“Whether you want to be a diver or go to school to become a doctor, it’s the same thing: you have to love what you do. That took me a while to realize,” says Meaghan Benfeito. Today, this is what she tries to instill in the children and adolescents she has under her wing at Deka CrossFit.
Here we are within the walls of Deka CrossFit, in Blainville, Benfeito’s workplace for about six months. His boss and friend, Carianne Meti, generously gives us her office during our interview. In the background of our conversation: the energetic music of the gym and the weights falling heavily to the floor.
Nearly two years after his retirement, Benfeito displays the same bright smile and energy that we know him for. The opposite would have been surprising; the ex-Olympian has a job that she loves, after a fabulous career on the ski slopes, and she is carrying her first child. Under his hoodie hides a 23-week belly. Little boy or little girl? ” I do not want to know it ! », she exclaims.
“It wasn’t planned. I really wanted to try to finish school. Finally, I finished and I said to myself: if it happens, it happens. […] I find it fun to work in a gym because I can continue to train. I have incredible people around me. »
This “school” that Benfeito speaks of is her certificate of collegial studies (AEC) in childhood education techniques, which she started in April 2022. At the time, she had just announced her publicly retired, but she had already stopped diving since the Tokyo Olympics, some eight months earlier.
In the months following the Games, the friendly woman questioned herself about the rest of her career: “Is this really what I want? », “Do I still have this in me? »… From September to December 2021, she followed her partner, footballer Alexandre Dupuis, to Saskatchewan, where she was a diving coach. An experience that she did not particularly appreciate.
“Moved on”
Benfeito has two sisters who are twins, Alicia and Chelsea, six years his junior. The sisters, all three passionate about early childhood, have always dreamed of one day opening their own daycare. In January 2022, a position became available in the daycare where one of the two twins worked. So Meaghan joined the team. Working with one of them was the first step towards a greater goal.
So, when she announced her retirement on April 6, 2022, Benfeito had already “moved on.”
She spent the next year working at the daycare. As it was what she had always wanted to do, the Laval native believed she had found her new career. Except this: sometimes, life has surprises in store for us.
“I really liked it, it just didn’t move enough,” she said.
I like it when children accomplish something, when they move. It’s so important. They need to move, to expend energy. I didn’t find that at daycare. It was like a routine.
Meaghan Benfeito
In the meantime, Benfeito had started teaching children’s classes on Thursdays and Saturdays at Deka CrossFit. “It seems like it really appealed to me more,” she says.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Former Olympian Meaghan Benfeito coaches groups of young people aged 2 to 16 years old.
So when the offer came to teach CrossFit full-time to kids and snowboard sport studies students, she couldn’t say no. Even if it meant hurting her sisters, not without difficulty. After all, there would always be the possibility of coming back one day.
Pleasure
Since September, Benfeito has been training groups of young people aged 2 to 16. And it doesn’t take Papineau to understand that she’s thriving in her new job.
“As much as it can be boring, a child is so much fun! she says, laughing. It’s beautiful to see when they accomplish something and they push themselves, they work. »
With her students, to whom she has sincere affection, Benfeito insists in particular on communication, she who has “always had good communication with all the coaches” she has known.
“As much as you can hate your coach for a day, he’s still the most important person in your career. Today, they are able to talk to me, for example if things went less well in a competition. »
As a top athlete and three-time Olympic medalist, Benfeito has experienced all kinds of things. She also learned many life lessons. The most important of them, which she took “time to achieve”, remains to “love what you do” above all else.
Today, this is the message she wants to convey to her students, especially those in sports studies.
“At first I was a little stressed. It was always: we’re not good, we do this because it’s a hobby, we’re in sports studies because we finish school at noon… Today, if you ask them questions are: I want to get on the podium, I want to win, I want to do more difficult runs, I want to be a member of Team Quebec. You can’t change someone, but you can play into their mindset. »
“As much as it can be difficult; you’re going to want to cry, you’re going to want to give up. Whether you play hockey, dive or are a weightlifter, you have to love what you do. »
A lesson that she obviously applies herself to this day.