March 6, 2025 • 40 mins
For my International Women’s Day episode, I chose Marion Thénault—a Canadian who flies like an eagle on the global stage.
After realizing that gymnastics wouldn’t take her to the Olympics, Marion felt lost. On a promise to her Mom, she went to RBC Training Ground, where her trampoline skills caught the attention of a scout. She was asked if she had ever tried those flips on skis. As it turned out, she had only been on skis a handful of times.
Marion leaped into Freestyle Aerial Skiing, and in short order became a World Cup champion and Olympic Medallist. Her biggest accomplishment is something only a handful of female athletes have done— executing three backflips with multiple twists while reaching heights of over 12 meters (40 feet) in the air.
A serious injury when trying that jump nearly ended her career, but Marion found the courage and determination to return. In a stunning comeback, she landed the same triple that had caused her crash, proving her resilience and grit.
Jacquie Ryan, the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and another Canadian woman of international stature, joins the show to talk about Marion's accomplishments and how RBC Training Ground is helping Canada’s next generation of Olympians soar like eagles.
To learn more about Marion, https://freestylecanada.ski/team/marion-thenault/
To learn more about RBC Training Ground, https://rbctrainingground.ca
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
We all have these wonderful dreams,
and often they're impossible dreams. For example, a
young kid on a trapelerene dreams about becoming an Olympic
gymnast, But you find you have special talent,
magical talent, and you keep pursuing this dream. Your family
supports you. The coaches support you. You devote thousands of hours
(00:26):
just for that one day to own the podium. Your parents sacrificed so
much. And then you come to the realization that
maybe that dream's not possible. Maybe you're extraordinary
at your craft, but you're not quite the best of the world.
What would you do? I feel like I'm missing out on
life. My passion for gymnastics is not as strong as it was
(00:48):
before, but I knew that the Olympics were just, like, really not
in the picture. I think a lot of people would fall back on their
feet. They might go into a tailspin because that's what they put their
entire youth towards. Well,
my guest today is someone that didn't fall back on her feet. In fact, she
strapped on a pair of skis and became one of the
(01:10):
most extraordinary aerial skiers in the world.
Like, all of a sudden, everyone everyone's watching, and you have,
like, this old Olympic side with the rings everywhere, and you just
feel like it's your time to shine. And I had a chance
to meet with her in the past and chat with her on stage, and I
said to her, you must become part of Chatter That Matters because your
(01:32):
story inspired me, and I also know it'll inspire many
others.
Hi. It's Tony Chapman. Thank you for listening to Chatter That Matters presented by
RBC. If you can, please subscribe to the podcast. And
ratings and reviews, well, they're always welcome, and they're always appreciated.
(01:53):
So I'd like to welcome Marion Thinaud to, Chatter That Matters. Marion, good
to see you again. Very good to see you. How are you? Fantastic.
Talk to me a little bit. Let's go back in time and just when you
first discovered the gym before we can get you on a pair of skis, what
were you like as a young kid, and how why were you different than any
other kid that just where parents park them in an afternoon just to try to
(02:13):
burn off some esteem? I mean, both my parents were athletes,
so I was destined to do sports. That's for sure.
They put me in gymnastics when I was very young. I don't really remember the
beginning. I just remember gymnastics being part of my life. I was
a very disciplined young kid. I was a people
pleaser. I always wanted to, listen to the rules
(02:34):
and have people congratulate me for being a
good, little girl. So I think that fit with
gymnastics, which, of course, requires a lot
of discipline. Did you ever rebel? Did you ever get a time where
your friends in school have a very different life than you? Because I have to
believe that as you continue to progress in that sport,
(02:56):
it took more and more of your time. You know, as a child, sometimes it's
tough to rationalize that kind of commitment when there's so
many other places to explore. That came way later,
like, when I was in high school, more more towards the end of my
high school. Because before that, I was, like, was not interested in any
other activities than gymnastics, really. I thought it was the coolest thing to do.
(03:18):
So I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. But when I
grew up and I was, like, 15, 16, now I
started to feel like I was missing out on social
life, really. As you're going through this, as you're getting older, do you find
that you have to more often than not hang out with other athletes that
understand this level of commitment? I feel like I have a very
(03:40):
different perspective on life than many of the people I hang out
with. Just because I grew up in that environment of
just really being disciplined and hardworking and towards
being very goal oriented. Of course, I evolved
as I got older and as I became a skier for sure.
But I do feel that difference with a lot of people, especially in
(04:01):
school. It's different backgrounds from everywhere, and I do
see that I have this strong, like, motivation fire,
some people would say, that, I think not everybody
necessarily has or has yet. Going off topic, and I gotta get back to your
story, but it's fascinating. Do you ever feel you have to curtail
your motivation and your ambition and this
(04:24):
commitment with others? Because it's so different
than the other people in the room. So for me to fit in, I've I
gotta sort of take Maran Thineau two notches down
versus sort of the speed you like to operate at? All the
time. I mean, not a lot of people, know
D'Oreal Merion because it's a lot to take
(04:44):
in. So I think in my daily life, I
don't really talk about, what my goals are
or, what I'm aiming to do in all my projects. It's very
necessary. I mean, I need to talk about it to the people that are key
in my life and that are gonna help me towards these goals. But I just
also like to hang out with people without being this super
(05:06):
intense little girl. I wanna wrap up gymnastics and really
get into the this massive change you did, but you were
incredibly accomplished at weird. How how far did you get in that sport and
what did you excel in when you were doing gymnastics? I
was okay at gymnastics, but really not that
great compared to Olympic level. It wasn't that big of a
(05:28):
deal when I realized that first because, again, I was
just so involved in gymnastics that I was like, I'm gonna keep doing it
anyway, And I'm just gonna have to reach my full potential, whatever that
is. But I knew pretty early on that the Olympics were just
like really not in the picture. So it wasn't
the podium that motivated you, just the love for the sport. Yeah.
(05:50):
And just getting used to always trying
hard. It's kind of addictive, always chasing goals.
It can become unhealthy, but still it was the main
driver. And the trampoline was something that you really excelled at?
In gymnastics trampoline is a separate discipline when you get older.
So I did really for fun just because my mom
(06:13):
knew more people in that sport and she gave me the opportunity
to go train with a very good coach. I saw
that I had a lot more potential in trampoline, and I could
not do both. Like, it was insane. I would train from
07:30AM to 10:30AM in the morning in gymnastics.
I would go to school. And then after school, I would do, like, a five
(06:36):
to eight of trampoline, which was not sustainable
even for a high energy kid. So I had to choose at some point,
and I kept gymnastics because it's what I've been doing
for so much longer. So a lot of people probably aren't aware
of RBC Training Ground. Take us to what it is
and how you ended up there. And because of RBC Training
(06:59):
Ground and your drive and your athletic ability, I'm now talking
to a a gold medalist. I've just received an email
inviting me to RBC Training Ground. I had no idea what it was.
It was the end of high school, and I was a bit in a place
of, okay. I feel like I'm missing out on life, as we said
earlier. My passion for gymnastics is not as strong as it was
(07:21):
before. I feel like I need to branch out. But I cannot go
from, like, training thirty hours a week in gymnastics to nothing.
So that's the way I went. I mean, RBC Training Ground is
physical testings, and there are recruiters of different sports
that are there, and they look at you and they say, in what sports you
would have potential. So I went without
(07:43):
any expectation. I was like, who would want a gymnast? In
my head, I was just a very good acrobat, but I didn't know really where
that could apply. And, yeah, there was this
freestyle skier coach that was there, and he came
to see me. He said, like, oh, you're a gymnast.
You're a good acrobat. You should come and try freestyle skiing,
(08:06):
aerial skiing. At first, I just told him, well, I'm not a skier,
so I think that's a problem. And he was like, no. Like, come and
try it. I think curiosity is the main reason why
I went, because I barely knew what aerials was.
Like, I had to Google aerial skiing after meeting
him because I was not sure. And how old are you at this time? I
(08:29):
was 17 years old. Okay. So 17. You're trying to figure out what
he's actually asking you to come out and try out? Yeah. I was pretty confused.
