(St-Côme) If the national moguls program has been experiencing a slump in recent years, the last World Cup at the Val-St-Côme Ski Center could well have served as a springboard for the Canadian team.
Mikaël Kingsbury signed his 77e victory in the World Cup in singles in addition to finishing second in the duels; Maia Schwinghammer made a first top 5 in singles; and the Canadians competing this weekend collected no less than 14 top 16 during the two days of racing.
“We know that in any high-level team, there are cycles, ups and downs. In bumps, it’s been a really long time that we ride on a high; there we have a down, explains moguls head coach Michel Hamelin. Athletes push hard to raise the standards. They sent a letter to the leaders of the federation a few months ago asking them to take this into account. I would say that my standards for me have always been the same towards the athletes, who also have a role to play in this as well.
“The group that reached the finals here, the Louis-David [Chalifoux]Elliott [Vaillancourt], [Julien] Viel is a gang that I would call in development for two years. There they begin to figure out how to put the puzzle pieces together to make World Cup finals. Same thing with Maia Schwinghammer. It looks good. This is the fruit of work accomplished over the past three years. »
The Canadian team has only one member who participated in the last Olympics in its ranks: Kingsbury. To say that the team is in reconstruction is an understatement. But Hamelin has complete confidence in the group he has in his hands.
It now remains for the skiers to gain self-confidence.
“I work with them every day, I see the constant evolution and the potential, notes Hamelin. But they have to figure it out themselves. They need to be aware of how to set things up. They begin to have this consciousness.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Julien Viel
“It’s also a matter of trust,” he continues. Viel, who came fourth in qualifying [vendredi], I don’t know if he thought it was his place to be fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh in the World Cup. I knew he was capable of it. Now he believes it. [Samedi]he was part of the top 16. That’s how you build trust. »
Having a leader like Kingsbury obviously helps develop a young team.
“Mik, he shows the way and he says to the others: ‘Follow me, I’ll show you how to do it.’ We analyze everything he does. »
Hamelin, who will head to Deer Valley on Sunday for the next World Cup with his proteges, is convinced that Canada is on the verge of returning to the top of its sport.
“Certainly we can go back to the top. Currently, in freestyle skiing, we are the best in all the other disciplines. In moguls, we are very close. »