Q&A with Mississauga Canoe Club member, Lorne Park Secondary senior Andre Filipe Rocha
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — A Q&A with Andre Filipe Rocha, a senior at Lorne Park Secondary School and a member of the Mississauga Canoe Club.
Age: 17
Sports: Sprint Kayak & Marathon Kayak
What are your personal goals and athletic dreams?
Andre Filipe Rocha: When I was three years old, I watched for the first time the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. My parents tell me that I was so excited to see so many athletes carrying their country flags that I asked how and what I needed to do to get to go to the big Olympics party with all of the countries in the world. That summer, I turned everything into an Olympic game, everything from playing soccer to skipping stones, to running around the street. My goal was to make a world competition/ go to the Olympics one day. When I was 12 years old, I went to the Mississauga Canoe Club for their “Try It” day, in which I could try out paddling in a canoe to see if it was a sport I was interested in enrolling for summer camp. Some of my friends were already enrolled, and I was excited to join them. Little did I know that I would join the youth racing program shortly afterwards and learn so much about sprint kayak and about how it is an international sport. I am lucky to have amazing coaches and incredible role models at the Mississauga Canoe Club, including Canadian Olympians Katie Vincent and Simon McTavish. I continue to work hard to achieve my goals of competing on a world stage, and am very excited that I have qualified for the World Marathon Championships as a Jr. Kayaker representing Team Canada and Canoe Kayak Canada from September, 26th to October 3rd, 2022 in Portugal.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Filipe Rocha: I listen to my pre-race playlist, do my stretches and do my on-water warm-up. I also wet my seat with two drops.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Filipe Rocha: That chemistry between team members is very important. There may be days when one team member is having a hard time, and it is important to help them stay motivated and on track.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Filipe Rocha: It may seem like we are all training for our individual races, but in reality, we are training as a team. I have learned to pay attention to all the feedback I receive from my coaches and ask for feedback from others.
What is the biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Filipe Rocha: Training at a high-performance level involves practicing every single day for multiple hours all year long. Although it is a summer sport, I train all 12 months for very quick races that go by in just minutes. It all comes down to how things are for one particular race. All of your training is down to one race, and if you’re not feeling great or have a bad start, you could lose it all. To manage the stress and my performance, I make sure that my body and mind are ready for that race. Make sure you are at one hundred percent mentally and physically, have a good night’s sleep, eat good food the night before, stretch and don’t let external things distract you and don’t stress.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Filipe Rocha: Bad starts happen a lot, and you just have to dig deep and continue the race. If you don’t finish where you wanted to, shake it off and be better next time.
What do you love about your sport?
Filipe Rocha: The community, the friends, teammates and coaches.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.