Keegan Murphy
Director of Programs, Full Time Competitive Team
Director of Programs
International ISU Coach
Canada Games Coach
BC Winter Games Coach
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP Level 3 Certified
Coach/Choreographer
ISU Junior World Championships
ISU Four Continents
14 Years Coaching Experience
Keegan Murphy began his skating career in Squamish, British Columbia under the tutelage of his mother, Eileen Murphy. Keegan established himself as a Canadian national medalist and international competitor for Canada through the Novice and Junior ranks, Keegan represented Canada internationally on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit for 5 years and won the silver medal at the 2002 Canadian Championships in Junior Men.
In his 15 years of coaching, Keegan has produced a stable of provincial and national champions. While developing his athletes from the grassroots, Keegan has guided his skaters to the ISU international level since 2011. His athletes have competed at ISU Championships representing a variety of countries including Canada, USA, Thailand, Australia, Estonia, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
Keegan's athletes have competed at on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit, ISU Junior World Championships, ISU Senior International Challengers and ISU Four Continents Championships.
With previous experience at the national level as a Technical Specialist, Keegan combines his technical coaching with this unique perspective.
Over the past decade, Keegan has been invited to be part of various regional, Sectional and National Committee and Working Groups. Giving back to the sport for Canadian development is a major motivation for his current and future work. Keegan has also been Team Coach for the BC Winter Games and the Canada Winter Games.
As the Director of Skating Programs for the Connaught Skating Club in Richmond, BC since 2009, Keegan has focused his leadership towards building a strong skating developmental system. Concurrently, he has helped form an 800+ member Skate Canada organization spanning from the CanSkate & Junior Academy programs to National and International skating development.
Fostering team coaching environments, seminar organization, ice show direction, local coach mentorship and community relationship building have been key components to the continued success of figure skating development Richmond under Keegan's guidance.
Life skills are at the crux of Keegan’s coaching philosophy. The experience, confidence and composure that his athletes gain from their on ice training and performance opportunities will lift them onto even greater things after their competitive careers.
Eileen Murphy
Email: eileenmurphy20@hotmail.com
Competitive Team
NCCP Level 3 Certified, Partial Level 4
Coach, National, International & Junior World Championships
35 Years Coaching Experience
As a professional coach, Eileen experience training athletes from the grassroots level through to national and international competition. Throughout her coaching career, she has held the position of Head Coach/Skating Director of the Squamish Skating Club. During these years, Eileen also travelled into Vancouver as a competitive coach at the BC Centre of Excellence to train her high level athletes who competed nationally and internationally on the Grand Prix Circuit. For many years, she has developed skaters who have achieved Skate Canada Gold Tests in Figures, Free skate, Skills, and Dance as well as skaters competing all levels of Competitive Tests up to and including Senior in Singles, Pairs, and Dance. Eileen's opportunities for professional development throughout Canada, U.S. and Europe have allowed her to share valuable knowledge with her athletes and colleagues. This experience has given her a great appreciation and open mind as to the many different ways to present and deliver skills to students in the sport of figure skating.
Leah Warwick
Full Time Competitive Team, Athlete program Assistant
NCCP Level 3 Certified
International ISU Coach
Full Time Competitive Team
Provincial Medalists, BC Team & National Athletes
BC Winter Games Coach
10 Years Coaching Experience
Leah has been a member of the Connaught Skating Club for the past 18 years. During her years as a professional coach, Leah has coached all levels of singles skating from STAR to Senior at competitions from Regional through to National level. Leah is a Skate Canada Gold medalist in Freeskate, Dance, Skills and Interpretive. She also holds a Diploma in Recreation Management with a focus in Leadership and Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sociology with a focus in Community Development from the University of British Columbia. Leah sits on the BC Coast Region Skater Development Committee as the Regional Development Coordinator. Leah is trained in the use of the Dartfish Software as well other technique analysis software. It is with both her educational and competitive athletic experiences, that Leah strives to provide the strongest atmosphere possible for Connaught skaters to develop the discipline, passion and love necessary to succeed in sport, as well as in life.
