MOORE TOWERS & MARINARO DEVELOP A WINNING MINDSET
Montréal is a special place for Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro. Not only was it where their partnership began, they had developed a true fondness for the city, the people they trained alongside, and their coaches Bruno Marcotte and Richard Gauthier.
But in late April 2019, everything changed when Marcotte accepted an offer from Skate Oakville to start a pairs program at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex — a multi-rink facility that had hosted the Challenger Series event Autumn Classic International the previous year.
Marcotte’s decision forced Moore-Towers and Marinaro to rethink their strategy: should they stay in Montréal or move back to Ontario? The duo eventually opted to follow Marcotte.
“It was probably the hardest decision we ever had to make,” Moore-Towers recalled.
“We made a lot of lists of pros and cons and spent a lot of time evaluating what would be best for us, for our careers and just for our overall well-being, which plays such a huge role. We are happy when we skate well, so we wanted to make a decision that would ensure our happiness in the long run. We are thrilled to say it has turned out even better than we had hoped.”
Geography also played a significant role in their decision. Both skaters are from Southern Ontario, and this move offered them an opportunity to be closer to their families. Moore-Towers’ hometown of St. Catharines is about a one-hour drive from their training venue, while Marinaro can be home in Sarnia in about two and a half hours.
“We are loving it. I have been able to get home every single weekend,” Marinaro said. “I have some nieces and nephews I haven’t really got to spend time with over the last couple of years, so being close to the family and having that support system close by has been a positive addition to the training environment.”
It also did not take
