Kopacz has new connection to Olympics

Alex Kopacz, an Olympic bobsled champion, is living the coaching life now. Two of his athletes will represent Canada in Beijing — including Sara Villani, a Western University grad.

Alex Kopacz (left), who was golden at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea (with teammate Justin Kripps), has turned his attention to coaching the next generation of bobsled athletes.

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Alex Kopacz vividly recalls the sheer euphoria the moment he and Canadian bobsleigh teammate Justin Kripps knew they were Olympic gold medalists.

“Things turned out well that day,” Kopacz laughs when referring to that February 2018 day in PyeongChang, South Korea. While the competitive nature still burns for the 32-year-old, the body says otherwise – three orthopaedic scopes, an ankle surgery and laparoscopy have become judge and jury on any future Olympic chances.

“As I was approaching the Olympics, I had a pretty good idea I was going to walk away,” said the London native. “Perhaps if I was still in good shape. But what I was not prepared for was how much pain I would be in afterwards. I physically can’t do it, even though I want to, but I’m good with that.”

While the adrenaline rush of careening down icy slopes at this month’s Olympic Games in Beijing is a non-starter, the two-time Western University grad (Engineering, Physics) will be glued to his TV over the next few weeks – and not just as a supporter of Team Canada, but as the proud coach of two new Canadian Olympic bobsledders.

Cyrus Gray, 27, an alternate on the men’s two- and four-person crew, and Sara Villani, 25, a brakewoman on the women’s two-person team, are both in Beijing, under the guidance of Kopacz, representing Team Canada.

Sara Villani, 25, will compete with Melissa Lotholz in the women’s two-person bobsled event at the Beijing Olympics this month. (Photo: International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation - IBSF

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About a month or so after his Olympic heroics, Kopacz was in British Columbia when Gray approached him.

“He talked to me in the gym and, at first, it was the usual pleasantries - nice to meet you, congratulations, all that stuff - and at some point, he said, ‘Would you ever consider coaching anybody?’” recalled Kopacz.

Being so early after PyeongChang, the idea had never really crossed his mind.

“Soon after, we spoke again and I told him here are my expectations and I’d like to hear your expectations, understanding that if we are not a good fit for each other then we go from there,” Kopacz said.

The partnership quickly flourished, though, with Gray moving to London to live with Kopacz and continue his training. Gray, who is in his second season with Canada’s bobsleigh program, was recruited through the RBC Training Ground.

Within a year and a half, Kopacz met up with Villani, a King’s University College student at the time, who – until 2018 – had never been in a bobsleigh. He began as her sprinting coach, and then eventually became her full-time coach. The Norval, Ontario native also moved closer to London to pursue her Olympic dream.

In October 2019, