Keeping Skate Canada moving, 17 years in a row

Skate Canada is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, managing travel for athletes and teams from grassroots to the Olympic level. It's common to book travel for multiple teams, with overlapping schedules and global competitions, which makes the scale and complexity of travel a challenge.

Mike Slipchuck, the High Performance Director for Skate Canada, has partnered with Corporate Traveller since 2008. He focuses on senior athletes (those aiming for the world and Olympic teams) by working with athletes and coaches to best prepare them and provide the services they need to get to the top.

With the organization booking so much travel domestically and internationally, there are times when multiple teams are travelling around the world.

Not delayed, just different

We're never really in a position where we've been delayed to an extent that we've missed an event or missed anything that way,

says Mike. Leading up to the Air Canada strike, Skate Canada was flying out with a team to Latvia in a few days. Once they had notice from Air Canada that tickets could be changed, Corporate Traveller swiftly rerouted the whole team. They were proactively rerouted through Warsaw on a European airline, and the team made it on time with no missed events.

As Mike says, there were “no problems and no delays, only differences. Maybe we arrived a few hours later than originally planned.”

The rapid response and reliable support from Corporate Traveller made a stressful situation go much smoother. For travel support, the 24/7 emergency assistance line is always available. Plus, personalized service from dedicated Travel Managers to plan and book group travel means you have a partner who knows your preferences, quirks, and favourite seat selections.

When bad weather hits, on domestic or international trips, Mike's team calls the 24/7 line right away. Weather's just a fact of life in Canada and everywhere skaters travel, but the team always travels with ease.

Expert help even in an emergency

Travel hits different in elite sports. Athletes often deal with tight timelines, multiple destinations, weather, strikes, and global incidents as they travel to distant places for competitions. Then, if you’re faced with the chaos of an airport shutdown, that’s when you need expert help.

Skate Canada experienced this during the 2015 Paris terrorist attack. Mike was in Bordeaux, France, at an international event. The event got cancelled and teams were stranded suddenly, as France went into high alert after the terrorist bombings. It was a challenge getting home, and everybody was scrambling to find flights.

Corporate Traveller proved an essential partner in that stressful time.

I made one call at the time to Krista, who was our lead contact, and she got us all back home. We had everyone home within 24 hours,

says Mike. In a time of crisis, Krista and her team acted as an extension of Skate Canada’s operations — not just a vendor.

Exceptional service even when travel is stuck

Even less serious travel disruptions, like weather delays and last-minute airline strikes, can require new routes and plans. For Skate Canada, the biggest asset has been when travellers are stranded somewhere or on cancelled flights, and Corporate Traveller always gets them home.

That's one of the best advantages of being with Corporate Traveller," Mike explains. " I just say, you only need to get stuck once and you realize the services you get.

Without the right travel partner, you're navigating unique events and delays from the ground up every time. In the world of competitive sports, that can mean missed competitions, disrupted training, and stressed athletes. Seamless travel is critical to ensure athletes perform at their best level and to a sports organization's reputation.

Travel management built on trust

What started as a business relationship has grown into a partnership that’s really evolved to the benefit of both Skate Canada and Corporate Traveller. Building on mutual trust and respect, Corporate Traveller has moved from being a vendor to now sponsoring Skate Canada.

Mike shares that he's made a lot of friends through this relationship.

There was one time we actually brought Chris and Krista to one of our camps so they could meet everyone. Because everyone just knows them on the phone. And I remember one of our officials said that they feel Krista knows more about them than they know about themselves. They know the little things you like when you travel. They're always going to do their best to make sure you get what you prefer.

Skate Canada can count on no missed events due to travel delays, consistent service, and an evolving partnership. For almost two decades, Corporate Traveller has offered reliable, proactive support that has helped them navigate major travel disruptions, ensure athlete safety, and maintain performance readiness around the world.

Collaboration, adaptability, and expertise in group travel are all qualities that Skate Canada can leverage. As travel constantly changes, having a trusted partner to plan it with you is your best bet.

Ready to make business travel effortless and reliable?

Let’s chat about how Corporate Traveller takes care of the details.

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