Dale Hazell

Builder (2002)

Figure Skating

Dale Hazell has been a professional figure skating coach in Saskatchewan since 1969. He has coached 10 gold medal winners at the Western Canadian championships, two gold medallists at the Canadians and coached Brent Frank, Nicole Watt, Herb Cherwoniak and Jayson Peace at international competitions.

Dale was born in Saskatoon in 1949 and raised in the Caswell and Bedford Road neighbourhood. He played minor hockey with the Bruins and his room was decorated with trophies from five sports. He was captain and most valuable player with the Bruins in D Division, on a city championship team where one of the coaches was his father, Chick.

At 11, Dale appeared in his first carnival program with the Saskatoon Figure Skating Club. He won his first championship as a 12-year-old. Dale and his partner, Bonnie Leard, represented Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games in 1967.

He coached for two years in towns near Saskatoon, and then went to Swift Current where his group won the Saskatchewan club title and he stayed for seven years as a full-time coach.

Dale returned to Saskatoon to coach at the new ACT Arena in 1978 and has remained there for 25 years.

His first medallist at a Canadian championship was in Brandon in 1982 when Blaise Kirchgessner won bronze in the novice men's event. His first Canadian champion was Trudy Tresland, who won gold in the novice women's event in 1984 Herb Chernowiak was his second Canadian champion, winning among junior men in 1989, and also participating in the world juniors.

Dale's first international medallist was Brent Frank, who earned a bronze in the 1991 championships at Obertsdorf, Germany. Nicole Watt, her Melfort coach, Padget Riedeger, and skater Shelly Douglas and Dale shared a special moment when Nicole won silver at the 2001 Canadian championships. Nicole has become Dale's prize pupil on the current international scene and it was their first appearance at Skate Canada in Saskatoon for either in a Grand Prix competition.