And then I Googled it and I saw, like, of course, Olympic level
skiers doing these crazy flips. And I was like, there's no way I'm
ever gonna do that. But then again, I was curious and I was
like, he's not gonna make me do these flips first
(08:51):
day, so I should be safe. And so I went a few weeks
later, in Laakbo Pov, there's a water ramp facility.
It's like, there's the big jumps and you land in the water, A
playground for acrobats, basically. You have these huge
jumps. People are going so high, like ten, twelve meters
in the air. They're coming in super fast into these jumps that
(09:13):
literally look like walls when you look at them for the first time. And then
there's the trampolines and the bungees and there's music
and the atmosphere is just insane. I was like, oh my
god. This is a whole new world. And I was not aware. Everything you just
described, I'd be scared of. What was it like that first day? What did you
what did they get you to do? I mean, they got me on trampoline first
(09:34):
to see how good of an acrobat I was, and then I had to put
on skis and, of course, start with the smallest jumps pass
jump possible. I mean, you can barely call it a jump, but it's tricky. Like,
you have to be able to ski on that plastic surface.
And me, like, I had skied maybe, I don't know, three, four, five times in
my life. But again, it was kind of a challenge.
(09:56):
And I got to the water my first jump. And then I was
like, oh, that was pretty cool. I wanna do it better and then go again.
It was just very fun at the beginning, and it didn't take long
before I was, okay, this could be my new gymnastics. But you
accelerated so quickly. I mean, you went from being on ski sport times in
your life to being quite accomplished. So I had trained a
(10:18):
couple times on the water ramp. And by the end of the summer, I told
my new coach. I was like, okay, this is what I wanna do. I'm gonna
commit to aerials, and I'm switching sports. So
I'm from Sherbrooke. I had to move where the mountains were, so I first
moved to the Laurentians. And I had to learn how to ski first.
So I had a private ski coach, and I skied, like, couple times
(10:40):
a week. And on the trampoline with my aerials coach, I was
I would work on the new technique because, I mean, I have an acrobat
brain, but still the technique is different from gymnastics to aerials.
You know, I I was a complete beginner in the sport, but I was training
like a high level athlete. It must have looked pretty funny because
I was, like, learning the basics, but with, like, very high intensity
(11:03):
and being very rigorous and very methodical in my
training. So I think that contributed to me getting good
pretty fast. I was very lucky that my coach
at the time, Rami, saw potential in me, and he gave
me all the tools possible to succeed. So then I started
training with national team. Then, yeah, first year on snow,
(11:26):
doing my first backflips on snow, which was very
fun, moving up to bigger jumps. And then it went
very fast. I became Canadian champion, then year after
NORAM champion, the year after I won my first World Cup, and the year after
I was, Olympic medalist. You know, you just rolled that off,
like, the first day I hit a golf ball, the next day I sunk a
(11:47):
putt. I mean, you won the Canadian championship in your first year.
How did that feel knowing that quite honestly wasn't that
long ago that you showed up at training ground, not even understanding
what, that you're suddenly now realizing, looking in the mirror saying I have the
potential to be the best in the world. I think my coach saw it in
me before I did. During my first year, we
(12:10):
sat down after training and he opened his laptop and it
was like this Excel spreadsheet of everything I needed to
do in the next seasons in order to qualify for Beijing twenty twenty
two. And at that time, we're in 2018, and I just did my first backflip
on snow. So I was like, are you sure? Of course, it's
not gonna be easy, but you're motivated, you're hardworking. I'm
(12:32):
gonna give you the tools you need, and we're gonna do this together. How
important is it to have someone that believes in you,
not just with a pat on the back, but actually puts that Excel sheet out
and saying, if you follow this path, you've got a
shot at it. It was essential to my success in the first years
for sure because I was totally new to this sport. Like, I knew nothing.
(12:54):
I had everything to learn. So if it was not for
him, I would not be where I am today. I developed
that confidence with time, and I developed
my own mentality towards my own sport now. I think I I've
matured a lot as an athlete. But in the first years, I
needed that person to guide me through all the steps and
(13:17):
being on also like bigger sites with people that I
looked at that I thought were amazing and I was gonna compete against
them. And I just felt like a baby. I felt like a kid or like
a rookie everywhere I was going, nobody knew me. Then I
would compete against them and I do, I would do very well. How did it
feel to land that first backflip on snow? When I was
(13:38):
at the top of the course, like before turning my skis, it was
terrifying. I was really questioning what am I doing
here? But yeah. And then I turned my skis, and when I was, like, sliding
down, all the training we do on the Rotoram
kinda kicks in and autopilot kicks in and it's like you know what
to do. So I just kinda let it happen. And then I landed on my
(14:01):
skis, and then it was just one of the best feelings, you know.
I've been lucky to experience that feeling a lot more
times after in my career, but I think that is one of the best feelings
in the world. Do you find yourself always chasing that feeling again? Is it
ever gonna be the same as that first time? Or is it each time
as good as the first time? Oh, no. Each time is as good. Because each
(14:23):
time is different. You know? I'm not talking about, like, training jumps. Like, some
training jumps now, the feeling is just pretty normal. But,
like, either doing a trick for the first time, doing a
new, like, kicker for the first time, or landing a jump in
competition when it matters a lot when the pressure is on, that
feeling is absolutely amazing. How did your
(14:45):
teammates first treat you? Because obviously you're
taking some time away from their access to jumps
and they're wondering how, you know, they hadn't seen you their entire life.
And next thing you know, you're showing up. And I mean, what did they did
they embrace you immediately or did it take a while for them to realize you
deserve to be there as much as they did? Yeah. A bit of both. I've
(15:05):
made some great friendships with these people and most of the time they were
very nice and welcoming. But of course, I think at
some points they can be, like, jealousy too, because I'm just, like, showing up
and taking the spots and making the teams.
I've created bonds with people around me that were
stronger than that. And we, like, developed relationships that
(15:28):
were, like, actual friendships that were not depending on how
well we perform. I created bonds that are
incredible and that's what matters. At Beijing, your first
Olympics, I mean, your parents must have been so proud of your family
of athletes realizing that your dream hadn't ended
in age 17, that you're moving on. What was it like to represent Canada
(15:50):
and kind of carry on your shoulders everything your parents had sacrificed
to to get you to this point? You can, you know, talk about the
Olympics all you want. Nothing can prepare you to be at
the Olympics and actually perform there. It was
also very stressful. I knew that it was gonna
be stressful, but I did not imagine
(16:12):
how bad it would be. Because it's not about yourself at this
point, you know, you're representing your country. You have
been through a selection process. So you kinda
feel like you have to perform. It's a very strange
feeling, especially because I didn't have a lot of experience
too. It's kind of a running gag in my family because when I would be
(16:34):
when I was younger, I would compete in gymnastics competitions and
I would be very nervous. And my dad would be like, don't worry, Marion. It's
not the Olympics. But then when I was the at the
Olympics, I was like, dad, it is the Olympics.
I feel for your dad. I'm a dad. I would go, that was my line.
That's supposed to calm you down. Yeah. It did not work that time.
(16:56):
Oh, it's outreached.
And the scores are coming in for Maryann Steno to tell her
that. And we have a new leader.
And Maryann's story is really one of the the many coming
(17:18):
out of this program. And these athletes, they need dedication,
commitment. They, of course, need the skill and athleticism, and they need
funding. You've just heard a few words from Jacquie Ryan. She's the CEO
of Canada's Olympic Foundation. Someone I admire, consider one of
Canada's best marketers. And she's gonna join the show later to shed
more light on RBC training ground and why it matters not only to the
(17:40):
athletes, but to all of us. Coming up next, Maryann
talks about how she dealt with the circumstances of seeing her entire world
crash literally and emotionally, and her journey back to the
top.
Hi. It's Tony Chapman, host of Chatter That Manors. A big shout out
(18:00):
to RBC for RBC Training Ground. Each year, thousands of
Canadians are tested, and those with Olympic potential are
provided the resources they need to chase their podium dreams.
Find out more at rbctrainingground.ca. Owning the
podium matters to our athletes, to Canadians, and to
RBC.
(18:26):
I will forever see my sport differently. I've
always knew it was a dangerous sport and that it's an extreme sport. But
at the same time, I proved to myself so
many things that I didn't think I had in me. I'm very
carried that baggage as something very positive.
