'Pretty amazing' P.E.I. figure skater has been a role model for others

Figure skater Daisy Li will be among those representing P.E.I. at the upcoming Canada Games in her home province, making history for the Island's Chinese community.

"When she was little, we let her to try a lot of different kind of activities such as skiing, swimming, gymnastic, dance, ballet," said her mom, Yun Zhang.

"She made the decision herself, once she tried all the sports. She decided to keep on skating…. She chose this sport."

In 2016, figure skating in Charlottetown experienced a boom in enrolment, thanks to families who had recently moved to the Island from China. Numbers at the Charlottetown Skating Club doubled over the year before, and about 65 per cent of members were new immigrants from China, including Daisy.

Her family had moved to P.E.I. in the fall of 2014, and Daisy joined the CanSkate program soon after.

She has spent the last four years training off Island during the summer, for three years in Halifax and this past summer in Toronto.

Zhang said she and her husband are proud to have 12-year-old Daisy on Team P.E.I.

"We love P.E.I.," Zhang said. "My daughter's dream was to represent P.E.I. so we are happy her dream become reality.

"She loves every competitions. She enjoys that moment, she can go on the ice and all the people focus on her. So I think it's the passion."

Brenley Bissett will also represent P.E.I. in figure skating during Week 2 of the Games, competing at the new arena in North Rustico.

'It's amazing'

Daisy Li told CBC she has been working hard to get better at her chosen sport.

"I think it's just amazing that I've made it so far in this sport. And I just love this sport, and I'm really excited to be representing P.E.I.," she said.

"I've been working on improving in this sport for a really long time, and I remember about a year back, I decided I wanted to try making Canada Games team…

"I try to work hard whenever I can so that I can improve in all the ways that I can, while I'm on the ice and while I'm off the ice too."

Daisy said she hopes she can act as a role model for other young skaters whose families have come here from China.

"Sometimes I see the CanSkaters — they watch our sessions — and I just want to inspire them so that one day they can work hard and be like me and be able to skate and enjoy skating."

"I know my mom and dad are really proud, and I'm really glad that I can make them proud. I want to skate well for them while I'm at Canada Games."

'I think she's amazing'

Deborah Zhao, 10, has known Daisy for several years, and was excited to see her named to the Canada Games team.

"I think she's amazing. I like when she does her performance, I like how she embraces herself in it," Deborah said.

"I think it's amazing because other Chinese skaters could have positive thoughts about going to Canada Games too."

Kim Duffy is the figure skating assistant coach for the Canada Winter Games team this year, making her seventh trip to the Games. She is also Daisy's coach at the Charlottetown Figure Skating Club.

"Daisy's pretty amazing to begin with. She's done a lot in the last year just to bring her skating skills up to par and she's really working hard," Duffy said.

"I'm very proud of her achievements."

It's been only three years since Daisy was in CanSkate, where many skaters begin, and that's not even taking into account the additional challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's so many skaters that it would take at least four or five years before they start into the competitive skating, and here we are today, three years later, so that's quite an achievement for her," Duffy said.

"Here on P.E.I., we managed to keep some, like a lot of our ice time.… To not have that opportunity to compete off-Island, or to train for long periods of time, it was a struggle, for sure."

Duffy said the entire figure skating community on P.E.I. has benefited from the influx of families from China who have come and embraced the sport.

She said having Daisy at the Canada Games will only help build that excitement around figure skating.
 
"I think they look for role models, they look to kind of join a sport. If they know someone is doing well in a sport, then as a group they'll kind of go to that sport," Duffy said.

"So I think she's been a great role model, not only for the Chinese community, but also just younger skaters."

"She's part of a Future Champs program, which we've been skating on Sunday mornings up in Kensington," Duffy said.

"There's so many young skaters that are also attending that, and they've been role models for that group of skaters as well."