The former working-class district of Saint-Henri contains one of the most beautiful sports jewels on the planet. The best figure skaters in the world meet there. As if the differences between nations no longer existed because they unite under the banner of excellence.
The southwest of Montreal has given birth to generations of workers and dedicated people capable of making the ordinary extraordinary. The Montreal Ice Academy (IMA) has laid its foundations at the Gadbois Recreational Complex. This is where Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue went. Since 2010, Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil and Romain Haguenauer have been working miracles there.
Two interview sessions were organized with the Quebec skaters to discuss their dazzling start to the season. While waiting for them in the stands, athletes parade with coats from different nations. The French laugh with the Canadians. Americans lace up their skates at the edge of the rink. Chinese people do their stretching on the catwalk.
Practice begins and Ginette Cournoyer films the skaters with her electronic tablet from the players’ bench.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Ginette Cournoyer, coach ballroom
We train athletes from around twenty nations. It is because it is here that there are the best coaches.
Ginette Cournoyer, coach ballroom, when asked about the number of foreign skaters
Cournoyer takes a break and heads for the second ice. She points to Australians, Japanese and Ukrainians. “The company is like a family. There isn’t really any competition between our athletes. After all, it is a judged sport. »
Expatriate to win
During mealtime, Chinese skaters Shi Yue Wang and Xin Yu Liu chat at a table. Meanwhile, their chihuahua is having fun in the cafeteria. The four-time Chinese champions have been with the Academy since 2018.
“Here, there are excellent couples and the best coaches. It pushes us to be better, ”explains Wang, the skates detached.
He and his partner are based in Montreal. “What we like the most is the food and the fact that it’s very clean,” says Liu, standing up. We mostly stay to eat poutine and burgers,” she says with a shy laugh. Their lives have changed since leaving northern China, where they return every two years.
The Americans Evan Bates and Madison Chock have the chance to be closer to their country of origin. The Olympic medalists chat with us during their short break from the afternoon session. While Chock finishes discussing a figure with Lauzon, Bates tells, on the players’ bench, why the skaters of Michigan chose to come and develop in the metropolis. “These people are the best in the world,” he said, pointing to Lauzon and Dubreuil.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the USA
He recalls that in 2018, “all the best skaters in the world were here. So we called them to ask if they had room for us, ”he says, mimicking a phone with his hand.
There is a magic here. You have no choice but to give it your all, because everyone is so good.
Madison Chock
Just before the driver of the groomer asks her to take a stride to leave the ice, she mentions a “strong culture established by the coaches”. It is thanks to this environment that they are aiming for a medal at the next World Championships.
The best for all
Hands in the pockets of his black coat, leaning against the wall, Patrice Lauzon talks about the meeting of rivals from different nations. “There are not so many differences between countries. Everyone’s goal here is to be the best they can be. We try to help them, regardless of the country. »
The most important thing for him and his colleagues is to create a “healthy environment”. It is “natural for us to create a safe space”. This must include transparency, he believes.
During their career, Dubreuil and he have witnessed practices by other coaches from other nations and “we didn’t always like that”, he says when the groomer finishes his work.
Usually, on an ice rink, each pair is accompanied by their coach. “Here, the athletes are masters of their destiny. At the Academy, all the skaters do it and come back to their coaches for feedback. On at least five occasions, the other athletes applauded their counterparts at the end of a number.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius, from Lithuania
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Samuel Chouinard, coach of dance
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“Each dancer has different qualities,” says choreographer Samuel Chouinard. The language barrier has never complicated his task, he says, standing up explaining a move to Quebecers Zachary Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie at the other end of the rink. “Dance is a universal language. We always find a way to understand each other. »
If New York has the UN, Montreal has the IMA. In both cases, their mission is driven by the idea that unity is strength.