Lacoste Aims High

Amelie Lacoste

September 18, 2005
Article and Photos © J. Barry Mittan 

Canada's 2005 junior ladies champion, Amelie Lacoste, is not waiting for the 2010 Olympic Games. She's ready to challenge fellow Quebecois Joannie Rochette and Cynthia Phaneuf for a spot on the Olympic team this time around. Lacoste served notice that's she's ready to compete with the big girls by opening with two strong skates at the Minto Summer Skate in Ottawa in July, winning the short and being edged out by Meagan Duhamel in the long. "I was happy with my short, but I can do better with the long," she admitted.

Lacoste has been moving up rapidly, winning the 2003 novice ladies gold before moving up to juniors. This season, she has very definite goals. "I want to do two Junior Grand Prixs and the Final, be in the top three in seniors at Nationals, and go to Junior Worlds," she stated. The switch between junior and senior programs doesn't concern her. "The adjustments are not a big problem," said her coach, Lynn McKay. "When we created her programs, we designed them to be easy to change. We just take out a couple of elements for he junior programs." Nor does the Code of Points bother her. "I have to do my job," she said. "If I do my job, it will help me. It helps when I can see the sheet and see I have different levels and have the judges tell me what I need to improve."

The petite blonde began skating when she was five years old. "I saw the Olympics on television and wanted to skate like those people," she remembered. "I liked watching Elvis Stojko, Josee Chouinard and especially Surya Bonaly. I thought it was very acrobatic with all the jumping and stuff. I already enjoyed skating outside at an open-air rink in a park near my house in the winter, so I thought maybe I should try skating inside. I enjoyed twirling around and imitating the people I saw on TV."

"I really like jumping and learning new things in skating," she continued. "I like to innovate, to push the limits of skating and my own limits." Lacoste is already practicing a triple axel and a quadruple salchow. "She's been very close on the triple axel and has landed a quad loop about a half turn cheated," said her coach, Lynn McKay. "We're exploring different combinations of three jumps," Lacoste added. "In practice. I've landed a triple loop-triple loop-triple loop and triple salchow-triple loop." Naturally, the triple loop is her favorite jump, along with the double axel.

So far, she plans to include a triple salchow-triple toe, triple loop-triple loop and triple lutz-double toe loop in her long program for the fall, perhaps adding a triple axel and maybe the three jump combinations for Canadians. Lacoste has been landing triples since she was 13 when she completed her first triple salchow.

Caroline Masse, Igor Tchiniaev and David Wilson choreographed her programs for the 2005-06 season. Her short program, "El Conquistador" by Maxim Rodriquez is the same music as last year. Masse did the original version, which has been enhanced by Tchiniaev. Wilson choreographed her new long to "Five Movements" by Nina Rota. "I usually change just one of my programs each year," Lacoste said. "My coach found the music for the short program last year and I decided I liked it."

Wilson discovered the music for this year's long. "We heard it and fell in love with it right away," McKay said. "It's not a story. It's unique, dramatic and sensitive and has some fun, cutesy parts. It's a lot like Amelie with many different sides. I think it represents her quite well. I thin it's the first time anyone has skated to this music." Lacoste likes skating to all different kinds of music and listens to everything except country off ice.

The 16-year-old trains with McKay at La Prairie during the summer and St. Hubert during the winter. Normally, she works on ice for about three and a half hours five days a week in the summer and two to two and a half hours a day in the winter. Her off ice training schedule also includes three hours a day in the winter and a little over an hour a day in the winter.

Her winter schedule is lighter so Lacoste can attend private school, where she is in her final year of high school studies. An honor student who excels in mathematics and science, Lacoste is planning to attend university to become a physiotherapist. "I like to deal with people and help them out," she explained. "I'd like to help athletes who are injured to improve their health."

On weekends, Lacoste likes to visit friends, shop, watch movies, and play with her dog Hershey. "I like to do things outside, like cycling, rollerblading, and swimming," she added. She collects skating pins and bracelets, two of which she always wears while skating. This fall, she was also supporting the yellow Lance Armstrong Live Strong band, a pink one to support breast cancer, a red and white Canada one, and a blue one from the World Aquatic Games in Montreal. "I went to see the Games because they were near my home and I wanted to watch diving and synchronized swimming," she said.

Lacoste is also known for helping other skaters at her rink. "Amelie's a very positive person," McKay said. "She volunteers to coach the little skaters in her community and she's always helping other skaters and giving them tips on their jumps. When there are competitions, she always stays and cheers for the little ones. She always thinks about everyone and is always happy to be there at the rink. She's a lot of fun to be with."