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We couldn’t buy this promotion. We couldn’t

“Yeah, they are going to make money on their tour. But we couldn’t buy this promotion. We couldn’t,” she said. “And by no means do I want that to be interpreted as (me) under-appreciating our athletes or their skills, talents and work.”

She added that having Special Olympics athletes skate on a big ice surface, in front of large crowds, is an opportunity to change “hearts and minds” and the way people think about intellectual disability.

But advocates say having people with disabilities volunteer their time to a business, doing work others would be paid for, is a problematic way to promote inclusion.

When asked what costs the tour company would be covering, a representative from Rock the Rink said the extent of the financial contribution would be free tickets for athletes’ friends and families. The tour director contacted the National Post hours later and stated the company would be “delighted to host the families and friends of these athletes as guests of the tour by making whatever the required number of tickets, meals and hotels needed in each market available to them.”

Photo by Courtesy Jessica Cranton

According to a source familiar with the figure-skating industry, the going rates for guest solos depend on competitive results. Top-tier skaters — think Olympic medallists and world champions — might net US$1,500 to $2,500 for a one-time appearance at an established North American spectacle such as Stars on Ice Canada. Members of a core cast might earn anywhere from US$500 to $1,500 per athlete per show.