Mégan Miron, now a former Cégep Saint-Laurent Patriotes player, believes his team has been sacrificed. His options for advancing his career are very limited.
We learned earlier this week stop – the words of the administration – of the Cégep Saint -Laurent first division collegiate women’s hockey program.
In this slightly Kafkaesque story that Beauceron’s colleague Jean-François Poirier tried to clarify on Thursday, the players appear to be the big losers.
Mégan Miron is not fooled. He first said that this pause was in fact a sabotage of the program to eliminate it, quite simply.
In 2023-2024, RSEQ (Student sports network in Quebec) wants to have one fewer teams in Division 1. Instead of making sure we get together and say: “Ok, we’re not going to cash“, they just said, ‘It’s the end’. They just let us go. That’s my impression and almost all the players on the team have.according to him.
” They say they stop the program and come back in two or three years, but at the same time, RSEQ wants to cut a team. I don’t understand why in three years, RSEQ will receive a seventh team. They are in conflict. “
The difficulty in recruiting elite players was discussed. Disagreements between some athletes and their recently hired coach, Alexandria D’Onofrio, were also cited as a reason for the break.
The past few years have been very difficultsaid this Thursday Danielle Malkassoff, director of student services and communications at Cégep.
There was a lack of stability in the coaching position. And when the coach leaves, the players often leave. This created turnover. We prefer to take a step back and then take two steps forward. Women’s hockey isn’t dead, it’s part of our DNAhe added.
Instead Mégan Miron mentioned the lack of oversight and accused the sports director of the establishment, Hugo Lamoureux, of making sexist statements that intimidated some of the employees. This is why some players want to leave, according to him.
At the meeting after the dismissal of [D’Onofrio], [Lamoureux] We were told: “I’ll try to get a coach men with an age difference and more experience. ”Back then, we didn’t react very much. We thought it was a bit sexist, but we let go.said the third-year player.
When he confirmed that the program was closing and we confronted him with the fact that because he wanted a male coach so all of our staff left, he replied that we were exaggerating. Saying that her ideal profile is a man, but if Caroline Ouellette does apply, she’ll take it. These are two extremes. Twice we heard what he said. The whole team was therehe assured.
Limbo
Like his teammates, Mégan Miron found himself in a dilemma a few months before the start of the next collegiate season. There are six more teams in the first division, but the formations are full.
The young woman is studying architecture and, according to her, only Cégep André-Laurendeau offers the same technique and will allow her to play at the highest level. He has been throwing bottles into the sea for days; nothing has yet reached him.
The team is full [à André-Laurendeau]. There is no other place elsewhere. The coaches promised their players that they would never go to the stand, on what line they would play, etc. They have a hard time accepting another playerhe says.
Miron is now considering continuing his career in Junior A, although this league is more recreational than competitive. The hockey player wanted to graduate from CEGEP and then make the leap to a university team, a plan that was seriously compromised by Cégep de Saint-Laurent’s decision.
” I have no other choice. Otherwise, I’m dropping my technique to go into the humanities, but that will give me another three years of study to get into gaming university. Pretty much in chnoute. “
He is now considering American Avenue, which he has refused to do in the past to ensure a diploma is recognized in Quebec. He will also look at whether there are opportunities in Ontario. In either case, architectural studies are likely to pass. For an hour at least.
Last week, the Quebec hockey revival committee made the development of the female side a priority through the desire, among other things, to invest more resources for girls and for boys.
Eight days after the presentation of this report, Minister Isabelle Charest found herself with a clear example of this difference in her hands.
Source: Radio-Canada
