Profile
Originally from Rockland, a small town near Ottawa, ON, Jean-Nicolas Carriere, the youngest of three brothers was always involved in organized sports during his youth. At the age of 14, he moved with his family to the Ottawa suburbs. It was at that age he was approached by his math teacher to play football for his new school, St-Matthew’s. Upon graduation Jean-Nicolas was awarded the honor of Mr. Football Academic of Ontario.
Jean-Nicolas attended McGill University on athletic bursary, provided by the Donald E. Meehan Intercollegiate Football Award. During his tenure at McGill, he was named Captain of the Redmen football team in his junior year, and remained so until graduation. During his four years at McGill, Jean-Nicolas was the recipient of many awards, including the Montreal Shrine Bowl MVP and Top Defensive Player award. Two time recipient of the Willie Lambert Trophy awarded to the team’s defensive MVP, and was also awarded the Friends of McGill Most Dedicated Player award two years running. In his senior year, Jean-Nicolas was drafted 21st overall to the Toronto Argonauts, of the Canadian Football League, and finished his degree at McGill between CFL seasons, earning a B.A. degree with a double major in Industrial Relations and Sociology. Having only played in two seasons, Jean-Nicolas’ professional career was cut short by a shoulder injury he suffered in the off-season.
After a lengthy year of recovery, and having entered in the workforce at the height of the financial recession, it was difficult to find work that was truly fulfilling. Dealing with a loss of identity, and a realization that his elite athletic career might well be over he was ready to throw in the towel. But, the intangible that brought him much athletic success in the past started to burn bright again and Jean-Nicolas found within himself a newfound motivation, and a new goal; to try and compete in the upcoming winter Olympics. After a year of hard work, training, and getting back into shape, Jean-Nicolas tested in an athlete identification camp for bobsled Canada and managed a performance worthy of an invitation to train with the National Canadian Bobsled Team in Calgary, Alberta.
After a season of training with the National Team, Jean-Nicolas earned a seat on CAN3 sled, and quickly proved to be a reliable asset for team Canada on the World Cup circuit where he demonstrated a strong ability to learn and perform well on the international stage. Jean-Nicolas’ consistency throughout an arduous first season raised his stock considerably and earned him a promotion onto Canada’s number CAN2 sled leading into the 2013 IFBT Bobsleigh World Championships. Jean-Nicolas had a very strong finish to the 2012-2013 World Cup season, where he and his teammates found themselves to be the top performing Canadian sled and managed a 7th place finish that the Olympic Test event in Sochi, Russia. They are now considered by many to be the top medal contenders of the Canadian National Bobsleigh Team in the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
Join Jean-Nicolas on his journey to reach the podium at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, where his passion matched only by his determination in combination with your help, will surely produce an Olympic medal for Canada!