Laurence St-Germain | “VIP” treatment for the world slalom champion

(Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges) “World champion at the start…” Two months after her title, Laurence St-Germain is not getting used to being called that.

In the heights of Sestriere, last week in Italy, the 28-year-old skier took part in private trials at the invitation of her equipment supplier, Rossignol.

She was so unexpected to have this first experience that she did not answer four calls from a representative of the manufacturer from France, believing at first in voice spam…

Settling in for a timed and filmed run with new boards under her feet, the Quebecer flinched when the Rossignol technician reminded her of her surprise slalom title won in Méribel on February 18.

“In my head, I was still: ah! it’s weird! “, she said last Sunday in an interview in her village of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges.

She will have to get used to it, because she will retain this status at least until February 2025 and the Worlds in Saalbach, Austria.

If all goes as she wishes, St-Germain will be one of the contenders for this event which will precede the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina, a year later.

She took a step in this direction by obtaining the opportunity to test six new ski models developed by the French brand that has equipped her since adolescence.

An indication of the importance given to this session, the Olympic champion Petra Vlhová, the main headliner of Rossignol, was the other slalomer invited.

“She is super nice,” noted St-Germain, who had not had the opportunity to fraternize with the Slovak, winner of the large crystal globe in 2021.

“Each has its own personality outside of the races. Some are more reserved. I didn’t think she was so sociable. She talked all the way through dinner! It was really cool to meet her. »

Experienced in this kind of exercise, Vlhová from the outset shared her experience with the Canadian and the Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund, in charge of evaluating giant slalom skis.

“She said, ‘That’s how I work, it works well for me, but it’s personal to everyone. She just wanted to give us some stuff. She wasn’t arrogant at all, she really wanted to help us. »

The tests

Accompanied by her technician and Canadian team coach Laurent Praz, St-Germain spent four days gauging, rating, understanding and measuring the skis fresh from the international headquarters in Grenoble. Four Rossignol technicians and developers timed and filmed each session from two different angles.

She completed two runs of around thirty seconds on each of the four pairs of skis tested, including hers, which she has been using since the Beijing Olympics last winter. She inherited these boards first intended for the Austrian Katharina Liensberger, Olympic vice-champion and winner of the slalom globe in 2021.

St-Germain adopted these skis for their speed, but also for their ability to “forgive” errors and facilitate the return to the right pace between the poles. “They allow me to take more risks and attack more. »

Even in this blind process, the biomedical engineering student at Polytechnique Montréal recognized her own skis from the first turn. “As soon as I board it, I feel at home. »

To his surprise, one of the pairs of a new model turned out to be two tenths of a second faster on their first try. Usually, an adjustment period is necessary.

St-Germain must push its tests on other types of snow, conditions and terrain to learn more about two models that it has retained. She even put Vhlová’s skis to the test, which didn’t suit her at all.

“Even though it’s been one of the best in the world for quite some time, every skier has their own style. I wasn’t slow with it, but it didn’t suit my style at all. »

Beyond the technological advances from which she will be able to benefit from next winter, Laurence St-Germain has experienced real satisfaction in sharing her impressions with Rossignol staff. She is the only one who spent four days in Sestriere, which allowed her to count on the whole team during her last session.

The Rossignol team even offered to dig into the master document of the design and technical data of all the skis produced by Rossignol for almost a quarter of a century!

“There are athletes who don’t mind what they feel under their skis. They saw that I was very interested in it. As a future engineer, the whole scientific side attracts me a lot. »

To top it off, the world champion was able to give her opinion on the cosmetics that will cover skis in the coming years…

His fifth place in Äre (Sweden) on his first start after his historic victory, a personal high in the white circus, relieved him and confirmed to him that his progress in training was indeed real.

Still scalded by his exit from the track during the finals of Soldeu, in Andorra, St-Germain wants to continue to improve his consistency for the next season. His wish: to integrate the seven best of the circuit once and for all, which would give him access to the most favorable bib numbers. It currently occupies the 11^e rank.

“With the tests, I learned a lot and I also took a hit in my work ethic in training. I’m already looking forward to my next camp and seeing how it all comes together. »

“We are going to start from zero”

It was while inquiring about her availability to accompany her in her ski tests that St-Germain learned of the departure of female head coach Karin Harjo. After the Worlds, the American announced that she was joining the coaching staff of Mikaela Shiffrin, who became the most successful skier in history at the end of winter. For the Quebecer, who had heard the rumors during the World Championships in Méribel, this change is a “disappointment”, even if she understands very well the decision of her ex-coach, with whom she has not often worked on the snow. Harjo spent more time supporting newly retired Marie-Michèle Gagnon in speed. “She built something for a year and now she’s leaving. We’re going to start from scratch. It sure is a shame. St-Germain is pleased to see that Alpine Canada management has already begun surveying athletes to find out their criteria for succession. “Karin brought a lot of things to the team that will stay. As athletes, it was the year when we were most involved in the decisions. She really listened to what we wanted. I hope it will be established a little more in the culture of the team. »