YORKTON - The Invictus Games are set to start Feb. 8, in Vancouver and Whistler, and Saskatchewan will be represented by one athlete -- Jonathan Corriveau.
Residing in Bruno, Sask. Corriveau will compete in wheelchair rugby, indoor rowing, and Nordic skiing.
Corriveau, originally from Sainte-Angèle-de-Mérici, Que., said the upcoming games will be his first as a competitor, but he added he has had an associated experience being part of the support network at the Warrior Games in the United States in 2022, supporting a close friend.
“It’s pretty much the same as the Invictus Games,” he said, adding that experience “. . . gave me the boost to put in an application to be a competitor.”
Corriveau, a retired Cook who served in the Army who was posted to 5 RALC Val-Cartier, Qc, CSOR Petawawa, Ont., was accepted and then the work began.
“We started training last March,” he told Yorkton This Week, explaining athletes attended three training camps in preparation for the upcoming event.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Corriveau who was deployed to Afghanistan. That excitement is increased because the Games will be held on home soil. He noted the last edition of the Invictus Games was held in Germany, and with this one in Canada more friends and family will be able to attend, to watch and offer support.
“For sure it will be more exciting.”
Of the three sports Corriveau said he has found wheelchair rugby to be his favourite.
“It’s a tough sport,” he admitted, but the team nature appeals to him.
In that regard the ‘team aspect’ is rather reflective of the Invictus Games themselves, where the event is very much about creating a team in support of the athletes.
Corriveau said in his case he had mental health issues while in the army, which after leaving the military was diagnosed as PTSD, that “caused me trouble back in civilian life.” He said the preparation for the upcoming games has put him in contact with others who have faced similar life hurdles.
Those contacts have meant an opportunity to talk to others in similar circumstances, said Corriveau adding it is important to realize “we’re not alone.”
As for the competition, Corriveau said that while a competitive nature has athletes wanting to win, in the case of the Invictus Games there is more to it.
“It’s bigger than the sport,” he said, adding it’s a case of “being in competition with yourself,” where the training and preparation gives participants something to focus on and to aspire to be better in. He then added of course athletes will “give our best to try to win.”
In that regard Corriveau said Nordic skiing and indoor rowing are sports he can train for more easily in Saskatchewan. He said he can go outside and put on skis and head across a field, or just stay home on his own indoor rowing machine and he’s training, supported of course by coaches accessible online.
While Corriveau said the nerves hadn’t got to him a couple of weeks ahead to the games, he added when he finally gets on the plane to head west as Saskatchewan’s only participant it will most likely “get more stressful,” but he is still very much looking forward to the experience.
