I, Alice: Into the world of a varsity figure skater

Varsity athlete Alice Douplik lives a double life. When the second-year criminology major isn’t studying, she’s skating on the ice as a synchronized figure skater, where up to 16 people perform dazzling routines in unison.

Douplik – who is first-generation-Canadian – speaks English, Ukrainian, Russian, German and French. She started singles figure skating at the age of four in Germany, but quit at 15 years old after getting several injuries and hitting an emotional plateau. She took a year-long break to recover and to find her future path in skating.

That’s when Douplik’s mom introduced her to synchronized figure skating and she was inspired to lace up her skates again once she learned about the sport’s intricate twirls, precise footwork and the intense team spirit.

But picking up a new sport wasn’t easy. “I started in grade 12 and that was very late to begin synchro skating. Most of my teammates started when they were five,” says Douplik. “To skate alone for so long and then having to realize that there are other people with you was weird. I had to learn how to unify with them.”

This didn’t stop her though. Through fierce determination, she quickly caught up, and now competes for Burlington-based Nexxice (external link) , one of Canada’s most prestigious synchronized skating  teams.

A child of newcomers to Canada, Douplik describes her upbringing as disciplined.

“The fact that my parents are immigrants has a huge impact on my skating. Because they were from the Soviet Union, they grew up differently. I couldn’t stay out late. They were strict about rest, proper eating and my training schedule” she says.

That discipline gives Douplik the focus she needs to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Her training schedule is intense. The Faculty of Arts student practises more than five times a week, often as late as 11 p.m.

Douplik’s junior team placed first in the 2020 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships (external link)  in Calgary on February 21. Hot off that victory, she’ll be competing at the 2020 World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships in Nottingham, UK on March 13–14.

Douplik feels proud to represent Team Canada.

“When I step out with my synchro team, I feel like I have the weight of the country on my shoulders. I love it. I didn't think I would get this far,” she says.

Douplik is treating every competition as potentially her last. She turns 20 this summer and will age out of juniors, after which she might join the senior national team or put aside skating to focus her energy on academics. For any student athlete, finding the right balance between school and sport is a challenge.

“I try really hard. I do a lot of my studying at night or in between classes. I also study in planes, airports and hotels when we compete internationally,” says Douplik.

The long, tiring days are worth it.

“When I put on my skates, there’s a moment where the ice feels more stable to me than any other place. That feeling keeps me grounded,” Douplik says.