A Taste of the Kawarthas - ATOTK magazine Winter 2021-22

World Champion Figure Skater

By Jay Cooper

I seriously believe that Mr. Stojko is the King. So many accomplishments! Figure skating championships, Olympic medals, Kung Fu Championship, Hall of fame inductee, TV commentator, Racing Championship, Actor, Husband (to figure skater/model Gladys Orozco) and Activist. Even doubled for Robin Williams in the movie ‘Death to Smoochy’.

Jay Cooper(JC):Would Elvis be in the building? I always wanted to say that.

Elvis Stojko (ES): (laughs) Elvis would be here but he’s in his truck right now.

JC: Where are you heading my friend? ES: I am going to Aurora to teach at St. Andrews College. I just trained for 4 hours, then taught 3 hours of hockey and now fit you in for a chat before my next teaching. JC: Thank you for taking the time. I know you’re a huge fan of off roading in our area.

ES: My pleasure. You know ATV’s, dirt bikes and off roading, which I’ve done my whole life, and absolutely love and why we love living where we do. We are just down the road from you, near the Ganaraska Forest. It’s great to be a part of and to support the Kawarthas. Working with Carolyn Richards from KATVA is awesome. I did dirt tracks about a month ago, having fun and promoting off roading and family. All the good stuff.

JC: I talked with your buddy Dean McDermott yesterday and he says he is much more skilled and faster than you are with ATV’s and bikes.

ES: (Laughs) Ah, ok no problem (laughs).

JC: He did say that as a joke, but his real take on you is, “Elvis is one of the most solid people I’ve ever met. Never seen him lose his temper, very even keeled, level headed and spiritual. No wonder he’s won all those championships and medals as he is a great competitor but his mind set is amazing. Sum it up as a Spiritual competitor.”

ES: Wow I’ve never heard him say that, but that’s really cool. Dean and I connected over a year ago and became really close right away. We bonded, like kindred spirits. At first it was just working on his hockey but then it bloomed into the off roading. We talk and text a couple times a week. He’s a great guy and close friend and I’m glad he feels the same.

JC: Why do you love the Kawarthas so much?

ES: Well, I love nature and we have 114 acres of bush and land, trails and wildlife. My wife of 11 years is Mexican and has been an animal lover since she was a child. When we lived in Mexico, we helped a lot of stray dogs. It’s a big problem there. We have 3 rescues of our own and love living in the outskirts. I have always been a fan of the east side of the GTA. It’s a great place to live and right on the cusp of cottage country, which I love.

JC: I’m talking to a gear head - your love of motor sports. What’s the allure to dirt riding?

ES: The change of scenery and terrain. I love being on a racetrack and perfecting corners. I’ve raced in Las Vegas, Florida, Mexico and here. I love technical rocks and mud and feeling the machine work underneath you.

JC: What was your first bike?

ES: I had a 1979 Yamaha MX 80 when I was 7 years old, but I was so small that I looked 5. I was so short that I had a cinder block to get on the bike, and when I was done riding I would drive right up to the block, put my foot down and then drop kick stand (Laughs). Next it was a YZ80, then a KDX 200. Then I started promoting KTM’s and have been on them ever since.

JC: So what was your childhood like?

ES: I was born in Newmarket but, for my first 9 years, I lived in Queensville on a 50 acre hobby farm that my parents had. My father had a landscaping business and most of his contracts were in Richmond Hill. So I started skating in Newmarket as they had the only rink around. By the time I was 8 the Coach said I should go to a skating school that is much better where I could improve. So we went to The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club and started working with the legendary Ellen Burka - she worked with many champions. But the drive down took too much time, so we moved to Richmond Hill and that’s really where my career began and blossomed.

JC: Were your parents into figure skating?

ES: Both are from Europe. My Mom was a dancer and my Dad was a singer and they loved figure skating and sort of guided me in that direction. But I loved it. I have always enjoyed singular sports. Hence my other love of racing.

JC: When did Karate come into the picture?

ES: My Dad got me involved. I was a little kid, you get picked on in school and if you were a guy, you played hockey and figure skating was for girls. He thought it would be good for defense but also for my skating. I did that for 6 years until the age of 16. Then I met an instructor who taught me Chinese Kung Fu. That’s what really changed my skating for me and where we came up with the program in 1994, which was a tribute to Bruce Lee. I also went on to compete and won a sliver medal in the World Kung Fu Championships in 2005.

JC: Seems to me that 1994 was the start of huge things in the world of Figure Skating for you - a World title, Canadian title and Olympic Silver medal. Must have been an amazing experience.

ES: Within 3 months my life completely flipped. I was ranked #2 in the world and having no sponsorships the year before. And now I had them with my accomplishments. That Kung Fu program kind of put skating on it’s head as I did it differently and had a lot of followers. But there were a lot that were against it because they didn’t like the status quo being changed. Blue collar guys at the watering hole started watching skating because of it. I still get people come up to me and say “Hey we don’t watch skating anymore since you stopped, just wanted to let you know” (laughs).

JC: Was there push back from coaches that tried to change you?

ES: I had a lot of support. Russian coaches have said they model their students after me because they loved what I did. But my own Federation at the time wanted me to change Coaches and use different choreography. They didn’t like the fact that I was more masculine. They wanted a more softer, feminine skating and I’m like, sorry but that’s not how I skate. I’m just going to be who I am and do what I like doing. Doing some rock ‘n roll, kung fu and techno. And the fans loved it, as it wasn’t main street stuff. I did train a little bit with Toller Cranston, who was amazing at what he did, but I wasn’t a fan of his style.

JC: What skaters did you look up to?

ES: Brian Orser who I trained with for many years, Kurt Browning who was a few years ahead of me, Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton. I took all of the masculine aspects of them and put together kind of what I wanted to be. Eventually I realized just be me not anyone else.

JC: The judging in the sport sometimes appears unfair, unlike other singular sports?

ES: There’s always politics in the judging and that’s why I had to make sure I was consistent because if I made a mistake - that would be like someone else making two and they would dock me a little more. I tried not to get involved in the politics and got dinged a number of times, but it would just piss me off and I would work harder. You can beat politics if your 20% better. They can’t deny you.

JC: Since you turned pro and are doing skating tours, what’s the feel with former competitors?

ES: Kurt and I get along great and Todd Eldredge whom I had a lot of great rivalries with. We just skate and put on a great show for everyone. When we toured back in the 90’s we toured for 6 months and trained together everyday. It just made you better and still so much fun.

JC: Final words, to your fans and supporters?

ES: Oh my gosh, just a big thank you to all my supporters and all the people that were against me who made me stronger. You can’t get stronger without resistance and it allowed me to look inside myself to become better, so I have to thank both sides as they were both integral part of the learning process. www.elvisstojko.ca Instagram @elvistojko