To the Worlds has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. From left to right: Corinne Macasso, Jacqueline Parser, Isabella Ciocoiu, Maureen Barnes, Karen Smith, Wendy Ord, Donna Bergvinson, Henrietta Penney, Donna Good, and Lesley Ricci.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Pinstripe Productions

To the Worlds, a documentary featuring Okanagan figure skaters, has been nominated for a prestigious Canadian film award.

Following the Team Okanagan skating club, To the Worlds takes viewers on a journey through the trials and tribulations each skater faces, as they inspire others to pursue their dreams, no matter their age. Hailing from across the Central Okanagan, the skaters range in ages from 47 to 77.

Practicing at The Nexus in Lake Country, the documentary highlights the team's participation in the International Adult Figure Skating Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany. It originally aired in 2019 on CBC.

Director Wendy Ord said she’s in “shock and awe” to have been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.

“We were pretty excited. It’s a huge honour, it’s basically the Oscars and Emmys combined,” she said.

One skater told her “I didn’t know you would make stars of us,'" Ord laughed, adding the skaters would have loved to travel to the awards show wearing "sparkly dresses" with her.

With the recent award nomination and documentary's release, the ladies have been getting a lot of attention.

"They’re certainly well-known in the skating community… they’re getting phone calls and things from people who have seen the film," Ord said.

"I think the coolest thing for us really was after the film came out, it was the highest-rated documentary of CBC that year. I got thousands of letters and notes… saying how we had inspired (people) to pursue their dreams," she said.  “That made us really proud."

Ord said the ladies recently competed 2020 European Figure Skating Championships.

“It was a big trip for them and they came home with a whole bunch of medals,” she said.

With the nomination, she hopes it will inspire more people.

“This is kind of the pinnacle for any filmmaker and I hope it will get the film seen more,” she said.

Nominated for the non-fiction Best Documentary Program, the award night is held at the end of March.

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