Canadian brief track rate skater William Dandjinou is noticing that this is a turning point for his sporting activity– and in his job.
Dandjinou, a Sherbrooke, Que., indigenous, together with 9 various other Canadian skaters, are preparing to require to the ice this weekend break in Montreal at legendary Maurice Richard Arena for the initial drop in a brand-new collection focused on attracting even more interest to the sporting activity.
“This is the most important weekend of the year for me. Well, maybe second most important because the world championships will be massive,” Dandjinou informed CBC Sports.
“But it sets the tone. It’s at home. There will be huge crowds. As a team we want to showcase who we are. We want to affirm that we’re still here and here to win.”
Dandjinou, 23, had an outbreak period in 2014. He’s the protecting globe champ in the 1,000 metres and likewise won the nationwide title in September.
SEE |Analyst Michael Gilday breaks down Short Track World Tour:
Olympian transformed brief track expert, Michael Gilday provides a break down of the brand-new an enhanced Short Track World Tour, which begins October 26th & & 27th inMontreal
And while there could be fantastic assumptions for him this period, Dandjinou isn’t really feeling the stress.
“It’s always hard to repeat a good year. There are expectations. I don’t like that word though. I prefer aspirations,” he claimed.
“Expectations, there’s a weight to it. The mental part of the game is something I can control. Expectation is not a good word. Aspirations [is better].”
Mental element
If you invest simply a bit of time with Dandjinou it emerges he’s extremely thoughtful concerning every little thing he performs in life and sporting activity. He considers the psychological element of skating regularly. He enjoys to enter into the elaborate information of every component of his races.
He envisions them and invests a great deal of time with his sporting activities psycho therapist to grasp his craft.
“I want to succeed. My goal is to dominate the sport. I feel like I’m coming into my golden time in the sport. Short track is not a guarantee. You can fall. There are so many unknowns and a lot of anxiety. The goal is just to stay in the present.”
It’s all the unpredictability that features zooming around the ice with various other skaters, disorderly sometimes, Dandjinou states he enjoys around brief track rate skating.
He claimed it is the appeal of the sporting activity which it’s the closest point to reality.
“We are problem solving in real time and it has to come instinctively. You have to problem solve in training so that in competition it’s muscle memory,” he claimed.
“There’s stuff that I’m comfortable doing. I have race patterns. But if I’m limited to one strategy, I’m limited as a racer.”
Without his skates on Dandjinou is six-foot-three. With his skates on, he has to do with six-foot-seven and overlook the remainder of his rivals. In a sporting activity that requires fast turns, vibrant rate and instant choice production, Dandjinou recognizes he’s not a regular brief track rate skater.
But he’s accepting it and leaning right into his originality.
“I want to be known as a charismatic skater. I want people to see my personality through my skating,” he claimed.
“I’m not a typical skater. I’m tall. My body shape. I have a skin colour that’s not typical of a speed skater.”
He’s likewise recognized for swing his arms backwards and forwards like an eagle in trip after going across the goal initially. Dandjinou intends to be called an individuality on the ice due to the fact that he thinks that will certainly bring in followers to brief track rate skating.
“I’m excited for sure. I want it to be a big show. It has to be a show. I love my sport and I hope so many people can see that too,” Dandjinou claimed.
“I want them to see my sport the way I see it. I think it’s the most exciting sport in the world. There’s so much uncertainty. It’s almost like Formula One met humans.”
Canadian group includes deepness, ability
The freshly produced ISU Short Track World Tour will certainly include 6 quits throughout the period, with the initial beginning Canadian ice in Montreal.
Not just will private skaters be trying the Crystal Globe for the majority of factors throughout the year, so as well will certainly groups.
The Canadian Ice Maples, as the Canadian skaters will certainly be nicknamed, includes deepness and ability– there are 5 Olympians, 3 Olympic medallists and 2 ruling globe champs on the lineup entering into the weekend break.
The Ice Maples will certainly be tackling the United States Eagles, Chinese Loongs, Korean White Tigers, Dutch Lions andItalian Gladiators
Dandjinou, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Félix Rousell compose the experienced part of the guys’s side of the Canadian group. Each among the skaters won private gold medals on the World Cup circuit last period– that likewise bodes well for the group competitors.
Philippe Daudelin, 22, completed in his initial 2 job World Cup quits last period and is likewise on the group.
Florence Brunelle a climbing celebrity on females’s side
On the females’s side, Florence Brunelle, Kim Boutin, Dana é Blais Rikki Doak and Qi Miao will certainly all be requiring to the ice for Canada inMontreal
Brunelle, 20, made her Olympic launching in Beijing and has actually been a climbing celebrity in the sporting activity ever since. And four-time Olympian Boutin brings a riches of understanding and management to the group.
After the Montreal quit, the Ice Maples after that take a trip to Salt Lake City in very early November prior to heading to China andSouth Korea
From there the group will certainly contend in Tilburg, Netherlands prior to the last drop in Milan, Italy on the exact same ice that will certainly organize the 2026Olympics
