Profile: Lapel Pins – 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Victoria, Canada

An Olympic year. 1988. And, in a bonus for Canadians, the Winter Games on home turf in Calgary the same winter. Ten years had passed since the last national figure skating championship had been staged in Victoria, British Columbia, but the 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships were in town in January of that year. Situated on Canada’s west coast, Victoria is known for many things: the magnificent Empress Hotel; the famed Butchart Gardens; an elegant, old-world style; and the iconic, hanging basket-adorned lampposts along the city’s busy thoroughfares. But unlike the pins from the 1978 Canadian Figure Skating Championships that featured the lampposts and hanging baskets, the pins made for the 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships didn’t have a city tie-in.

Instead, a quasi-keystone shape was used as the main logo design for the 1988 Canadian Championships and for the overall shape of the event pin itself. At the center of the main pin is the new (at the time) logo of the Canadian Figure Skating Association (CFSA, or today called Skate Canada), a design that was introduced on the pins made for the 1984 World Figure Skating Championships in Ottawa. The dynamic, winged skate—replicating a stylized version of the nation’s beloved maple leaf—is vibrant in red on a white circular background. The dark blue surrounding field brings focus to the logo. The event name, year, and location are worked in along the top and bottom: “Canadians ’88 Victoria.” On a silver-color base metal, the main logo pin measures approximately 1″ x 15/16″ (2.5 cm x 2.4 cm).

In a quasi-keystone shape, the 1988 Canadian Championships pins marked the occasion without much fanfare at all.

Also issued at the event but given only to competitors and selected officials is a larger version of the logo pin that incorporates a slight color change to the blue background, using a lighter tone instead. The font used, as well as positioning of the wording, also varies from the logo pin, particularly the serif font used on the word “Victoria.” Also on a silver-color base metal, the pin measures approximately 1‑1/2″ x 1‑7/16″ (3.8 cm x 3.7 cm).

Enjoy this week’s figure skating pins blog: 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships Pins: Road to Calgary. And be sure to read the museum story for more information about figure skating pins.

Pins Gallery: 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

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