SUTTON SKI CLUB SHINES IN THE BIG LEAGUES!
Did you hear about that incredible news?
There’s never a real off-season to talk about ski at Mont SUTTON; here the undeniable proof: It’s not one or two racers from the Sutton Ski Club who made the Québec Team 2023-2024, but FIVE!
Mont SUTTON is very proud to share the announcement of the 2023-2024 Quebec Alpine Ski Team line-up for next season.
Quebec Team today; National Team tomorrow
The Quebec Team’s mandate is to bring together and develop the best Quebec skiers competing on the FIS (Fédération internationale du ski) circuit, who have the potential to make the leap to the national team. Each year, the best skiers from regional teams, generally aged between 16 and 20, are chosen and invited to the selection camp, where a homogeneous group of male and female athletes is selected to join the team and fine-tune their development. The finale selection is made by a committee from the provincial federation, based on the results of the training camp, evaluating the physical, tactical and technical aptitudes of the participants.
For the 2023-2024 season, 3 male racers out of a total of 6, and 2 female racers out of a total of 8, are coming from the Sutton Ski Club. So that’s 5 out of 14 young athletes who have been trained at Mont SUTTON, under the excellence of our in-house Club, for between 6 to 9 seasons. While we must underline the quality of the training offered in the area by head coach Martin Durocher and his team, their contagious passion and dedication to the development of high-calibre young athletes, the fact remains that this year result is exceptional.
Athletes raised on Mont SUTTON slopes
From the Provincial selection, Anne-Frédérique Caron, Charles-Antoine Goulet, Vincent Larin and Lexis Cournoyer were part of the first cohort of the Sutton Ski Club’s U16 performance program, the highest level of local competition, directed by Florence Lacombe since its creation five years ago. These skiers actually line-up with Équipe Élite Alpin FIS de l’Estrie.
Martin Durocher, head coach of the Sutton Ski Club, explains the reason for the creation of the relatively new U16 program in Sutton:
“Alpine skiing is a sport that requires many days away from home, year-round, for both training and competition. During my years as head coach of the Quebec team, I saw many skiers who, having come close to making the national and provincial teams, were worn down by this lifestyle.
When I returned to the Sutton Ski Club, with the help of the Board of Directors and the constant support of Mont SUTTON, I set up this program because I didn’t believe it was necessary to uproot young athletes too early in their development. In my opinion, if we offer a club lifestyle, close to friends and family, while providing a quality training environment, the whole ski world wins! We broaden the pool of athletes from which the elite teams can select their skiers, and when these skiers reach the point in their careers when they have to spend a lot of time on the road or abroad, they do so with enthusiasm.
It’s a bit of a counter-current in the region and even in the province, but we’re proud of the results. This year, as last season, the only skiers from the Eastern Townships to have been selected for Team Québec are from Sutton. A third of the team skied all their youth in our glades! It’s exceptional! ”
A Purely SUTTON mentality clearly starting to leave its mark in the province!
As for Estelle Martin, she was recruited from an American academy. Martin Durocher points out that a racer remains identified to his school club for the rest of his career, regardless of the path taken to reach the national teams, and that the pride is there to stay!
The beginning of a professional journey
In the upcoming season, the calendar for these young athletes will be a little different, but they will still be competing on their current circuits. The main difference will be in their coaching and their new objectives. Short term, the goal for these athletes will be to perform well on the NorAm circuit, the North American Continental Cup, to improve their worldwide ranking.
The 2023-2024 season will mark the start of a professional career for Anne-Frédérique, Charles-Antoine, Vincent, Lexis and Estelle with their selection for Team Québec. They can now carve out a place for themselves among the best skiers in Canada!
Talents to watch out for that we will happily follow in the years to come! Let’s wish them the best of luck!
