POV podcast: Former figure skater Paige Lawrence on believing in your own abilities
Olympian kept true to her small-town roots and encourages other young athletes to do the same
At 24 years old, pairs figure skater Paige Lawrence's career came to an abrupt end.
Born into a skating minority, clockwise spinners like her are few and far between, Lawrence needed a new male clockwise spinning partner — pronto.
Unfortunately, there's no fairytale ending here. After skating in the 2014 Olympics, she found herself without a partner a few months later. The clock kept ticking, but there was no new partner to be found, which forced an early end to her competitive career.
The premature conclusion was compounded by Lawrence's own career peaking just as her partnership was collapsing.
This would have been a meltdown for most but Lawrence is from a Saskatchewan rodeo family, and didn't give into sitting around and complaining.
In fact, her background has become a bit of a mission for Lawrence — she's committed to encouraging small town kids from all over Canada to believe in their abilities.
Lawrence stayed with her childhood coach and her little arena on the prairies for her entire career. It would have been easy to believe she couldn't make it big without a famous city coach and choreographer and support staff, but she's proof that it's possible to stay true to your roots and still flourish.
Work hard. Don't make excuses. Stay true to who you are. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Join our host, Anastasia Bucsis, as Paige Lawrence details her career, and the wisdom and values ultimately learned through her journey.