Remarks collected by Jean-Michel Lachance

What was your experience like in the World Cups this season?

It was really exciting. I found myself with guys that I was looking at television not long time ago. It was a really good training for the Olympic selections. I really liked to skate with Jeremy, he is really the most sympathetic of English guys. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and this is one of the reasons why he has success!!!

What was your approach to the Olympic selections, and did the world cups encourage you much?

They enabled me to do many races; I believe that it is what I needed more at the beginning of season. The more we raced, the more we control them well. My results were up and down, but I knew that it was because of my training. The world cups belonged to my preparation, I was not on a peak. Because of this, I learned how to analize things, which was difficult for me in the past. Therefore, that was an occasion to work several things out that surely helped me make the selections.

What has been the hardest thing for you in your athlete development?

It is when I realized that the attitude and the approach which I had were not the good one. These last two years I have really worked on my head with my psychologists... my life and my career was changed. Following this development, I have established the Olympic team as the goal of my season... and as the season was advancing more I was believing it, because my attitude toward the races was very good and in these moments I feel that I can go very fast, because everything became fun.

Without going into the details, I simply understood that I needed support to carry out my full potential. I really modified my life attitude and my approach toward speed skating... I really have more pleasure in skating now. I accept that I cannot control everything (ex: the others, their performance, what they think, what they do) I can handle the fact that in certain parts of the training, some of my team-mates are sometimes better than me. That does not have to influence the effort that I put... This is a small example!!! I work on a daily basis with my psychologists and I do a lot of reading and exercises on breathing. It is something I work with each minute of the day.

Physically and mentally, do you feel ready for Turin?  What is your program until then?

Yes, I will be ready. We leave today for a world cup to Italy where we will join J-r (Jean-Rene Bélanger) and Robert (Robert Tremblay). Thereafter Franco (François-Olivier Roberge) and me, we are going to Germany for a week where the rest of the Olympic team is.

In Torino, what is your objective in the 500m?

I want to make two races in which I will have a fantastic feeling. Therefore, two races where I will go fast!!!

Photo: Vincent Labrie, à Calgary le 13 septembre 2006
Credit: Robert Tremblay, FPVQ