HIGH ACHIEVERS: Canoeist Sophia Jensen awarded 5-year, $100,000 bursary as one of Quebec’s top 5 athletes

By Martin Cleary

As a sprint canoe paddler, Sophia Jensen is charging to the top of the world.

As a fund raiser to support her international and Olympic dreams, it might be said she’s “up the creek without a paddle.”

“I try to work on sponsorships, but I’ve been unsuccessful,” said the Chelsea, PQ., resident, who has nonetheless been a long-time brand ambassador with Zizu Optics.

But, then, out of the blue, Jensen hit the jackpot, when she least expected it.

During one of the days at her third training camp this month in Chula Vista, California, the top officials of Canoe Kayak Canada told Jensen she would be receiving a huge annual bursary for the next five years (2024-28) as one of Quebec’s top five athletes. Canoe Kayak Canada nominated the Cascades Club canoeist for the bursary.

On March 7, the Canadian Olympic Foundation announced the Bursary Program for Quebec Olympic Athletes, which had a total value of $500,000 from a donor who wished to remain anonymous.

Each of the five recipients will receive $20,000 a year, which would be renewable for up to five years.

Summer and winter athletes were eligible to be recommended for the bursary and were “selected based on dedication to high-performance excellence, previous Olympic participation, Olympic potential and the impact this bursary will have on the athletes’ financial ability to compete on the world stage,” the foundation indicated.

The other four Quebec bursary winners were: Eliot Grondin (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, snowboard), Marion Thénault (Sherbrooke, freestyle skiing), Tammara Thibeault (Shawinigan, boxing) and Nathan Zsombor-Murray (Pointe-Claire, diving).

“Honestly, it came out of nowhere. It has been in the works for a long time, but I had no idea,” a surprised Jensen said in a phone interview on the final day of her third three-week training camp leading to the first national sprint team trials April 1-4 in Chula Vista.

“I came to the camp one day and the head of the CKC informed me about it (bursary). I honestly thought it was a joke at first. Then I got a call from [the Foundation] and I got really emotional.”

Jensen, 22, was beyond excited about being able to tap into a resource that will allow her to cover her expenses while trying to qualify for the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics as well as all the world championships and training sessions in between.

“This is so much stress off my shoulders,” she added with a great sense of relief in her voice.

In the past four months, she has made three round trips from her parents’ home in Chelsea to Chula Vista, which is the second largest city in San Diego County. Jensen, who has been a national team member since 2016, is responsible for paying for her own flights and accommodation at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Centre.

When she receives her first instalment of the bursary money, Jensen plans “to pay off my flights and accommodation.”

And the bursary money also will allow her to attend the national team training camp all summer in Nova Scotia without worry. Jensen thought the summer camp “was almost close to impossible,” this year.

Jensen is proud she has been financially independent and doesn’t have to visit the Bank of Mom and Dad.

“They are extremely supportive of my career and dreams,” she said. “I do all my financials. If I’m desperate, they will help, but I try to avoid it. I’m responsible for my finances.”

As a national senior team athlete, Jensen receives federal government support of $1,700 a month through the Athlete Assistance Program and $500 monthly from the Quebec government.

“It (bursary) feels really great as it will truly allow me to focus on my training to help me be better. (Training) requires a lot of financial support and I will not have to worry at all,” continued Jensen, who designed a long-sleeve T-shirt and worked with her mother to sell all of them to raise funds for her 2023 season.

“It means a lot and it’s really incredible to be considered one of the best athletes in Quebec,” she added. “Quebec has a high level of athletes in all sports. This means so much to me.”

Jensen made her international debut in 2016 by winning four gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the season-ending Olympic Hopes regatta. After winning a pair of silver medals at the 2017 world junior championships, she was unbeatable the next two years, winning six gold medals – three at each regatta.

At the 2021 and 2022 world U23 championships, she combined for three gold, two silver and three bronze medals in a variety of single and crew boats. When the 2022 worlds were staged in Dartmouth, N.S., she won the women’s senior gold in the C4 500 metres and silver in the C1 500 metres. Competing in only one race at the 2023 senior worlds, she placed sixth in the C1 200 metres to qualify an Olympic spot in that race for Canada at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

Equipment is incredibly important for Jensen and somewhere down the road she’ll need to buy a new sprint canoe boat and paddle, which run about $4,000 and $800 respectively. But, for now, she is happy with the performance of her well maintained boat and paddle.

“The bursary is for athletes who show the potential to work their way to the podium,” said Ian Mortimer, the chief technical officer for Canoe Kayak Canada. “Sophia fits the bill perfectly. She had an incredible junior career, is transitioning to the senior ranks and is showing potential to reach the top of the sport.

“Sophia is extremely committed, works hard, is one of the leaders on our team and is an integral part of the team. She’s a great person and brings a lot of fun and positivity to the team. She loves being on the water, is a technically talented paddler and overall is a great athlete. She’s very powerful and a really strong paddler.”

Not only was Jensen overwhelmed by the financial support from the bursary, but also by the unconditional support of Mortimer and Canada Kayak Canada CEO Casey Wade.

“They told me about the bursary,” she said. “They were so kind to recommend me and believe in how well I was doing. It almost meant more than the grant.”