A 14-year-old Estrienne is hurtling down the ski slopes at full speed with her artificial leg and does not intend to stop before reaching her dream: the Paralympic Games.
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Florence Carrier put on her first ski boots at the age of 3 and started competing at the age of 9, like many young athletes.
But unlike her training companions, she has always skied using a prosthesis adapted to her right leg, completely invisible under her snowsuit.
“I follow them with no problem. I have a little less balance, but I’m much stronger in my left leg,” she points out, all smiles.
“Not everyone knows that there is a Para athlete on the circuit,” proudly adds her father, Simon Carrier.
More so, Florence was scouted by the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team, a preliminary step before possibly competing in the Paralympic Winter Games to be held in Italy in 2026.
“That’s the ultimate goal,” said the young athlete, her eyes shining.
Dilemma
Florence Carrier was born with one leg shorter than the other and a deformed foot that had only two toes.
“In cases like this, there are always two choices for the parents: amputate, or reconstruct the leg and do repeated lengthenings,” explains Dr.r Thierry E. Benaroch, who follows Florence at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal.
Reconstruction involves repeated operations and long hospitalizations during childhood, and this does not guarantee that the leg will be completely functional.
“It’s always a difficult decision, but studies show that the mental health of children who have undergone an amputation at an early age is better than that of others,” he continues.
After careful consideration, Florence’s parents, a physical education teacher and a technician who made orthopedic implants at the time, chose this option.
Courtesy picture
She has been walking with her prosthesis for as long as she can walk.
“She took her first steps with a prosthesis. The very day she received it, she started walking with a miniature walker,” recalls Simon Carrier, admiringly.
The perfect sport
And shortly after, his parents introduced him to para-alpine skiing, a sport well suited to his handicap, since the foot is practically immobilized in the boot. While some amputee athletes do their runs on one ski, Florence uses two.
“In skiing, you have to use your knees a lot, and my knees, I have them,” she explains.
The newspaper met her at the mountain of Bromont, after one of the many training sessions that punctuate her weeks in winter.
Intense training
Rain or shine, she is on the slopes five days a week, either with her ski-education program or with the Owl’s Head competition club.
Photo Nora T. Lamontagne
His personalized prosthesis bearing the image of his ski club, Owl’s Head.
In addition to her four pairs of skis, she has three prostheses: one for walking, one for swimming and one for skiing, bearing the image of her club.
She uses it as much for slalom as for giant slalom and super-G.
“I love to adapt when the routes change. It’s my favorite thing about skiing,” says the budding Paralympian.
♦ Florence’s prosthesis was paid for approximately $6,000 by the War Amps, which supports young athletes living with a disability.