With the most exciting season of Red Bull Crashed Ice having wrapped up, the final outcome saw an inspiring and energizing woman combine a great love of athleticism and competition into a memorable run towards Jacqueline Legere’s first world championship. While her time off the Crashed Ice course is spent in the courageous profession of stunt woman, her championship contributes to a proud Canadian legacy of champions, which has included Fannie Desforges (2012) and Dominique Thibault (2013) grace the top of the podium.
A unique coincidence between all three is that each possesses a hockey background. Legere, who hails from St. George, Ontario, has competed at the PWHL level with the Hamilton Hawks from 2009-11. Prior to that, Legere was a member of the Cambridge Roadrunners in the LLFHL, complemented by a Brant County high school championship. Desforges served as captain for the Ottawa Gee-Gees in CIS play and Thibault spent several seasons as a member of the Connecticut Huskies at the NCAA level. In addition, Desforges and Thibault would be teammates for one season with the CWHL’s Montreal Stars. The hockey connection was also prevalent for the 2015-16 season as Myriam Trepanier, who would rank third overall in the Crashed Ice standings once played hockey at the NCAA level for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
In the aftermath of the 2015-16 Red Bull Crashed Ice season, which was the fifth for Legere, her 2800 points finished 500 ahead of second place Alexis Jackson and Trepanier. Of note, Legere was joined by four other Canadians in the top 10 rankings. Along with the aforementioned Trepanier, the proud Canadian content included fourth place Elaine Topolnisky. Maxie Plante would grab sixth place while Tamara Kajah, who hails from nearby Brantford, Ontario, finished the season with a respectable seventh place finish. As a side note, Kajah would gain a third place finish at the final race of the season in St. Paul, Minnesota. The men’s category also saw a prominent Canadian influence as Scott Croxall ranked second and Dean Moriarty enjoyed a third place standing.
Legere’s run to the women’s Ice Cross Downhill World Champion involved a pair of victories during a season filled with five races in both North America and Europe. First place finishes at a Riders Cup win in Bathurst, New Brunswick and a Red Bull Crashed Ice race win to close out the season in Saint Paul, Minnesota proved to be significant victories after a fifth place finish in a Quebec City competition. Other results included a second place finish in Jyväskylä-Laajis, Finland, along with another podium finish in Europe, grabbing first at a race in Munich, Germany.
Considering that she will only turn 25 when next season begins, the potential to remain in the championship picture for seasons to come is strong. Finishing her fifth season as world champion is crucial to her confidence heading into next season.
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