Jacob Cryderman
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP Level 3 Trained
International ISU Coach
BC Winter Games Coach
Full Time Competitive Team
Coached Provincial Medalists, BC Team Athletes
10 Years of Coaching Experience
Jacob Cryderman began his skating career in Huntsville, Ontario at the young age of 2. He relocated to Barrie, Ontario at the age of 16 to pursue his skating career and represent Ontario at the National Championships in Juvenile, Pre-Novice and Junior men.
Jacob started coaching at the age of 19 while continuing to train. In 2012, he retired from his skating career and began developing his coaching profession at Doug Leigh’s Mariposa School of Skating, Barrie Skating Club and Oakville Skating Club under the direction and tutelage of Michelle Leigh. Jacob is a Provincial Competitive Coach with plans to begin his National Coaching Level. He has taught skaters from around the globe and of all ages from CanSkate to Senior competitive level. He is a Sectional Level Skate Canada Technical Specialist. This role has further allowed him to thoroughly understand the development of elements within the sport and bring that knowledge to his daily practice.
Coaching is Jacob’s passion. As a competitor and now as a coach, Jacob continues to bring his enthusiasm and passion to the rink each day. Jacob’s coaching philosophy is to create a well-balanced skater. He strives to support and push his students to be their very best selves both on and off the ice. He supports skaters to realize the importance of their physical, mental and emotional well being.
Matthew McEwan
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP Level 2 Certified
Full Time Competitive Team
Coached Provincial Medalists, BC Team Athletes
Former International ISU competitor
5 Years of Coaching Experience
Matthew began skating at the age of 5 in his hometown of Surrey, BC. He quickly rose through the rankings and earned a National title at the age of 11. He went on to medal at the Canadian Championships two more times, represent Canada on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit for four years and was a member of the Junior National Team.
After retiring from competitive skating he moved into the professional skating world for 10 years. He performed under the director of renowned stage choreographer Kenny Ortega in “High School Musical: The Ice Tour!” and worked with Emmy Award winning choreographer Sarah Kawahara as the principle male at Ocean Park Hong Kong in “Kaleidoscope: The Ice Spectacular”.
Matthew is looking forward to using his strong technical ability and his background in performance to enrich the skaters of Connaught SC. He aims to help any skater achieve their goals and instil confidence on and off the ice through accomplishing them.
Louise Kapeikis
Part Time Coach
NCCP Level 1 Certified
Skate Canada & US Figure Skating Coach
PSA Level 4 Ranking
Coach to USFS Regional, Sectional & National Medalists
ISU International Coach
Connaught SC CanSkate Coordinator
30 Years Coaching Experience
Shawn Cuevas
Email: shawn_cuevas@hotmail.com
Foundational/Competitive Team
8 time provincial medalist
5 time national competitor
Senior Mens Competitor
2 years coaching experience
It all started when I was a young boy, I competed in taekwondo, dance (mostly hip-hop), and, the obvious one, figure skating. With all the competition and art that was going on in other areas of my life, skating was slowly developing into the sport that could combine my competitive drive and my love for creating art through movement. During my journey into this new world I have won 2 provincial titles, competed nationally, made a ton of new friends, and learned many new skills.
Entering coaching, it’s only been a year and a half but it has been a great time learning how skating works from the other side of the boards. Over the year and a half I’ve coached CanSkate, private lessons, and CanPower. I’ve also started focusing on choreography and hope to do more in the future.
As a coach I want to bring a fun and a light hearted energy while working with my skaters. During lessons I’d like to be able to bring out that positivity energy whenever my skater is feeling down or having a rough training day. A personal goal as a choreographer would be to create such a magnificent piece of art and watch it turn into a gold medal at the Olympics.
