When Jodyene Higgins first found out she was receiving a bronze star in Stratford, she couldn't believe it.
“You look around the city and you see names from the music industry, from the news, theatre,” she said in conversation with StratfordToday. “I guess I never imagined that what I've done for my sport compares.
“It's gonna be carved in stone and for people to look at and remember for many years to come, it's quite an honour.”
A Stratford-native, Higgins is a three-time Canadian bronze medallist and four-time Canadian figure skating champion, with her late partner and husband Sean Rice. Together, they have represented Canada on the national, international, and world levels.
Professionally, she is a producer, TV personality, and co-founder of a professional production company: SeaJo Productions and Entertainment, Inc. She pursued all these ventures with Rice.
Higgins was awarded a bronze star from the City of Stratford on Aug. 20, as a part of the city’s Bronze Star program, which recognizes residents and natives to the Stratford community that have earned national and international success.
This is not the first time Higgins has received an award from the city. Higgins was one of the first inductees into the Sports Wall of Fame at the Stratford Rotary Complex in 2011.
Higgins started skating when she was four years old. Her mother and father built ice rinks for her in their backyard. She started skating professionally at the age of eight.
At first paired with another skater, she wound up skating in a four-person session with Rice, her future partner and husband, when her own partner was retiring from the sport.
“When I joined hands with Sean it just clicked. It was something that you couldn't deny. Every lift, every throw, every spin, everything felt like it could work'”
Despite that connection, Higgins was unsure if she could skate with someone that was not only new but someone she was competitive with. She often competed against Rice and his partner. She admitted that Rice and his partner often came out on top.
“I remember saying to my dad, ‘okay, I'm gonna give him three weeks. Even though everything felt magical, I'm just gonna give him three weeks and we'll see how it goes.’ The rest is history.”
Highlights of their competitive career include the first time they went to nationals as seniors in 1993. As young contenders, no one expected them to get on the podium. They finished third.
They moved to Florida in 1997 for a change of atmosphere. Shortly after, the two turned professional and decided to stay.
In 2002, Higgins and Rice landed a position at Royal Caribbean. They spent 11 years on cruise lines, touring the world, pausing in 2012 to start a family. They transitioned to TV with the ITV competition show Dancing on Ice and started SeaJo Productions in 2006.
Higgins said that the onus for the company was to take regular people and put them on the main stage. It was Rice’s idea and they saw that dream completed many times over. They organized the annual 'Christmas on Ice' show in Niagara, where skaters were able to see their faces on billboards across the city.
Higgins and Rice were partnered for 35 years and married for 22 years, before Rice tragically passed away in January.
After his passing, Higgins put a pause on all of their ventures but picked it back up again because of her daughter. Part of the reason why she and Rice started the company was to create something for her, too.
The biggest thing that Higgins misses is the friendship. She knew Rice since she was 11-years-old. Despite that deep loss, she continues on.
“You gotta keep living. One day you wake up and your life is completely changed – but you’re still here. You gotta keep moving.”
