(Reprinted from Mature Lifestyles, March 1999)
By Sean B. Pasternak
It goes without saying that skating’s Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler are legends in Canadian sport. The pair have skated together since 1987, winning numerous accolades along the way. They have been World Champions, Olympic medalists, five-time Canadian champions, and have even been inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
Still, even with the challenging task of having Canadians everywhere look up to them as role models, Brasseur and Eisler don’t see this as a burden, but rather a privilege.
"You don’t think of it as a weight," says Brasseur. "When you do achieve those things, you don’t realize the impact you have on younger kids, you’re so involved in your career.
"I think it’s later on that you realize it’s not a weight anymore - more a good example, and it’s nice to know that we did it the right way."
A combination of strength and skill, the team of Brasseur and Eisler have won over skating fans with their spectacular lifts and triple-lateral twists. According to Brasseur, the friendship between her and Eisler only strengthens their chemistry and performance on the ice.
"We’re really good friends," she says. "Even my coaches are like that. It’s really nice to have them as friends."
Brasseur believes the dedication that she and Lloyd continually put into their team is imperative for successful pairs skating. "People who stick with the same partners and go through those hard years are the ones who make it to the top eventually," she says.
Recently, Brasseur was diagnosed as having vasodepressor syncope, a heart affliction which causes her to tire more easily. "I’ve noticed what’s hard is to train," she admits. "If I do too many things that involve muscular effort in one day, I get so tired at night, I’m wiped out."
However, by taking medication every day, it is still possible for her to perform in the sport she loves. "There’s a lot of worse things to have, and I’m lucky that it’s only that and that I can sort of control it," she says.
When they are not skating, Brasseur and Eisler can often be seen giving back to the community through various charities and non-profit organizations. Eisler, for example, works as a Big Brother in Montreal, while Brasseur is with Big Sisters, and both of them help several AIDS organizations. "They are just warm, warm people," says Laura Cole, executive director of The Children’s Wish Foundation.
In fact, the Children’s Wish Foundation is one organization in which the pair have been especially giving of their time. Six years ago, Brasseur and Eisler became National Spokespersons for the Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill children. Instead of a traditional fundraiser, Brasseur and Eisler decided to present a skating show called ‘Dreams on Ice’, which has featured some of the biggest names in the sport over the years. "The Children’s Wish Foundation loves the awareness (Dreams on Ice) has created," says Cole, adding that the show has raised some $250,000 in funding since its inception.
"If there were skating fans who didn’t know about the Foundation, and they saw our show because there was a Kurt Browning or Elvis Stojko or Josee Chouinard there, then they might have learned about it that way," Brasseur says. "We both think - Lloyd and I - that it’s a great Foundation."
The next show - entitled Winter Dreams on Ice - takes place on March 12 at the brand new Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment. Among those starring will be Brasseur, Eisler, Kristi Yamaguchi, Browning, Brian Orser, Chouinard and Elizabeth Manley.
"We were lucky to have our dreams realized and we are lucky to be healthy," Brasseur says of their ongoing charity. "If you can only give back even a little bit of what we have, that makes me feel good. That makes Lloyd feel good too."
