Sarah Bennett’s rise to the national team should come as no surprise to anyone. The young Quebec sensation knows, however, that the work has only just begun.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
The first World Cup of the season will take place this weekend in Sölden, Austria. The Canadian skiers landed in Italy to finalize the final preparations. In addition to training like a madman to make a good impression in his debut as a full-time member of the team, the 21-year-old athlete is also pursuing his studies in communications at Concordia University. Each sliding session is interspersed with studies or personal readings on concentration and mental strength.
“It can make a difference in difficult times. Especially since there will always be some, ”she says.
When The Press joined her in Europe, she took advantage of her afternoon off to advance her notes and her readings for a complementary course in nutrition.
Sarah Bennett also takes jealous care to figure out how to get better on her spatulas. If she managed to join the national team officially last April, it is because she insists on giving the best of herself on each run. She has raw talent, sure, but it’s her stubbornness to excel that has lifted her through the ranks.
Dominant since she was old enough to compete, Bennett is the finest project in Quebec alpine skiing.
Its past dominance on the provincial and national scene is eloquent. Everyone around her knew that she would one day have her place in the national team. So did she, by the way, until she saw the selection criteria at the start of last season.
“The more I advanced, the more it seemed impossible and the more I told myself that they were never going to want to take me. I was going to have to show that they had no choice but to choose me. I went all out. I gave my maximum. I took risks. »
Even a week before she got the call she was expecting, she was imagining the worst-case scenarios. “I was talking with my friends and my parents and I was really emotional thinking about what would happen if I didn’t get caught,” she recalls.
Eventually, not only did she make it to the national team, but she also did a lot more than necessary to make it happen. She had exceeded, by far, all the selection criteria.
PHOTO FROM SARAH BENNETT’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
Sarah Bennett
A precise plan
Bennett now has his eyes set on the new season. She has fully recovered from a minor injury sustained in training in New Zealand and her focus is now on when she gets to the start gate in Sölden, where one of the most intense crowds on the circuit will be waiting for him at the bottom of the track.
The Stoneham athlete has already had the experience of the World Cups, last year, when she had three starts. Even if the ice is broken, she is still eager to get started.
As Bennett leaves nothing to chance, she knows how her season will be organized. Since she is comfortable in all disciplines, she had to make a choice and she intends to focus more on the technical events of slalom and giant slalom, like her idol Petra Vlhova.
I really like slalom. I know I’m good at slalom and I don’t want to lose it, because it requires completely different skills.
Sarah Bennett
As for his load of competitions, his coaches summarized in a few words how it should go: “If you are fast, you race. She is, however, ready for any eventuality and points out that she has already prepared a plan A, a plan B and a plan C.
Enjoying difficulties
As soon as she arrived in the national team, her compatriot Laurence St-Germain took her under her wing. To guide her, support her and above all listen to her. “She is an example of a perfect teammate. »
Moreover, the rookie was happy to hear about the contribution and support of St-Germain, because “she deserves to know that she is an exceptional teammate”. It allows him to move forward and cushion the transition.
However, Bennett is under no illusions. Since she likes to raise her own standards, she expects to experience slack periods. However, this is what motivates her, because she thrives on adversity.
My best seasons have always been when I had to negotiate more difficult passes. This is where you test your concentration and your limits.
Sarah Bennett
She is currently working on focusing on one thing at a time. With each descent, she targets an element on which to press and she works on it until she is satisfied, because “this is where you are able to evolve”.
This is how one descent, one page and one lesson at a time, she will begin the most beautiful chapter of her career.