A week to remember
Denouden earns bronze medal in slalom
Standing on the podium at the Canada Games, Hayden Denouden thought back to the countless hours of preparation he, his family and coaches had invested to make the moment a reality.
“It was super gratifying,” he said. “We put a lot of work into that and there we were.”
Denouden, a 14-yearold visually impaired skier, earned a bronze medal in the slalom at Crabbe Mountain, near Fredericton, N.B., on March 2. Denouden and his guide Zianne Khalifa, of Bedford, had finished fourth a day earlier in the giant slalom.
Denouden lives in Greenwood with his mother Cheyanne d’Entremont, stepdad Trevor West and sister Gracie.
“I was so happy for them because they worked really, really hard to get to that point,” d’Entremont said.
It capped off a great week for the family in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
“The hotel was nice, the athletes were nice, and the races were amazing,” Denouden said.
THE RACES
In the giant slalom, Denouden was third after the first run with a time of 1:12.5. He finished the second run in 1:14.69, to finish fourth – 1.09 seconds behind Samuel Peters, of British Columbia, for third place.
The next day, the slalom occurred.
Denouden finished the first of two runs in 1:15.36, which placed him fourth in the eight-skier competition. He completed the final run in 1:13.91 for a combined time of 2:29.27, 28 one-hundreds of a second behind silver medallist James Budrow, and 62 one-hundreds of a second ahead of Peters.
But those result weren’t immediately known.
The wait took about five minutes but felt like an hour for Denouden, his family and supporters.
“It was really, really close,” d’Entremont said. “They knew they had skied a clean run, so they were super excited.”
Denouden is eligible for the next Canada Games, but has his sights set higher and would like to represent Canada down the road.
AFTER COMPETITION
With the alpine ski events occurring in New Brunswick, Denouden and his fellow athletes and coaches were in a satellite village.
Denouden did have an opportunity to experience the athletes’ village in Charlottetown, P.E.I., after his competition was complete.
“The village itself was super cool,” he said.
He also got to attend the ski cross event in Brookvale, P.E.I., and the closing ceremonies with the rest of
Team Nova Scotia at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown. D’Entremont said they were able to go to downtown Charlottetown with Denouden and his friends and visit the Canada Games cauldron and view the ice sculptures.
“There was tons to do there,” Denouden said, noting he enjoyed spending time with his fellow para skiers from across the country.
AFTER THE GAMES
Denouden returned home to Nova Scotia and had a week of school before March Break. Last week, he spent time with d’Entremont’s parents in Pubnico.
“My grandfather took me around the village, and we met a bunch of his friends, showed off the medal,” Denouden
said.
“The whole village was cheering Hayden and Zianne on the entire time
(of the Canada Games),” d’Entremont said.
One day during March Break, Denouden went to visit Caroline d’Entremont, a 94-year-old West Pubnico resident, who has been tracking the young skier’s results for the past three years.
“She knew the second I got bronze,” Denouden explained. “It was pretty cool. So, we went and visited her, and it made my day and her day.”
Denouden said he has a bit of training remaining before the season comes to an end. Looking back on the campaign, he said he will remember the Canada Games’ experience, plus a trip to Alberta in November and another training event in Ontario.
MORE THAN MEDALS
While the top-three athletes receive medals and others take home personal bests in their respective sports, there’s something else Canada’s largest multi-sport competition provides.
D’Entremont said she saw it first-hand on Denouden’s second day in Charlottetown at the athletes’ village.
“I noticed a difference in him socially and his selfconfidence,” she said. “He’s just a quiet guy and he was so hyped up on the vibe at the athletes’ village, I just couldn’t believe it. That to me is a win.”
She said the Games helps young people grow.
“Seeing that is a far bigger of a win that anything else,” she said. “The Canada Games is so much more than competition for these kids.”