A Family Legacy: BC Games Run Deep for Speed Skating Coach Sylvia Masich

By Valerie Rossi

Long before the crowd settles and the starter’s call cuts through the rink, there is a moment when speed skaters lean forward, their weight balanced on thin steel. Then they launch — bodies low, legs driving, speed building lap by lap.

For Prince George speed skating coach Sylvia Masich, that exhilarating feeling has always been tied to something bigger than the race itself. She is coaching four athletes at the Trail‑Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games, continuing a family connection to the Games that now spans three generations.

Her grandparents were involved in the inaugural 1978 BC Games in Penticton. Her grandfather Tom Masich was a northern sport coach and a strong advocate for youth athletics, particularly
for rural athletes.

“He understood how hard it was for kids in the north,” Masich said. “Long days on the road, less practice time, fewer resources — and he believed that shouldn’t stop anyone from participating.”

Her grandmother Anne Masich served as a zone coordinator at those same Games, helping build the organizational foundation of what would become one of the province’s most enduring sporting events.

That commitment carried forward through Masich’s parents. Her dad Bill Masich competed at the BC Summer Games before later coaching with the Prince George Track and Field Club,
founded in 1974 by his father. Her mom Corine Masich, a teacher based in Smithers, also coached track and field and served as a coach at the 1996 BC Summer Games in Trail.

“My dad was at those Games too,” she said. “They just didn’t cross paths.”

Masich’s parents officially met at the 1997 BC Summer Games in Burnaby, both attending as coaches. They began dating in 1999, married in 2001, and will celebrate 25 years of marriage
this April.

“It’s funny to think about it,” Masich said. “The Games weren’t just part of our family. They literally created it.”

Growing up, Masich was surrounded by sport, but what stayed with her most wasn’t competition.

“There was so much community and connection,” she said. “We’d be in the grocery store and people would stop my dad — former athletes or their parents — just to talk. That’s when I understood the impact my parents and grandparents had made.”

Masich went on to compete at the BC Winter Games in 2014 in Mission and again in 2016 in Penticton, experiences that helped shape both her athletic and personal development.

“What I remember most is the excitement,” she said. “The fun with my zone, meeting athletes from other sports, and the growth — not just as an athlete but as a person.”

She credits the Games with opening doors beyond speed skating at the provincial level, competing at five national long‑track youth championships and three short‑track youth nationals. She said travelling and competing away from home at a young age helped build confidence and independence.

“That independence is the biggest takeaway for me,” she said. “It changes you.”

Now 24, Masich has spent half her life coaching. Her experience extends beyond speed skating and includes work with Special Olympics, as well as serving as a next‑generation coach for
Team BC.

“Coaching has always been a part of my life,” she said. “I didn’t really question it. I just knew I wanted to be part of that same community.”

Her family’s generational connection to the BC Games continues, and Masich now sees it firsthand through the athletes she coaches, including 12‑year‑old Caleb McIntosh.

“Caleb’s grandpa was coached by my grandpa, my dad coached Caleb’s dad, and now I’m coaching Caleb,” she said. “That kind of continuity is really special.”

As she coaches this BC Winter Games, Masich hopes her athletes leave with more than results.

“I hope they walk away with big smiles and great memories,” she said. “I hope they go back to school and say, ‘I had the best time at the BC Winter Games.’”

That, she believes, is what lasts.

Not the placements. Not the medals. But the feeling and the community that stay long after the Games are over.

She suspects her grandfather would feel the same.

“I think he’d be proud,” Masich said. “I’m doing what he did — helping kids, building community, and giving back through sport.”

From left, Tom Masich with Sylvia Masich, Corine Masich and Bill Masich pose for a family photo at the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Edmonton.