Kurtis Schrieber
NCCP Level 1 Certified
Canpower Certified
4 Times National Competitor (Singles)
2 Time National Competitor (Pairs)
2015 Canada Winter games Novice Pairs Bronze Medalist
2017/2018 Japan Junior Nationals Pair Medalist
Prior to Kurtis’ figure skating career, he began learning to skate at the age of 4 to pursue hockey along with many of his peers growing up. At the age of 6 he was suggested to take up some Figure Skating classes at Connaught Skating Club to help with his skating skills for hockey. Kurtis enjoyed Figure Skating so much that soon after starting these classes he decided he wanted to transition fully into Figure skating.
Kurtis trained with Connaught Skating Club for over 10 years learning great foundations as an athlete and future coach with the help of Connaught’s amazing coaching staff. Under the guidance of Keegan Murphy and Leah Warwick, Kurtis competed at 2 National events before being recommended to try out Pair Skating in Calgary A.B.
In the 4 years of training in Calgary with his Pair coaches Annabelle Langlois and Cody Hay, Kurtis became a 2-time National competitor in both Singles and Pairs including a National Novice Pairs Silver medal and Canada Winter Games Novice Pairs Bronze medal. With the knowledge gained from his coaches from both Pairs and Singles, Kurtis applies a wide variety of learning techniques to adapt to each individual skater.
Angela Duffy, ChCP (Chartered Professional Coach)
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP Level 3 Certified
Coach/Choreographer
Numerous Alberta Sectional Medalists and Champions, Alberta Winter Games, and Canada Games Competitors
Alberta Junior Development Team and Select Team Members
Several National Competitors in Singles from Pre-Novice to Senior Competitive Athletes
Award-Winning Choreography and Packaging of Athletes
Developed Advanced Yoga Training for Figure Skating; website: www.yogawithangela.ca
Ensuring a technique that is biomechanically sound with enhanced body alignment. Angela approaches her coaching with a unified methodology. Her aspiration for each student is to obtain a sense of self-awareness, responsibility, and confidence. Her approach results from her balance in her personal and professional lives. Angela's experiences include 27 years as a figure skating professional coaching at a Senior National level, instructing NHL hockey players, travelling five continents, and extensive studies at the post-secondary level. Her coaching knowledge creates a solid technical foundation, while her travels and education provide a balanced approach to help athletes reach their ultimate potential.
Angela's eternal passion for personal growth and self-actualization are reflected in her coaching. Although Angela's coaching has many great qualities, her expert knowledge of the rules and elements allows her athletes the best opportunity to maximize their points as she seamlessly meshes the technical, artistic and program training of each skater.
iness Management, Human Kinetics, Langara College
Doug Schmierer B.Ed. LL.B.
Full Time Competitive Team
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Education
NCCP Level 3 (National) Certified
Coach of 19 Sectional Champions
Coach of 6 different National Senior Women Competitors
While receiving a Bachelor of Education and a Law Degree from the University of Alberta, Doug’s first, and current, love is coaching figure skating. He envisioned himself coaching during his competing years as a national-level skater. Doug trained at the Glencoe Club in Calgary under the guidance of, at the time, one of the top coaches in Canada, Greg Folk. It was there where he learned that coaching, and figure skating, is much more than a technical academic endeavour. Doug prides himself on developing the whole person while training athletes. He believes that personal growth and success at the arena transfer to all aspects of the athlete’s life, such as academics, personal relationships, and professional life.
After graduating from University, Doug accepted a coaching contract in Copenhagen, where he coached national and international level skaters. Doug decided to travel the world for a year at the end of the contract.
While coaching in Edmonton for 20 years, Doug has had many accomplishments. This includes helping transform two clubs in the Edmonton region from recreational clubs into national-level clubs. He is also very proud of creating and developing an adaptive skating program in Edmonton for children with autism and other physical and developmental challenges. Additionally, Doug has been coaching with the Edmonton Oilers, with their school program.
When not coaching, you may find Doug listening to his extensive vinyl record collection, reading a book, fly fishing in the mountains or cheering on ~dare he say~ the Edmonton Oilers.