Today, my special guest is Canadian Olympic medalist, Marion Tanneault,
(18:49):
asked has she ever been on skis. She's now a world champion.
More importantly, she's got a plan after her days on the
slopes, and that's a plan that involves being in a constant
conversation with nature. I mean, you win a
medal at the Olympics, you continue to have success. But at the
start of the twenty twenty three, twenty four season, you suffer
(19:12):
a terrible injury. Take us back to that moment. So
after Beijing, great results, and then I keep training.
And then the the year after in competition, I was really among the
best best in the world. With my coach, we decided we
want to move on to bigger tricks. So in aerials in
my sport, there's, two jumps you can do in competition, like two
(19:34):
kickers. There's a double where you can do double backflips, and there's a
triple where you can do triple backflips. For at that point, I all
my career, I had competing doubles, three twists, and
two flips. And it's good, and I can make a career out of
it, but the best women, are
doing triples. Because triples, you have to come in faster. You come
(19:56):
in between sixty and seventy kilometers an hour. You're going
higher, 12 meter plus in the air. The risk
is just more there, and there's more impact
too. So that's why not all the women decide to do that switch.
Right now in the world, we're less more or less 10 women that
decide to do triples. And then so last season, so we were in
(20:18):
December 2023. It was gonna be the first time I do triples
on snow, and it went pretty well. And within the aerials community, it's
kind of a big deal when a new woman just goes on the triple. Because
for men, it's pretty standard. In World Cup, everybody's up there. But for
women, it's it's more rare. And then the other people in the group high five
you and congratulate you that Oh, yeah. Everybody understands
(20:41):
what it is to stand at the top and stare at that jump and
go for it. So we have huge respect for one another
when we do new tricks or when we overcome,
big hurdles. There was a lot of hype around that. And then
there was the first World Cup of the season, where I decided to
compete doubles still because my triples were not ready.
(21:03):
So I compete doubles. I win the World Cup. I was on a
high, really. And then the week after, I go back to
training, triples, and that's when I crash. I
don't remember what happened. I lost consciousness. I lost memory
of the event. I just like woke up at the bottom
of the hill being a bit confused, not knowing what
(21:25):
happened. I had sharp, pain in my neck,
in my back. I just made sure that everything was moving.
I was able to move my fingers and my toes, and I was like, okay,
I'm I'm fine. Like, I can move everything. I was carried to the
hospital, and, they did all the scans and everything. And
I actually got very lucky. I didn't have anything that was,
(21:48):
permanent. I fell, like, basically on my
stomach, but I whiplash to my face. So I scorpioned
the whole landing zone, which explained all the pain I had
in my spine. So I had nerve compression, and I had bone
bruising on my vertebraes. I would say the vast majority of
people listening to this would say, so please tell me you've quit the
(22:10):
sport. What was the recovery like? And when did you even
begin to think that recovery might include you getting back on
skis? At first, I was just really focused on
feeling better. Because initially, it was really
not fun. Like, I was not autonomous in everything I
was doing and I needed help and I was not mobile. So that was
(22:32):
like I had, like, my physios and I had my mom
came to to help me out and I had my coaches. And all
these people did not talk about jumping for a while, and they
just helped me get better. Again, I'm very disciplined in
what I do. So, like, when we give me exercises
and say, this is how you're gonna recover, I was very good
(22:55):
at doing them consistently. So my body actually
recovered way quicker than I thought. I mean, by
January, I was able to be in the gym. Just so I have
context, the January, when was the injury? December
4 was my crash. So one month later. I have to
believe that if you'd overheard doctors whispering, they probably
(23:17):
wouldn't have put that down as a prediction that you'd be in the gym a
month later. Oh, I think my recovery went so well.
So by mid January, I was cleared
to go do aerials, but my body was, not
my mind. Because I was so focused on getting better that I kinda just,
like, didn't really think about it. I was not
(23:39):
convinced, let's to say the least. So
I went back on the air site. And the first day
there, it was very traumatizing.
All the cells in my body wanted to run away from that air site.
Like, I had this very deep feeling that I
did not wanna be there. And I saw my teammates jumping,
(24:01):
and I looked at them thinking they are absolutely crazy.
It was a very weird feeling. A few days later, put on
my skis and started jumping. Very basic
jumps. I don't care if it was a a kid's bunny hill.
I mean, it must have been just so tough to strap on those
skis. We're talking about weeks since that accident. So what was it like?
(24:24):
My first jump was January 17. So we're
like a month and a half almost to the day after my crash. I was
very reticent. I didn't wanna go, but at the same time,
I needed to in order to just tell my body, hey,
you're fine. You're healthy. I still
had a little bit of pain, but it was nothing compared to what I had
(24:47):
before. By jumping, it got better.
It's like, you know, there's like the saying, like, you get hungrier as you eat.
Well, it's a little bit like that. Like, I did my first jump and then
it was a little bit better. So then I went
and I do doubles. All that process was very messy. Like, I
was crying every single training. I don't know
(25:09):
why. It was just like, I had to get it out. And my coach was
just so, so nice. Like, he never told me,
like, oh, stop crying. Like, why are you crying? Or anything like that.
He was just there. And he waited for me to get
better. And it was always this discussion. He like never
forced me to do anything. And we were taking the decisions together on
(25:31):
how I was gonna get back to jumping. And then
it was Canadian championships a week and a half after I came
back and I competed. And that's the first
time I felt, like, a little bit of a flame inside of,
like, oh, maybe I wanna do this. Like, like, this is a little
bit fun. First time I felt it. So I I won
(25:53):
nationals with a jump that, like, I had
no idea I had in me at that point. But that
little fire in me kinda came back and I did an amazing
jump. And I was like, oh, wow. Okay. I have it in me. Like,
it's deep, but it's there. Sounds like physically you're there
mentally. Are you at a point where actually this injury
(26:16):
is is it neutral? Has it helped you? Or is it always gonna be a
bit of a parachute on on you? Or is it just that was yesterday and
here's today? I cannot ignore it. I will forever
see my sport differently. I've always knew it was a dangerous
sport and that it's an extreme sport. But at the same time, like
later in my process, I proved to myself
(26:38):
so many things that I didn't think I had in me that I
think I'm gonna carry that baggage as something very positive.
After I started to compete again, like, in February,
I went back on the triple and I did the jump on which I injured
myself, which was, like, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,
but also the thing I'm most proud of. And after that
(27:02):
moment, I was like, okay, I can do a lot more
than I thought I could. So I think I'm carrying this feeling
of, like, I know I'm capable of doing a lot of things, but at the
same time, I'm carrying this utter feeling of your
health is very fragile, as well. So
it's kind of a balance between these both feelings of, like, I'm
(27:23):
powerful, I'm capable, and I wanna be still careful. And
how are you feeling about this season? And obviously, the twenty twenty six
Olympics coming? I feel good about it. I mean, I've had
a very good summer of training. I've done a lot of trickles. I've
done hard jumps, like, among the hardest
jumps that women do right now. And I've competed,
(27:46):
and it's been very good. I've been, first and
second at the competitions we did this summer. This season is
Olympic qualifiers, and there's world championships, so it's
a big season. It's gonna be also the season I'm gonna compete triples
for the first time, which will be a big deal. I feel
good, but I'll I'm not going in this season blindly thinking it's
(28:08):
gonna be great and all rainbows and sunshine. Like, I know it's
gonna be hard, and that I'm gonna have a lot of mental
hurdles to go through. But I'm so, I'm excited
because I found that love for my sport again. And,
Marielle, while I have you, I also wanna talk a bit about these other
chords that play in this incredible human being that you
(28:31):
are. One of them is your passion for sustainability.
Why don't we start there? And the fact you're not only trying
to reduce your footstep. You're actually trying to raise
awareness for your entire sport that we can do better. We can compete.
