Anmore’s Michelle Reaume has completed 23 Ironman races. She’s played premier soccer, run ultramarathons and she finished in the top 10 at the New York City gran fondo — the first long-distance cycling race she entered.
But, Reaume said, those athletic accomplishments might never have happened if she hadn’t had mentors come along at just the right moment to inspire and motivate her.
On March 2, Reaume will speak about the value of mentorship, especially for female athletes, at the third annual Wine, Women and Sport evening to benefit the senior girls soccer program at Centennial secondary school in Coquitlam. More importantly the event is an opportunity for female athletes of all ages to be empowered by sport and to explore new opportunities in fitness, health and sport.
Reaume said her own journey through sport really took hold when her track and field coach at her high school in Burnaby, Ken Taylor, tapped her on her shoulder as the team’s go-to athlete to accumulate points when its star athlete was injured or unavailable.
Reaume said Taylor taught her about the importance of doing something she loves. He encouraged her that finding happiness and well-being beyond the track would allow her to perform better when she laced up her spikes. And he showed her that even in the individual sport she had chosen at the time, heptathlon, there was still strength to be gleaned from her teammates.
Reaume said finding a good mentor can be a key ingredient to finding fulfillment and success in sport.
She’s had several, including the middle school teacher who encouraged her to try out for the boys’ basketball team because the school didn’t have a girls team. Or Bert Sandie, who introduced her to triathlon and coached her to 25 of the gruelling races, of which she only failed to finish two.
Reaume said as she’s gotten older, she’s been able to gain an increasing awareness and appreciation for the role mentors have played in her own athletic endeavours. She said having those guiding forces can be especially critical to keep young women on the sporting track, as they now have so many distractions that can steal their attention and dedication.
“You have to surround yourself with people who will give you support,” Reaume said, adding such a network is especially important for high school athletes as it’s those years that can lay the foundation for a lifetime involvement with sport, even at a recreational level.
“The achievements of a player, or team, live on long after the game is played,” she said.
The experiences Reaume’s gained from sport, and the confidence it has given her, are now being repaid, as she herself takes on a mentorship role, whether it’s leading spin classes, teaching new members of the TCC Cycling Club — which she helped co-found four years ago — how to ride safely in a group or even leading cyclists on wine tours in the Okanagan.
It’s all about leading by example, she said.
That even extended to her home life.
Reaume said that when she used to take her daughter to dance classes, while other moms bided their time in the hallway reading, chatting on their phones or knitting, she’d use the downtime to go for a run. Not only was it a chance to keep up her training, it also instilled in her daughter a work ethic and appreciation for being active at every opportunity. She’s now studying outdoor recreation and Capilano University.
“Life is a sport,” Reaume said. “I don’t see it any other way.”
• Wine, Women and Sport will be held March 2, 7 to 10 p.m. at Centennial secondary school in Coquitlam. Other featured speakers include Olympic soccer bronze medalist Brittany Timko and curler Kelley Law, who won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and health and wellness coach Michelle Tremblay. Tickets are $40, plus a processing fee, and include a souvenir wine glass, the first glass of wine from Township 7 wine, and tapas prepared by culinary arts students at Centennial. For more information or to get tickets, go to http://winewomensport2019.eventbrite.ca.
