ENGLISH TEXTS back, because I had suffered a lot physically, and I was also afraid I wouldn’ t manage to get back to my level. It’ s true that the subject of mental health is still rarely discussed, yet if you want to last in this profession, you can’ t leave anything to chance. I’ m glad I took this step, because I might not be here today if I hadn’ t sought support.”
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �
JEAN-MICHEL JARRY
� PAGE 62
By Cécile Adoniasy
“ JOCKEYS ARE TOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO PAIN”
Performance manager, Jean-Michel Jarry supports many athletes on the mental side, including top athletes and jockeys.
Galorama. Do you work the same way with jockeys as with other athletes?
Jean-Michel Jarry. Yes, what matters is the pursuit of performance. I start from this equation: performance = potential – interferences. My role is to remove the little stones in the shoe. The key is managing emotions, focusing on the present moment, and enjoying it.
G. How do you proceed?
J-M. J. We get to know each other, identify strengths and weaknesses, set a goal, and I provide tools to achieve it. We establish routines to reassure the brain, to put it on autopilot. Self-talk is fundamental. There’ s a big difference between saying,“ I ran a bad race” and“ I’ m useless.” It’ s hard to perform well if you’ re not friends with yourself. Cardiac coherence, sophrology and meditation help the brain tap into positive waves to make the right decisions. A“ bad day” doesn’ t exist in mental preparation.
G. Are jockeys athletes like the others?
J-M. J. I was surprised by the pace at which they chain races together. We often say an athlete shouldn’ t depend on others’ expectations, yet the pressure from bettors is significant. Managing their weight the way they do is quite a challenge. In the locker rooms, I’ ve seen many scars. Jockeys command respect. They are tough when it comes to pain.
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �
MATHÉO VIEL
� PAGE 70
Par Emmanuel Rivron
“ I WAS ON A ROLL AND I DIDN’ T WANT IT TO STOP”
A double Quinté + winner at just 18, Mathéo Viel is one of those NH jockeys who had to hang up his boots prematurely.“ We are aware of the risks of the job from the very start, but the adrenaline takes over,” explains the now trainer.“ There are so many good sensations when you’ re riding in a race that you don’ t think about what might happen if you fall. A jockey is on top of the world when he passes the winning post first. The job of a NH jockey is comparable to that of a boxer or a cyclist. You need to be mentally tough. You can be at the top one day and wake up in a hospital bed the next.” He remembers his first big fall as if it were yesterday:“ It was October 27, 2017 at Les Sables d’ Olonne. I was barely 17. My T4 vertebra was shattered. A spinal hematoma had to be drained and I had rods from T2 to T6. Despite all that, lying in my hospital bed, I could only think about one thing: getting back to racing.” With the support of the jockeys’ association, Mathéo Viel recovered at the CERS in Capbreton. And since jockeys aren’ t cut from the same cloth as ordinary people, the young man from Mayenne defied the odds and returned to the saddle just a few months later. Winner of a Quinté + at Auteuil in February 2019, the rising star went on to claim the Grande Course de Haies at Clairefontaine that summer, still riding for his father’ s stable, before falling three weeks later on that same race-
153 # 12