She Means Business

You probably already know Piper Gilles, but if you don’t, we think you should. We caught up with this Canadian ice dancing queen and Bronze medalist to talk about who she is outside of skating, how fashion helps her own what she does, and her resilience when faced with an ovarian cancer diagnosis. Let’s get to know a little more about Piper. You’re always exploring and embodying these different personas on the ice. What helps you get into character before a big skate?For me, it starts with the music and clothes. Once I put the costume on and do my hair and makeup, I start to feel that character come to life. I love how skating gives me permission to explore completely different sides of myself. Sometimes I’m elegant and romantic; sometimes I’m bold and a little over the top. Right before we skate, I try not to overthink it—I remind myself of the feeling we want the audience to walk away with, and then I just go out there and perform. You’re known as a bit of a maverick in ice dancing. In what ways do you feel you’re disrupting the status quo of this sport?My ice dance partner Paul and I have always been willing to be a little different. We learned early in our career that trying to fit into what we thought ice dance was supposed to look like wasn't where we were at our best. Some of our most successful programs have come from taking risks, being quirky, playing with fashion and choosing music or characters that people might not expect. I think we've helped show that there isn't just one way to be beautiful or successful in ice dance. You can be different, you can be yourself, and that can become your superpower. The costumes in ice dancing change so drastically from skate to skate. What makes you feel comfortable and ready to perform at your best no matter what you’re wearing?Confidence. I have to feel like myself in what I'm wearing, even when I'm playing a character. Over the years, I've learned what shapes work for my body and what makes me feel powerful on the ice. I also think comfort is more important than people realize. We’re athletes underneath all the rhinestones, so I need to know that I can move, breathe and completely forget about the dress once the music starts. The best costumes are the ones you put on and immediately think, "Okay, I'm ready." Who are you outside of skating?I've spent so much of my life being introduced as “Piper the figure skater,” and I'm incredibly proud of that, but there are so many other parts of me. I love fashion, design, acting, being outdoors, creating things, spending time with my family—and I'm really curious about what comes next. I think one of the most exciting things about getting older is realizing you don't have to be just one thing. When you look back at some of the challenges you’ve overcome away from the rink, are there people or communities who played a meaningful role in helping you get back to doing what you love?Absolutely. Going through cancer really taught me how much we need other people. My husband, my family, Paul, my coaches, my medical team, and the people around me carried me through moments when I wasn't sure what the future would look like. Paul played a unique role because he gave me the space to heal without ever making me feel like I was holding us back. There was never pressure about when I needed to return—just this feeling that we would figure it out together.And when I did come back, the skating community gave me so much love. Sharing my story also introduced me to an incredible community of people affected by cancer. Hearing other people's stories made me realize that being open about what I went through could have a purpose beyond myself. It helped turn something really difficult into something that could hopefully make someone else feel a little less alone. If you could create a custom jewellery piece to wear in competition, what would it be?I love this question, and I know exactly what I want. I would do hoops in either silver or gold, then add charms that could hold Sparkle Balls so I could interchange the colour depending on what costume I’m wearing. What’s your favourite way to celebrate after a great skate? (You don’t have to do anything important the next day.)I love going out to dinner with our family, friends and coaches. It’s our way of celebrating the competition and enjoying the experience. It’s not just about the skating; it’s about the people who are part of your journey, so celebrating with a nice family dinner means a lot to me.Can you talk about the role fashion plays for you on and off the ice?It plays a huge role. I’m a big fan of expressing myself through my clothing and style, and I like to keep challenging my own style. My mom used to say, “Try on the ugliest thing on the rack because you never know how it’s going to look on you.” I’ve taken that to heart, even with my skating fashion. I’m always trying to explore what’s possible with textures and colours.The figure of the Dancing Queen—someone who’s in the moment and thriving—reminds us of your skating. How do you get to a place where you make competing at the highest level look like so much fun?Honestly, it’s practice. Competing year after year, I learn a little bit more about myself. Sometimes it takes failure to figure out where this happy medium is. I really learned a lot after the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, where we weren’t as successful. I felt so stressed and overwhelmed that I really couldn’t be present in the skating.After that, we flipped the switch and took the perspective of having fun and being grateful for these moments. That shift allowed me to come into my own and be so much more present, happy and content with who I was and what I was bringing to the table.

