“I Am One of Only Two Athletes To Do This!” — Jacqueline Legere on Chasing After Her Goal

Jacqueline Legere is paving a way in her sport – proving that women are fierce competitors, too

Known as one of the fastest sports on skates, 26-year-old Red Bull Crashed Ice athlete, Jacqueline Legere makes ice cross downhill seem like a walk in the park. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the sport, here is the low-down from Legere herself: “Four at a time, we go down these massive ice tracks filled with drops, hairpins turns and gaps — all while going up to 80 km/h. It’s an exhilarating sport that combines speed, strength, coordination and stamina.”

And by making a name for herself in a sport that is predominantly male, she proves that nothing is out of reach, as long as you have a goal in mind. This is where her #BHmoment begins.

Her recent goal

“Last season, I took the podium in Ottawa, winning back-to-back world championship titles at Red Bull Crashed Ice. I am one of only two ice cross downhill athletes to do this!”

“This was the first time any athlete had ever accomplished back-to-back wins — and we saw this in both the women’s and the men’s races. It was cool to be celebrated alongside Cameron Naasz as back-to-back champions,” she says. “I think this moment helped prove that the women of this series are fierce competitors and we can perform at the same level as the men.”

A glimpse into her training regime

“I have been competing in Red Bull Crashed Ice for six seasons and the competition keeps getting tougher with new racers hungry for the title. You always want to perform your best, especially coming out of a winning season the year before. To get back-to-back wins, I knew I needed to elevate my training regimen to keep up with the growing women’s division.”

How she stays in-shape year-round

“I do a lot of CrossFit and high-intensity interval training. I also play hockey for the Brantford Ice Cats. Hockey helps me overall when it comes to agility and skating.”

Her training spots

Pre-season: “I go to Joy Ride 150, an indoor bike park. The staff there are amazing and are kind enough to let us train there when they are closed. Places like Joy Ride are important to ice cross downhill athletes because there are no permanent ice tracks for us to train on. There, I’ll do in-line training to practice transitions and work on their pump tracks. These parks give us a chance to get a feel for the jumps and turns on inline skates, which is a pretty close simulation of how we compete on ice.”

Throughout the season: “I train at The Skating Lab Burlington once a week during the season on their skating treadmill. This helps me work on my skating techniques and sprints.”

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What others should take away from her journey

“The biggest thing is to never stop chasing your goal. Over the years I have had a few setbacks — from injuries to bad races — but I never gave up. My biggest piece of advice is to look at setbacks as a learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong and use it as an opportunity to grow and get stronger for next time.”

Advice she often gives her friends

“It’s important to remember that things don’t always go as planned. Get better, stronger and faster by learning from your mistakes and never give up. I work and train in a field dominated by men and have proven that women can do it too — we can set and accomplish the same goals,” she says. “Always challenge yourself to do more!”

This is how to set goals like an athlete.

To cheer on Legere this season, tune in live on Red Bull TV and CBCSports.ca.