B2ten group golden for Canadian grappler
With its help, Yeats fights way back to mat and wins gold at Pan Ams
They had suspected the man seated nearby was eavesdropping on their meeting that day, at a cafe near the historic Atwater Market, in southwest Montreal. The topic was tied to funding in amateur sport, and Dominick Gauthier and JD Miller, revolutionaries in the field, were meeting with a Canadian kayaker.
Eventually, the stranger approached.
“My niece is a world championship wrestler, and no one is there to support her,” he said, colourfully lamenting the “f– ing Canadian system.”
“He sure piqued our curiosity,” Gauthier said.
They consulted Google. The stranger seemed to be telling the truth: Dori Yeats, a former gymnast, the daughter of a five- time Olympian, was a promising wrestler who developed a potentially career- threatening back injury. She was 20 years old and she needed help.
Gauthier and Miller happened to be in the business of helping athletes, as co- founders of B2ten, an ambitious organization funded by private donors and powered by volunteers. It aims to fill the gaps in government funding, which can mean buying new equipment — a new bobsled, in one instance — or developing highly individualized workout plans.
Many athletes who have won medals for Canada during the past three Olympic cycles have reached the podium with help from B2ten. Several athletes from the roster have already won medals at the Pan American Games.
After their brief Internet search that day in the cafe, in October 2013, Gauthier and Miller scheduled a meeting with Yeats. They met that night. “It was a godsend,” said her father, Doug.
“I’m not even religious,” said Yeats. “But I was like, ‘ This is a sign that I’m meant to stay in wrestling and make it to the top.’ ”
Her back was a problem, essentially facing the spectre of a herniated disc. Doctors raised the possibility that it could threaten her career.
Gauthier and Miller did not promise to add her to their roster right away. The group has a rigorous vetting process, built on business principles, rather than sentiment. Even so, they did not leave her without hope, telling her they would help rehabilitate her back, covering the costs of any medical testing and rehabilitation.
By December, they had assigned her a sports psychologist. Soon, she joined the roster.
Last summer, Yeats won gold at the Commonwealth Games. And on Friday, healthy and confident, she wrestled for another gold medal at the Pan Am Games. She won in a romp, beating her Venezuelan opponent 13- 2 in the final of the 69- kilogram competition.
Initially, B2ten envisioned Yeats as a medal threat for the 2020 Olympics — with her age raising the possibility she could continue through 2024 — but that has changed. She is on track to compete next summer, at the Rio Olympics, and has podium potential.
Long- term goals were obscured by the mentality of her sport the “come on, be tough, we’re wrestlers, we can wrestle with a broken arm.”
Wrestling is an individual sport, but her old coach demanded uniformity.
With B2ten, Yeats has been assigned a team of specialists tailored to her needs. There is a sports psychologist, a nutritionist, a strength and conditioning coach, a fitness coach, an osteopath and a massage therapist. She has been able to work with coaches, select training partners, and buy specialized equipment, such as a machine to help her check her hydration levels.