We can enjoy the sport, but at the same time, we could be kinder to
our planet. So tell me a little bit about what you're doing. Like sustainability
(28:53):
was important to me for sure, but I didn't know that much
about it. I knew the concept and it resonated with me,
but, I was a little clueless on how
I could integrate it to my athlete's career. So
I reached out to WSP, which is an engineering firm,
and they agreed to partner with me. We calculate my carbon
(29:15):
footprint year after year, and we see, as an athlete,
how can I reduce it? So I've started to to
want to make that project bigger, reach out to federations like the
international federation, my national federation,
to use the data I'm collecting with professionals, with
scientists at WSP, and use that data to make better
(29:37):
decisions. And how can we have a more efficient
calendar that make us travel less, maybe, for
example, or how can we help them
in their journey to being more sustainable with the data that I'm
collecting? So kind of seeing it as a partnership. And I've
also started to get more involved in more the advocacy
(29:59):
part. Because of course, the more I've got involved, the more I
learned. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to share that information and
the more opportunities I got. So I'm now a member of the
Athlete Alliance of ProtectAllWinters, which is a
national organization that is advocating for better laws
and better policies around environmental protection. I mean,
(30:21):
there needs to be an advocate for sustainability in all
departments, in all fields of life, so I'm kind of that person
for my sport, for our events. We see
directly the impacts of climate change on our sport. In the mountains,
with the snow coverage, with the artificial snow, with the rainy
conditions in the winter, It could not be more obvious to
(30:43):
us, and it feels like it's my responsibility. I'd almost
wanna end there, but I can't because for some reason you find also
the time to study aerospace engineering.
I also had this interest for space. I think what's compelling about
it is the international collaboration that it brings, the
global challenges that it brings, but also it's kind of, like,
(31:05):
related to mystery, and there was something about it that I really
liked. I've all almost done half of my bachelor's
now, and I think that balance is so important to me.
I love my sport. I all my side projects, and I think they make me
a more complete person. But then the goal is always
to not do too much because then I get burnt out.
(31:27):
So kinda like learn where my limit is, and the
limit can be very different for many,
different people. But where is my limit? What
fills my cup? What empties my cup? What activities are
complimentary navigating all of that? How do you
manage to survive? I mean, because all of this
(31:48):
education, training, travel, it all costs
money. My first sponsor was RBC
because, they recruited me. So I was in the RBC
future Olympian program and then joined the RBC Olympian
program. They really funded the beginning of my career, and now they
still, fund me as I'm, more
(32:10):
established. So I'm very grateful for that. Then
WSP is another of my sponsor. We have this
project together, and it's amazing what we're doing,
and I'm very excited about it. And I'm just so proud of the partnership
we have. And then I also have CAE who build the
flight simulators. That's also very exciting. And I
(32:32):
have an internship with them. Makes me take my place in the professional world
and see how it is. I'm so, so
grateful. Now, Marion, I wanna end by saying I'm so
grateful that you're a Canadian and you're competing for
Canada and you've got so much to offer the world. I
always end with my three takeaways. And the first one is you're so
(32:53):
magnetic that people truly believe in you. And you're
so gracious in thanking your parents and the
medical staff and your coaches and your teammates. I think that's a great
lesson in life for people to realize it does take a village, but it's
important. We always thank the village. The second one is just
these hunches or curiosity that you chase. And I'm quite sure
(33:15):
what aerospace was, or I didn't really know what that meant, but I'm going to
go find out and I'm going to learn more about it. Or I'm going to
try jumping, even though I've only been on skis four or five times. And I
think if we all approach life that way, sometimes
opportunity knocks in the slightest little knock or it knocks in a way you wanna
ignore it because it doesn't make sense. But just opening the door and walking through
(33:36):
it, some days you can get on a path like you were on. And then
the other one is just, you know, when I asked how you do it,
your real answer was, well, it makes me complete. And I think that's another
wonderful lesson in life. You know, instead of talking about
balance in life, understand what feeds your soul, what makes your
heart beat, what makes your eyes shine, what makes you get up. And even when
(33:58):
you were a kid, spend the mornings doing gymnastics and the afternoons doing
trampoline. It was about making you complete as opposed to how
society might judge somebody. So so really wonderful lessons in
life from such a young and accomplished Canadian. So
proud you're on Chatter That Matters, and I can't wait to, air this
episode because I think as people start watching you and you'll realize there's so
(34:21):
much more to that triple than just sheer determination. Inside it, there's
an aerospace engineer and a sustainability and somebody that's
really, at peace with who they are. So thank you for joining me in Chattanooga
Manors. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It's really been a
pleasure.
Joining me today is Jacquie Ryan. She's the CEO of Canadian Olympic
(34:42):
Foundation. As well, she's the chief brand and commercial officer for the
Canadian Olympic Committee. Jacquie 's one of the most respected and highly regarded
executives in sport. Jacquie , thank you for finding the time to join me in
Chatter That Matters. Oh, gosh. Thank you, Tony, for having me. Love to looking
forward to the chat today and just love being here. Listen, I'm such a fan
of what you're doing, and I was thinking about this interview, and you have gotta
(35:05):
have one of the most rewarding jobs in Canada
because instead of just throwing things into the cloud, you actually see
young Canadians compete, chase their dreams, and very
often on the podium. You know, it's incredibly rewarding. I've worked for an
organization that's ultimately anchored in driving impact for team Canada
athletes, while also striving to inspire the next
(35:27):
generation of Canadians. And so it's quite a privilege. It's also a
privilege to partner with leading Canadian companies and business
leaders like RBC. So my guest this week is Marion Thineau.
I was so impressed with this young lady in terms of not
only her desire to be the best in the world in sports, but just the
way she approaches life, sustainability. What a phenomenal
(35:50):
Canadian. And I thought that I'd have you on to talk
about training ground. RBC training ground is a nationwide
Olympic talent search program, also a funding program. And
it's a really important program for the broader sports system and really
helping these athletes, pursue their Olympic dreams. It's,
it's entering into its tenth year. And Mary Anne's story
(36:13):
is really one of the the many coming out of this program. And
these athletes, they need dedication, commitment. They, of course, need the
skill and athleticism, and they need funding. And there are
so many stories in addition to Marion's, including,
Kelsey Mitchell, trap cycling gold in Tokyo, Jerome
Blake, silver in Tokyo, gold in Paris in the four by 100,
(36:35):
Adelon Westies, rowing, gold in Tokyo, silver in Paris. The
list is really, really long. It's also about inspiring the next generation of Team
Canada athletes and helping them work towards their dreams. And I really think the
success of these athletes on the podium really just inspires,
Team Canada fans across the country as well. It's wonderful once
every four years to celebrate these Olympians competing,
(36:58):
but there's four years to go into it. It takes a village
to win a medal. And I would argue now more than anything else, it matters
that we have a team Canada, and we're showing
Canadians that our identity is woven across this
country in so many different ways, but also in in the ways of, of
the Olympians. RBC's, commitment to team Canada
(37:21):
actually, the story goes back seventy eight years ago in 1947
that literally the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee at the
time called over to the president of RBC and said, we
can't get the team to the games. Can you help us out? And that's what
started the relationship, and it just hasn't stopped. And it's
really, really quite a story. And Anchor, their sponsorship
(37:42):
in the RBC training ground that we've talked about. They also have the legacy RBC
Olympians program, which has helped hundreds of current and retired
Olympians, in their athletic careers and also in life after sport,
which is a whole, another area that this is really important. So we're
fortunate because we're not for profit. I don't know if you know that. So the
Canadian Olympic Committee is a not for profit organization. Of those funds that
(38:04):
come in, 70% of them go right back into the sport
system. They're funding national sport organizations. They're funding on
the podium. They're funding the entire Olympic
athlete journey. How hard is it to convince a
corporation that these dollars matter more than just
even moving market share? That they actually matter in terms of the
(38:26):
of the psychology of our country, the pride and the identity of
our country that, you know, it might not attach their brand and might attach their
brand, but to me, it's even bigger than a brand story, isn't it? You know,
this investment coming from our corporate partners drives meaningful
and direct impact. And I think a really good example of that is,
thinking back to COVID and many organizations were having to
(38:49):
look at their financial situation, and I can tell you
that every single one of our marketing partners stuck with team
Canada. Not one left. They stuck with us. They renewed their
investment in us, and from that came incredible success in
Tokyo, Beijing, and in Paris this last summer. So, ultimately,
it works because our values are aligned. Our marketing partners are
(39:12):
dedicated to supporting team Canada, the Olympic movement, and
they are because of the role that team Canada plays in instilling
national pride as you mentioned. And because the impact of their
investment, it's direct. You know, Jacquie , I've known you for a long
time. Your passion never diminishes your your
energy. I can understand now how they've given you two titles, both
(39:34):
the foundation and the chief brand officer of the Canadian Olympics. I'm sure they're
thinking about a third one right now. I just really appreciate you taking the time
and joining me in Chatter That Matters. I hope you listen to the show with
Marion. She holds you and the training ground in the highest of
regards. So I think that's a testament to money well spent. Thank you, Tony.
