Skatebuzz designed to keep fans and newbies plugged in
When Skate Canada CEO William Thompson had the idea of an interactive, and at times, live website devoted to coverage of figure skating, he wondered if the older skating fans would get on board.
He soon had the answer when his 70-something mother was in the stands at the HomeSense Skate Canada International event in Kitchener last fall. She was plugged in and listening to the www.skatebuzz.com in-house commentary called Skatebug.
“She loved it; she really enjoyed it” said Thompson, a skating judge, who had an assignment at the last Winter Olympics in Turin, and a former competitor.
“It’s not just appealing to a younger demographic.”
Skatebuzz had a soft launch in October and has been adding material ever since.
This week at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships at both the Western Fair Sports Centre and the John Labatt Centre, daily coverage is offered on the website, with host Debbi Wilkes leading the way.