“Engaging in Aging.”
That’s Henrietta Penney’s outlook on life.
Penney is one of the adult skaters whose story is chronicled in the CBC documentary “To The Worlds.” The documentary follows six adult skaters who travel from Kelowna, BC to Oberstdorf, Germany to compete at the 2018 ISU Adult Figure Skating Competition.
The 77-year-old adult figure skater and behaviour analyst, who’s a world-renowned autism specialist, started her skating career about 50 years ago.
“(In) Group lessons,” said Penney in a phone interview. She joked she has all the preliminary badges as proof. “For an era, I skated on stilts … 24 inches high. I did some skating in skating carnivals.”
Penney – whose idol is Michelle Kwan – was still drawn to the ice, and she eventually took in public skating. She found that skating, “Leaves you with a clear mind.”
Penney was skating with a “gentlemen, and he would call us and ask us to come (skate in carnivals).”
At 40 years old, Penney hung up the blades and hit the books. During the break from the ice, Penney completed grade nine, then entered university – obtaining a B.A. and her Masters of Science in education at 52 years old.
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