Some partnerships seem obvious when you see them in action. Alison Levine and Roberta Fried-Levine’s is one that stands out at first glance, for its naturalness, fluidity and ease in pushing boundaries. A chemistry they will be banking on at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Roberta is the sports assistant and mother of Alison Levine, who won two gold medals at the Parapan American Games in Santiago and secured her qualification for the Paris Games.
People who work behind the scenes and help athletes reach the biggest stage in sport. Performance partners fit this definition perfectly, and Alison Levine sums up why:
“In competition, I get up, it’s because of my mother. I get dressed, it’s because of my mother. I eat, it’s because of my mother. […] That’s kind of the assistant’s role: you can live! Sport comes second,” she says, laughing, under the watchful eye of her proud and smiling mother.
Sportcom met the duo at the Maison du loisir et du sport during their Paralympic preparation.
“We are here to make life easier for our athletes, both on and off the field,” explains Roberta. “I meet all her personal needs, I help her be at the top of her game so that she can focus only on her performance. I am always available and I manage the unexpected, because we know that there will be a lot of them in competition!”
Like many mothers, Roberta uses her intuition every day. She seems to have a “sixth sense” when it comes to helping Alison. With just a glance, she knows how she feels and what she needs. Often, before her daughter even realizes it.
“I can see things in her eyes that no one else can recognize,” says the woman who worked as a nurse for 40 years before retiring in November 2020.
PHOTO AURELIEN MORISSARD, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boccia competitions to be held at the Paris Sud Arena during the Paralympic Games
“There have been times when she’ll tell me to eat something and I’ll say, ‘I’m not hungry.’ She’ll say, ‘Yes, you are hungry,’ so I eat and, yes, I feel much better!” Alison says.
Roberta Levine’s duties range from managing equipment and schedules to cooking and hygiene, to name a few. She’s also the spectator who can sometimes be heard meowing when her daughter is on the field. A nod to the nickname “Alicat” she gives her daughter for the personality traits her mother says the athlete shares with cats.
“She is very affectionate, but also very independent,” she says briefly.
“It always relaxes me to hear that,” Alison continues with a smile. “We take sport seriously. You can feel stressed at a decisive moment and then you hear someone meowing in the stands… It allows me to calm down and remind myself that it’s just a game!”
Absence felt
As mentioned earlier, it is difficult to imagine this tandem acting separately. We even had a glimpse of it this spring.
Roberta Fried-Levine was absent from the Montreal World Cup in April, as part of the Défi sportif AlterGo. She contracted COVID-19 and, for the first time since 2017, she was not at her daughter’s side during the competition. Instead, Roberta cheered her on by meowing from her bed, her eyes glued to the webcast.
Meanwhile, Alison was facing quite a challenge at the Maurice-Richard arena.
“It was something! We have our own way of operating. I had to put myself in solution mode quickly. I found someone (to replace Roberta), but the fact remains that she wasn’t my mother. I was managing more and I was more tired during the competition.”
The winter following the success of the Parapan American Games and leading up to the Défi sportif AlterGo was also eventful. After undergoing surgery that kept her sidelined for many weeks, the 34-year-old Montrealer was deprived of her training site upon her return due to the fire at the Olympic Park.
The path that led her to Paris was not easy, but it would have been even more winding without the support of her assistant.
What can we wish for the mother-daughter duo in the City of Lights? Moved, Roberta and Alison looked each other straight in the eyes before answering the question.
“We will live them together and continue what we do best.”
It is unclear what the future holds for them, but it is clear that the Paris Paralympic Games mean a lot to them. A high point, much more than a boccia tournament.