​Kincardine skater competing at Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy

Brooke Thomas is excited to take her love of figure skating to the next level at her first Special Olympics World Winter Games, March 8-15, in Turin, Italy.

The 23-year-old Kincardine athlete has been skating since she was four years old, and been competing since she was eight.

For the past two years, she has been training with coach Brenda Hill-McIntosh of the Ripley-Huron Skating Club. Before that, her coach was Nicole Richardson.
 

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Brooke Thomas skates with the Ripley-Huron Skating Club; photo by Leigh-Anne Thomas

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This is the second time she has qualified for the worlds. The first time, she was set to go to Russia in 2022, but that was cancelled when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Last February, she won gold in Level 1 freeskate at the national winter games in Calgary, qualifying her to compete in this year’s worlds. She placed fifth in dance but that category is not included at the worlds.

“I’ve never been to Italy before,” says Brooke. “Turin is in the top left-hand side of the country. Right now, it’s 11 degrees Celsius there.”

Tuesday, March 3, she will leave Kincardine for Toronto and join Team Canada which is flying out Wednesday, March 5, for Munich, Germany, and on to Turin. She will stay with the other Team Canada skaters in the Athletes’ Village. There are four others from Ontario, but she is the only one from this area.

Brooke has been training twice a week in Ripley, and attended her first training camp in Calgary back in December, and the second one in Quebec at the end of January.

At the worlds, she will compete in freeskate, March 12-14; she has a couple of free days during her time there, and then she heads home March 17.

“I hope to see my mom and dad there and maybe we can tour around a bit,” she says.

Her parents, Leigh-Anne and Ian Thomas of Kincardine, are flying to Italy, Thursday, March 6.

“We’re so proud of her,” says Leigh-Anne.

When she’s not training and competing, you’ll find Brooke working at McDonald’s Restaurant in Kincardine.



Brooke Thomas of Kincardine sports her Special Olympics Team Canada shirt as she prepares to head for the World Winter Games in Turin, Italy