Sooke’s figure-skating sibling duo Pilar and Leonardo Maekawa can’t seem to stay away from the spotlight. They have recently been nominated for the Inspirational Latin Awards 2014 for B.C. in the sports and athletic achievements category. The awards will be announced on July 2. According to the carnavaldelsol.com website, “Latincouver is hosting for the third time a regional award to recognize distinguished members in the Latin American communities for their outstanding achievements and contributions to shaping BC economy and cultural developments.”
Leonardo and Pilar have had a very busy year. Earlier this year, they completed their recent competitive season with the trip to the Four Continents Championships in Taipei in January. In March they took part in the successful Aladdin on Ice show where they performed the principal roles.
They also got a jump start into the new 2014-2015 season with an early trip to Detroit, where they worked with Marina Zoueva (Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s coach) on their choreography. They stayed there for an entire month, and in June they came back to the Victoria Racquet Club where they trained with coach Matt Willis for the month of June.
Their upcoming agenda is just as busy.
In mid-July, they will head back to Detroit where they will train until October. From there, they will compete in USA, Finland and Canada.
In order to fund their travel to Detroit, Pilar and Leonardo are hosting their annual Mexican dinner buffet on July 5 to raise money. This year, it will be held at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall at 4040 Nelthorpe Street (near MacKenzie, behind St. Andrews School). The annual buffet is their biggest fundraising effort of the year, and tickets can be purchased through Shoppers Drug Mart and Kelz Bakery in Sooke.
In November, Pilar and Leo will also compete in Mexico. They also qualify again for the Four continents Championships on January 2015 in Korea. Their main goal for this season is to qualify to the Senior Worlds in March 2015.
With notes from Conchita Maekawa
