Chartrand Announces Retirement

[Lemonade20]

https://skatecanada.ca/2021/05/two-...e-chartrand-retires-from-competitive-skating/

 

[Sylvia]

Best wishes to Alaine! She is coaching in Vancouver - "NCCP Provincial Trained (Level 2), working on National Certification" - while studying Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia: http://www.sunsetskatingclub.com/coachalaine.html

ETA that I know you were a loyal fan of hers, @danafan - thanks for posting the press release earlier. I like how it ends: "Alaine continues to stay involved in skating with a focus on supporting the next generation of skaters both as a coach and skating fan."

 

[Jeschke]

Sunset Boulevard forever!

 

[quartz]

Sunset Boulevard forever!

Pina. That was a great program.

 

[russell30]

OMG!! I suppose it was coming but was hoping for a Olympic Comeback, thanks Alaine!!! I really enjoyed watching you perform, my highlight was 2014 Rostelecom Cup skating a short to Raul Di Blasio and winning that phase of the competition, but enjoyed your Tango D Amour SP from 2018 and your Westworld Sp from 2019, not to mention your stellar winning canadian title to 'Gone With The Wind' in 2016 you were on Fire!!!....I would have said Sunset Boulevard too but I think that belongs to Vika Helgesson in 2012 who really did play the role!!, Good Luck Alaine and thanks for the memories....

 

[jlmart]

I looooved Pina - I think it was one of my all time favourite programmes. Fabulous choreography!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0z56aKAvIs

 

[alchemy void]

@russell30 has all the correct takes.

It's unfortunate she never reached her true potential as a competitor, but she really delivered several interesting and memorable programs over the years.

 

[TAHbKA]

I enjoyed her skating. Thanks and best of luck!

 

[pat c]

I wish her all the best. Hope she realizes her goals and can stay involved with skating.

 

[skatingguy]

An official retirement announcement seems odd these days. I had assumed she had retired.

 

[kittyjake5]

Best wishes to Alaine in her future endeavors!

 

[puglover]

All the very best to Alaine. I was a massive fan of hers.

 

[paskatefan]

All the best to Alaine. Glad that she will continue to be involved in the sport.

 

[danafan]

She posted a retirement message on her instagram just now. She was my favourite skater for many years so this is an emotional one for me.

Alaine Chartrand on Instagram: "🌟 The final bow 🌟 As announced by Skate Canada, I will not be returning to competitive skating. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved in my skating career. To my family who have sacrific

1,368 likes, 108 comments - alainechartrand on May 27, 2021: "🌟 The final bow 🌟 As announced by Skate Canada, I will not be returning to competitive ska..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

For me, Chartrand really is the one that got away.

Alleged parental pressure to make the 2018 Olympic Team seemed to really suck any joy out of the process. It is ironic that a skater so similar in appearance to Gracie Gold, had a similar competitive path.

At least I got to see Alaine skate a perfect free program run-through at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. When she was on, she made it look so easy.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Pina. That was a great program.

Amazing!!!

 

[kwanfan1818]

What a lovely statement!

 

[Sylvia]

Article by Postmedia's Tim Baines (May 26):

SAYING GOODBYE: Prescott's national champion Alaine Chartrand retires from skating

Twenty-one years after she began skating with a coach, on Wednesday Alaine Chartrand officially pulled down the curtain on a terrific career — one that saw her…

ottawasun.com

Excerpts:

... [She] got back on the ice earlier this year to see if she wanted to keep her competitive career alive.
Said Chartrand: “I was testing what I could do, it had been awhile since I had done some of those triple jumps. ‘Am I able to physically do it? Am I going to kill myself? Is it still possible?’ I was pretty satisfied with what I could do. It was more the rest of it – the planning, the financials, there were situational things. In the end, it was basically how much was I willing to sacrifice in my current life? I know how much it takes, I’ve been there. Not that it didn’t seem worth it, it just seemed very difficult for me to make it happen.”

“Everyone’s sports career has its ups and downs, no matter how successful you are as an athlete,” said Chartrand. “The highlights for me were those Canadian championships, getting to compete on the world stage for eight years, travelling around the world, getting to see different countries and different athletes. The low points were those times where I didn’t qualify for Olympic Games, which was my ultimate goal. Having time to think about my career since stepping away and having a bit of a different perspective, the Olympics is all about timing. I was the best skater in Canada twice, but the timing just wasn’t right for the Olympics.

The coaching has become a passion. For her, it could be a chance to help shape the next generation of elite skaters.
“I’ve been coaching since I stopped skating,” she said. “I love it, it’s been wonderful working with all levels of skaters. I’m working toward being a national-level coach myself. So I may be back at the Canadian championships in a different role.”

 

[honey]

Best of luck to Alaine in the future! She had a great career and I’m happy for her that she seems like she’s in a good place in her life now with plans for the future.

 

[Sylvia]

Pina. That was a great program.

I looooved Pina - I think it was one of my all time favourite programmes. Fabulous choreography!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0z56aKAvIs

Alaine answered questions via her Instagram stories starting last night and named "Pina" as her favourite solo program - "I loved that it was different, kinda quirky and unique, created by the very talented Shae-Lynn Bourne."

A few more Q&A from her IG stories:

She named her 2016-17 "Rome" LP costume "made by my grandma and mom" as her favorite - found a photo on her IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTKneVAhKS7/

She also wrote: "Going forward I'd love to engage more with the greater skating community through seminars and skater well-being initiatives."

How did you know it was the right time to step away from figure skating?
"For a long time I couldn't see my career positively because I didn't meet all of my skating goals. Taking a step back from competition for 2 years allowed time for reflection and I've gained a different perspective. I realized that there are a lot of skaters that I have extreme respect for who weren't Olympians so why should I based the success of my skating career on the results of 2 extremely difficult national championships. I guess overall I made peace with the thought that I could leave one box of my skating to-do list unchecked."

Do you still practice steps and jumps?
"I enjoy skating with my fellow Sunset SC coaches Jordan Ju, Ronald Lam and occasionally Mitchell Gordon (also Satish Stefansson, Megan Yim, Diana Hong)."

 

[quartz]

I could do with a whole lot more quirk in skating.

 

[Winnipeg]

That was an excellent SP for sure!

 

[Lemonade20]

Love her, she will go on to do great things in life!

 

[AxelAnnie]

Thanks for posting this. The name was familiar to me, but I could not pick her out of a warmup group
I watched the two skates that you linked. She was FABULOUS.

It was very fun to watch.