Coach Nancy Lemaire, Trennt Michaud, Lia Pereira, and Coach Alison Purkiss (Photo; submitted to Quinte News by Trennt Michaud)
It is what he has been working for his entire career.
Twenty-nine-year-old pairs figure skater Trennt Michaud, who was born and raised in the Quinte region, has won the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships in Gatineau.
Michaud, and pairs partner Lia Pereira, were nine points back of first following Friday’s short program.
They would cement their victory scoring a 135.03 in the free program, 12 points ahead of Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Quebec.
(Photo: screen shot from Skate Canada social media)
Michaud spoke to Quinte News just moments after it was announced that he was heading to the Olympics.
He tells us he got started late in figure skating.
“I always joke around I got kicked out of Timbits hockey because I wasn’t a great skater and I would throw my stick at the kids who would take the puck away from me, even though I couldn’t catch up to them. At the end of the season, I was told I needed to learn how to skate before I came back.“
A lot of credit goes to his community that helped him achieve the accomplishment, including his mother Lisa Fralick and longtime coach Lisa Conley.
Conley, who is now with the Trenton Figure Skating Club, says it is incredible.
“I know when I started with Trennt, I went to his mom and said he’s going to be a pair boy. She looked at me, and I said the way he’s built, the way he skates, he needs to focus on going into pairs. He went home and he watched a team, and I think it with was (Jamie) Salé and (David) Pelletier and he was like yeah, that’s what I want to do.”
MORE BELOW
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud during their winning performance to Gladiator in Gatineau Saturday. (Danielle Earl / Skate Canada)
Conley added that you have so much care for your athletes, you sometimes feel like a parent.
“It’s amazing. Back then you are like that second parent. Sometimes the parents may not be able to get them to the rink. Sometimes that’s when a coach can step in and help out where they can. Getting them the coaching they need, getting them the training that they need.”
MORE BELOW
Figure Skating Coach Lisa Conley with then 13-year-old Trennt Michaud (Photo: submitted by Lisa Conley)
Mother Lisa Fralick, who calls Foxboro home, is also the former vice president of the Quinte Figure Skating Club, where Trennt began.
She says Trennt also competed with the Prince Edward Figure Skating Club before Trenton.
She says all of the hours, and effort, and money, and early mornings got washed away when she saw her son on the podium Saturday.
https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1977/files/2026/01/lisa-fralick-1.mp3
“Yeah, everything’s worth it. To see the smile and the happiness, all the things, it’s just amazing to me. It all kind of just goes away.”
MORE BELOW
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (Photo: Skate Canada/Canada Olympic photo)
Fralick says there is nothing better than to see your child achieve their dream.
https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1977/files/2026/01/lisa-fralick-2.mp3
“Try not to cry. I don’t know how to explain the feeling, it’s just everything. It’s a goal he has had since he was five. To see him achieve it, it’s surreal still.”
MORE BELOW
Trennt Michaud and his mother Lisa Fralick at the National Figure Skating Championships in Gatineau. (Photo: Submitted by Lisa Fralick)
Michaud and Pereira are coming off a bronze medal at the 2025 Four Continents in South Korea and will both be competing at their first Olympic games.
“One of my values was doing the work to achieve the goals that I want to, and to help push myself. It’s not really work for me, this is what I do, this is what I love. It makes it even more sweet when these results happen, that you plan and want to have happen, but I’m very lucky that this was instilled in me at a young age, from my support system at home, and my friends and my family, to be able to allow me to have this outlook on life and be able to push myself to this moment.”
Trenton’s Trent Michaud on skates early (Photo: submitted by Lisa Fralick)
(Photo: submitted by Lisa Fralick)
Trennt Michaud competing in Oshawa in 2006 (Photo: submitted by Lisa Fralick)