#ShortTrackWorldTour

Talk to any member of the Canadian Ice Maples about an individual medal win this season, and they will automatically start telling you about the great group of people they have around them. 

Credit is given to coaches and to teammates, who they widely acknowledge with pushing them to the limit and encouraging them in training. They win and lose as a unit.

There’s a real air of camaraderie between their racers – so with that in mind, it perhaps isn’t unsurprising that this Canadian collective has become the inaugural winner of the ISU Team Crystal Globe. 

“We are like a big family and we are all friends,” says Danae Blais, who won her debut ISU Short Track World Tour gold medal in Beijing this season.

“I love our team spirit and how much fun we have. It is more than just sport for us. We are really close.

 Danae Blais on her way to 1000m gold at the Beijing (CHN) leg of the Short Track World Tour with fellow Canadian Courtney Sarault close behind. © ISU

“It is amazing to know that we have the best program, the best skaters, we are all very proud and happy to get the Crystal Globe. 

“The team Globe has been great because it gives every race a purpose. Sometimes we don’t perform as well as we like, but now we also have this goal it makes a difference. 

“So when I made a B final this season, it was a little bit of a disappointment after the medals, but I knew that all the points count for my team, so it’s extra motivation.”

‘You give and receive, it gives a good energy’

Coach Marc Gagnon, himself a three-time Olympic gold medallist, says that Canada has consciously worked on developing this unity. 

“Especially this year, we’ve started doing things a little differently, working as a team more,” he reveals.

“It’s great because all the guys respect each other. It gives them the opportunity to be vulnerable and help other people out. 

“You give and you receive, and it gives a good energy. The girls are getting into this as well now. It keeps everyone more as a team, instead of individuals. 

 Blais, Sarault, Florence Brunelle and Kim Boutin celebrate 3000m Relay gold with coach Marc Gagnon in Seoul, Korea. © ISU

“The good spirit gives us momentum with what we’ve been doing since the beginning of the summer, to go for that Globe. 

“If you’d asked me before the season, I would have said that that we will give it a hell of a try. I was confident of the fact that we had a good chance. I’m very proud of them.” 

Men’s Crystal Globe winner William Dandjinou agrees with Gagnon. “I wouldn’t have said William Dandjinou as an individual prospect was going to do so well this year, but with our team, I knew it was possible,” he says. 

“I would have said Canada will win the Team Globe. I’ve seen what we are able to do in the summer. I saw how hard the girls worked, too, and I knew we were in contention.” 

 William Dandjinou, right, celebrates 5000m Relay gold on the Montreal (CAN) leg of the Short Track World Tour with teammates Felix Roussel, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Steven Dubois. © ISU

Blais adds that “there are not lots of egos on the team”, which has helped them develop in step.

“We don’t really accept it [egos]. Of course there are issues and problems sometimes, but the energy is good. 

“I didn’t think it would be us winning this Globe at the start of the season, but I knew we had the potential. But we performed well individually and it’s a bit like magic, things fell into place.”

A flexible approach to training has helped, she adds. “The coaches are really considerate of the athletes. We have some control over what we do, how we train. It is our career. 

“If I say I need some rest, I can have some rest. I can influence my training. It is flexible and I am working with the coach, not working for the coaches. I think that makes a big difference and maybe it is not the same with every country.”

While skater numbers in Canada are healthy - although not comparable to those in the Republic of Korea - the fact that most of them come from the same region has an effect, too, according to Gagnon. 

“Luckily or not, most of our skaters are concentrated in Quebec, so we do have high quality skaters all training together in one place, rather than people in smaller groups here and there around the country,” says Gagnon. 

Coach Marc Gagnon, left, believes team spirit has created the momentum which has propelled the Ice Maples towards the inaugural ISU Team Crystal Globe. © ISU

“It would be better if we had people coming from all over Canada, because we are a country, but most people are in the same spot. And that does make it easier for coaching.

“We have around 11,000 people skating short track, and most of those skate competitively, so we do have a good amount to choose from, too.”

The squad is well balanced as a result, too – a crucial factor when trying to score points across the distances and the genders. 

United in victory: Ice Maples skaters and coaches celebrate their triumph at the conclusion of the Short Track World Tour in Milan, Italy. © ISU

“We have a deep team, all at a very good level, for the girls we’ve won a gold medal at every distance at the World Tour events,” says Blais. 

“We are good at every distance, and that brings a healthy competition between us. We see what each other is doing and we want to improve.”

ISU Team Crystal Globe - final standings

1. Canadian Ice Maples – 8731 points

2. Dutch Lions – 6919 points

3. Italian Gladiators – 6184 points

About the ISU Short Track World Tour: Feel the Rush!

The ISU Short Track World Tour is a global series of six elite Short Track ice skating events, spanning across North America, Asia and Europe. With a focus on engaging fans in a brand-new dynamic and entertaining event experience through vibrant competitions, the ISU Short Track World Tour aims to elevate the sport and bring its explosive excitement to a worldwide audience.

With each race, skaters aim for the ultimate prize — the Crystal Globe—awarded to the top male and female skater who accumulate the most points throughout the Short Track World Tour. This is where the world’s best Short Track skaters meet to thrill audiences and Feel the Rush!