Really appreciate the opportunity and big fan of Chatter That Matters. So happy to
(39:55):
participate today. Once again, a
special thanks to RBC for supporting Chatter That Matters. It's Tony
Chapman. Thanks for listening, and let's chat soon.
We all have these wonderful dreams,
and often they're impossible dreams. For example, a
young kid on a trapelerene dreams about becoming an Olympic
gymnast, But you find you have special talent,
magical talent, and you keep pursuing this dream. Your family
supports you. The coaches support you. You devote thousands of hours
(00:26):
just for that one day to own the podium. Your parents sacrificed so
much. And then you come to the realization that
maybe that dream's not possible. Maybe you're extraordinary
at your craft, but you're not quite the best of the world.
What would you do? I feel like I'm missing out on
life. My passion for gymnastics is not as strong as it was
(00:48):
before, but I knew that the Olympics were just, like, really not
in the picture. I think a lot of people would fall back on their
feet. They might go into a tailspin because that's what they put their
entire youth towards. Well,
my guest today is someone that didn't fall back on her feet. In fact, she
strapped on a pair of skis and became one of the
(01:10):
most extraordinary aerial skiers in the world.
Like, all of a sudden, everyone everyone's watching, and you have,
like, this old Olympic side with the rings everywhere, and you just
feel like it's your time to shine. And I had a chance
to meet with her in the past and chat with her on stage, and I
said to her, you must become part of Chatter That Matters because your
(01:32):
story inspired me, and I also know it'll inspire many
others.
Hi. It's Tony Chapman. Thank you for listening to Chatter That Matters presented by
RBC. If you can, please subscribe to the podcast. And
ratings and reviews, well, they're always welcome, and they're always appreciated.
(01:53):
So I'd like to welcome Marion Thinaud to, Chatter That Matters. Marion, good
to see you again. Very good to see you. How are you? Fantastic.
Talk to me a little bit. Let's go back in time and just when you
first discovered the gym before we can get you on a pair of skis, what
were you like as a young kid, and how why were you different than any
other kid that just where parents park them in an afternoon just to try to
(02:13):
burn off some esteem? I mean, both my parents were athletes,
so I was destined to do sports. That's for sure.
They put me in gymnastics when I was very young. I don't really remember the
beginning. I just remember gymnastics being part of my life. I was
a very disciplined young kid. I was a people
pleaser. I always wanted to, listen to the rules
(02:34):
and have people congratulate me for being a
good, little girl. So I think that fit with
gymnastics, which, of course, requires a lot
of discipline. Did you ever rebel? Did you ever get a time where
your friends in school have a very different life than you? Because I have to
believe that as you continue to progress in that sport,
(02:56):
it took more and more of your time. You know, as a child, sometimes it's
tough to rationalize that kind of commitment when there's so
many other places to explore. That came way later,
like, when I was in high school, more more towards the end of my
high school. Because before that, I was, like, was not interested in any
other activities than gymnastics, really. I thought it was the coolest thing to do.
(03:18):
So I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. But when I
grew up and I was, like, 15, 16, now I
started to feel like I was missing out on social
life, really. As you're going through this, as you're getting older, do you find
that you have to more often than not hang out with other athletes that
understand this level of commitment? I feel like I have a very
(03:40):
different perspective on life than many of the people I hang out
with. Just because I grew up in that environment of
just really being disciplined and hardworking and towards
being very goal oriented. Of course, I evolved
as I got older and as I became a skier for sure.
But I do feel that difference with a lot of people, especially in
(04:01):
school. It's different backgrounds from everywhere, and I do
see that I have this strong, like, motivation fire,
some people would say, that, I think not everybody
necessarily has or has yet. Going off topic, and I gotta get back to your
story, but it's fascinating. Do you ever feel you have to curtail
your motivation and your ambition and this
(04:24):
commitment with others? Because it's so different
than the other people in the room. So for me to fit in, I've I
gotta sort of take Maran Thineau two notches down
versus sort of the speed you like to operate at? All the
time. I mean, not a lot of people, know
D'Oreal Merion because it's a lot to take
(04:44):
in. So I think in my daily life, I
don't really talk about, what my goals are
or, what I'm aiming to do in all my projects. It's very
necessary. I mean, I need to talk about it to the people that are key
in my life and that are gonna help me towards these goals. But I just
also like to hang out with people without being this super
(05:06):
intense little girl. I wanna wrap up gymnastics and really
get into the this massive change you did, but you were
incredibly accomplished at weird. How how far did you get in that sport and
what did you excel in when you were doing gymnastics? I
was okay at gymnastics, but really not that
great compared to Olympic level. It wasn't that big of a
(05:28):
deal when I realized that first because, again, I was
just so involved in gymnastics that I was like, I'm gonna keep doing it
anyway, And I'm just gonna have to reach my full potential, whatever that
is. But I knew pretty early on that the Olympics were just
like really not in the picture. So it wasn't
the podium that motivated you, just the love for the sport. Yeah.
(05:50):
And just getting used to always trying
hard. It's kind of addictive, always chasing goals.
It can become unhealthy, but still it was the main
driver. And the trampoline was something that you really excelled at?
In gymnastics trampoline is a separate discipline when you get older.
So I did really for fun just because my mom
(06:13):
knew more people in that sport and she gave me the opportunity
to go train with a very good coach. I saw
that I had a lot more potential in trampoline, and I could
not do both. Like, it was insane. I would train from
07:30AM to 10:30AM in the morning in gymnastics.
I would go to school. And then after school, I would do, like, a five
(06:36):
to eight of trampoline, which was not sustainable
even for a high energy kid. So I had to choose at some point,
and I kept gymnastics because it's what I've been doing
for so much longer. So a lot of people probably aren't aware
of RBC Training Ground. Take us to what it is
and how you ended up there. And because of RBC Training
(06:59):
Ground and your drive and your athletic ability, I'm now talking
to a a gold medalist. I've just received an email
inviting me to RBC Training Ground. I had no idea what it was.
It was the end of high school, and I was a bit in a place
of, okay. I feel like I'm missing out on life, as we said
earlier. My passion for gymnastics is not as strong as it was
(07:21):
before. I feel like I need to branch out. But I cannot go
from, like, training thirty hours a week in gymnastics to nothing.
So that's the way I went. I mean, RBC Training Ground is
physical testings, and there are recruiters of different sports
that are there, and they look at you and they say, in what sports you
would have potential. So I went without
(07:43):
any expectation. I was like, who would want a gymnast? In
my head, I was just a very good acrobat, but I didn't know really where
that could apply. And, yeah, there was this
freestyle skier coach that was there, and he came
to see me. He said, like, oh, you're a gymnast.
You're a good acrobat. You should come and try freestyle skiing,
(08:06):
aerial skiing. At first, I just told him, well, I'm not a skier,
so I think that's a problem. And he was like, no. Like, come and
try it. I think curiosity is the main reason why
I went, because I barely knew what aerials was.
Like, I had to Google aerial skiing after meeting
him because I was not sure. And how old are you at this time? I
(08:29):
was 17 years old. Okay. So 17. You're trying to figure out what
he's actually asking you to come out and try out? Yeah. I was pretty confused.
And then I Googled it and I saw, like, of course, Olympic level
skiers doing these crazy flips. And I was like, there's no way I'm
ever gonna do that. But then again, I was curious and I was
like, he's not gonna make me do these flips first
(08:51):
day, so I should be safe. And so I went a few weeks
later, in Laakbo Pov, there's a water ramp facility.
It's like, there's the big jumps and you land in the water, A
playground for acrobats, basically. You have these huge
jumps. People are going so high, like ten, twelve meters
in the air. They're coming in super fast into these jumps that
(09:13):
literally look like walls when you look at them for the first time. And then
there's the trampolines and the bungees and there's music
and the atmosphere is just insane. I was like, oh my
god. This is a whole new world. And I was not aware. Everything you just
described, I'd be scared of. What was it like that first day? What did you
what did they get you to do? I mean, they got me on trampoline first
(09:34):
to see how good of an acrobat I was, and then I had to put
on skis and, of course, start with the smallest jumps pass
jump possible. I mean, you can barely call it a jump, but it's tricky. Like,
you have to be able to ski on that plastic surface.
