James Savard-Ferguson has been haunted by season-long fourth-place finishes on the North American snowboard cross circuit. But finishing off the podium at the Junior World Championships is very different.
“I needed that result to be happy with my season. I haven’t performed badly this year, but my tendency to finish fourth bothered me a bit. I cannot describe in words how happy it makes me to get such a good result at the world juniors,” commented Savard-Ferguson, in an interview with Sportcom.
The 18-year-old wanted to step up his game in San Pellegrino, Italy, to end his season on a high note. He approached each of his races with a very precise strategy that led him to the Grand Final.
“The course is quite flat, but it was very hot in Italy, which affected the quality of the snow a bit. All of that made it really important to get up front fairly quickly. That was basically my strategy for all my races. The final was very tough and I did not succeed in my plan. I’m so happy with my performance,” he added, between classes at Champlain College St. Lawrence.
The motivation was all the greater for Savard-Ferguson, who wishes to become more familiar with the European courses which differ from those to which he is accustomed in the Nor-Am circuit.
“The courses are longer in Europe, there is more room for strategy, I almost feel like they are two different sports between there and here. The experience in Europe will certainly give me a large toolbox that will be very useful to me in the coming years. »
The last month has been pretty tough for James Savard-Ferguson who suffered a concussion at Mont-Orignal during the last Nor-Am event of the season. This concussion deprived him of participation in the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, an event that the native of Baie-Saint-Paul had been waiting for for a very long time.
“It was very difficult on morale, everyone around me had been waiting for this moment for a long time. There’s never a right or a bad time to get hurt, but it’s definitely a shame it happened at that time. It’s part of the sport, I knew I was going to be able to recover at the world juniors, but it was heartbreaking, “said the Quebecer.
Although he admits to having found it difficult to see his teammates in action at home without being able to join them on the snow, Savard-Ferguson is happy with the outcome of his season, especially since his teammates sent him a big wave of love after her performance at San Pellegrino.
“Having support like that from teammates is essential in sport. I’m really happy to have such a loving team around me. I knew they were always going to be there for me and I had great proof of that. It feels really good. »
In Italy, Tristan Bell and Lily Bellaar Spruyt stood out by both reaching the quarter-finals of the individual events. Bell and Bellaar Spruyt also joined forces to take 13th place in the team event.
For his part, Noah Royz reached the round of 16 individually and as a team, where he formed a duo with British Columbian Nicola Dempsey.
James Savard-Ferguson has not yet established his game plan for the next campaign. However, he cannot hide his desire to participate in a few World Cup events. He sincerely hopes that the circuit will be back at Mont-Sainte-Anne next year.
“I really don’t know my plan for next year, for sure I have some goals like competing in World Cups. I’ll probably be in Nor-Am more often, but the goal isn’t to be the best in North America, it’s to be successful in the World Cup.”