Nielsen began her skating career as a mother of two young daughters in Whitehorse. The family moved to the Okanagan and became active with the Glengarry Figure Skating Club. Before long, Nielsen had held every position on the club’s board, Okanagan Region board and then the BC/Yukon Section board. Nielsen took on the role of team leader for the Skate Canada BC/Yukon Section and this is where her passion really shone through. She started fundraising so there would be money for team functions.
The team room at competitions was an integral part of the team dynamic. A safe place for the skaters to go and unwind and relax when they weren’t competing. Selling stuffed animals was Nielsen’s trademark and one stuffy at a time raised funds for the BC/Yukon Section athlete support fund. Her passion for the skaters never wavered in her fundraising goals and she helped raise more than $800,000 for the BC/Yukon Section athlete support fund. “We are thrilled to induct the 2022 inductees into the Skate Canada British Columbia/Yukon Hall of Fame,” said Ted Barton, Skate Canada BC/Yukon executive director. “This is our seventh year of inductions this year recognizing five remarkable people who spent much of their life contributing to building a strong, healthy and successful figure skating community in B.C.. With this induction they are never to be forgotten for their contributions in building the landscape of figure skating in B.C.”