And me, like, I had skied maybe, I don't know, three, four, five times in
my life. But again, it was kind of a challenge.
(09:56):
And I got to the water my first jump. And then I was
like, oh, that was pretty cool. I wanna do it better and then go again.
It was just very fun at the beginning, and it didn't take long
before I was, okay, this could be my new gymnastics. But you
accelerated so quickly. I mean, you went from being on ski sport times in
your life to being quite accomplished. So I had trained a
(10:18):
couple times on the water ramp. And by the end of the summer, I told
my new coach. I was like, okay, this is what I wanna do. I'm gonna
commit to aerials, and I'm switching sports. So
I'm from Sherbrooke. I had to move where the mountains were, so I first
moved to the Laurentians. And I had to learn how to ski first.
So I had a private ski coach, and I skied, like, couple times
(10:40):
a week. And on the trampoline with my aerials coach, I was
I would work on the new technique because, I mean, I have an acrobat
brain, but still the technique is different from gymnastics to aerials.
You know, I I was a complete beginner in the sport, but I was training
like a high level athlete. It must have looked pretty funny because
I was, like, learning the basics, but with, like, very high intensity
(11:03):
and being very rigorous and very methodical in my
training. So I think that contributed to me getting good
pretty fast. I was very lucky that my coach
at the time, Rami, saw potential in me, and he gave
me all the tools possible to succeed. So then I started
training with national team. Then, yeah, first year on snow,
(11:26):
doing my first backflips on snow, which was very
fun, moving up to bigger jumps. And then it went
very fast. I became Canadian champion, then year after
NORAM champion, the year after I won my first World Cup, and the year after
I was, Olympic medalist. You know, you just rolled that off,
like, the first day I hit a golf ball, the next day I sunk a
(11:47):
putt. I mean, you won the Canadian championship in your first year.
How did that feel knowing that quite honestly wasn't that
long ago that you showed up at training ground, not even understanding
what, that you're suddenly now realizing, looking in the mirror saying I have the
potential to be the best in the world. I think my coach saw it in
me before I did. During my first year, we
(12:10):
sat down after training and he opened his laptop and it
was like this Excel spreadsheet of everything I needed to
do in the next seasons in order to qualify for Beijing twenty twenty
two. And at that time, we're in 2018, and I just did my first backflip
on snow. So I was like, are you sure? Of course, it's
not gonna be easy, but you're motivated, you're hardworking. I'm
(12:32):
gonna give you the tools you need, and we're gonna do this together. How
important is it to have someone that believes in you,
not just with a pat on the back, but actually puts that Excel sheet out
and saying, if you follow this path, you've got a
shot at it. It was essential to my success in the first years
for sure because I was totally new to this sport. Like, I knew nothing.
(12:54):
I had everything to learn. So if it was not for
him, I would not be where I am today. I developed
that confidence with time, and I developed
my own mentality towards my own sport now. I think I I've
matured a lot as an athlete. But in the first years, I
needed that person to guide me through all the steps and
(13:17):
being on also like bigger sites with people that I
looked at that I thought were amazing and I was gonna compete against
them. And I just felt like a baby. I felt like a kid or like
a rookie everywhere I was going, nobody knew me. Then I
would compete against them and I do, I would do very well. How did it
feel to land that first backflip on snow? When I was
(13:38):
at the top of the course, like before turning my skis, it was
terrifying. I was really questioning what am I doing
here? But yeah. And then I turned my skis, and when I was, like, sliding
down, all the training we do on the Rotoram
kinda kicks in and autopilot kicks in and it's like you know what
to do. So I just kinda let it happen. And then I landed on my
(14:01):
skis, and then it was just one of the best feelings, you know.
I've been lucky to experience that feeling a lot more
times after in my career, but I think that is one of the best feelings
in the world. Do you find yourself always chasing that feeling again? Is it
ever gonna be the same as that first time? Or is it each time
as good as the first time? Oh, no. Each time is as good. Because each
(14:23):
time is different. You know? I'm not talking about, like, training jumps. Like, some
training jumps now, the feeling is just pretty normal. But,
like, either doing a trick for the first time, doing a
new, like, kicker for the first time, or landing a jump in
competition when it matters a lot when the pressure is on, that
feeling is absolutely amazing. How did your
(14:45):
teammates first treat you? Because obviously you're
taking some time away from their access to jumps
and they're wondering how, you know, they hadn't seen you their entire life.
And next thing you know, you're showing up. And I mean, what did they did
they embrace you immediately or did it take a while for them to realize you
deserve to be there as much as they did? Yeah. A bit of both. I've
(15:05):
made some great friendships with these people and most of the time they were
very nice and welcoming. But of course, I think at
some points they can be, like, jealousy too, because I'm just, like, showing up
and taking the spots and making the teams.
I've created bonds with people around me that were
stronger than that. And we, like, developed relationships that
(15:28):
were, like, actual friendships that were not depending on how
well we perform. I created bonds that are
incredible and that's what matters. At Beijing, your first
Olympics, I mean, your parents must have been so proud of your family
of athletes realizing that your dream hadn't ended
in age 17, that you're moving on. What was it like to represent Canada
(15:50):
and kind of carry on your shoulders everything your parents had sacrificed
to to get you to this point? You can, you know, talk about the
Olympics all you want. Nothing can prepare you to be at
the Olympics and actually perform there. It was
also very stressful. I knew that it was gonna
be stressful, but I did not imagine
(16:12):
how bad it would be. Because it's not about yourself at this
point, you know, you're representing your country. You have
been through a selection process. So you kinda
feel like you have to perform. It's a very strange
feeling, especially because I didn't have a lot of experience
too. It's kind of a running gag in my family because when I would be
(16:34):
when I was younger, I would compete in gymnastics competitions and
I would be very nervous. And my dad would be like, don't worry, Marion. It's
not the Olympics. But then when I was the at the
Olympics, I was like, dad, it is the Olympics.
I feel for your dad. I'm a dad. I would go, that was my line.
That's supposed to calm you down. Yeah. It did not work that time.
(16:56):
Oh, it's outreached.
And the scores are coming in for Maryann Steno to tell her
that. And we have a new leader.
And Maryann's story is really one of the the many coming
(17:18):
out of this program. And these athletes, they need dedication,
commitment. They, of course, need the skill and athleticism, and they need
funding. You've just heard a few words from Jacquie Ryan. She's the CEO
of Canada's Olympic Foundation. Someone I admire, consider one of
Canada's best marketers. And she's gonna join the show later to shed
more light on RBC training ground and why it matters not only to the
(17:40):
athletes, but to all of us. Coming up next, Maryann
talks about how she dealt with the circumstances of seeing her entire world
crash literally and emotionally, and her journey back to the
top.
Hi. It's Tony Chapman, host of Chatter That Manors. A big shout out
(18:00):
to RBC for RBC Training Ground. Each year, thousands of
Canadians are tested, and those with Olympic potential are
provided the resources they need to chase their podium dreams.
Find out more at rbctrainingground.ca. Owning the
podium matters to our athletes, to Canadians, and to
RBC.
(18:26):
I will forever see my sport differently. I've
always knew it was a dangerous sport and that it's an extreme sport. But
at the same time, I proved to myself so
many things that I didn't think I had in me. I'm very
carried that baggage as something very positive.
Today, my special guest is Canadian Olympic medalist, Marion Tanneault,
(18:49):
asked has she ever been on skis. She's now a world champion.
More importantly, she's got a plan after her days on the
slopes, and that's a plan that involves being in a constant
conversation with nature. I mean, you win a
medal at the Olympics, you continue to have success. But at the
start of the twenty twenty three, twenty four season, you suffer
(19:12):
a terrible injury. Take us back to that moment. So
after Beijing, great results, and then I keep training.
