By the Monster Career Coach
Canadian sled racer Jon Montgomery is an Olympic hopeful by day. But despite being ranked number two in the entire world for his sport, he still has to make a living like the rest of us. So he works part-time as a
Sales Consultant/Automobile Auctioneer while spending most of his days training for the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
And so it is with many of Canada’s elite athletes. Balancing a rigorous schedule of workouts, getting coached, travelling and taking part in competitions...all the while trying to make ends meet. It leads to some pretty harried schedules and an interesting assortment of jobs.
A World Ranked Curler...and Software Development Professional
Meet Jacquie Armstrong, a member of Canada’s Olympic curling team. Here is how she describes her jam packed lifestyle: “I’m a professional in software development. I have a job; I have a husband; I have two kids. It’s hard finding the balance between sport, work, and family, and making sure nothing’s being neglected.”
Jacquie’s training regimen consists of 20 hours a week – 7.5 hours of cardio, interval, strength, core, and flexibility training, and 12.5 hours on the ice. Her goal for the 2010 Olympics is nothing short of a gold medal. But as with the price of real gold today, the cost of obtaining a medal is high. “We had a gathering at our house with friends who I wouldn’t see for the next six months,” says Jacquie. “My husband has had to ask for flexibility in his work for daycare pickups. The most frustrating part is missing out on my son’s hockey this fall.”
Financial Support for Canada’s Olympians Isn’t Always Easy To Secure
Unlike some nations that compete at the Olympics and sponsor their athletes fully (for instance Russia, China and to some extent the United States), Canadian elite athletes are often not provided for financially in ways that allow them to devote themselves fulltime to their sport. It certainly helps to have such organizations as Sport Canada, part of our federal government’s Department of Canadian Heritage that offer funding support. Their Athlete Assistance Program and Sport Support Program make a definite difference. But they may not cover the full costs of hiring the best coach, buying and maintaining top notch equipment, or paying for travel and living expenses.
Which is why many athletes look for other means of financial support aside from working at a job, because a job can take too many hours a week away from training and require a rigid schedule that doesn’t fit in with the athlete’s hectic life. That’s why you see our top athletes vying for such funding as product endorsements, lucrative public speaking engagements, private donors and corporate sponsorships; Visa Canada’s Team Visa and Rona’s Growing With Our Athletes being prime examples of the latter.
Skating On Thin Ice
Consider Marie-France Dubreuil, gold medalist at the 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 Canadian National Championships in the Senior Ice Dancer category. When she and her skating partner/husband Patrice Lauzon were competing at world competitions (including the Olympics), Dubreuil would train six days a week, 4 ½ hours Monday to Friday and 2 ½ hours on Saturdays. She would also take ballet and dance classes and do weight and core training. If things went well she’d take three weeks off in June and one week off in August.
Her resume is quite the mixed bag as was her means of income. Dubreuil received funding from Skate Canada, earned prize money from winning competitions and revenue from skating shows. Early in her career, she worked at a skating boutique, a convenience store and a skating rink (as a cashier and kids’ skating teacher) in addition to training. “I only got about four hours of sleep a night; I had to stop,” she says.
Dubreil is well qualified to offer advice on
maintaining balance. “If your week is particularly gruelling, disconnect by doing a fun activity such as shopping or going to a movie,” she says. “My biggest obstacle to finding balance is my obsession with my work. I would continue thinking about training at the end of day. I had to learn to stay present in the moment.”
Assorted Jobs Held By Other Canadian Olympians
Here is a look at how a few more of our best athletes have brought home the daily bread as well as medals.
NAME: Travis Cross
SPORT: Wrestling, Freestyle
MILESTONES: Three-time national champion, was eighth at the 2007 worlds
UNIQUE MEANS OF SUPPORT: He works as a firefighter, and his town is actively involved in fundraising for him, most notably selling T-shirts and decals showing him wrestling a panda bear in front of the Great Wall of China.
NAME: Jane Rumball
SPORT: Rowing, Women’s Pairs
MILESTONES: Gold (along with teammate Darcy Marquardt), World Rowing Championships and Munich Rowing World Cup, 2006
UNIQUE FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Like other members of the Canadian rowing team, she was “adopted” by a private patron – in her case, Dr. John Clifford of Ingersoll, Ont. – who provided a monthly stipend in exchange for motivational talks and seminars.
A Constant Juggling Act
Taking part in athletics against the world’s most talented competitors is not for the faint of heart. It takes enormous self-discipline and sacrifice to rise up the ranks. And requires an almost super human ability to focus one’s every ounce of energy and concentration just when it’s needed the most. This can only be achieved through training, more training, nutrition, proper rest, and more training.
Who has time to earn a living under such gruelling conditions? It seems that most of Canada’s top athletes manage to do just that. Through a combination of professional jobs, part-time gigs, government support, sponsorships and other creative means, they make enough to support their commitment to go for the gold. It takes an Olympian effort to do so, but Canadians are more than up to the task.