Véronik
Véronik Mallet
Nickname: Véro/Ver
Hometown: Sept-Iles, Qc
Country: Canada
Age: 27
Spirit Animal: “I didn’t know what to say, so I did a quiz haha. And the answer was butterfly. I think it would be a good spirit animal as the meaning is finding joy in life and lightness of being.”
Fun Fact: “I can juggle.”
“Just do it.”
-Nike
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First putting on skates before the age of two, Véronik began figure skating at the age of three.
“My mom was a figure skating coach, my sister was skating, and I always wanted to be like my sister; so, they had to put me on skates [at a young age].”
At the age of 14, she moved to Montreal to train with, Annie Barabé.
“I was able to win a medal in each category at nationals; pre-novice, novice, junior and three senior [level events]. I started my international career really late, only at the age of 18.”
Now training in Oakville, for the past two years, Véronik most recently captured the silver medal at the 2022 Canadian National Championships.
Describe yourself in one word: Resilient
Q: Who was your skating role-model when you were younger?
“Cynthia Phaneuf and Jessica Dubé - I was training with them every day and I was able to see them work hard and achieve their goals.”
Q: Who is someone in your life that inspires you?
“My sister. Since I’ was young, I always wanted to do everything like her. I was following her everywhere, all the time.”
Q: What is your favourite element in skating?
“My favorite is triple loop and my least favorite is triple lutz.”
Q: What is your favourite type of off-ice training?
“My favorite off-ice training is with Patrick Magee. We are always doing a lot of injury prevention and exercises to be stronger on the ice.”
Q: Do you have any pre-competition rituals or superstitions?
“I had some before [my injury], but when I [returned to competition] I decided to stop.”
Q: What type of music gets you in-the-zone?
“I don’t have any music in particular; it depends on the moment.”
Q: What do you typically think about while competing?
“Fun fact, during my program, I think about everything except figure skating. I can think about my dog or something I’ll have to do.
Q: What is the last thing your coach says to you before you compete?
“Get out of your head.”
Q: Do you do any type of visualization or meditation?
“I do a little bit of visualization. Most of the time it’s before bed and I am visualizing my programs.”
Q: Did you ever endure some type of adversity in your career?
“In 2017, I broke my heel, the biggest bone of the foot. It was [being caused by] a stress fracture, but I didn’t know. Even on w-rays, doctors were not able to see it. I was having a lot of pain, but because I was leaving for Skate Canada International the following week, I was still training.”
“The Monday before Skate Canada, I went to the rink, tried one triple flip, and my bone just broke. I had two surgeries, and two screws put into the bone. A lot of doctors told me that I was never going to be able to skate again, but I knew I was not finished. It took me two years to come back, but I came back with a strong 3rd place at Nationals in 2019.”
Q: What is your ultimate goal with skating?
“My goal in skating is always to give 100% and to inspire young skaters by being able to show them the joy of skating.”
Q: What is one major life lesson you’ve learned from skating?
“That there’s a lot of things that we can’t control, but with resilience and motivation, we can get to our goals. It also gave me a sense of discipline and responsibility.”
Q: Do you have any advice for young and aspiring skaters?
“Trust yourself, you know what you can do.”
Q: On days that you don’t feel like training or going to the rink, what keeps you motivated?
“I’m someone who gets motivated very easily. On days that I don’t really feel like training, I just keep my goals in my head. Also, just by going to the rink and seeing my friends working hard and talking with my coaches can be enough to motivates me.”
Q: What is it that you love most about skating?
“Pushing myself every day.”
Q: What are some of your most memorable skating moments?
“Novice Nationals. I was really sick the night before my short program, so I had a really bad skate and finished last. I came back with a strong free program, won the free, and finished third overall!”
Also, “Winning my first senior National medal in 2015.”
Q: If skating didn’t exist and you could be anything else in the world what would it be?
“I think I would have loved to be a gymnast. When I was younger, I did gymnastics and I really enjoyed it.”
Q: What are you planning post-competitive career?
“I want for sure to stay in skating. I already started coaching younger skaters and I really like it. Also, I’m studying real estate.”
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of skating?
“I love outdoors activities like hiking, camping, and being with my dog Zara and my friends.”
Q: Where is one place you’ve never been but hope to visit?
“A lot of places I want to go, but for sure Australia and Greece. I think it looks so different from Canada and it looks really beautiful. I want to go see the kangaroos and the koalas.”
What does it mean to you to have a #ChampionshipMindset?
“For me, having a #ChampionshipMindset is to believe in yourself. To push myself everyday by showing up, being motivated, being focused but most important being passionate.”
