Alaine Chartrand is a Canadian figure skater. She is the 2014 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist and 2016 Canadian national champion.
Chartrand was awarded the silver medal behind Mirai Nagasu at the 2016 CS Autumn Classic International, having placed 6th in the short program and first in the free skate. She ranked 6th in the short, 4th in the free, and 5th overall at the 2016 Skate Canada International.
Lets read through Alaine Chartrand’s spectacular journey in her exclusive interview with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You began skating at the young age of four and reached the pinnacle of success by becoming the 2014 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist and 2016 Canadian national champion. Walk us through this spectacular journey and tell us how it all began?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
I started skating in the CanSkate program when I was around 4 years old as my parents were inspired from watching Canadian skating greats like Elvis Stojko on television. I showed promise from a young age and started taking it seriously when I was 6 and was traveling an hour to Ottawa once a week to work with a higher level coach.
I didn’t have a lot of success when I was coming up through the ranks. I missed qualifying for the National Championships in the Juvenile and Pre-Novice catagories. When I did qualify for the National Championships in Novice and Junior, I placed 13th and 10th. In my first year at Senior Nationals I placed 9th. The following year I made my international debut competing on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. I placed in the top 10 in all my Junior competitions the next 2 years with my highest achievement a 5th at the Junior World Championships.
During this time I also earned my first National Championships medal, a bronze, and felt like I was becoming the skater I wanted to be. The next year I moved up to the Senior Grand Prix circuit and got my first international medal, a bronze, at Rostelecom Cup. It was an incredible feeling to stand on the podium representing my country. That year at the National Championships I placed 2nd and earned my first trip to the Senior World Championships and placed 11th. I had one of my worst seasons leading up to the 2016 National Championships getting food poisoning to start the year and under-performing at my Grand Prix events. I felt like an underdog coming in but also had fire to prove I was a better skater than I had showed. When Nationals arrived I felt so prepared and put out 2 of my best performances to earn National gold.
Full Interview on Next Page!
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All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Introduce us to a day in your life, preparing for the Championships.
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
Basically I trained for around 3 hours on ice and 2 hours off ice per day, ate healthy, got a good amount of sleep and saw my chiropractor on a weekly basis for maintenance.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine that you may like to share?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
In my workouts I do cardio intervals and Pilates with a focus on general toning and core strength. Before skating I have a warm-up routine with skating specific exercises and after training I have a cool down routine with stretching, rolling and compression.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
In general I just eat a healthy well balanced diet. I try to eat lots of of fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean proteins.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
At such a young age, you are out and making history. How are you able to balance your personal life and competing for figure skating?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
I’ve sacrificed a lot of personal life in my pursuit of excellence in skating. There are countless invites I’ve had to turn down and many people outside of the skating world that I’ve lost touch with as I’ve progressed. I completed high school but have put additional schooling on hold until I am finished competing. I don’t have much of a social life and most of my friends are skaters that I train with or see at competitions. It’s not something I mind because I know that my body will only be able to skate for so long and after my skating career I will have lots of time for non-skating things. I have no regrets as skating has given me unforgettable experiences and the opportunity to meet and work with incredible people.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding figure skaters who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in this field?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
Success at the lower levels is not required to reach the top as long as you keep at it. Figure skating is a very tough sport and there will be many ups and downs but if you can work hard and persevere through everything that is thrown at you and you can surround yourself with a great team to help you, you can achieve your goals.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel before and after winning the gold medal at the 2016 Canadian Championships?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
Honestly I felt the same for the most part. I definitely gained self confidence from the performances I showed there. Before that National Championships I had never put together 2 clean programs and that proved to me what I was truly capable of. I also proved to myself how mentally strong I can be. In the moments before my free program I had feelings of defeat because of the score of the competitor who skated before me but I shook it off and put out the best performance of my life to win my National title.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of your career in figure skating?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
There are truly so many people who have influenced me throughout my career. From coaches to my skating heroes to my family they have all impacted me. However I could never have done anything in skating without the support of my family. My parents and grandparents have put everything they have into my skating and helped in every way they can through the years. They’ve driven me to the rink, kept me organized, done my competition hair, made my costumes, and much more. Most importantly, they have always cheered me on and believed in me even when I didn’t.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about your preparations for the future Games and Championships.
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
I’m not doing anything too different than I have been. Keeping healthy is a focus as I want to train hard but be smart about it to avoid injury and sickness. This season is about not leaving any leaf un-turned as I look towards the Olympic Games.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
While playing professional sports, athletes often face injuries and other difficulties, would you like to tell the audience about how to cope up and make a comeback after an injury?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
I’ve been very lucky in my career to have avoided many serious injuries. That being said, I have had 3 ankle sprains, a concussion, food poisoning, and countless smaller injuries that have caused setbacks. Most recently, just days before the 2017 National Championships I sprained my ankle in practice. It was a brutal 3 days not knowing if I would be able to compete at all. I taped up my ankle, iced frequently, took Advil and managed a season best short program score, a bronze medal, and earned a spot at the Four Continents Championships. Injury is definitely the worst part of sport but if you deal with it in a smart way then you can get through it and come back just as strong or stronger. These experiences teach us so much and develop our character.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
With a massive following who look upto you and follow you, how does it feel that you are able to influence and inspire the healthy lifestyle of so many individuals?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
This question always gets me because I really just feel like a regular person working towards goals the same as anyone else. I have many role models that I look up to and am inspired by and to think that I am that person for others is surprising to me but also very flattering. I hope that through my journey in sport I can show that the people you look up to are really just like you and have been through the same things to get to where they are now. I hope that through my skating career I can have a positive impact on other skaters and people alike.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for our visitors?
Ms. Alaine Chartrand:
Thank you for promoting women’s fitness and a healthy lifestyle worldwide!
Follow her on:
- https://twitter.com/AlaineChartrand
- https://www.instagram.com/alainechartrand/
- https://www.facebook.com/fansofalainechartrand/
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness