Just because she retired doesn’t mean Cendrine Browne has stopped getting involved. On the contrary, she is even more devoted than ever to the development of young cross-country skiers here.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Throughout her career as an athlete, the Olympian has always wanted to be active in her community. To pass on her passion for cross-country skiing and to make the young girls who admired her understand that it was possible to pursue her will and her dreams.
This desire to reach out to a new generation materialized in the spring of 2021 when, accompanied by her teammate Laura Leclair, she created Féminaction, a program offering support and guidance to cross-country skiers aged 13 to 16.
Their program, divided into three parts, is currently in its second season. Their second training camp of the year takes place September 2-5. The first took place from June 24 to 26, when 16 athletes shared their passion. “We would like to organize a third one during the season to see the girls on snow, to do technique with her, to follow up,” Browne said.
The camps are the first part of the program. The fact that the girls are the same at each training camp also distinguishes Féminaction from other programs. Athletes are assured of regular follow-up and for the co-founder of this initiative, it is important that athletes feel supported throughout the process, “in order to see progress, continue to build on what we started in beginning of the summer and continue to create the cohesion that we seek to have within the group”. It’s also about “creating a community where girls can feel safe and where they can be themselves without worrying about external stares,” Browne adds.
PHOTO ALEXANDRA RACINE, PROVIDED BY CENDRINE BROWNE
The same girls take part in each training camp of the Féminaction program, which offers them a personalized and regular follow-up.
The second part consists of meeting other enthusiasts in more remote regions. Soon, they will therefore visit clubs in Amos and Gatineau. “We are going to train with them, spend quality time, we will have important discussions and we will do activities,” added the athlete from the Laurentians, based in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, near Quebec, since a few years.
The third component is the greatest innovation of the program and it is a novelty of which Browne is not a little proud: an initiation to coaching, with the aim of creating a community of practice that will serve primarily to help, mentor and guide female coaches. Ultimately, Browne and Leclair may form some of the best hopes in cross-country skiing in Quebec, but if no one guides them when they return to their respective clubs, the progress made may have been for naught. This coaching training is therefore essential for them.
The goal is to provide a place where coaches can support each other, learn continuously, discuss issues in women’s sport and find solutions. It is therefore to create a strong community.
Cendrine Browne
This component is also perfectly in line with the objective of transmission and sharing on which the program is based. “We think the more we work together, the more we’re going to lift each other up,” Browne said.
A new challenge
The day after the announcement of her retirement, in April, the one who took part in more than ten starts in the World Championships and 76 in the World Cup received a phone call from Ski de fond Québec. The provincial federation has created a personalized position for Browne, who has been the athlete support coordinator for a few weeks.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Cendrine Browne at the Beijing Olympics
She will be the organization’s resource person to liaise between athletes at all levels and the clubs, the federation, the ministry, the sports-study program and organizations such as the Institut national du sport du Québec (INS ). “I’m super motivated and I have lots of new challenges in my new role. »
She will also have the chance to travel to different training camps and competition venues to “see the athletes, support them, but also get a chance to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Browne’s experience and motivation will undoubtedly be a major asset for the federation. Cross-country skiing has nourished the life of the double Olympian and she now wants to give back to accentuate and improve the development of cross-country skiing in Quebec. “I hope I can make a difference and that the athletes will feel heard. I want to give them the best advice so that they have the best experience possible. »