Les athlètes du Canada trouvent des moyens de gérer leur nervosité à l’approche des premières épreuves paralympiques

CORTINA, Italy – Canadian Para alpine sit-skier Brian Rowland flashed a big smile after his first training run Wednesday when a Radio-Canada reporter handed him the broadcaster’s Paralympic pin following their interview.

Rowland, who made his Paralympic Games debut in 2022, actually started pin trading back in 2019 at the Canada Winter Games.  Provinces and territories each had its set of unique pins for the event.

“I got a pretty cool collection from those Games,” said Rowland, who turns 40 during the Milano Cortina Games on March 14. “Then I went to Beijing and found more cool pins. I traded a lot and now I have a great collection.”

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For Rowland, managing his pin-trading hobby is a great way to relax especially on the eve of the biggest races of his career at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. His first race is Saturday with the downhill.

‘’It’s just lots of fun and a great way to pass the time and get your mind off the stress and the high pressure of racing,’’ added the Merrickville, Ont., resident.

While Rowland unwinds through pin trading, athletes in other sports have their own ways of managing nerves that come before competition.

Reigning world and Paralympic Games snowboard cross champion Tyler Turner’s hobby is parachute jumping and teaching. However, he won’t be able to soar through skies in Cortina on the eve of his races this weekend.

‘’I know I can snowboard; I love snowboarding and I love going fast and that’s what’s important,’’ said Turner, from Campbell River, B.C. ‘’On the eve of the race I just try to talk to people about anything else and find out about their lives.

‘’Whatever to get your mind off snowboarding because too much of it will overload your brain. The stress is real.’’

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Turner’s teammate Sandrine Hamel, entering her third Games, simply accepts that she’s a nervous person as the big race approaches.

‘’The day of the race I’m always nervous,’’ she admitted. ‘’I tried to find some solutions but in the end that nervousness is what gives me an edge. Snowboarding is a sport that if you’re too relaxed, that’s not good.’’

Meanwhile back at the Paralympic Village in Cortina, trading is brisk for Rowland as he continues to enhance his collection.

‘’It’s been great so far,’’ he said. ‘’I’ve traded with a lot of different countries and it’s also a great way to meet people from around the world. It’s coming along well.’’