Women
CAN
Alison Desmarais
CAN- Date of birth26 Jun 1997
- Height1590 CM
- ProfessionAthlete, Coach
- HometownCalgary
- Place of birthN/A
- Start skating Club She began skating at age eight in Vanderhoof, BC, Canada. She competed in short track until 2019 when she switched to speed skating. Vanderhoof Clippers Speed Skating Club: Canada
- HobbiesBaking. (speedskatingbc.ca, 01 Jan 2021)
- LanguagesEnglish
- CoachN/A
- ChoreographerN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- Practice low seasonN/A
- Practice high seasonN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
She was awarded the 2017 Premier's Award for Aboriginal Youth Excellence in Sport in British Columbia, Canada. (myprincegeorgenow.com, 21 Mar 2018)
"Always keep it fun." (Athlete, 13 Nov 2018)
Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen, Canadian short track skater Jamie Macdonald. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2018; ominecaexpress.com, 15 Nov 2019)
Her parents. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2018)
To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (calgary.ctvnews.ca, 08 Jun 2023)
Finishing third in the 3000m relay at the 2018 World Cup event in Calgary, AB, Canada. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2018)
SHORT TO LONG TRACK
She previously competed in short track at international level. In 2019 she took part in a nationwide talent search, RBC Training Ground, in the hope of pursuing a new sport at Olympic level. When she completed a vertical jump test as part of the talent search programme, coaches noticed her potential. "They had scouts or people from the national sport organisations that are watching the athletes and see who they would like to recruit. After one jump, the speed skating recruit comes up to me and asks, 'What sport did you do?' And I said, 'I was a speed skater', and she was like, 'Yeah, go figure'." She subsequently moved from Vanderhoof, BC, to Calgary, AB, to start training with Speed Skating Canada. "I wasn't loving it [short track] as much as normal. Like, I still love skating, but I had to move to Montreal if I wanted to continue with short track because that's the centre for skating in Canada, and it just wasn't as much as a passion for me anymore. I noticed my constant smile being replaced with daily uncontrollable tears and training felt more like a chore than a joy. I've always known, to me, sport is not worth the smile on my face or the joy in my heart, so although I still very much love this sport I also know it's time for change." (princegeorgecitizen.com, 04 Sep 2019; thegauntlet.ca, 01 Nov 2018; passionpvss.blogspot.com, 05 Sep 2019)
COACHING
She has worked as a strength and conditioning coach for Speed Skating British Columbia in Canada. "Although I've been skating for 16 years, it's a different experience being on the other side and I have already learned so much [as a coach]. The biggest thing I've learned so far is how much goes into planning a strength and conditioning programme that is structured, science-based, and suitable / effective for a wide range of individuals. I respect my coaches on a whole new level." (speedskatingbc.ca, 01 Jan 2021)
She previously competed in short track at international level. In 2019 she took part in a nationwide talent search, RBC Training Ground, in the hope of pursuing a new sport at Olympic level. When she completed a vertical jump test as part of the talent search programme, coaches noticed her potential. "They had scouts or people from the national sport organisations that are watching the athletes and see who they would like to recruit. After one jump, the speed skating recruit comes up to me and asks, 'What sport did you do?' And I said, 'I was a speed skater', and she was like, 'Yeah, go figure'." She subsequently moved from Vanderhoof, BC, to Calgary, AB, to start training with Speed Skating Canada. "I wasn't loving it [short track] as much as normal. Like, I still love skating, but I had to move to Montreal if I wanted to continue with short track because that's the centre for skating in Canada, and it just wasn't as much as a passion for me anymore. I noticed my constant smile being replaced with daily uncontrollable tears and training felt more like a chore than a joy. I've always known, to me, sport is not worth the smile on my face or the joy in my heart, so although I still very much love this sport I also know it's time for change." (princegeorgecitizen.com, 04 Sep 2019; thegauntlet.ca, 01 Nov 2018; passionpvss.blogspot.com, 05 Sep 2019)
COACHING
She has worked as a strength and conditioning coach for Speed Skating British Columbia in Canada. "Although I've been skating for 16 years, it's a different experience being on the other side and I have already learned so much [as a coach]. The biggest thing I've learned so far is how much goes into planning a strength and conditioning programme that is structured, science-based, and suitable / effective for a wide range of individuals. I respect my coaches on a whole new level." (speedskatingbc.ca, 01 Jan 2021)
She has competed in short track at World Cup events, and finished third in the 3000m relay at 2018 event in Calgary, AB, Canada. (passionpvss.blogspot.com, 09 May 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 10 Oct 2023)
"My family started the club in the town [Vanderhoof, BC, Canada] so it was a family activity. I was 12 when I started getting more committed and more intense. I started going for provincial-level competitions, and when I was 15, I made my first national-level competition and by that point I knew this was something I wanted to pursue."