Model. Mother. Main Character Energy. Alex Bonnesen is the face of our Sparkle Letters campaign, and for this unique Know Her, we invited her to share reflections on motherhood, joy, and the everyday moments that mean the most to her. Let’s get to know Alex, the first letters she’s chosen, and the full stories behind them. A is for Alex  It is a beautiful challenge to define myself as an individual, separate from the roles that shape me: mother, partner, little sister, daughter, and friend. These are the rich layers that weave together my identity and dictate how I show up for the world and myself. While my curious nature has always welcomed self-discovery, the depths of motherhood have truly exalted my life's priority- leaving a positive impact on my immediate micro world, and especially for my boys.  Through my advocacy for inclusive play and learning, we have already ignited tangible change within our school and community. Yet, this high level of care requires deep patience and an embrace of slow gentleness. I naturally face waves of self-doubt and moments of quiet hesitation. However, I choose to land in a space of radical kindness, joy, and honest reflection. By moving through these vulnerabilities, I remain steady; anchored in who I am and what I value. There is always a sprinkling of projects on the go, a messy kitchen, 20 tabs open on my computer and unanswered messages, yet it’s all fuel for creating a dynamic and purposeful life. O&L are for Oscar & Louie  Motherhood demands a fierce resiliency, granting us the power to endure any circumstance with love, mercy, and hope. It requires us to weather hardships beyond comprehension and carry deep heartaches, only to rise with them into pure love. This journey sparks a transformative expansion of your entire being; your physical cells morph into a state of further openness, your heart grows, your nervous system resets, and you become everything to them for these early years. My growing boys constantly teach me how intentional presence and mutual playfulness unlock inclusive joys and cultivate a tender, nurturing relationship. Their vibrant personalities are wildly different, and navigating the world through a blend of disability and able-bodied experiences has inspired incredibly creative scenarios in our learning, play, and daily conversations. Together, we celebrate their unique abilities and their capacity to thrive as powerful beings, guided by kindness, keen observation, and continuous growth. J is for Joy Joy. It is incredible how just three letters can make up such an impactful expression and profound human experience. Sudden swells of it rush in, jolting us awake, wiggling right into the cracks of our most incomprehensible circumstances to gently hold our hearts with total tenderness. The abrupt unpredictability of joy is one of its greatest delights. While my relationship with joy has occasionally hit shaky ground, my inner light and the small joys surrounding me always find a way to resurface through the thickest hardships. 

For this Mother’s Day edition of Know Her, we wanted to do something a little different, so we had Team Canada Athlete Maïa Schwinghammer interview her Mom, Marie-Claire. What ensued was the kind of funny, heartfelt chat only a mother and daughter can have. Topics ranged from how to best support your kid’s dreams, to watching your daughter flip through the air at high speeds, to Maïa’s dad’s viral moment at the Olympic Games in Italy. Let’s get to know Marie-Claire with the help of Maïa.  M: What do you think makes our connection so special?  M-C: You're my best friend. We're best friends.  M: Yeah, I think so too.  M-C: We just understand each other. We're there for each other. I love you. And you're friends with my friends, and I'm friends with your friends. You and your friends come for drinks when I go out with my girlfriends. It’s really fun.  M: Okay, what was the weirdest thing about me as a kid?  M-C: That's an easy one. You used to do your homework at the kitchen table with a ski helmet on. For quite a while, actually.  M: Other than that, what moment did you realize I'd fallen in love with the sport?  M-C: Well, you always loved to ski. You were always going “Woohoo! Oh, this is so much fun! Let's do this again!” You never cried. You were always like, “Let's go,” yep, sunny, snowy, windy, stormy. “Let’s go.” You loved to be outside.  Maïa: What was it like owning a ski hill in Saskatchewan as a family?  Marie-Claire: Everybody pitched in, everyone, from the little cousins to the grandpas. You, your brother and sister, our nephews and nieces, everyone helped with everything because it was a lot of work. Parker learned how to operate a T-bar when he was 15 years old. Rick was snowmaking. It was just us doing everything, so it was really fun.  M: What are some of your favourite memories from that time?  M-C: I remember one year when we were getting everything ready to open to the public, and everybody was there, the whole family. I think 25 Schwinghammers were there, and the kids were getting a little tired from doing chores all day, so Rick used the grooming machine and some snowmobiles with ropes to bring everybody to the top of the little beginner hill. All the kids and the dogs were running around, and then everybody skied down. It was so, so fun.  