(Montreal) Exactly one year ago, Arianne Gallant experienced one of the highlights of her young career when she participated in the Snowboard Cross World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne in front of her family and friends. The following year was extremely different for the Quebecer who made the decision to put her sporting career on hold in order to think about her future.
“It was an incredible time last year and I still remember the emotions I experienced. I hadn’t managed to finish the course the first time and before my second chance at qualifying, I had to take two seconds to take off my glasses and wipe my eyes because I was crying from the emotion. I still get chills thinking about it,” said Gallant, who was an attentive spectator last weekend at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup.
“I took a year off, I stopped to question myself about what I really wanted. I didn’t know if I wanted to keep pushing to make the national team. I felt some pressure, it stressed me out a bit and it’s a lot of commitment with the workouts. I was very hesitant to continue,” she continued.
This decision to step back also came at an important moment in his life outside of sport. She had to decide whether or not she wanted to continue her education, which has always been something important to her.
“I came from the North American level, where it seems easier to combine school and sport. In the national team, you go to the World Cup for several months a year. It’s a big step. I felt that in order to perform the way I wanted to at this level, I had to focus 100% on the sport,” Gallant explained.
An ever-present passion
Despite this campaign far from competitions, Arianne Gallant admits that sport still retains a very important place in her home. The athlete from Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon took advantage of the few beautiful winter days to have fun on the snow, in addition to getting involved as a coach at Mont-Orignal.
“I couldn’t give up snowboarding. It’s too important for me anyway. I continued training in the gym, it became a habit over time that I want to keep. I had to find a way to stay on the slopes and stay close to my people and that’s why I started training young people who participate in the Quebec Cups,” she explained.
A year after his last competition, Gallant is still questioning his future. The day spent as a spectator at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup made her experience several emotions.
“Even with a lot of thinking, it’s still mixed up in my head. Sometimes I wake up and say to myself “Let’s go ! Here we go again!” Other times, I’m a little less sure. I’m going one year at a time, but I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. »
“It makes me emotional and I’m really happy to have come to see my teammates and my friends. It’s difficult because I tell myself that maybe I could have raced this weekend, but for the moment, I feel good,” she concluded.
Gallant will return to Mont-Sainte-Anne next weekend, once again as a spectator, where she will this time encourage her former teammates from the North American circuit before continuing her reflection on whether she will begin her preparation in view of the next season.