Figure skater Vanessa James gets back to basics for 'Battle of the Blades'
'I think it's good for all of us, not just the hockey skaters. Skating with Brian has improved my own skating'
Meet figure skater Vanessa James, six-time French pairs champion, 2018 Grand Prix Final champion and 2019 European champion and this fall, she will be competing for a chance to be a new kind of champion. She will be skating with former NHL-er Brian McGrattan on Battle of the Blades, a CBC series that pairs figure skaters with hockey players to compete in an ice dancing competition with six other teams.
I spoke with Vanessa about racial representation in a sport with so few black/African athletes, what it's like to be back in Canada, and the unique learning opportunities in training for Battle of the Blades.
Back to basics
After a competitive few years — including a series of impressive titles — Battle of the Blades is taking her back to the basics of her sport: "Being able to articulate to someone exactly what their body needs to do and the mechanics of it is cool. I think it's good for all of us, not just the hockey skaters. Skating with Brian has improved my own skating."
You have to see your own beauty and that is not always easy when you don't see people around you that are similar to you but just know that the simple fact that there were people before you, there will be people after you and it can be you.
A Canadian in France
Vanessa is Canadian-born but she competes for France. Her typical season has her living out of a suitcase, travelling every two-to-three weeks during the Grand Prix competition series and often spending Christmas away from home. The demanding schedule, combined with balancing the hopes and expectations of coaching teams, a federation and her pairs partner can be exhausting, but she also sees it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "You get to meet many different people and experience so many different cultures, learning different languages and building connections with people, it is an amazing experience and I want to take advantage of it for as long as I can."
Racial representation in figure skating
Figure skating has been a popular sport across Europe, North America, China and Japan for decades, but it's rare to encounter figure skaters of black/African descent. I asked Vanessa about what her experience in figure skating has been like as a woman of colour.
"My dad has always said you need to be 10 times better and work 10 times harder just so that you can be given the same chances that everyone else is given. From that perspective, I have always known I was different but my parents also encouraged me throughout my career by saying I was beautiful, my skin shining on the ice was so beautiful," she says.
She sees her differences as her strengths and surrounds herself as positive people who support that. "You have to see your own beauty and that is not always easy when you don't see people around you that are similar to you but just know that the simple fact that there were people before you, there will be people after you and it can be you."
Back on home soil
Vanessa describes Canada as one of the best places to skate — a place where she feels accepted, welcomed and loved. She looks forward to stepping back onto home ice for Battle of the Blades, where she'll compete for the Alzheimer's Society of Canada.
I ended my conversation with Vanessa by collecting some intel on a few of her favourite things:
Favourite hockey team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Dress or 1-Piece: 1-piece
Go-to training snack: Cashews
Favourite athlete: Martin Forcaude
English or French: French
Favourite country you've ever visited: Australia for the youth Olympics in 2006
Favourite place you've ever lived: Canada
Junk food go-to: Cookie dough ice-cream
Pre-skate superstitions: I always put my left skate on first!
Watch Vanessa and Brian compete in Season 5 of Battle of the Blades Thursdays 8 p.m. (9AT/9:30NT) on CBC. You can also vote for her performance as soon as the show wraps!
As a member of the Battle of the Blades production team, Sara Yacobi-Harris is combining her experience as a former competitive figure skater with her current career in Unscripted Content at the CBC. She is a writer, documentarian and is currently completing a masters degree in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto.