By: Dylan Nazareth

The 2025 Skate Canada Nationals are underway, with the senior pairs skaters set to lace up for their short programs later today.

For three Ontario duos, it’s clear that the key to succeeding at this competition is all about connection and chemistry.

Veteran Presence

Now in their third year skating together, Trennt Michaud (28) and Lia Pereira (20) are looking for a third consecutive medal after collecting silver and bronze in their first two appearances. This deep into their partnership, they’re still finding ways to keep improving.

“We had very good chemistry to begin with and we’re both just people that haven’t stopped working on it,” said Michaud, speaking after practice Thursday morning. “We put as much work off the ice into our partnership as we do the actual elements on the ice, because that’s a big part of success.”

“We’re a team, a very small team of two,” added Pereira.

Michaud jokes that developing that bond has consisted of “sending TikTok videos back and forth,” listening to “a lot of Dua Lipa,” and hanging out whenever they can—at the gym, in the car travelling to practice, or on breaks. Their shared love of the sport further fuels their on-ice connection.

“We both really enjoy skating in the day-to-day, and I think that’s one of the things that also bonded our relationship,” said Pereira. “Always reminding each other of why we’re doing it. We always say, is there anywhere else you’d rather be?”

Above all, their strength lies in always keeping open communication, especially right before stepping onto the ice for a competition.

“We have little things we do to kind of check in, even just with eye contact,” said Michaud.

“Basic questions, like how are you feeling? Feeling nervous?” added Pereira. “It’s nice to hear that the other partner is feeling the same thing as you, you know?”

Coming in Hot

Another Ontario pair challenging for a spot on the podium is the duo of Fiona Bombardier (19) and Benjamin Mimar (25). Both with Laval roots, the pair will be looking to take advantage of some crowd love, with a slew of family & friends coming to cheer them on.

Chatting after their morning skate, their banter gives the appearance of a pair many years into their partnership. And yet, they’ve only been skating together less than a year.

“We spend a lot of time together,” said Bombardier, who stopped skating solo this season to focus solely on pairs. “We train part-time in Montreal, so we drive together, you know, that six hour drive.”

“Twelve hours once because of a flat tire!” added her partner.

Given the time they spend together, it’s no wonder they’ve built such a rapport. Their go-to road trip tune is Dasha’s Austin (Boots Stop Workin’), which they agree they “have to listen to, like, twice in a row … because it is just not long enough.”

Bombardier and Mimar both said they work well together because their energies balance each other out. When Mimer gets nervous before competitions, Bombardier’s energy helps calm him down.

“I’m a little more bubbly when it comes to competition,” said Bombardier. “He’s a really bubbly person off the ice, but when it comes to competition it goes away, so I try to bring it back.”

“Yeah, I get really serious,” said Mimar, smiling.

Next up…

Also competing are 2024-2025 Skate Canada NextGen Team pair Jazmine Desrochers (18) and former AAA hockey player Kieran Thrasher (20). The duo turned heads last month after earning bronze at the Junior Grand Prix Final for the second consecutive year.

Now, last year’s junior national bronze medallists are looking to bring that same spark to their senior debut.“We try and go out at every competition the same, with the same mentality and the same attitude,” said Desrochers. “I think going into this we’re just hoping for two good programs, to make them as clean as possible and together as possible.”

They began skating as a pair last season and quickly built chemistry by training together from the get go.

“We skate together a lot more than we see in most pairs teams when they first start out,” said Thrasher. “So I think just like skating with each other, that’s how we build our chemistry.”

This competition, their biggest test yet, is sure to deepen their chemistry and represents a crucial milestone in the pair’s budding career.