And then the the year after in competition, I was really among the
best best in the world. With my coach, we decided we
want to move on to bigger tricks. So in aerials in
my sport, there's, two jumps you can do in competition, like two
(19:34):
kickers. There's a double where you can do double backflips, and there's a
triple where you can do triple backflips. For at that point, I all
my career, I had competing doubles, three twists, and
two flips. And it's good, and I can make a career out of
it, but the best women, are
doing triples. Because triples, you have to come in faster. You come
(19:56):
in between sixty and seventy kilometers an hour. You're going
higher, 12 meter plus in the air. The risk
is just more there, and there's more impact
too. So that's why not all the women decide to do that switch.
Right now in the world, we're less more or less 10 women that
decide to do triples. And then so last season, so we were in
(20:18):
December 2023. It was gonna be the first time I do triples
on snow, and it went pretty well. And within the aerials community, it's
kind of a big deal when a new woman just goes on the triple. Because
for men, it's pretty standard. In World Cup, everybody's up there. But for
women, it's it's more rare. And then the other people in the group high five
you and congratulate you that Oh, yeah. Everybody understands
(20:41):
what it is to stand at the top and stare at that jump and
go for it. So we have huge respect for one another
when we do new tricks or when we overcome,
big hurdles. There was a lot of hype around that. And then
there was the first World Cup of the season, where I decided to
compete doubles still because my triples were not ready.
(21:03):
So I compete doubles. I win the World Cup. I was on a
high, really. And then the week after, I go back to
training, triples, and that's when I crash. I
don't remember what happened. I lost consciousness. I lost memory
of the event. I just like woke up at the bottom
of the hill being a bit confused, not knowing what
(21:25):
happened. I had sharp, pain in my neck,
in my back. I just made sure that everything was moving.
I was able to move my fingers and my toes, and I was like, okay,
I'm I'm fine. Like, I can move everything. I was carried to the
hospital, and, they did all the scans and everything. And
I actually got very lucky. I didn't have anything that was,
(21:48):
permanent. I fell, like, basically on my
stomach, but I whiplash to my face. So I scorpioned
the whole landing zone, which explained all the pain I had
in my spine. So I had nerve compression, and I had bone
bruising on my vertebraes. I would say the vast majority of
people listening to this would say, so please tell me you've quit the
(22:10):
sport. What was the recovery like? And when did you even
begin to think that recovery might include you getting back on
skis? At first, I was just really focused on
feeling better. Because initially, it was really
not fun. Like, I was not autonomous in everything I
was doing and I needed help and I was not mobile. So that was
(22:32):
like I had, like, my physios and I had my mom
came to to help me out and I had my coaches. And all
these people did not talk about jumping for a while, and they
just helped me get better. Again, I'm very disciplined in
what I do. So, like, when we give me exercises
and say, this is how you're gonna recover, I was very good
(22:55):
at doing them consistently. So my body actually
recovered way quicker than I thought. I mean, by
January, I was able to be in the gym. Just so I have
context, the January, when was the injury? December
4 was my crash. So one month later. I have to
believe that if you'd overheard doctors whispering, they probably
(23:17):
wouldn't have put that down as a prediction that you'd be in the gym a
month later. Oh, I think my recovery went so well.
So by mid January, I was cleared
to go do aerials, but my body was, not
my mind. Because I was so focused on getting better that I kinda just,
like, didn't really think about it. I was not
(23:39):
convinced, let's to say the least. So
I went back on the air site. And the first day
there, it was very traumatizing.
All the cells in my body wanted to run away from that air site.
Like, I had this very deep feeling that I
did not wanna be there. And I saw my teammates jumping,
(24:01):
and I looked at them thinking they are absolutely crazy.
It was a very weird feeling. A few days later, put on
my skis and started jumping. Very basic
jumps. I don't care if it was a a kid's bunny hill.
I mean, it must have been just so tough to strap on those
skis. We're talking about weeks since that accident. So what was it like?
(24:24):
My first jump was January 17. So we're
like a month and a half almost to the day after my crash. I was
very reticent. I didn't wanna go, but at the same time,
I needed to in order to just tell my body, hey,
you're fine. You're healthy. I still
had a little bit of pain, but it was nothing compared to what I had
(24:47):
before. By jumping, it got better.
It's like, you know, there's like the saying, like, you get hungrier as you eat.
Well, it's a little bit like that. Like, I did my first jump and then
it was a little bit better. So then I went
and I do doubles. All that process was very messy. Like, I
was crying every single training. I don't know
(25:09):
why. It was just like, I had to get it out. And my coach was
just so, so nice. Like, he never told me,
like, oh, stop crying. Like, why are you crying? Or anything like that.
He was just there. And he waited for me to get
better. And it was always this discussion. He like never
forced me to do anything. And we were taking the decisions together on
(25:31):
how I was gonna get back to jumping. And then
it was Canadian championships a week and a half after I came
back and I competed. And that's the first
time I felt, like, a little bit of a flame inside of,
like, oh, maybe I wanna do this. Like, like, this is a little
bit fun. First time I felt it. So I I won
(25:53):
nationals with a jump that, like, I had
no idea I had in me at that point. But that
little fire in me kinda came back and I did an amazing
jump. And I was like, oh, wow. Okay. I have it in me. Like,
it's deep, but it's there. Sounds like physically you're there
mentally. Are you at a point where actually this injury
(26:16):
is is it neutral? Has it helped you? Or is it always gonna be a
bit of a parachute on on you? Or is it just that was yesterday and
here's today? I cannot ignore it. I will forever
see my sport differently. I've always knew it was a dangerous
sport and that it's an extreme sport. But at the same time, like
later in my process, I proved to myself
(26:38):
so many things that I didn't think I had in me that I
think I'm gonna carry that baggage as something very positive.
After I started to compete again, like, in February,
I went back on the triple and I did the jump on which I injured
myself, which was, like, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,
but also the thing I'm most proud of. And after that
(27:02):
moment, I was like, okay, I can do a lot more
than I thought I could. So I think I'm carrying this feeling
of, like, I know I'm capable of doing a lot of things, but at the
same time, I'm carrying this utter feeling of your
health is very fragile, as well. So
it's kind of a balance between these both feelings of, like, I'm
(27:23):
powerful, I'm capable, and I wanna be still careful. And
how are you feeling about this season? And obviously, the twenty twenty six
Olympics coming? I feel good about it. I mean, I've had
a very good summer of training. I've done a lot of trickles. I've
done hard jumps, like, among the hardest
jumps that women do right now. And I've competed,
(27:46):
and it's been very good. I've been, first and
second at the competitions we did this summer. This season is
Olympic qualifiers, and there's world championships, so it's
a big season. It's gonna be also the season I'm gonna compete triples
for the first time, which will be a big deal. I feel
good, but I'll I'm not going in this season blindly thinking it's
(28:08):
gonna be great and all rainbows and sunshine. Like, I know it's
gonna be hard, and that I'm gonna have a lot of mental
hurdles to go through. But I'm so, I'm excited
because I found that love for my sport again. And,
Marielle, while I have you, I also wanna talk a bit about these other
chords that play in this incredible human being that you
(28:31):
are. One of them is your passion for sustainability.
Why don't we start there? And the fact you're not only trying
to reduce your footstep. You're actually trying to raise
awareness for your entire sport that we can do better. We can compete.
We can enjoy the sport, but at the same time, we could be kinder to
our planet. So tell me a little bit about what you're doing. Like sustainability
(28:53):
was important to me for sure, but I didn't know that much
about it. I knew the concept and it resonated with me,
but, I was a little clueless on how
I could integrate it to my athlete's career. So
I reached out to WSP, which is an engineering firm,
and they agreed to partner with me. We calculate my carbon
(29:15):
footprint year after year, and we see, as an athlete,
how can I reduce it? So I've started to to
want to make that project bigger, reach out to federations like the
international federation, my national federation,
to use the data I'm collecting with professionals, with
scientists at WSP, and use that data to make better
(29:37):
decisions. And how can we have a more efficient
calendar that make us travel less, maybe, for
example, or how can we help them
in their journey to being more sustainable with the data that I'm
collecting? So kind of seeing it as a partnership. And I've
also started to get more involved in more the advocacy
(29:59):
part. Because of course, the more I've got involved, the more I
learned. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to share that information and
the more opportunities I got. So I'm now a member of the
Athlete Alliance of ProtectAllWinters, which is a
national organization that is advocating for better laws
and better policies around environmental protection. I mean,
(30:21):
there needs to be an advocate for sustainability in all
departments, in all fields of life, so I'm kind of that person
for my sport, for our events. We see
directly the impacts of climate change on our sport. In the mountains,
with the snow coverage, with the artificial snow, with the rainy
conditions in the winter, It could not be more obvious to
(30:43):
us, and it feels like it's my responsibility. I'd almost
wanna end there, but I can't because for some reason you find also
the time to study aerospace engineering.
