Generations of Impact
from Kim to Florence

 

Speed skaters are currently gliding across the ice at the Maurice-Richard Arena with one ultimate goal: to represent Canada in short track speed skating at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games in February 2026. Several Aléo scholarship holders are in action at these Canadian Selection Championships, including Kim Boutin and Florence Brunelle, separated by nearly 10 years and united by a new lightness... acquired thanks to school.

 

By François-Olivier Roberge

In the fall of 2023, Kim took a break from competition to focus on her special education studies. Florence, meanwhile, is back in school, studying for a certificate in applied marketing at McGill. This more academic turn in their careers has not slowed them down on the ice; quite the opposite!

Generations of Impact. The theme of our philanthropic campaign embodied here by two athletes from the Beneva scholarship program: Kim (2013 to 2018 with La Capitale) and Florence (Aléo scholarship holder since 2020 and with Beneva since 2025).

Crucial stakes

The Olympic selection process for the Canadian short track speed skating team is not simple (as with all sports, you might say). An important element to remember: the skaters who will be chosen in December must shine at all costs during the Canadian Championships, which take place over five days of competition, from August 23rd to 31st. It is crucial, decisive, imperative. These races are the first step that will lead, for a few chosen ones, to a coveted pass to Milan-Cortina 2026.

For athletes, this ultimate challenge is the perfect expression of stress management, the «all or nothing» as a constant Sword of Damocles. At the starting line, surrounded by teammates/opponents, friends/competitors, future Olympians/future viewers.

Cruel. Yes!

Intense. Certainly.

Removing and captivating.

Two spheres, one path

In early August, I spoke with Kim, 30, a four-time Olympic medalist aiming for her third Olympic Games, then with Florence, 21, a young Olympian from Beijing, to gauge their state of mind a few days before the selections.

Despite a world of personal experiences that separate them, our interviews led to a common observation: their academic commitment makes them better athletes.

«It freed my mind so much, it's crazy. It eased the anxiety I might have been feeling about the future. I had doubts when I started my internship, the novelty, the uncertainties. I navigated through that, then I realized all the tools I have. I saw the options that opened up. It greatly relieved my fears about after my career,» Kim Boutin shared about her internship!

A moment that refocused her on her priorities. «It reminded me that when I get home after a workout, I don't have to sticker about something that happened at the arena. It helped me to detach. I've been better since I did my internship, it added a lot of perspective to my career.»

A reality that Florence Brunelle also knows. After a break to protect her mental health, then due to back problems, a different approach and a return to school now allow her to speak of a new version of herself, a Florence 2.0.

«Successfully reintegrating school into my lifestyle has been one of the keys, for several reasons! I realized I was capable, says the native of Trois-Rivières. Capable of combining school and sports. I like being invested 100%% and I saw it as a big deal to have two different spheres. In the end, I am capable of being invested in the sphere of school, of switch and from being on skates. It gave me a lot of confidence!»

«The social aspect has also brought me a lot! Making friends outside of skating, friends who prioritize other things. I love the perspective on life that it gives me. There's my bubble as a high-level athlete, and there's so much more. And I love what I'm studying, says the 21-year-old athlete enrolled in the certificate in applied marketing at McGill University.»

«For me, the scholarships from the Aléo Foundation's Beneva Program are a great incentive to go to school and find a life balance. The $4,000 $ makes a difference! But in addition, I have the support of Beneva and the Foundation, who encourage me through this choice to invest myself in these two spheres. When I see the other scholarship recipients, I say to myself, ‘Good job! You're going to school too!’

More than theory, Kim and Florence are literally expressing word for word notions we hear our colleague Sophie Brassard repeat at every scholarship award ceremony. These two student-athletes live it; it's no longer theory, it's real life! (Read Sophie's words as an addition to this column.)

Two generations

At the most recent World Championships, in March 2025, in Beijing, Kim and Florence teamed up with Rikki Doak and Courtney Sarault to win gold in the 3000m relay. World champions! Crowned together in an individual sport for which the notion of teammates is essential to success.

In this context, with the years of experience that separate her from her teammates, does Kim see herself as a mentor, especially in this Olympic year? «I don't see myself that way. Every year I have to reinvent myself. The girls bring me so much. I don't feel like a veteran, I'm not in that headspace.»

Florence, in search of a second Olympic Games appearance, balances experience and learning for her part. «I see myself as a senior in some aspects: I have a good background in mental preparation. But for international races, I don't have that much experience.»

Two generations of scholarship athletes on the same team, teammates, and then also opponents. Two generations of impact, in their own way, with an undeniable influence on their sport!

From father to daughter

Regarding impact generations, the Aléo Foundation's database contains more than 5,000 names of scholarship recipients. A list that has been growing for 40 years now. Under the name Brunelle, two lines: Florence, Jean-François.

Jean-François Brunelle, a 1997-1998 stock market hockey player for the Foundation, while he played for the University Patriots

from Quebec to Trois-Rivières. As a notable achievement, he won the Memorial Cup, as evidenced by this photo from Momentum, which was then the annual magazine of the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence (the former name of the Aléo Foundation).

Jean-François is Florence's dad.

A fact that is increasingly observed during scholarship awards is that some scholarship recipients follow a path already trodden by one of their parents, with twenty or thirty years between them, often without even knowing that their mother or father is part of this large family.

Sophie's word

By Sophie Brassard, PhD 
Guidance Counselor – Head of Services for student-athletes 

«When I talk with athletes, I try to dismantle the preconceived notion of having a «Plan B.» In sports, there's no Plan B (career), as it's a plan that will inevitably happen even for Olympic champions. So, we're talking about having two Plan A's: your athletic plan and your career plan. And the goal, which isn't that simple, is to combine these two plans into one.  

A personalized balance that suits the student-athlete according to their program, according to their sport. When this balance is found, the benefits are immediately felt.  

Research even states: «A higher level of engagement in career transition planning is linked to team selection and the number of years evolving with the team. (Lavallée, 2019).» In other words: athletes who are invested in their careers outside of sports increase their chances of reaching the highest level and having a longer career.  

Moreover, according to data from Match Plan in 2025, of the 202 national team athletes who responded to this survey, nearly 60% had a university degree! That's huge. 

Research proves that balancing studies and sports leads to a reduction in stress levels and therefore even an improvement in performance. If the athlete feels that a cloud of stress follows them in competition because they don't know how to juggle their studies or even what they would like to do outside of sports, the pressure is much greater. Furthermore, as Kim and Florence explain, it also opens the door to broadening one's identity and, at the same time, one's social circle.  

So, yes, balancing studies and sports can seem complicated, but with the right balance, it's very beneficial. Don't forget that we are here precisely to help you find that balance!»

Scholars and former scholars in action at the 2025 Canadian Short Track Championships

Kim Boutin (Beneva)
Florence Brunelle (Beneva)
Danaé Blais
Ann-Sophie Bachand
Victoria Jean-Baptiste
Mila Boivin

Steven Dubois
Félix Roussel
Maxime Laoun (as a golfer in 2013-2014)
Mathieu Pelletier
Jérôme Courtemanche
Victor Roy-Lafrance
William Sohier
Justin Bergeron
Alexandre Migner
Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau