutz in competition until that evening in 1962,
when Jackson became Canada's first world champion in men's skating.
It's mainly for those accomplishments that Jackson earned enshrinement
in both the Canadian sports and Canadian figure skating Halls of Fame.
He is a legend in every sense of the word. Yet that's only part of
the reason Jackson is now a member of the Order of Canada. And why his
beloved Minto Skating Club recently decided to name its home ice surface
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To Jackson, the club he's served for 12 years as its executive director of skating -- and the sport he loves -- matter most. "That was a shock -- it sure was nice of them to do that," said Jackson, who was genuinely overwhelmed by the rink-naming gesture. "I always thought Minto Skating Centre was a good name for (the entire facility)." There is no task too small for Jackson to handle at the Minto. And being able to pass on his love for the sport that has given him so much ... well, it really just doesn't get any better. "I love what I'm doing here ... I think I'm promoting the sport," Jackson told the Sun in an interview early last season. 'If I see someone having a problem on the ice, I'll go help them or try to make them feel at ease -- that's just the way my personality works.' 'If that's what they call being an ambassador (for figure skating) ... well, that's what I do.' |
Bose Speaker System
Wireless Microphone system
Rink-side CD and Cassette Player
Music Room with CD, Cassette Player and Microphone
Jump Harness and Cable in Don Jackson Arena
Video Camera on site for use by coaches to tape students
Ballet / Pilates Studio on-site with mirrors and ballet bars