Stellar Season Start for Canada's Chipeur

Vaughn Chipeur

January 14, 2007
Article & Photo © J. Barry Mittan 

Vaughn Chipeur, a 21-year-old from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, has been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far. After finishing 16th at Canadians in 2006 in senior men, the future looked bleak for the skater who had won the bronze in junior men in 2004. He finished 11th his first year in senior 2005 But Chipeur did well in Skate Canada's summer test events and the federation decided to give him a chance at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany. He responded with a bronze medal finish and when national champion Jeffrey Buttle was forced to withdraw from the Skate Canada Grand Prix event because of a spinal injury, Chipeur was tapped for the competition two weeks in advance.

Again, Chipeur met the challenge with a fifth place in the short program, surpassing reigning world champion Stephane Lambiel. Although Chipeur didn't fare as well in the long program, he still finished a very respectable seventh overall in his first major international. And that was with 13 stitches in his arm from a collision in practice a week in which another skater's blade nicked a tendon in his elbow. "I just wanted to have two good skates, learn as much as I could, and make a name for myself," he said.

Chipeur began skating when he was 4 years old. "I lived near a small town and that's what you did for entertainment," he said. "I started hockey and CanSkate at the same time. But I didn't like being on the hockey team. I played defense and I couldn't score any goals so I decided to just do figure skating. I started figure skating when I was ten with Tracy Norlander and Shauna Stewart."

Chipeur was willing to try ice dancing as well as freestyle skating. He placed fifth in Sectionals with Ashley Herzog in juvenile dance in 1996 with (Coach Cindy Lever for dance). "My brother Ashley was better at ice dance and I was better at singles, so he went that way and I went mine," Chipeur said. "I started dance (ballet tap jazz) at the Allison Lamont School of dance in Lloydminster and continued my dance studies at Edmonton School of Ballet."

By the age of fourteen, Chipeur had landed his first triple, a salchow, and now is consistent on each of the triples. He started working on the quad lutz last summer. Chipeur includes a triple axel-double toe in the beginning and a triple lutz-double toe-double loop near the end of his long program as well as all six of the triples by themselves. "I can get more points by using the second triple lutz and the second triple axel than if I had a second triple toe in a combination," he said. Chipeur uses a triple flip-triple toe in the short. He's working on a triple axel-triple toe.

At Christmas in 1995, Chipeur moved to Edmonton, Alberta to train with Katherine Co He trained with Katherine for 8 years. When Katherine retired from coaching he moved to the Royal Glenora Club to train with Michael and Renata Jiranek. Last April, he switched coaches to work with former United States champion Scott Davis in Calgary, Alberta.

"Vaughn's a great jumper and he has good spins and power," Davis said. "He needed more direction and motivation. He's a good kid and works well with the other skaters in the group. He's a good role model for the younger ones. It's exciting for me to help mold such talent." Normally Chipeur trains on ice for between two and a half and three hours a day, six days a week with another five hours a week of off ice work. "I train less during the season," Chipeur said. "I also rollerblade whenever I can and I do copious amounts of Pilates with Scott's wife Steph, to improve my flexibility. I had strength because I did Olympic weightlifting in Edmonton with Nick Tschoukalas at the Royal Glenora Club. But I was stiff and needed to even out my body and lengthen the muscles."

His new short program, choreographed by Stephen Thompson, is to "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica. "I did a Metallica program a few years ago and it was my favorite program," Chipeur said. "I looked for similar music and found this on an instrumental CD. I like powerful music. I'm always trying to get motivational music to pump me up." Lance Vipond choreographed his long program to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera". He is using the music for the second season. "Mike Jiranek's wife, Renata found it," he said. "It was the first classical piece I did and it was a big change for me."

For an exhibition program, Chipeur is using "Far Away Like a Radio" by Colin James. "I try to use music that everyone can enjoy, not heavy but that won't put you to sleep," he explained. Off ice, he listens to pop and alternative rock. He's learning to play the drums and is learning to play the guitar. "My Mom was a music teacher so we had to learn how to play the piano," he added. "She was also a singer like my sister Daniell. Music was always part of my family."

For relaxation, Chipeur said, "I read a lot - anything with a conspiracy. I like to read books that make you think. I'm also a movie buff. I'll watch anything." Chipeur also likes to work on cars and has been involved in both drag racing and rally crossing. "I went drag racing last summer in run what you brung," he said, "but I'm more interested in rally crossing. You drive on everything - ice, snow, gravel, grass."

Chipeur plans to remain in eligible skating at least until 2010, but plans to remain involved in the sport after he stops competing. ""I've been coaching for two years at the recreational level," he noted. He has completed high school but not enrolled in university studies. "I've always been interested in aviation and I need my student pilot's license," he said. "I want to be a commercial pilot."

Watch for Chipeur competing at the 2007 BMO Canadian Championships this week.