Less than two years from the Paris Olympics, the new general manager of the Quebec Swimming Federation (FNQ) has no illusions. Quebec representation will still rest on the shoulders of Katerine Savard and Mary-Sophie Harvey, the only two qualified in Tokyo in 2021.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
“I hope both girls will be fine! “replies Francis Ménard candidly when asked about his expectations for the May 2024 Olympic trials, which will take place in Montreal for the first time in 12 years.
The new general manager of the FNQ, appointed in July 2021 to replace Isabelle Ducharme, who left to lead Sports Quebec, knows that he has his work cut out for him. In anticipation of his job interview, he did not fail to read an article by The Press published at the same time and entitled: “Trough of the wave announced”.
Not only was Quebec absent from the Canadian team at the World Championships, a first, it had also not placed any swimmer at the Junior Worlds.
“As a federation, I think we had one of our best summers in terms of performance, with medals at the World Championships and at the Commonwealth Games, both in the para and in the generic section,” notes Ménard, however. We had athletes [Championnats] Junior Pan Pacific Games and good Canada Games. That’s excellent, but is it a harbinger of the future? I have a big doubt. »
Judging that the work of the federations is often misunderstood by the media, Ménard has asked a few journalists lately to explain an approach undertaken a few months ago at the FNQ.
Inspired by a path identical to that of Baseball Québec, whose general manager Maxime Lamarche has become a friend, Ménard commissioned an external consulting firm to analyze the internal work of the FNQ, carry out a review of the relevant scientific literature, document the modus operandi of comparable organizations that are achieving success, such as the Ontario and Australian swimming federations, and offer a series of recommendations.
“There is an observation, which is also made by the middle, according to which things are not necessarily going well in high performance. On the other hand, there are federations, like Baseball Quebec and others, for whom things are going well. They put forward innovative projects. »
Why don’t we, too, do this kind of internal analysis work, benchmarking, and turn to the science? Don’t take anything for granted, after all. It was my reflex.
Francis Ménard, General Manager of the Quebec Swimming Federation
The work was entrusted to the firm Better Sport, led by Quebecers André Lachance and François Rodrigue, two coaching specialists. They have joined the services of Marc-André Duchesneau, doctor in psychopedagogy, expert in individualized support at the Institut national du sport du Québec and above all a former coach and swimming enthusiast. Their report is expected in March.
Analyze all
For Ménard, a former water polo player and CEO of Parasports Québec, “everything is on the table”: the ways of doing things at the clubs and the federation, the development of the athlete, the hours of training, the number of competitions, etc.
Among his preliminary findings, he notes the professionalization of almost all coaches, a rarity in the Quebec sports world.
“It’s an undeniable and very positive achievement, but it requires money,” he notes. Clubs must therefore “sell” hours of training and competitions, the majority of which are profitable, precisely to finance this structure. Athletes train a lot, compete a lot. But is it good for them? Optimal for their development? I ask myself ten thousand questions like these. »
In the same way, the DG wonders about what he considers as an absence of the federation in the progression of its best swimmers.
We leave a lot of room for the clubs and they do their job very well. But why aren’t we producing more successful athletes? I don’t think they are given a kind of development path that would lead them to be competitive on the Canadian and international scene. We delegate everything to our clubs without giving them the tools of a federation.
Francis Ménard, General Manager of the Quebec Swimming Federation
Ménard regrets the absence of a “permanent or temporary” team from Quebec and the weak ties with the specialists of the National Institute of Sport (INS). “We make selections and we don’t organize so many training camps. Swimming Canada closed its national center in Montreal in 2013 to concentrate its resources in Toronto, where no Quebecers currently train.
One of the “first projects” mentioned during a shoulder-to-shoulder meeting with technical director Nicolas Zazzeri and operations director Jonathan Ouellet is the establishment of a centralized team.
“We bring together the best athletes, we give them the best coach and we provide quality services with the INS that can compete with, say, a centralization in Toronto. But can it work? Is it a good idea ? Will the environment follow? How to structure this, how often? »
Noting a certain reluctance of the clubs to let go of their most successful elements, Ménard recognizes that this is not done. “It requires a culture change. »
He calculates that he would need an additional $400,000 to $600,000, out of an annual budget of $2.2 million, to bring such an idea to life. The growth of philanthropy, as in athletics, is an avenue he wishes to explore, but it is still necessary to have the minimum staff to carry out such an operation.
The ongoing training of coaches is another of his priorities. “We have good athletes, good coaches, good clubs, good volunteers, there is just a little something missing in the recipe, judge Francis Ménard. How can these ingredients be mixed together to produce enviable results? »
The CEO of the FNQ is aiming for 2028 and 2032 to begin to see Quebec swimming participate in Canada’s wave of success. Until then, Savard and Harvey, who will be in Toronto for a World Cup next week, continue to carry it at arm’s length…