“Selecting the right person for the right job is the largest part of coaching.”

Karen DesLauriers

Karen is in her third year as the Director of Skating at the Langley Skating Club. During
her 33 years of coaching, Karen has been a club coach, Ice Show Director, and
choreographer. Karen is a quadruple Skate Canada Gold medalist in Figures, Skills,
Freeskate, as well as Senior Competitive Singles. With years of ballet, jazz, tap,
gymnastics and music training, Karen is best known for her skills in choreography. After
turning professional, she danced with the B.C. Lions, toured with Ice Capades, and
performed with the Canada Ice Dance Theatre. Throughout her competitive and
professional career, she has been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with
many outstanding world class coaches and choreographers. As a coach and mentor,
she hopes to encourage and challenge skaters of all ages to try to do their best, be
creative, to always have fun, and to develop a lifelong love for the art of figure skating.
Karen is thrilled to be a part of the team at Langley Skating Club.

Contact: kdeslauriers.director@gmail.com

Rob Woodley

Rob has been coaching at the Langley Skating club since 2001 and this is his 24th year with the club. He grew up training and competing in singles and pairs and went to Nationals with the Surrey Novice Precision team in the early 1980’s. After years of singles, he switched his focus to pairs and competed at the Canadian Nationals 4 times. He and his partner, Katrena Holowachuk, made the Canadian Jr. National team. He is a provincially certified and national (in training) certified coach. Rob works with many other local clubs as a professional dance partner and harness lesson specialist. His passion is pairs skating, and he has coached teams to a Jr. National level. He also works with the production crew for B.C., National, and international competitions providing judges with video replay and audiences with livestream viewing. Other interests include soccer, skiing, camping and hiking.

Carol Konkin

Carol Konkin has been a dedicated coach with the Langley Skating Club for the past four years, returning to the sport after a brief retirement. With over 45 years of coaching experience, she spent 32 years as the Director of Inlet Skating Club and six years leading Port Coquitlam’s skating program. Additionally, she served as a Senior Dance Coach at Coquitlam Skating Club for three years.

Throughout her career, Carol has coached skaters who have competed at the BC Sectionals and Nationals, reaching the Junior level. In 2017, one of her former students won the World Fancy Figure Skating Championships in Vail, Colorado. She takes great pride in the achievements of her skaters, with hundreds earning gold-level test distinctions across all disciplines. Seeing Langley Skaters accomplish similar milestones has been especially rewarding.

Carol’s coaching philosophy centers on guiding skaters to reach their fullest potential while fostering a lifelong love of the sport. She emphasizes dedication, determination, and perseverance—qualities that not only contribute to success in skating but also serve her students well in life beyond the rink.

Clairesse Wolfe

Clairesse completed her CanSkate in 2019 and began coaching at the age of 16 she began as the co-director of her home club in northern Alberta. Since moving to Langley to complete a degree in Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she has worked as the CanSkate Director for three years and completed her Gold Level Dance, Skills and Artistic. She has experience creating programs and taking skaters to competitions and test days. She has primarily skated singles and competed at a variety of regional competitions. Clairesse enjoys choreography and working with skaters to create programs.

Ellen Shin

Coaching at the Langley SC since 2014, Ellen is a certified Regional Coach, and currently is the Club's CanSkate Director. As a freeskater, Ellen had the privilege of working with many talented coaches and experienced various coaching styles. During this time, Ellen has achieved All-Gold Levels in Freeskate, Dance, Skills, and Interpretive. When she is off the ice, Ellen enjoys trying new cuisines, keeping current on BTS content, and playing the violin and guitar.

Kristyn Krause

Kristyn is a Provincial Trained Skate Canada coach, focused on her students’ personal journeys to athletic excellence. As a coach, Kristyn is passionate about competitive Freeskate, jumping technique and fitness-training focused on the specialized needs of figure skaters. 

Kristyn, a former professional figure skater, began her skating journey in Abbotsford, BC. At the age of eighteen, after a successful competitive career, Kristyn was offered professional contracts from Disney On Ice and Holiday On Ice. With an appetite for travelling overseas, Kristyn travelled in Europe as a professional figure skater with the world-renowned company, Holiday on Ice.   

Kristyn is a triple Skate Canada gold medalist in Freeskate, Skills, and Interpretive, as well as Novice Competitive Singles. Kristyn’s competitive career includes a Provincial Championship title in Freeskate. 

Educationally, Kristyn holds a Master of Education degree from The University of British Columbia. She also has a Bachelor of Education degree and Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Kinesiology and Physical Education.

