This page was exported from Shelburne Free Press [ https://shelburnefreepress.ca ] Export date:Tue Jul 23 19:22:51 2024 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Barrie ice dancers ready to represent Canada in Sochi at the Winter Olympics --------------------------------------------------- It hasn't been the easiest couple of years for Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam, but the ice dancing duo from Barrie are skating better than ever and are eager to hit the ice in Sochi next week. The pair, who joined up in 2009 after previous partnerships dissolved, will be the third ice dancing team to compete in the Games for Canada along with Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. Paul, 22, and Islam, 24, didn't know if they would be heading to the Olympics until early in January, when they posted a third place ranking at the National Skating Championships in Ottawa. As soon as their score was posted, they knew all the hard work had paid off. “When our scores came up and we knew we'd done it, let's just say it's a moment I'll never forget,” Islam said via email. “It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All of the sacrifices I've made over my career, all the sweat and early mornings, it was all worth it. Our dream had come true.” Added Paul: “I didn't even know what I was feeling! I was so incredibly excited and relieved, I started crying! Our biggest goal has been to make the team for so long, and now that we have made it, it's the most amazing feeling.” Ever since starting to learn how to skate at the young ages of three and six at the Barrie Skating Club, they have fought through injuries and adversity to get to where they are today. “We are definitely stronger,” Paul said. “After going through injuries and competition setbacks, it helps you grow. We improved the way we train every day and now we are more prepared than ever going into competitions this year.” Islam agreed, adding that he feels they are stronger than ever heading into the Olympics. “The last couple of seasons have been very difficult with injuries but our preparation and commitment to improving ourselves everyday this season is really paying off,” he said. “Obviously as athletes we always feel we could be better, but we're very happy with our progression this year.” After spending their career in Canada, the pair made a big decision last year to move down to Detroit to train with some of the world's best. Islam said they had the utmost faith in the coaching staff in Barrie, but they felt a move was necessary if they were to take the next step. “We just needed to surround ourselves with dance teams that were better than us, teams to push us,” he said. “With so many high-level international teams here, coming to the Detroit Skating Club gave us just that.” Both said the transition has been seamless and that it has brought out the best in them. “Personally, I've not found it at all difficult to embrace living here,” Islam continued. “The other skaters at DSC have been great to us and we've had no problem making new friends. It's also been nice to have the opportunity to continue our post-secondary education at Oakland University, located about 15 minutes from where we're living.” Having been skating together for nearly 5 years, Paul and Islam have gotten to know each other very well. When asked to assess each other's best attributes, their answers were concise and similar. “Alex loves to work hard,” Islam said about his partner. “It's so important to have someone who is willing to go that extra mile in training with you. The fact that we love working hard together has been a huge contributor to our success. She's pretty good at handling my “quirks” on the ice too, I can be difficult sometimes.” Paul agreed that although they are different, the chemistry has always been there. “Mitch is a perfectionist, he doesn't settle until the move or element is exactly how it should be,” she said. “It makes working hard more interesting, we always have something in our programs we are trying to improve and it feels great when we can achieve that.” With 17 skaters in total, Canada's figure skating team is the largest at the Sochi Olympics, which is something that inspires both Paul and Islam heading into the Games. “I'm so proud to be going to Sochi with this team, the largest of any of the federations,” Islam said. “It speaks to the depth of talent in Canadian figure skating right now that we have such a large contingent going to Russia. I'm looking forward to cheering on the entire team and especially some of the senior members shooting for Olympic medals.” By Jeff Doner   --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2014-02-12 16:51:53 Post date GMT: 2014-02-12 21:51:53 Post modified date: 2014-02-19 11:47:42 Post modified date GMT: 2014-02-19 16:47:42 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com