By: Debbi Wilkes

World Pair Bronze Medalist Trennt Michaud has barely had time to breathe since he and partner Lia Pereira stepped on to the World’s podium in Prague.

“Honestly,” says Trennt, “it’s funny how everyone asks me what I plan to do in the off-season. There is no off-season anymore!”

The team did take a week’s holiday after World’s … Trennt travelling to Jamaica … Lia staying in Europe … but then it was full steam ahead on tour with Stars on Ice and participating in special events. “I wasn’t really settled back in at home till the end of June,” says Trennt.

Then the hard work really started. Planning, strategizing, choreography, run-throughs and constantly striving for perfection as the new season gets underway are all parts of skating that Trennt embraces. “I’m really happy if we make it look easy,” he says. “But it’s only because we put thousands of hours into training to deliver a good performance … we never count on ‘luck’ and there’s definitely nothing magical about it!

“I’m a full-time figure skater,” he admits. “It’s pretty cool … it’s a great life … I get to wake up every day and go to the rink to train. Yeah, it’s got some hard times, but at the same time, this is what I grew up wanting to be.”

That dream began back where Trennt was born in Sterling, Ontario, a small community near Belleville.

“My Mom figure skated a bit,” recalls Trennt. “I think she passed a few dance tests … but skating was NEVER on my radar. I was going to be a hockey player.” And that’s when Tim Horton’s Timbits Program entered the picture.

“My problem was I could not skate,” laughs Trennt. “And if someone would take the puck from me, I’d throw my stick at them, punch and kick … anything but go skating after the puck. So … I’d get put in the net a lot.”

After a year as a Tim-bit, probably around age 7, Trennt was told he needed to learn to skate before coming back to the program. His Mom realized it too and, after consultation with Trennt’s grandparents, enrolled him in the CanSkate program at the Quinte Figure Skating Club at Belleville’s Memorial Arena, at the time one of the oldest rinks in Canada.

Clearly, the word ‘lazy’ was never on a list of details describing Trennt’s character or work ethic.

Trennt has fond memories of that rink. “It was shaped like a box … so the Zamboni couldn’t flood the corners or it would run into a wall. Eventually those corners would fill up with snow until they’d get sprayed with water and melted down.”

It took a while for Trennt to catch the figure skating bug but after watching a male skater perform in the year-end ice show, he thought maybe he’d give it a try. “My first pair of skates were white … getting black ones would have meant a drive to Kingston or Toronto … but I was okay putting black boot covers over top.”

Although the original goal was to return to hockey, Trennt was beginning to discover the possibilities figure skating provided. Then, after about a year, his coach, Lisa Conley, suggested he try pair skating.

“At the time, I had no idea what that was until she suggested I watch some on YouTube … so I typed it in and guess what came up? Jamie Sale and David Pelletier’s ‘Love Story’ performance from the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City! Not bad! And after that I knew I wanted to be a pair skater.”

As Trennt’s interest increased, so did his time on the road. Getting enough ice time involved travelling to the whole Quinte West area … Belleville, Picton, Wellington, Trenton, the Club he continues to represent … and sometimes even as far as Napanee. “Skating always came first, but also, I was still competing in Track and Field both locally and regionally in Hurdles, the 4×100 and cross country and took it so seriously I became COSSA Champion in 300 m Hurdles. I was even the Bay of Quinte Badminton Champion,” he says smiling.

While in grade 12 and having competed at various national events in both singles and pairs, Trennt was recognizing his huge competitive nature and wanted to build on his national experience … but it involved changing training locations and moving his home base.

He found the perfect landing spot in Western Ontario with Coach Alison Purkiss, living first in Strathroy, then in London and finally in Brantford where he and Lia continue to train at both the Brant Figure Skating Club and the Milton Skating Club.

“It was hard at first,” admits Trent. “In addition to skating, I had to work part-time to help pay those skating bills.”

Today, some 10 years later, with impressive performances at both Olympics and Worlds, that bronze medal is more motivating than ever … both on and off the ice. Just ask his canine roomie, a Pug named Bilbo Puggins (based on the fantasy character Bilbo Baggins from ‘Lord of the Rings’) whose favorite place to lie is on Trennt’s headphones.

Somewhere in Trennt’s heavy schedule, he also finds time to attend McMaster University as a part-time student concentrating on the social sciences. “I’ve found my courses are useful not only in how they apply to my life in general,” he says, “but my skating life has benefitted too.”

Trennt knows it’s healthy to have something interesting happening outside the skating world. “I love being on campus. I love going to class. I love sitting around other people. And I’m looking forward to acquiring skills to help build my game plan for the future and the transition I’ll have to face post competition.”

Thinking back to his move away from home, Trennt realizes how important timing can be when you’re making big decisions. “Ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t have done well at university. Since then I’ve been really fortunate to have gained such valuable experience … hopefully I’ve matured a bit,” he laughs. “I’ve learned so many lessons from skating … organization, planning, time management, setting priorities and motivating myself.”

Many unforgettable experiences stand out in Trennt’s mind.

“At the very beginning of my skating journey, I was so grateful to the clubs where I trained and how they cooperated to help me progress.” Of course, finding Lia as his on-ice partner and standing together on the World’s podium are a hi-lite this year. “But,” as Trennt says, “it’s been a lot of little things that have meant the most. Working on tour and hearing our names called for the first time as World Bronze Medalists, skating alongside heroes like Elvis Stojko … there are just so many moments!”

And many of them he attributes to the hard work, vision and support provided by Alison and the rest of his and Lia’s amazing coaching team.

“Without them, none of this could have happened.”

Bilbo Puggins agrees.