GGTS is Gina Gibson Tournament Services.
I knew from a young age that I was destined to be in arenas. With a local arena within walking distance from our house, two brothers in hockey, my sister and I in figure skating, a hockey coach dad and a figure skater mom, it was to be.
At the age of 11, I trained in Lake Placid, NY with my skating partner. Imagine being so young, being taken to a bank and learning how to complete travellers cheques. My partner and I were bronze medallists in the 1977 Ontario Winter Games.
Skip ahead to my teen years and discovery of precision (now called synchronized) skating. I was a member of the 1985, 1986 and 1987 Canadian Junior Champions Whitby Ice Crystals as well as the 1989 and 1990 Canadian Senior Champions Whitby Ice Fyre.
In December 1989, the team boarded a plane to attend a competitive event in Sweden where we won the gold medal. New Years Eve was spent in Sweden then in January 1990, we boarded a cruise ship and sailed to Finland for another competitive event earning the silver medal. It was a trip of a lifetime and one I will never forget.
In April 2001, the Whitby Ice Fyre team was inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame. A very special honour for many of us who dedicated so much time to a sport we loved.
Following my skating career, I was a volunteer manager for my daughter’s hockey teams. I transitioned to volunteer executive member with an association then the former Central East Girls Hockey League. I was founding member of the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL). Following my resignation from the league, I became involved in the managing of girls hockey tournaments. What started as a small business in 2010 with one tournament has grown into a fulltime career.
In 2022, I managed my first OBHF Provincials in Whitby. I now manage 6-7 OBHF Provincials a year.