ABSTRACT
At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, three women represented Canada in the freestyle skiing moguls event, earning two podium finishes (gold and silver) and a 12th place finish. Most remarkable, these three women were sisters: Justine, Chloé, and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe. One cannot help but be curious about the upbringing and home environment that would lead all three siblings to be the most successful in their discipline in the world. When and how were they introduced to sport? How did they influence each other growing up? What was the nature of dinner hour conversations? International media outlets eagerly embraced their story, uncovering details of a family built on genuine support and care for each other, calling them “Canada’s first family of emotion … Platinum winners in family bonding” (MacGregor, 2014). Balanced within this tightly connected family were strong values of work ethic, discipline, and fearless competition. When their father, Yves Lapointe, was asked about “sacrifices,” he corrected the interviewer, suggesting his family had made “choices” – which included mother Johanne Dufour putting her master’s education on hold, and the family spending every weekend on ski hills, even before youngest sister Justine (Olympic gold medalist) was competing in the sport (MacGregor, 2014). When asked about competing against each other, the eldest, Maxime (non-medalist), explained, “we don’t have rivalry. We push and support each other to be the best that we can be” (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014a).