I also had this interest for space. I think what's compelling about
it is the international collaboration that it brings, the
global challenges that it brings, but also it's kind of, like,
(31:05):
related to mystery, and there was something about it that I really
liked. I've all almost done half of my bachelor's
now, and I think that balance is so important to me.
I love my sport. I all my side projects, and I think they make me
a more complete person. But then the goal is always
to not do too much because then I get burnt out.
(31:27):
So kinda like learn where my limit is, and the
limit can be very different for many,
different people. But where is my limit? What
fills my cup? What empties my cup? What activities are
complimentary navigating all of that? How do you
manage to survive? I mean, because all of this
(31:48):
education, training, travel, it all costs
money. My first sponsor was RBC
because, they recruited me. So I was in the RBC
future Olympian program and then joined the RBC Olympian
program. They really funded the beginning of my career, and now they
still, fund me as I'm, more
(32:10):
established. So I'm very grateful for that. Then
WSP is another of my sponsor. We have this
project together, and it's amazing what we're doing,
and I'm very excited about it. And I'm just so proud of the partnership
we have. And then I also have CAE who build the
flight simulators. That's also very exciting. And I
(32:32):
have an internship with them. Makes me take my place in the professional world
and see how it is. I'm so, so
grateful. Now, Marion, I wanna end by saying I'm so
grateful that you're a Canadian and you're competing for
Canada and you've got so much to offer the world. I
always end with my three takeaways. And the first one is you're so
(32:53):
magnetic that people truly believe in you. And you're
so gracious in thanking your parents and the
medical staff and your coaches and your teammates. I think that's a great
lesson in life for people to realize it does take a village, but it's
important. We always thank the village. The second one is just
these hunches or curiosity that you chase. And I'm quite sure
(33:15):
what aerospace was, or I didn't really know what that meant, but I'm going to
go find out and I'm going to learn more about it. Or I'm going to
try jumping, even though I've only been on skis four or five times. And I
think if we all approach life that way, sometimes
opportunity knocks in the slightest little knock or it knocks in a way you wanna
ignore it because it doesn't make sense. But just opening the door and walking through
(33:36):
it, some days you can get on a path like you were on. And then
the other one is just, you know, when I asked how you do it,
your real answer was, well, it makes me complete. And I think that's another
wonderful lesson in life. You know, instead of talking about
balance in life, understand what feeds your soul, what makes your
heart beat, what makes your eyes shine, what makes you get up. And even when
(33:58):
you were a kid, spend the mornings doing gymnastics and the afternoons doing
trampoline. It was about making you complete as opposed to how
society might judge somebody. So so really wonderful lessons in
life from such a young and accomplished Canadian. So
proud you're on Chatter That Matters, and I can't wait to, air this
episode because I think as people start watching you and you'll realize there's so
(34:21):
much more to that triple than just sheer determination. Inside it, there's
an aerospace engineer and a sustainability and somebody that's
really, at peace with who they are. So thank you for joining me in Chattanooga
Manors. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It's really been a
pleasure.
Joining me today is Jacquie Ryan. She's the CEO of Canadian Olympic
(34:42):
Foundation. As well, she's the chief brand and commercial officer for the
Canadian Olympic Committee. Jacquie 's one of the most respected and highly regarded
executives in sport. Jacquie , thank you for finding the time to join me in
Chatter That Matters. Oh, gosh. Thank you, Tony, for having me. Love to looking
forward to the chat today and just love being here. Listen, I'm such a fan
of what you're doing, and I was thinking about this interview, and you have gotta
(35:05):
have one of the most rewarding jobs in Canada
because instead of just throwing things into the cloud, you actually see
young Canadians compete, chase their dreams, and very
often on the podium. You know, it's incredibly rewarding. I've worked for an
organization that's ultimately anchored in driving impact for team Canada
athletes, while also striving to inspire the next
(35:27):
generation of Canadians. And so it's quite a privilege. It's also a
privilege to partner with leading Canadian companies and business
leaders like RBC. So my guest this week is Marion Thineau.
I was so impressed with this young lady in terms of not
only her desire to be the best in the world in sports, but just the
way she approaches life, sustainability. What a phenomenal
(35:50):
Canadian. And I thought that I'd have you on to talk
about training ground. RBC training ground is a nationwide
Olympic talent search program, also a funding program. And
it's a really important program for the broader sports system and really
helping these athletes, pursue their Olympic dreams. It's,
it's entering into its tenth year. And Mary Anne's story
(36:13):
is really one of the the many coming out of this program. And
these athletes, they need dedication, commitment. They, of course, need the
skill and athleticism, and they need funding. And there are
so many stories in addition to Marion's, including,
Kelsey Mitchell, trap cycling gold in Tokyo, Jerome
Blake, silver in Tokyo, gold in Paris in the four by 100,
(36:35):
Adelon Westies, rowing, gold in Tokyo, silver in Paris. The
list is really, really long. It's also about inspiring the next generation of Team
Canada athletes and helping them work towards their dreams. And I really think the
success of these athletes on the podium really just inspires,
Team Canada fans across the country as well. It's wonderful once
every four years to celebrate these Olympians competing,
(36:58):
but there's four years to go into it. It takes a village
to win a medal. And I would argue now more than anything else, it matters
that we have a team Canada, and we're showing
Canadians that our identity is woven across this
country in so many different ways, but also in in the ways of, of
the Olympians. RBC's, commitment to team Canada
(37:21):
actually, the story goes back seventy eight years ago in 1947
that literally the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee at the
time called over to the president of RBC and said, we
can't get the team to the games. Can you help us out? And that's what
started the relationship, and it just hasn't stopped. And it's
really, really quite a story. And Anchor, their sponsorship
(37:42):
in the RBC training ground that we've talked about. They also have the legacy RBC
Olympians program, which has helped hundreds of current and retired
Olympians, in their athletic careers and also in life after sport,
which is a whole, another area that this is really important. So we're
fortunate because we're not for profit. I don't know if you know that. So the
Canadian Olympic Committee is a not for profit organization. Of those funds that
(38:04):
come in, 70% of them go right back into the sport
system. They're funding national sport organizations. They're funding on
the podium. They're funding the entire Olympic
athlete journey. How hard is it to convince a
corporation that these dollars matter more than just
even moving market share? That they actually matter in terms of the
(38:26):
of the psychology of our country, the pride and the identity of
our country that, you know, it might not attach their brand and might attach their
brand, but to me, it's even bigger than a brand story, isn't it? You know,
this investment coming from our corporate partners drives meaningful
and direct impact. And I think a really good example of that is,
thinking back to COVID and many organizations were having to
(38:49):
look at their financial situation, and I can tell you
that every single one of our marketing partners stuck with team
Canada. Not one left. They stuck with us. They renewed their
investment in us, and from that came incredible success in
Tokyo, Beijing, and in Paris this last summer. So, ultimately,
it works because our values are aligned. Our marketing partners are
(39:12):
dedicated to supporting team Canada, the Olympic movement, and
they are because of the role that team Canada plays in instilling
national pride as you mentioned. And because the impact of their
investment, it's direct. You know, Jacquie , I've known you for a long
time. Your passion never diminishes your your
energy. I can understand now how they've given you two titles, both
(39:34):
the foundation and the chief brand officer of the Canadian Olympics. I'm sure they're
thinking about a third one right now. I just really appreciate you taking the time
and joining me in Chatter That Matters. I hope you listen to the show with
Marion. She holds you and the training ground in the highest of
regards. So I think that's a testament to money well spent. Thank you, Tony.
Really appreciate the opportunity and big fan of Chatter That Matters. So happy to
(39:55):
participate today. Once again, a
special thanks to RBC for supporting Chatter That Matters. It's Tony
Chapman. Thanks for listening, and let's chat soon.
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