Saturday’s World Cup downhill gold medal win by Erik Guay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a tremendously promising Canadian sporting achievement. Guay’s triumph is full of potential but should not be mistaken as a sign that Canadian sport is positioned to repeat these results consistently.
By stringing together three podium finishes in 2007, Guay has proven that he possess the physical and mental abilities to contend at the international level. Coaches who have mentored him, sponsors who have supported him, and skiing clubs and sport organizations such as Alpine Canada who have allowed him to compete all share credit for the victory. Guay’s recent success demonstrates that Canadians can challenge the Europeans who have traditionally dominated the sport. The next step is winning on the biggest stages: the Olympics and the world championships.
What can Erik Guay do to perform at the best of his abilities over the course of several years? He can continue to condition his mind and body by training (indoors and on the slopes), eating properly, and making use of the sport science resources in Canada.
What can Alpine Canada do to assist Guay? They can furnish the national ski team with the best equipment, provide athletes with financial means so they can devote their full attention to training, and invest in the latest sport science resources and high performance coaching.
Furthermore, Alpine Canada and develop the next generation of Crazy Canucks. Doing this requires the backing of the federal government and the belief of the Canadian people in the value of sport and exercise. This is Canada’s biggest alpine triumph since Kerrin Lee-Gardner’s Olympic gold medal in Albertville and it is a definite starting point.
To climb the international ladder, athletes must seek the competitive fire within themselves. But once they find that drive, sport organizations should help them along the way. This is not the case in Canada, on the slopes or elsewhere.
One anecdote that illustrates the lack of support that athletes receive is the career of Myriam Bédard. She won a biathalon bronze medal in 1992 but she did not want to forfeit her endorsements to Biathalon Canada so the organization suspended Bédard from the national team. Training independently, Bédard won two gold medals in the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Instead of scorning a top athlete, Biathalon Canada should have fully supported Bédard so she could have modelled the way for others.
In order to improve performance and inspire the average citizen to take up sport, the Canadian government needs to make significant commitments over several years. Multiple sports need provincial and national leagues. Coaching development must be brought up to standard. Sport science lags behind the rest of the world. Currently, token gestures are made and when athletic performance falls short at a major competition, the public is concerned for a month before returning to their three and a half year habit of ignoring sport.
Without changing the culture, Canadian sport will remain barren – highlighted by occasional oases like Erik Guay or Steve Nash – but otherwise barren.