LAB Entraineur-es | a final meeting with Gregor Jelonek

Monday June 19 saw the final meeting of the 2022-23 cohort of the LAB Entraineur-es Montréal program. It was a momentous occasion for the 8 coaches present, who had the opportunity to take stock of their experience in the presence of the great Gregor Jelonek , Olympic speed skating coach.

Jelonek began his coaching career with Canada's national junior team in 1997, before being promoted to the senior ranks in 2002. Based near the Gaétan Boucher Oval in Quebec City, he has guided several Quebec athletes - including Laurent Dubreuil, Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, Alexandre St-Jean, Francois-Olivier Roberge and Muncef Ouardi - to podium performances on the international scene.

Once again, the program enabled coaches from different disciplines and backgrounds to meet, exchange and pool their know-how with a view to improving their athletes' performance. These stimulating and sometimes even moving exchanges have also opened the door to a certain rethinking of traditional approaches. Coaches realized that the physical aspect was no longer enough to guarantee sporting success, but that it was also crucial to take into account the overall well-being of their athletes.

"You have to love your athletes. If you don't love them, it won't work. Gregor Jelonek

These meetings initiated a revolution in the way sports training is approached, by focusing on the mental and physical health of athletes, and promoting a holistic approach to sports performance. In this way, the LAB Entraineur-es Montréal hopes to serve as an example for the dissemination of best practices in the field of sports training.

This LAB was also the last to be led by Marc-André Duchesneau as Coach Development Advisor, who has carried this project through from the very beginning. Marc-André's collaboration with the Conseil du sport will not end there, and he will pass the torch to Stéphanie Poirier and Nicolas Masbourian, who will take over the reins of the LAB Entraineur-es Montréal in the fall.