McKenna Nickel

McKenna has 10 years of coaching experience and is a Provincially Trained Skate Canada coach. Her coaching philosophy is skater first, focusing on improving her skaters mental and physical individual strength on and off the ice. She started skating at the Langley skating club at 5 years old and competed until the age of nineteen before deciding to focus on university and coaching. McKenna holds a Gold test level in skills and Artistic and a Senior Silver level (Equivalent to Star 10) in Free skate and Dance. She has also competed competitively in pairs skating for two years. She most enjoyed free skate and artistic as a skater, but believes that work in all disciplines is important for a well-rounded skater. McKenna holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Fraser Valley and a Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of British Columbia. Outside of her time on the ice, she is a dedicated middle school teacher in North Vancouver.

Larissa Horobec

Larissa is an NCCP Level 2 Provincial Certified Skate Canada Coach with Gold CEP Status and 12 years of coaching experience. A former competitive figure skater, she represented BC/Yukon nationally and Canada internationally, reaching the Senior level. She was a six-year BC/Yukon Provincial Team member, winning multiple provincial and national titles, including the 2011 BC/Yukon Pre-Novice Women’s Freeskate Championship and the 2014 Super Series Senior Women's Freeskate Championship.

A quadruple Skate Canada Gold Medalist in Freeskate, Dance, Skills, and Interpretive (Artistic), Larissa also competed in off-ice dance for 16 years, earning numerous awards, including the 2010 BC Provincial Stage Dance Champion title. Her extensive dance training includes ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, musical theatre, and contemporary styles, with certifications from the Royal Academy of Dance and the Association of International Dance Teachers. She has studied at New York’s Broadway Dance Center and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and English from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Theatre diploma from Capilano University.

Fluent in English and French, she recently earned an Associate Certification (with Distinction) in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from BCIT. Larissa’s coaching philosophy is to create an inclusive, positive, and inspiring environment where skaters can develop their full athletic and artistic potential. 

Hannah Park

Hannah is an NCCP Regional Coach in Training with Skate Canada and has been passionate about figure skating since the age of 8. Currently a STAR 9 skater, she is working towards achieving Gold Level. Over the years, Hannah has trained at various clubs across BC, gaining valuable insight from a range of accomplished coaches.   Alongside her skating career, Hannah continues to balance both her sport and her academic pursuits as a dedicated student. Off the ice, Hannah is the president of her school’s newspaper and actively participates in several volunteer opportunities. She stays active through running, swimming, and scuba diving, holding her PADI license.  These diverse interests contribute to her well-rounded and focused approach to both coaching and personal growth.

Maya Towstyka

Maya is a NCCP Regional in Training Coach, currently working towards completing her Gold Skills, Dance, and Artistic certifications. With six years of experience volunteering in the LSC Canskate program, Maya has developed a strong passion for coaching and mentoring young skaters. As she steps into her new coaching role, she is excited to bring her enthusiasm and knowledge to the Canskate, Junior Academy, and Junior skaters in the club. In addition to her coaching commitments, Maya is in her final year of high school and is preparing to pursue post-secondary studies in Psychology.  Her dedication to both her education and the sport exemplifies her commitment to personal growth and helping others achieve their potential on and off the ice.

Hannah Li

Hannah is an NCCP Regional In-Training coach, currently working towards her full certification. Over her 11 years of dedication to figure skating, she has achieved all four of her golds: Freeskate, Artistic, Dance, and Skills. She also has experience in synchronized skating, having competed three times at the national level. Currently, as a Novice ice dance competitor, she and her partner will be representing BC at the Skate Canada Novice Trophy in February 2025. In addition to her skating, Hannah is an accomplished off-ice dancer. She began dancing at the age of 3 and has competed internationally, including at the Youth America Grand Prix, where she placed in the top 10 in the classical ballet category. She also placed top 10 at the ADCIBC which is another international competition and has advanced to the finals, which will be held in Florida in March 2025. Hannah holds certifications from the Royal Academy of Dance, including her Advanced 2 level, where she earned “Honours with Distinction” in all her exams. She is currently preparing for her Solo Seal exam, which she will be challenging in February 2025.  Outside of her competitive and coaching achievements, Hannah is passionate about giving back to her community and helping develop young skaters and dancers. Hannah’s dedication, perseverance, and love for both skating and dance are evident in her unwavering commitment to excellence. Looking ahead, Hannah hopes to inspire the next generation of athletes as she continues to balance her own training and competitions with her coaching and mentorship roles. Her journey in both skating and dance reflects not only her talent but also her hard work, resilience, and determination to make a lasting impact in her fields. With the exciting competitions and exams approaching in 2025, Hannah’s future promises to be as bright and dynamic as her past accomplishments.