Jenny is all smiles preparing for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Name: Jenny Ciochetti
Occupation: Pilot for Canada 2, Canadian Olympic 2-woman bobsleigh team
Twitter: @JennyCiochetti
Favourite Motto: “To whom much has been given, much will be required”…
A veteran of the World Cup circuit with several medals to her name, 29-year old Jenny Ciochetti is gearing up for Sochi in 2014. A gracious and humble athlete and in true Canadian fashion, Jenny and I exchanged several repentant emails before finally scheduling an interview. Apparently training for the Olympics and competing internationally keeps Jenny more than a little busy…go figure! Though she was in Edmonton for a short visit with family, Jenny is travelling to compete in several international bobsleigh events culminating in her Olympic debut in Sochi for 2014 along with brakeman Chelsea Valois. Though she lives and trains in Calgary, Jenny’s not in our fair city much these days, and when we spoke she was just happy to be home in Edmonton for Christmas. Despite a short break, she still managed to fit in some sprinting and lower body workouts while enjoying a bit of home cooking.
Photo Credit: Charlie Booker
Calgary Is Awesome: What made you choose bobsleigh as your sport of choice?
Jenny Ciochetti: I guess I would say chose me more than I chose it. It’s a super random, obscure sport that not a lot of people know much about and you don’t really grow up thinking “I’m going to be a bobsledder”, but I did track and field in university and I got recruited from track. A bobsleigh coach saw me sprinting and said “she’s big for a sprinter” then told my coach. I then when for a tryout and made the team.
It’s a lot of fun driving. It’s scary when you’re first learning. It’s still a little scary when you’re at a track you haven’t been to in a year…but it’s super fun.
C.I.A: Is there an Olympian who has inspired you? Or maybe it’s not an Olympian, maybe it’s somebody in your life that you’ve met or seen?
J.C: Before I started bobsleigh and wasn’t every planning going to the Olympics, because I wasn’t that amazing in track and field. I was reading the paper during the 2006 Torino Olympics and Duff Gibson had just won a gold medal in skeleton. He had been quoted in the paper and I actually wrote down his quote because I thought it was a really good perspective coming from an athlete. He was talking about how his dad had passed away from cancer a couple of months earlier and someone had asked if he was going to dedicate the race to his dad. The gist of what he said was “My dad was an educator and had great belief in the power of sport, but in the end he realized it’s just sport. What I dedicate is graciousness in winning and graciousness in losing.”
That’s sort of a summation but I just thought it was a great perspective on what’s really important actually, and to have grace in all circumstances and to be a good sport. And, obviously, to do your best and compete well but…it’s just a sport in the end. I just found it refreshing.
C.I.A: What are you most looking forward to about Sochi?
J.C: I was surprised to make it to the 2010 Olympics though I was a spare so I wasn’t competing, but I think it will be…kind of exiting just to be there. And, it will be an honor to represent Canada. You’re competing against the same people we compete against all year long, but it seems like a different level. I think it will be really fun, (I’m hoping). I hope I make Canada proud and myself obviously as well.
C.I.A: There are a lot of Olympic hopefuls in our city, but what is it like to be an athlete training in Calgary?
J.C: I love Calgary! Obviously I’m from Edmonton so obviously, there’s a rivalry, but I moved to Calgary I guess just over 3 years ago finally because the commute was not so fun. Calgary is really awesome. COP is where I train at the Bob Niven and now they have the new Markin MacPhail Centre and they have a massive track and massive gym in there…we’ve been training in there and it’s so amazing. It will be great for the next round of people who come through.
But it’s nice. It’s nice to be around your team who are training for the same thing as you. Our federation is based out of Calgary so it’s easy logistically and I really like the city of Calgary in general. There’s obviously other athletes training and competing to go to the Olympics, so it’s fun because you get to know people from different sports and backgrounds.
Photo Credit: Charlie Booker
C.I.A: What makes Calgary Awesome?
J.C: I love that is close to the mountains. I know I’m not allowed to go skiing (laughs), but if I do it’s really great. I love in the summer you can just go in a blow-up tube or a raft down the river. That’s amazing. Edmonton doesn’t have anything like that so it’s kind of exciting. I just really like Calgary as a city. Obviously I’m in a different aspect…I’m not downtown or in business or working but COP and all the people there are great. We train sometimes at the Oval, I’ve been taking some classes at U of C and I live right near there, so it’s convenient because I can bike.
C.I.A: Anything else you’d like to convey to fellow Canadians?
J.C: I really appreciate all the support! So many people have given so much and supported me and been a part of this journey. It actually makes it really special because this year I had to pay for a trip to Russia to train, but I didn’t have to pay anything. So many people contributed. They bought T-shirts and I had a fundraiser and they came to that and Wild Rose Brewery put on a fundraiser for me. So it’s really awesome to have so much support for me from tons of Edmontonians, tons of Calgarians and people across the country. I feel really grateful and blessed and thankful.