Bonjour (Hello) from Montreal… Kaitlin here!
I'm super excited to start sharing a monthly blog with U.S. Figure Skating on the new Fan Zone, and give you all a glimpse into my life as an athlete!
This summer marked a lot exciting changes for my partner Jean-Luc and me! We moved from our training location of six years in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to train with the amazing coaching team of Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Canada.
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker with Scott Moir
Often times, change comes hand-in-hand with new challenges as you get accustomed to a new way of living, but for us, I can truly say that this move was as easy as can be. We instantly fell in love with the team and family environment that the coaches have built for the skaters here, and I love being in a city filled with such culture and life.
As a skater, we are fortunate enough to travel the world and see a lot of different places. Personally, I am a huge fan of the Western European countries I've visited, and living in Montreal is a unique blend between North American and European culture. The Old Port area in Montreal is reminiscent of the historical old towns I've visited in Europe, while downtown Montreal is more similar to cities I've visited in the U.S. like NYC. French is the official language of Quebec, but fortunately, most people are bilingual and speak both French and English. My French is a bit rusty, for sure, but I'm excited to see if I can pick up a bit more of the language over the next several years.
My apartment is located next to a local market, which I love walking around and seeing the fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers that are in season! As an avid cook, it is such a treat to walk out my front door and have an abundance of fresh ingredients right in my hands to use for new recipes. Currently the market is transitioning from summer season to autumn season, and there are pumpkins and different types of squash all over the place. It makes me excited for pumpkin carving, the leaves changing colors and that crisp fall smell in the air as I leave for the rink in the morning!
Speaking of the rink, I should probably mention a bit about our skating… since that's what the 'U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone' is about, right??
Training in Montreal with our new team has come with such exciting development in our skating in a short period of time. We are forever grateful for the invaluable lessons and skills the last six years in Michigan provided us with, but there is something to be said about having a fresh start and new perspective! We have loved every minute of training since moving here, and one of the greatest benefits to being in a big training center like Gadbois is having so many amazing teams to train alongside with. Every day, we get to skate alongside athletes who are hardworking and talented, which motivates us to train at our best every time we take the ice. The coaches have fostered such a positive and productive work environment that makes it easy to want to come and train every day.
As the season approaches, I'm excited to bring you along and share tidbits of my skating journey with you as I train here in Montreal and as I leave for competitions around the world! Jean-Luc and I will be competing in Hiroshima, Japan, and Grenoble, France, this Grand Prix season and we couldn't be more excited to add two new places to our passports!
Until next time!
Kait
