Ready! Set? Wait…

Competitive sport may not be deemed an essential service, but we think the inspiration it gives us sure is. With most international sports indefinitely halted for the bulk of 2020, MAPEI decided to touch base with some of the teams who wear our colors, to see how they are coping with the unprecedented situation. Like so many fellow Canadians, we found they were stoically positive, and not about to let anything knock them off-stride for long.

A Timeline of interruptions in sport

MARCH 11 – NBA 2019-20 season: suspended indefinitely

MARCH 12 – NHL 2019-20 season: suspended indefinitely

MARCH 13 – 2020 Concrete Canoe competition, slated for May 14-17, at Western University in London, ON: cancelled

MARCH 14 – 2020 “World Cup of Quebec” X-Country Ski Race: cancelled

MARCH 23 - Team Canada announces it is pulling out if Olympic Games going ahead this summer

MARCH 24 - Tokyo Summer Games: postponed to 2021

Macogep-Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux

This elite MAPEI-sponsored UCI women’s cycling team had high hopes they might send one or more of their number to Tokyo in July for the Summer Olympics. While they remain hopeful to compete in the postponed 2021 Games instead, they have made their peace with the fact their whole season remains up in the air for now. While their plans to start off their competitive season in April in Arkansas got scrapped, they do also have access to online tools like Zwift to simulate races with others in their class in real-time.

Team cyclist Émilie Fortin says for the time being, she has decided to simply continue her winter training regimen on her modified stationary bike indoors. “For one thing, it’s still cold outside, and for another, if I were to fall and possibly injure myself, I might end up taking a hospital bed from someone who needs it more. So it’s safer to train indoors.”

Toronto Velodrome Club

Another cycling team we sponsor, Toronto Velodrome Club, was likewise hopeful to send some of their members to Tokyo in July, 2020, but is staying the course and looking at the bright side. “I think the team is trying to stay as positive as possible. Everyone is dealing with it in their own way. The Games being delayed is disappointing, but at the same time it gives us more time to close the gap to the top teams, and so it could mean a better result for the team at Tokyo 2021 which is exciting,” TVC Olympic hopeful Michael Foley said.

While the team is relieved their qualification status for Olympic competition still stands for 2021, their spokesperson concludes on a philosophical note: “With everything that's going on in the world it doesn't feel all that bad. Just like any job, we have to stay at home and wait for the virus to blow over. We try to look at the bigger picture: there are people dying out there and people in healthcare who have to go to work to save lives.

“We stand with them in doing our part to put an end to this.”

Veneto FISG U13 Ice Hockey

After battling on the ice at the International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in Québec City last February, the Veneto FISG Under-13 team returned home to an Italy facing its own battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. They report being happy to be back with their loved ones, and safely hunkered down to get through these challenging times. We wish them well, knowing their fierce commitment and fighting spirit can only help. We’re already looking forward to seeing you in Canada again next year, team. Corragio!

Le Club Vélo Saint-Joseph

If a positive attitude is a key factor for success, the men of the Club Vélo Saint-Joseph are leading the way. Happily exercising more than just physical distance, they inspire us with their heartfelt commitment to each other and the surrounding community with their indomitable spirit.

“We’d been training together five or six times a week all winter, and we were really looking forward to the first FQSC race of the season,” says team leader Geoffroy Tremblay. “To keep focused, we’re doing virtual trainings three times a week, all together.”

Even keeping that up has its challenges, he says. “Some guys on the team are in solitary confinement after being overseas, others are employed in emergency services, and some are superheroes (i.e.: driving trucks throughout North America to supply the population with food and essential goods).”

Other members of the team are doing their part to keep everyone safe by staying indoors as much as possible, but it’s great to see they aren’t letting that slow them down.

“We were all friends before we became a cycling team,” he adds. “We’re more like a family now. When you have the will, you’ll find a thousand ways to succeed; if not, you’ll find a thousand excuses.”

MAPEI is happy to support them as they continue to train hard to stay ready for whenever they get the green light to return to competitive racing. Keep it up, guys!

Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre

Perhaps the toughest luck befell the cross-country ski team of Pierre-Harvey Centre. They were primed, psyched, and making final preparations for their biggest event of the year, the 2020 “World Cup of Québec.” Then, with the race just two days away, the organizers had to face facts and cancel, bringing an early end to their season. With the end of winter now upon them, they are resigned to wait until next year, when they can get right back to it.

That was the sentiment of Canadian 2019 champion skier and Pierre-Harvey member Antoine Briand, who mentioned on his Facebook page how hard he’d trained all through February to be in peek physical shape. “A big thank you to everyone who supported me this past winter,” he wrote. “Take care of yourselves and get outside to enjoy spending time with Mother Nature.”

“The way I see it, we must remain optimistic,” points out Pierre-Harvey skier Laura Leclair. Noting her sport inherently lends itself well to the demands of physical distancing, she doesn’t anticipate too much difficulty getting ready for next season. “I think we will be able to resume training in May as planned. It goes without saying that we are very fortunate to practice an individual sport where we do not absolutely need indoor facilities.”

Still, the abrupt end to the 2019-20 season was a bitter pill to swallow for Pierre-Harvey skier Cendrine Browne, who explained how they understood the Quebec government’s decree to maintain social distancing gave the organizers no choice. “For sure it was a great disappointment,” she said in a TVA interview. “We had all our friends and family excited to be cheering us on. But we have to think of the health of others too; not just ourselves.”

To put your own dreams on hold for the sake of others you will probably never know… That’s truly inspiring, and that’s why MAPEI Canada is so proud of all the athletes we support.