PROF I LE
Grace LeTouzel on the ice
DIANE HUNTER diane.hunter@eap.on.ca
well. During the Christmas holidays, LeTouzel practiced almost every day except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. “I don’t mind being so busy,” said LeTouzel. “It doesn’t bother me. I like what I do. It’s hard onmy friends.They want to spend time withme, but I amalways skating.” “My coaches tell me to stay positive,” Le- Touzel explained. “They always want us to keep positive even if something is bad, they want us to push through it and stay positive.” LeTouzel’s big sister, Kayla, plays hockey for Bishops University while she earns a degree in Neuro Science. Her father Michael is the vice president at GenLeT Electric Inc. and her mother is an RPN at the Hawkesbury General Hospital. “It’s a busy schedule, but we find a way to make it work,” said Michael. Some of the achievements LeTouzel has obtained in her young skating career include being named Novice captain for the 2015-2016 year. In 2015 the Novice teamwere Winterfest Champions, Quebec Provincial Champions,
Grace LeTouzel or Gracie, as her friends like to call her, spends most of her time skating. When she’s not skating, she’s thinking about skating. L’Orignal native LeTouzel has been skating since she was just three years old. Her free time is spent either on the ice or getting to the ice. She is this year’s captain for Les Suprêmes Novice team in Quebec, whose team recently won gold for the Winterfest & Junior World Challenge Cup qualifier. LeTouzel started out skating with CanSkate in Vankleek Hill. She skated free style until about three years ago when she began skating synchro with Les Suprêmes in Montreal. “She askedme one day if I could take her to Montreal to audition,” said her father Michael. “She won the audition. It was a huge shock, not because she isn’t a good skater, it’s just a different kind of skating.” There are usually between 60 to 80 skaters competing for just 20 spots. LeTouzel had stopped skating for about six months when a back injury prevented her from getting on the ice. “I guess it was from all the jumping and landing on the ice,” she explained. “When everything lined back up, I got back on the ice.” Michael said Les Suprêmes were very impressed with his daughter’s fast rise from newcomer to Novice captain in just three years.
Grace LeTouzel and her father Michael enjoy the skating life, but admit it’s a busy one.
“She got a lot of support from the team,” he said. Competitions bring the team all over. The novice team can only travel in Canada, but even that is exciting. So far, LeTouzel has gone to Vancouver, Quebec City and Waterloo for competitions with Les Suprêmes. Moving on to the junior or senior teams will mean travel- ling throughout the world. “The junior team is traveling to Croatia in March,” said LeTouzel. “There is also a competition for the French
Grace LeTouzel on the ice with her team. LeTouzel is holding the award.
Cup in France in January, and then another in Budapest later on.” Although LeTouzel spends somuch time on the ice, she still has an average of 85 per cent with her school work. “I do my homework at lunch or in the car,” explained LeTouzel, “or when I have some free time, which isn’t very often.” Tuesdays are pretty much the only day she has any free time, however she spends most of that time catching up on homework and sleep. LeTouzel’s busy schedule keeps her skating almost every day. Her school day runs from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and three days a week, she heads to Montreal for synchro practice. She also helps out with Can Skate in Hawkesbury, and does some practice on her own time as
and set new records for new Canadian no- vice record for first skate, second skate, and total score. In 2014 her team were Winterfest Champions, Quebec Provincial Champions, Canadian National Champions, and set new CanadianNovice record for first skate and total score. LeTouzel said for newcomers to just remem- ber that things will get easier. “If it’s hard in the beginning, it is going to get better if you just keep practicing.” She is very happy skating and wants to conti- nue for the foreseeable future. “I’d like to do this as a profession,” she said with a smile. “I would like to skate with the Suprêmes Seniors one day, andmaybe with the Canadian Olympic Team.”
L’Upper Canada District School Board vous invite à inscrire votre enfant à l’école! MATERNELLE À LA 12 e ANNÉE L’inscription en ligne est maintenant disponible! L’école élémentaire et secondaire de votre quartier sera l’hôte d’une session d’information pour vous et votre enfant; elle se tiendra dans les semaines à venir. Pour obtenir les dates de sessions, veuillez visiter ucdsb.on.ca.
1-800-267-7131
ucdsb.on.ca
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UCTV.ca
Stephen Sliwa Directeur de l’éducation
Jeff McMillan Président
Grace LeTouzel and her family, father Michael, sister Kayla, andmother Lina Lambert LaTouzel last summer.
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