Local ice skater finds fulfillment and passion

Tanya Fyfe grew up in Canada and spent her whole life skating on ice. It was a part of every aspect of her life until she moved to Seeley Lake and hung up her skates. But after a hiatus, she is back in the skates.

"Ice skating has given me everything I ever wanted in life," said Fyfe, local realtor, part-time veterinarian, author and lifelong figure skater in an interview at her home near Seeley Lake.

Fyfe performed March 25-26 at the "Skaters got Talent" ice show in Hazen, ND for the first time since 2017. The ice show was put on by former skating students of Fyfe's and they invited her to perform.

"Last spring I was really busy with Real Estate and just needed a breather," said Fyfe. "I decided to start skating again in 2022 after a five year absence. I called the Missoula rink and they said to come on down. I had my old skates and I needed a lot of ibuprofen."

Having 35 years of muscle memory and body awareness from skating helped Fyfe get back on the ice, although the jumps she had done for four hours a day as a young skater eluded her last year as she started out again.

Last December Fyfe received a phone call from an old skating friend. She was invited to skate in the Hazen, ND Ice Show. Years ago Fyfe coached figure skaters and hockey players in Hazen and the surrounding areas.

Fyfe jokingly agreed, and started practicing a little harder. She invested in new ice skating blades for her skates, which helped her trust her feet a lot more.

"There were times when I wondered if I was ever going to get back my form, and skills," said Fyfe. "The years of compulsory skating exercises have trained my muscles and coordination. I did a lot of off-ice ballet exercises at home and finally started being able to jump again."

"It was wonderful to be back on the ice at the Hazen 'Skaters got Talent'. I loved how quiet the crowds got when I skated," said Fyfe. "It was such a neat feeling. I thought I would be more nervous behind the big curtain, but I wasn't."

While in Hazen, Fyfe skated performed alongside the children of her former students.

"My one goal as a coach - well, my two goals - are to make people as good as they can be, and as good as they want to be," said Fyfe. "But to also instill in them the desire to put your kids in the sport afterward. Then I've done my job."

Growing up in Canada where "everyone skates" led Fyfe into hockey and figure skating at age 5. As she progressed, more and more sacrifices were made in order to excel. At age 12 she moved to an outdoor-sports boarding school in Vancouver, BC.

Students spent four hours a day on academics and the rest of the day, evening and weekends practicing in their field such as skating, ballet, hockey, rugby, and they even had a trapeze artist. She had decided that she wanted to be an Olympic skater.

"My parents asked if I wanted braces on my teeth or to skate," said Fyfe. "I chose skating."

After completing a two year Academic Arts degree majoring in English and a minor in theater the opportunity to join a professional ice show in Japan enticed Fyfe. She performed two seasons in "American Ice Show" performing four times a day, seven days a week for a three month season at Mitsui Greenland amusement park in southern Japan and in northern Japan. In between ice shows, Fyfe coached hockey back home in Grand Forks, BC.

Completing all the technical levels of ice skating mastery Gold in Figure, Gold Freeskate and Gold Artistic levels, Fyfe chose to pursue coaching as the competition in Canada is fierce for Olympic level sports. She was coaching elite figure skating, hockey and power skating full-time when she met her husband, Alistair.

While waiting to get her green card for the U.S. Fyfe volunteered coaching skating, hockey and power skating in Hazen, Watford City and Bismarck ND, where her husband worked. After completing veterinarian school in Canada Fyfe got her green card to work in the United States. They moved to Seeley Lake in 2007, where she opened a vet clinic in 2013.

In 2007 Fyfe skated in the Missoula Ice Show and then hung up her skates.

"Being a lifelong learner is stimulating," said Fyfe. "It helps us cope with life. When there's things out of control, like COVID, we can take time to control things that make us happy and get that wind in our face."

Through her return to the ice in 2022, Fyfe got acquainted again with the Missoula Figure Skating Club.

She found camaraderie and friendship through fellow women skaters who wanted to both learn from and encourage Fyfe as she got back on the ice.

On May 6, Fyfe will be performing in the Missoula Figure Skating Club's "80's Showcase on Ice" at Glacier skating rink.

"In real life you can't always control what's going on. Politics, work, even real estate can be challenging, the veterinary world can be extremely challenging, not to mention heartbreaking," said Fyfe. "So there's all these things we're escaping. I'm not heartbroken when I'm skating. I'm just skating around with a stupid smile on my face. Everybody in the audience came up to me at the Hazen show and complimented me. They feel happy because they see me being happy skating. There's definitely more coaching and more skating in my future."