Two weeks ago,
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker flew from Grenoble, France, back to their training town of Montreal, woke up early the next morning, and began training for their first ever Grand Prix Final.
"We were quite happy," Baker said modestly as he retold the moment the two placed fourth at the 2018 Internationaux de France, Nov. 23-25, which secured their spot at the Grand Prix Final in Vancouver, Canada, combined with their win at NHK Trophy, Nov. 9-11.
"Okay, I mean, we were excited," he exclaimed honestly.
The ice dance team ended last season with their first senior gold at the ISU Four Continents Championships, and placed 10th in their first trip to the World Championships.
In April of this year, Hawayek and Baker announced they were taking that momentum with them to Montreal, where they began training under coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer.
From there, the team went on to win their first Grand Prix title in their season debut at NHK Trophy, a success the two accredit to their new environment.
"We love Montreal," Hawayek said. "It's full of things to do, and from a mental standpoint, it's a good change of pace. But I think more so, our confidence comes from being at the training center."
"There are so many incredible athletes that we're training with," she continued. "It not only pushes and motivates us to be around them, but there's an incredible family atmosphere and support that you feel."
Part of this "family atmosphere" includes U.S. Olympians
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, and
Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
"I think they were really happy for us when they found out we made the Final," Hawayek said when asked of U.S. champions Hubbell and Donohue, who will also be competing in Vancouver this week. "They see that we're hard workers like they are."
Along with their fellow U.S. athletes, Hawayek and Baker recognize their coaches as a leading support system.
"Our coaches have taught us that it's not a matter of training for a specific placement or for one competition, but it's having the mentality that you train to win every day," Hawayek shared.
"They've helped us grow our confidence and expand our skill set," Baker added. "We're really fortunate for all the support from everybody. Not just our coaches and the federation, but the fans as well...there's a whole new surge of energy."
Hawayek and Baker have been using this energy to train for the Grand Prix Final, focusing on pushing themselves emotionally, physically and technically in each program - their Tango Romantica rhythm dance and free dance to music by the Irrepressibles.
However, while winning is the goal, it is not their sole motivation. The two consider themselves artists just as much as they see themselves as competitors.
"We push ourselves as artists on an everyday basis," Baker said. "When you can stand in the middle of the ice after a performance, whether you won the event or the free dance, and you can look around and see that you've moved people in a way that you can't even really do with words...there's just not a greater feeling in the world."
"We're artists," Hawayek agreed confidently. "When we look around and feel that we have not only invested in the performance, but everyone around has as well, and that we've touched them somehow, that's the greatest motivation."
Now in their seventh season together, the team has been able to balance their competitive and artistic goals.
"Winning is awesome, we love it," Baker said. "But people don't always necessarily remember the winners as they remember particular performances, and that's what really pushes both Kaitlin and I."
As the two prepare for the Grand Prix Final, they plan to put on two powerful programs that build off of their last performance in Grenoble.
"It's an easy answer to say that we want placements," Baker acknowledged as he talked about their goals for the upcoming competition. "But for us, we just want to push ourselves as much as we can."