M: When did you realize I had a serious ambition to ski at the highest level? M-C: When Rick and I were driving back to Saskatoon one time, we were at a motel, and you’d gone to your first competition outside of Canada by yourself at 16. You flew to Sweden with your coach for the Junior World Championships. It was a duel format, so you’d win a round, go back up, win another round, go back up, and we were like, “Wow, this is the first time she's competing with everybody her age from around the world, and she just got second place!” We were screaming in the motel. It was like two in the morning because of the time change. Rick was like, “Whoa, the neighbours are going to complain.” But yeah, that's when we said, “Okay, I think she's going to do this for a while.” M: What are your thoughts on how to support kids chasing their dreams?  M-C: You have to encourage them to reach their full potential because it's amazing to see them realize their dreams. Your role has to be a mom, not a coach, though. We've seen so many kids with potential give up because their parents are too pushy. You have to let them go. If they're playing piano, trust the teacher. Let them do their practice and their recital, and don't get involved. Just go watch, and give them a big hug after.  M: As an athlete, I see a lot of parents who push their kids super hard. I always felt so grateful because you guys just supported me no matter what, every day, all day.  M-C: Your coach always said to me, "This is great, you never talk to her about her skiing, it’s great.” M: But how do you support your kids chasing their dreams when there's a certain amount of risk involved? M-C: Like when you do a giant front Superman flip?  M: Yes.  M-C: 100 miles an hour going down a ski hill?  M: Precisely.  M-C: I’ve learned over the years. What I practiced a lot at the Olympics was the 4-4-4 breathing. You take your breath in for four seconds, you hold it for four seconds, and you let go for four seconds. That really, really works. But I also trust that you've trained, you’re prepared, and you’ve been coached well. You know what you're doing, so I trust you’ll do great. I also often go back and watch your best runs before your competition.  M: Really? You've never told me that. You do?  M-C: Yeah. I just watch and go, “Oh yeah, there you go, she's got this.”  Maïa: What’s something you’ve sacrificed that I might not have realized?  M-C: When you decided to continue after not going for the Olympics in 2022, we said, "Hmm, I guess we're not going to retire just yet. Rick was turning 65, and we said, well, we're going to need to work a few more years. So yeah, we pushed our retirement, but now it's all happening, and we wouldn't change anything. It’s amazing.  M: Okay, what did it feel like to watch me compete at my first-ever Olympics? M-C: I was holding Rick's hand, and Heidi was holding me, and Parker was holding my shoulder. We watched you come down, and you did amazing, and you were the 30th skier to go, so we knew, boom, like “She's in. She qualified.” When you got to the bottom, you had the biggest smile on your face, and then Papa said, “She's an Olympian,” and we were all like, “She's an Olympian.” It was so official. It was all done. There it is. It was just a dream come true for us to watch you. You'd worked so, so hard for this. And we were all there together as a family, I mean, it was so emotional. We were all crying.  M: Yeah, it was so cool. It's been my journey. But at the same time, it's been your journey, too. And to have you guys all there at the bottom and to see how much it affected you—that feeling is something hard to describe.  M-C: Another mom who was there, who had seen her daughter in the Olympics a few times, came over and gave me a big hug and a kiss and said, “You're the mother of an Olympian. Don't forget that.” That was special.  M: Why do the Olympics elicit such an emotional response as a parent?  M-C: You can't go any higher than that. It’s the top. And I think Papa, especially, in that video that went viral on the first day, he really just realized it all, like, “My little girl is at the Olympics,” you know? We’re just so proud of you and all the work you've done. I think that's why it's so emotional.  M: Okay. What's your definition of success?  M-C: You. Next question.  M: What advice do you have for other parents raising or hoping to raise passionate, ambitious children?  M-C: Not to forget that their first role is to be parents. Not to forget that it's your child's dream, not yours. I'm not at the top of the mountain. My role is to be at the bottom and to be a mother. When you cross the finish line, no matter if it was a good run or a bad run, I'm there to give you a big, big, big hug. That's my role.  M: I have one more question: Are you ready to do it all again in 2030?  M-C: Yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I’ll bring Kleenex for Papa.