You’ll be familiar with their faces; some of you see them every weekend in the four corners of Quebec, and some of you have been seeing them for years. Always there to ensure your safety, often present to remind you of the rules at pre-race meetings and sometimes, to your dismay, also to enforce the rules and impose (very few) penalties, Triathlon Québec officials play a major role in the running of events. Through this series of portraits, we’d like to introduce you to the men and women behind the whistle. Who knows, it might even inspire you to join the team!
To open the series, we naturally chose Yan Therrien, Quebec’s most “senior” official, with remarkable experience.
Triathlon Québec : Hello Yan, could you start by introducing yourself?
Yan Therrien: I’m a 49-year-old young/old athlete… I’ve been a police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for twenty-eight years. I have an 11-year-old son. My wife and I have three boys. From a very young age, I’ve always been a sportsman. Swimming, cycling, running, field hockey, baseball, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing, to name but a few. The whole family plays all these sports. In 1995, at the age of 23, I put all three sports together to start triathlon. Being in British Columbia with the RCMP, that’s where I started doing triathlons, in the Pacific Ocean. After 5 years in British Columbia, I was transferred to Ottawa, where I stayed for 10 years. I did all the Somersault Series triathlons in Ontario. Then I transferred to Montreal in 2007. I was part of the St-Lambert triathlon club and did a good number of triathlons in Quebec from 2007 to 2010. I took part in every distance from sprint to Ironman. I love sport so much that I continue to volunteer on a board of directors. I was a director on the TQ board for ten years, and I’m currently in my fourth year on the Triathlon Canada board.
Triathlon Québec: A busy life! How many years have you been a Triathlon Québec official?
Yan Therrien: In 2007, I started out as a provincial-level official (PTO). I used my bike to check the course during triathlons. That way, I was contributing to the sport and training at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. After a morning of checking drafting, I was able to cycle around 100 kilometers. Then I did my national (NTO) and then international (ITO) training with World Triathlon (editor’s note: formerly ITU). I’m the only international official in Quebec, and there are five of us across Canada. I’ve been lucky enough to officiate at almost every triathlon in Quebec, at several Canadian National Championship triathlons and at several international triathlons around the world. I’ve officiated at two Pan-American Games (Toronto and Lima) and two Commonwealth Games (Glasgow and Gold Coast). I’ve officiated at five World Championship finals. On the Ironman side, I’ve been chief official for the Tremblant Ironman and 70.3 since the beginning (2012).
Triathlon Québec: Can you tell us a little more about what inspired you to become a triathlon official?
Yan Therrien: First of all, I wanted to get involved in a sport I love, and be a volunteer. Without volunteers, no sporting event could take place. There’s always a need for volunteers. I must admit, I also enjoy taking on responsibilities and helping to plan events. Being an official is a unique opportunity to get involved in the races, to be at the heart of the action and, above all, to improve the customer experience.
Triathlon Québec: After all these years, what motivates you to be an official every weekend?
Yan Therrien: I’d say it’s mainly the fraternity that exists in the triathlon world. As far as I know, sports officials aren’t necessarily your friends. In triathlon, I feel a very enriching vibe. You feel friends with everyone. People talk to you. They come to you for advice.
Triathlon Québec: What qualities do you think make a good Triathlon Québec official?
Yan Therrien: As you might expect, there are many. Honesty, integrity, impartiality, a sense of duty, joviality, the courage of one’s convictions, empathy and so on. The list is long, but life as an official is a constant learning process!
Triathlon Québec: As someone who has travelled the length and breadth of Quebec’s beautiful triathlons, what’s your favourite event?
Yan Therrien: There are so many great events in Quebec, it’s almost impossible to pick just one. I’ve been lucky enough to take part in almost all of them, either as an athlete or as an official. Of course, the WTS Montreal(Groupe Copley World Triathlon), theIronman Mont-Tremblant, the Magog Trimemphré or the Pentathlon des neiges in Quebec City are really special events for me.
Triathlon Québec: What about the international scene?
Yan Therrien: Internationally, World Triathlon’s WTS World Championship Finals are certainly great events. In fact, I can’t wait for Montreal in 2022!
Triathlon Québec: Can you give us one or more reasons for becoming a triathlon official?
Yan Therrien: It’s a very rewarding experience with a strong sense of accomplishment. It’s also a great way of giving back to the sport we love. Also, as I said earlier, there’s a real sense of brotherhood. I can say that the triathlon world is my second family! I now have official friends all over the world. It’s a lot of volunteer hours, but you grow from it!
Triathlon Québec: With all these events under your belt, you must have a little anecdote to share with us?
Yan Therrien: Yes, there have been a number of adventures over the years. I could tell you more. In fact, if you come and take the training course to become an official, I’ll tell you plenty! At one of the Pan-American Cups and Canadian Championships in Kelowna, I was in charge of the swimming course, so I was on a boat watching over the swimmers and the buoys. Before the start, I check everything and give the “ok” for a start five minutes later. The start is given, I’m in the boat and as I turn to look at the first buoy, I realize it’s drifting away with the current…. As if on cue, the swimmers are on their way. The only solution was to get to the buoy with the boat as quickly as possible. I held it at arm’s length in front of the boat, and asked the driver to bring me back roughly where it should be. I held on to the buoy just in time, and the swimmers went around us. Phew, disaster averted!
Triathlon Québec: Thank you Yan for this interview and see you this summer at our partner events!
