A Summer of Change for Paul & Islam

by Jacquelyn Thayer

After an unusually challenging season troubled by injury, Alexandra Paul & Mitchell Islam knew a “shake-up,” in Islam’s words, was in order. The change came in the form of a summer-long relocation to the bustling Detroit Skating Club, home to several top teams including reigning world bronze medalists Nathalie Péchalat & Fabian Bourzat of France and Canadian silver medalists Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje.

“At our club in Barrie, at Mariposa, we have tons of really young, talented teams,” Islam said, “but we needed some older people, some teams better than us—we think that’s important when you’re training. So that was the basis for our move. We have total faith in our coaches at home, but we just needed to train with some older, world-class teams.”

Both Paul and Islam have spent their skating careers at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ont., where Islam’s father, David, serves as Director of Ice Dance and the team’s primary coach.

Paul, 20, acknowledges that the temporary move is an adjustment. “We’ve both lived at home our whole lives, so it’s the first time being away from home for us,” she said. “But I think it’s good. We’re older now, so it’s a nice change for us, and just being around different people is exciting and new.”

The fresh scenery has had a positive impact on the duo’s training. Both programs are complete, with work now going towards refinement. “The last couple of weeks, the intensity has really ramped up,” Islam said. “We’re getting ready for summer competitions, so we’re working a lot on the little details right now, and trying to push out the programs and get them competition-ready.”

Those competitions will include one of the most anticipated events in the ice dance world, July’s Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships. “We’ve never done Lake Placid together and we thought it would be a good way to get to a competition outside the country to start, just to be around other skaters and get used to more people being around us when we compete,” Paul said. The team also plans to compete at Thornhill Summer Skate in August for the second time in their partnership.

Their new free dance, set to selections from the jazzy score of the film The Legend of 1900 and choreographed by the in-demand team of Anjelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo, also represents a shift from last season’s program set to Elton John’s “Tonight.”
“We wanted to go with something a little lighter this year for our free dance, something a little happier,” Islam said. “We’re liking how it’s evolving. It’s really getting a character of its own and I think both of us are really, I guess you could say, flourishing with this genre.”

Meanwhile, the short dance, choreographed by Mariposa’s Kelly Johnson, required the couple to learn a difficult new pattern in the Yankee Polka. “I think it’s going to be good. It’s going to push teams, and I guess it’s a dance that can really separate the men from the boys, so to speak,” Islam said with a laugh. “We’re enjoying it so far, though. I think the Yankee [Polka] is a dance that really works for us.”   

The team’s ultimate season goal is to reach the 2013 World Championships in London, Ontario, but first they’ll have to post a strong showing at what is likely to be a deeply competitive Canadian Championships. The couple is prepared to do battle.

“This is a really important year for us, and we know that, so we’re working as hard as we can every day,” Islam said. “We’re really gearing up for Nationals, and I think we both believe that if we’re healthy all year, and we’re training day in and day out as hard as we can, that that goal is definitely reachable.”

While certain elements of Paul & Islam’s skating life have changed, key qualities will remain. “We like to think we have nice lines, and we’re a pretty powerful team, if not necessarily the biggest team,” Islam explained. “And definitely, definitely our chemistry is something that would describe us. We enjoy working together on the ice and we love performing together, and I think that comes through when we’re competing.”

When asked about favorite dance styles and future ideas, Paul offered a few thoughts. “I’m more of a lyrical dancer,” she said. “I took ballet my whole life, so I’m more drawn to ‘love story’ pieces and more balletic pieces. But I also love doing styles like tango, because there’s a lot of passion in it, and I’ve always loved doing that kind of style. So maybe something like that in the future – though we haven’t really discussed it much. We’re taking it year-by-year.”

“We really want people to know that we’re back enjoying skating again and really loving training every day,” Islam said. “I think that’s something that we were missing last year, and it was understandable, I guess, because of what we went through in the summer and fall with injuries. So we just want our fans to know, and skating fans to know, that we’re back really enjoying the process, and we’re excited to compete again this year.”