Sarah-Jeanne Carey: Blades and Ice
She had barely learned to walk when she began to skate—as if gliding across an icy surface on blades strapped to boots was the natural next step.
Sarah-Jeanne Carey was just two years old when her parents laced up her first skates. Whether at public skating sessions at the Vaudreuil-Dorion arena or in the backyard rink her parents built every winter, she quickly developed a talent for moving on ice and soon looked for a structured activity to develop her skills. Her parents came across a pamphlet from the city’s "Trait d’union" guide and discovered speed skating. At six, she tried it. Now at thirteen, she recalls:
“As soon as I started, it clicked,” says Sarah-Jeanne. “I loved the feeling of stepping onto the ice in skates. I tried to skate fast—it became a place where I could let loose. I told myself I wanted to go as far as I could in this sport.”
That early mindset helped her rise through the ranks. Now, she competes at the provincial level.
“With Sarah-Jeanne, we knew she needed to move,” says her mother, Isabelle. “I could see her more in speed skating than figure skating.”
Attitude Over Medals
No matter who she races against, Sarah-Jeanne gives it her all during her four weekly training sessions at the Vaudreuil-Dorion arena. She brings effort, discipline, and patience—crucial for shaving off those critical fractions of a second. Her medals hang proudly on a cord her father Patrick installed in her room: a silver medal at the Quebec Games and another at the Eastern Canadian Championships. But for Sarah-Jeanne, attitude matters more than hardware:
“If you want to improve and always get better, you need to accept a bit of suffering,” she says. “The path isn’t easy. Everyone faces challenges. You need to have the right mindset and learn from what went wrong, so it doesn’t happen again.”
This mindset helps her in her daily life and studies at Cité-des-Jeunes high school in the sports-study concentration:
“Discipline is key,” she notes. “It helps me organize schoolwork and manage my anxiety. It really shapes how I approach everything.”
Skating Toward Maurice-Richard Arena
Out of all the sports she’s tried, speed skating remains her favorite year after year. When training goes well, she often skates with a smile:
“My parents have always told me to do what I love.”
What she’d love more than anything is to skate at Montreal’s Maurice-Richard Arena, home of Canada’s national team. Her next competitions will take place there. Until then, she watches as many races as possible—she even records them—and follows her idol, Marianne St-Gelais, closely.
Sarah-Jeanne is gradually mastering the perfect balance of speed, endurance, and race strategy:
“My favorite distance is the 1000 meters,” she says. “It’s both endurance and speed. I love the strategic aspect—sometimes you start from the back or make a pass five laps from the finish. There are surprises, and you just have to react and make great moves.”
This growing expertise benefits the younger skaters she now helps coach on Sundays and Mondays at the arena. But beyond the tight corners, sprints, and starts, Sarah-Jeanne teaches one thing above all else—love. Love for what you do, especially if you do it often:
“Find a sport that makes you feel good, work to get better every day, and take it one race at a time. If you do what needs to be done, the results will follow.”
Young athletes like Sarah-Jeanne don’t just inspire the next generation—they quietly remind adults to live fully, one minute at a time, and to act without worrying about the rewards. She’s already earned a medal of wisdom.