Omar Hany did not know this Montreal Canadiens player we were talking to him about. The coach of CAMO Swim Club’s junior girls program only knew that his 14-year-old sister would be joining his group for the week.
“I’m not a hockey fan, so I don’t know if his brother is really famous,” explained the coach, met Saturday morning at the Claude-Robillard sports complex. “Is he a good hockey player?” Does he live in Quebec? »
Omar Hany can be forgiven for not knowing who Juraj Slafkovsky is, the very first pick in the 2022 NHL draft, now a member of the CH’s most productive trio. This was also before he scored his hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Originally from Egypt, where he lived before settling in Montreal in his early twenties, the civil engineer by training learned French, but he has not yet become familiar with the national sport in Quebec.
On the other hand, its 30 swimmers, aged 14 to 19, were perfectly aware of who would accompany them between the cables of the pool last week. “They wanted to know who his brother was and they all knew him! »
Without being a Summer McIntosh, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics at the same age, Lucia Slafkovská is doing very well in chlorinated water. Enough, in any case, not to miss training during a visit to Montreal by his famous brother, with his parents.
The affair was even organized months in advance. Gabriela Slafkovská, mother of Lucia and Juraj, contacted Jana Salat, a good acquaintance, a member of the Canadian water polo team at the 2000 Sydney Games and, like her, a native of Košice, Slovakia. This put her in touch with Greg Arkhurst, her ex-spouse, head coach of CAMO.
Lucia therefore arrived at Claude-Robillard last week. Omar Hany himself had discovered Quebec in much the same way around ten years earlier. Visiting his sister, who was swimming in Montreal, he was welcomed to CAMO by Greg Arkhurst, who was in his position at the time.
Diligent
Normally, the coach likes to start training on time, but since the pool was not yet ready that day, he granted his swimmers’ request to introduce the new kid to the group. “I introduced her in English: “This is Lucia, the sister of a Canadian hockey player, whose name I don’t know,” and then I explained how we worked. I told them: “Be nice to her, she doesn’t understand French.” »
Everyone introduced themselves in English before diving. Although she was among the youngest, Lucia Slafkovská did very well, according to the coach.
We did two training sessions a day, around 6000 meters each time. She was really comfortable, she didn’t have trouble keeping up, as is often the case when someone visits us. She was even better than some girls already in the group.
Omar Hany, coach of the CAMO swim club junior girls program
His big brother Juraj was the first witness to his diligence. “She would get up at 4:45 a.m. and my father would drive her home [à Claude-Robillard] », Said number 20, Tuesday morning at the Bell Centre, a few hours before the game against the Flyers. “It’s crazy, I don’t know how she does that!” It’s like that every day. In Slovakia she swims at 6 a.m., so she gets up at 5:30 a.m. and she tries to keep the same schedule here. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Juraj Slafkovsky
Slovakia’s bronze medal in ice hockey at the Beijing Games, where Juraj was chosen the most valuable player, has inspired Lucia, who plans to follow in his footsteps.
“She takes it seriously and I think she wants to do like me,” said Slafkovsky, who believes she is perfectly capable of it.
“She has to work hard. She’s only been swimming for two and a half years and she’s already on the junior national team, so she’s off to a good start. There will be obstacles, but she must continue to push herself. My mother is a former swimmer, so we help her, we give her everything we can. She is the youngest, we can help her with our experience. Not really me, because I’m 20, but my parents have experience. »
An athlete mother
Like her older brother, who left to study in Finland as a teenager, Lucia would consider emigrating after her primary school, which lasted nine years in Slovakia.
“She is thinking of doing like me and going elsewhere for her high school, in a good swimming program. She wants to go to another country. Swimming is not at a very good level in Slovakia. If you want to make it, you have to move. »
Their mother, Gabriela Slafkovská, finished 12e from an event at the 1995 European Championships, we can read on the page of the Elite Sport Center in Košice, where she is a swimming coach and Pilates instructor. She also does triathlons.
In swimming she was as second in Slovakia. But it was not an easy time. And it was expensive. She had the chance to go to school, so she took it. But we will do everything to give my sister the chance to live her dream.
Juraj Slafkovsky
Gabriela takes care of her daughter’s training in the gym, but not in the swimming pool. “I wouldn’t like it if my mom coached me in hockey!” Juraj chuckled. So I understand that. »
Six years apart and an ocean of distance, how is the brother-sister relationship going? “We’re close, but she’s going through puberty now, so she doesn’t want to talk about everything with me! exclaimed number 20. When she gets older, we’ll talk about everything. »
An inspiration ?
Lucia took part in half a dozen sessions with CAMO before returning to Slovakia. She shines especially in the middle distance, crawl and medley. Omar Hany believes she could be a finalist at the provincial championships.
“ [En Europe], you start to get better around 16, 17 years old, noted the coach. Here, it starts more around 13, 14 years old. But the culture is not the same. There, they swim longer, while here, many stop at CEGEP. »
THE coach did not hesitate to provide technical advice to the Slovak recruit. He reminded him to finish each pitch to the wall, a European (bad) habit he quickly recognized.
“My priority is that everyone has fun. Whether it’s a visitor, the best or the slowest, I make everyone feel like they’re my favorite. »
After her last practice on Friday morning, Lucia had her photo taken with the coaches, her mother and her father Juraj Sr., who appears to have his son’s frame. Before leaving, she asked for a CAMO Natation t-shirt and swim helmet and subscribed to the club’s Instagram page. The Slafkovskys therefore missed Juraj’s first hat trick. Who knows if his little sister didn’t inspire him in turn?
With Guillaume Lefrançois, The Press