Doug’s coaching philosophy includes fundamentals, accountability, respect, self-discipline and striving toward personal excellence. Doug’s expectations of the athlete are to be on time, be prepared, enjoy the process, and be accountable to yourself. Moreover, Doug asks skaters to have the same reciprocal expectations of him.
Lolita Filushkin
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP Level 3 In-Training
Coach of Provincial Competitors
BC Winter Games Coach
Junior BC / YT Sectional Silver Medalist
Western Challenge Medalist, National Competitor
15 Years Coaching Experience
Extensive knowledge of fitness training, Pilates, and ballet
Lolita started her skating career in Russia at the age of 3. She developed her skating foundation at an elite Russian school that has produced several Olympic Gold Medalists. Prior to moving to Canada, Lolita was the Israeli Junior National Champion and represented Israel at international competitions.
In addition to Lolita's unique and diverse skating background, she has been coached by and worked alongside top producing coaches. She has taught skaters in all levels, from Canskate to national competitors. Lolita's education and experience has allowed her to contribute to the success of numerous skaters over the years.
Lolita strives to develop each athlete as a whole person, and inspire them to achieve their personal best. She believes that an athlete should be empowered by the sport for whatever their future may hold for them.
Megumu Seki
Full Time Competitive Team
NCCP level3 certified
International ISU coach
ISU Junior Grand Prix Final
ISU Junior World Championships
ISU Four Continents Coach
ISU Grand Prix Medallist Coach
Former Japanese HP Team
Megumu Seki started figure skating in Sapporo Japan at age of 12 and age of 18 move to Sendai to have more intense training. Over his competitive career, he competed at Japanese senior national Championships 6 times.
Megumu learned coaching skills from many great coaches in Japan and achieved many international competition medals as coach with Japanese skaters and now locate in Canada to coaching figure skating.
Megumu is also trained to do off ice training choreography, equipment maintenance includes skate sharpening.
Over 20 years of coaching experience with Former Japanese national high performance team coach.
Jan Norman
Full Time Competitive Team
Certified National Coach
NCCP Level 3 and partial level 4
NCCP Level 2 Dance Pairs
Mentor Coach
BA Economics
Certified Yoga Instructor E-RYT-500
40 years coaching experience
During her 40 years of coaching Jan has been a head coach developing and administering programs and skaters from the grass roots to the competitive levels. Jan is a Skate Canada Gold medalist in Freeskate Dance and Skills.
Jan has taught at recreational clubs and the Centre of Excellence in BC. She loves the beauty of skating and the biomechanics of jumping. She knows Figure skating from the perspective of a parent having had 2 competitive children and from a coaches’ point of view having had competitors at all levels up to the National level. Jan also taught Powerskating for hockey up to the Junior A and WHL level.
As a Yoga Instructor, Jan acknowledges and promotes Balance in all aspects of life and cares about the skater as a whole person.
Jan is thrilled to be a part of the team at Connaught SC. The level of coaching and the system of advancement is exemplary.
Janet Lau
NCCP Level 1 Regional Certified
NCCP Level 2 Provincial In-Training
6 years of coaching experience
4 years of dance experience
Janet previously known as Janet Truong began skating at the age of 2 1/2 while watching her brother skate first. Learning to skate before walking was apparently true. From there, Janet grew a stronger interest towards skating and began her journey.
Janet trained at Burnaby 8 Rinks and became a national competitor at the age of 10. She placed 4th at her first Junior Nationals in Pre-Novice Ladies. Following her 3 years of national experience she won first place at the BC/YT Sectional Championships in Junior Women. She also performed in two numbers during the opening of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Figure Skating Gala and received a short spotlight.
After her skating career she began branching her interest towards dance and grew enough passion and experience to teach Hip-Hop while continuing to stay closely knitted to coaching Figure Skating. With her national competitive experience and dance background Janet is able to share her knowledge and wisdom into coaching in helping skaters build up to their potential.