Here are some brief bios of some athletes that I love.
Sébastien Britten was born May 17, 1970 in Verdun, Quebec. He was a member of the Canadian national figure skating team from 1992 to 1997. Sébastien is a three-time World Team member and 1994 Olympic competitor. He won the Canadian men's title in 1995. Sébastien is probably one of the best music interpretors around but, because of his difficulty in landing the triple axel he never managed higher than 8th position at the Worlds, athough he was equally talented in all areas of skating. Despite that, Sébastien continued to perform and entertain to a standard that continuously earned him top ten finishes on the international circuit.A dynamic performer, Sébastien never failed to charm Canadian skating audiences with his exciting and entertaining programs. He enjoys music, travelling and being with friends. Sébastien skated for the CPA Brossard where I believe he is now a coach.
When he was asked about retirement, Sébastien hinted at a professional career. Since then he has turned pro but life hasn't been easy for him. But finally, Sébastien found a spotlight he really liked: He won the world professional championship in Spain in April, drawing an almost unanimous rack of perfect marks. 5 of 7 judges gave Sébastien perfect marks for his technical program, an unusual routine called Nightmare, using techno music. And they all gave him perfect marks for his artistic program. He earned standing ovations for his work. He was overwhelmed since earning a perfect mark has always been a dream of his. Sébastien, known for his spellbinding artistry, never garnered a perfect mark during his amateur career.
His victory came after a succession of disappointments as a professional. One week before he was to leave for rehearsal, he found that the U.S. tour he had been booked for had been cancelled and he was left with nothing. Britten ended up staying at home in Montreal, teaching and doing choreography to make money. He trained himself because he couldn't afford a coach, and he went alone to Spain. Britten's life took another nasty turn when the ice storms hit Quebec in January. His apartment was without power for 10 days, and the rink where he worked shut down for three weeks. But in the middle of the storm, he got a telephone call - the invitation to compete in Spain, where he won $20,000.
Jean-Luc Brassard has been the world's most dominant moguls skier for the past six years. He is an Olympic and world champion and two time defending World Cup champ in men's moguls. At 25, the Grande-Ile resident has achieved every conceivable success in his sport. That includes 40 World Cup medals in 77 meets. That record has generated three overall crowns in addition to his world titles in 1993 and 1997.
Born August 24, 1972, in Valleyfield, Quebec, Jean-Luc Brassard grew up in a community south of Montreal. Jean-Luc began early on to channel his energy into sports and outdoor activities. He strapped on his first pair of skis at the age of seven. After growing tired of traditional skiing quite quickly, he discovered competitive mogul skiing. Brassard developed rapidly, joining the national team at age 17. He won his first World Cup race at 18, the youngest skier ever to win the World Cup.
He won a gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic games in Norway. At 21, through the eager attention of the Quebec media, Jean-Luc's energy, smile and sense of humour was revealed to the world. Jean-Luc knows he has to come back to earth sometime - which may explain his great love of nature. He likes to get away from it all in the woods, in the mountains or by the water.
Brassard has that rare combination of a winner's killer instinct and an affable personality when he's not on the slopes. He's been described as an easy-going, down-to-earth ski ambassador. He may not be the fastest moguls skier in the world, but the execution of his maneuvers are so fluid that judges
give him the maximum number of points, the majority of the time. He also executes the most beautiful Cossack of the World Cup Circuit. The Cossack is like a toe-touch, but where the skier's upper body leans forward and arms reach towards the middle. He has also specialized two jumps which he has named himself: The JLB and the Yamagoushi. In Japan, his fans compare his fluidity to a torrent that descends the mountain while foiling obstacles without shocks. Technical perfection, pushing the envelope and breathtaking innovation are his trademarks.
At 26, Mark Fawcett is one of Canada's top snowboarders and represents everything that is brash and beautiful in the newly inducted sport. He is one of the many colorful, some say spacey, snowboarders around and is well known in the sport. He's been ranked in the top-five internationally since 1991. He is renowned around the snowsurf tour because of his penchant for trying new equipment and pushing the technological limits of snowboarding.
Mark grew up in Saint John, N.B., and spent his teenage years braving cold spring mornings as a crew racer. Rowing in national-level events led to wind surfing, and soon he was dressed in a wet suit racing along the shores of the Kennebecasis River. He was a skateboarder as well, so snowboarding became a natural
progression and eventually his calling. Mark began snowboarding in 1985 on golf courses and back hills. In 1989 he led a group of snowboarders to influence the Carabassett Valley Academy, a ski racing school in Maine, to allow snowboarders to train. The school now has a snowboard program with four coaches and over twenty athletes.
Mark has gone on to become a leader within the often chaotic professional snowboarding world. What most people do not know is that snowboarding has suffered through a lengthy, heated war with the established skiing World Cup organizer, the F.I.S. Mark helped found and is currently president of the Professional Snowboarders Association, the only semblance of an athletes' union in the sport.
At his winter home in Lake Tahoe, Calif. (he summers in a large tent at Washington State's wind-surfing Mecca, Hood River), these battles seem to fade away. With a girlfriend named Sky, three dogs, two cats and a CD collection that spans heavy metal to Coltrane, Fawcett seems more worked up over his newest toy, a 700-cc snowmobile, than anything gold.
Wanna see a picture of me with Mark Fawcett?
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