Marc Theriault: A Lifetime on Ice, A Legacy of Gold and Guidance

For most of his life, Marc Theriault has been defined by movement—the fluid arc of a blade carving across the ice, the quiet power of a jump perfectly landed, the graceful glide of a skater who has spent decades mastering his craft. But to those who know him best, Marc is just as much defined by stillness—the steady presence of a mentor, the calming force of a teammate, the deep breath before a moment that matters.

Marc’s journey in figure skating began 40 years ago when he was just 6 years old. His mother, Karen, had hoped that an individual sport might help him build confidence. "I wanted him to find a sport where he could depend on himself," she recalls. "I also always loved figure skating and thought it was a beautiful sport. In a way, this was like giving him the chance to live out my dream—now we share that dream."

But Marc’s early years on the ice were not a story of instant love. For a decade, he skated in generic competitions, struggling to find his place. At 16, he and his mother realized he needed a better fit. That’s when Karen’s colleague, Paralympian Harvey Lord, asked her a simple but life-changing question: “Karen, why don’t you put him in Special Olympics?”

At the time, she had never heard of Special Olympics or understood the difference between it and Paralympics. With no internet to turn to, she did what any determined mother in the early ‘90s would—she looked in the phone directory. “I couldn’t find Special Olympics,” she remembers with a smile, “so I called 411, and they ended up connecting me to Special Olympics British Columbia.”

While there wasn’t a figure skating program in their hometown of Surrey at the time, Marc dove into Special Olympics through soccer and softball while Karen worked to find a coach and build a local figure skating program. He officially joined Special Olympics in 1995 and competed in his first Special Olympics World Games in 1999—for softball.

Yet, from the moment he first stepped on the ice at 6 years old, his potential was clear. At just 8, he landed his first jump. Incredibly, later that same year, he unintentionally performed a jump his coach had never even taught him. Two jumps in figure skating—flip and lutz—are nearly identical, except for the edge of the blade used. Without realizing it, Marc executed the more difficult one, earning him gold because it was worth significantly more points. It was the first true sign that he was made for the sport.

Still, for years, he didn’t truly enjoy skating. "I was skating for others," he admits. "I didn’t start to love the sport until I started skating for myself."

Once he did, there was no stopping him.

Marc has now competed at an astonishing nine Special Olympics World Games (which would have been 10 had the Special Olympics World Games 2022 not been cancelled), and each time, he has returned home with gold. At the most recent Games, he claimed the top spot once again in the highest-level men’s singles event for figure skating, continuing a streak that his mother, Karen, is far prouder to share than he is. “He has taken home gold for men’s singles figure skating at every single Special Olympics World Winter Games he has competed in,” she says. A golden sweep.

But for Marc, his legacy is about more than medals. Throughout his career, he has embraced his role as a mentor, guiding teammates and even competitors through the challenges of elite competition. He often reminds nervous athletes to visualize their programs—every jump, every movement, every moment of success—before they even step on the ice.

One of his proudest moments didn’t happen in a competition but in the moments before one. When a fellow athlete began hyperventilating before a performance, Marc quietly stepped in. He guided the athlete to press his heels and back against the wall, then matched his breathing until he calmed down. The skater went on to have one of the best performances of his career.

For Marc, that kind of impact is just as fulfilling as standing on the podium.

Whether he’s offering advice to first-time World Games athletes or leading his teammates in learning choreography for a flash mob dance, Marc has a natural ability to lead. So when fellow figure skater Brooke Thomas asked him whether he’d try to qualify for the next Special Olympics World Winter Games, his answer was simple:

"I will keep skating until my legs don’t work anymore."