Mitch Islam considers himself a Barrie boy, through and through. And, as he tells it, Alexandra Paul was a Barrie girl, although she grew up in nearby Midhurst.
The couple, who had been together first as an ice-dance couple competing on the world stage and then romantically, were recently inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame.
Paul, who was killed in a car crash on Aug. 22, 2023 at the age of 31, had been inducted into the Springwater Sports Heritage's Hall of Fame in 2021.
Islam and Paul quickly moved ahead of the skating pack after partnering up early in 2009, becoming Canadian junior champions and placing second at worlds that season. He was 19, she was 17.
“It just kind of worked out that our first partnerships ended at the same time and we were both training in Barrie,” says Islam, whose parents were also both competitive figure skaters. “We just came into the rink without partners … everything clicked and we formed a partnership.
“We hit the ground running … We were young and hungry and we had a great first season.”
Following their success that first year as juniors, Islam and Paul opted to skate as seniors the next season, placing third at nationals. Competing at the 2010 Skate Canada International Grand Prix event in Kingston, they finished fourth overall.
Their skating career was then plagued by injuries, hitting what seemed to Islam as rock bottom. But they persevered. With their hearts set on winning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team heading to Sochi, Russia, they decided to make adjustments to their approach to daily training, moving to Michigan.
Four dance teams were battling it out for the three available spots and two teams were shoo-ins.
The incomparable Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had already become the first North Americans to win the Olympic gold in ice dancing when they captured the world’s attention at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. They would go on to medal in the two subsequent Olympic Games.
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje were also Olympic-bound, eventually becoming three-time world championship medallists competing in two Olympics.
“It was really down to us and Gilles and Poirier,” recalls Islam. “We had a fantastic nationals.”
Islam and Paul took third, edging out Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier for an Olympic berth. Gilles and Poirier, of course, would persevere and participate in three Olympic Games altogether and medalling in several international events.
The experience in Sochi was like no other, says Islam. They were memories to last a lifetime. They branched beyond the skating circles and met all sorts of different athletes from around the world.
At the Olympics, they placed 18th and with determination and two strong performances, finished 10th at worlds that year, making it a magical season for the couple.
While skating in Barrie, they had both started working on their degrees at Laurentian University through Georgian College and were able to transfer to Oakland University in Michigan.
Away from home and in a new routine, the romantic relationship took hold, says Islam.
“I was a pretty intense athlete — I definitely had to rein it in a little bit. But we were pretty easy away from the rink,” he says.
After the Olympics, they decided they wanted a fresh start, so they moved their training to Montreal in hopes of invigorating themselves.
But there were more injuries and Islam began losing heart.
Halfway through that season, the two decided to retire, as three-time Canadian national bronze medallists.
“Both of us were ready to hang it up … that was definitely the right decision for us to move on in our lives,” he says. “It was a great run.
“With the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame, Alex was inducted into the Springwater hall of fame two years ago … It is a dream come true.”
They were then able to finish their degrees, eight years in the making, allowing Paul to go to law school while Islam launched his coaching career at Barrie’s Mariposa School of Skating. Most weekends, says Islam, he hit the road to see her in Windsor.
And in 2019, on the dock of the cottage, Islam proposed. Wedding plans were nudged by the pandemic and in September 2021, during a break in the restrictions, they had the wedding of their dreams on a glorious day in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a central location for guests coming in from all directions.
Paul, by then, was working at Barriston Law in Barrie, graduating in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
Two years ago, they welcomed a little boy, Charlie, into their lives.
“She was the most amazing mother I’ve seen,” says Islam. “That’s 10 months that Charlie got that was pretty incredible. That 10 months was the greatest 10 months of my life … how much she loved Charlie was incredible.”
Islam says he’s grateful for the 15 years they had together as athletes, partners and then as parents.
Paul was driving home from the cottage with Charlie last summer when a transport truck entered a construction zone on Country Road 124 in Melancthon Township and crashed into a lineup of stopped cars. Paul didn’t survive. The baby was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries
Islam says Charlie is now his purpose and reason, allowing light in his life.
At the Oct. 2 Barrie Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Islam accepted the award from Doug Leigh, who created the world-famous Mariposa School of Skating where the Islam-and-Paul ice-dance team got their start.
“I grew up in Allandale (at the recreation centre) and the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame was inspiring to us as kids,” he told those gathered for the ceremony. “It was something of a goal to join those great athletes and builders of our community.”
Islam said both he and Paul had benefited from the area’s opportunities in a number of different sports. Paul had been a dancer before jumping into skating, feet first, and he had been active in rep soccer, field lacrosse and hockey.
“They were all instrumental in creating who I turned out to be,” Islam said of Barrie’s many sport organizations in which he was involved.
And, in tribute to Paul, he said: “Thank you for being my partner on and off the ice.”
“I’m an incredibly proud Barrie boy.”
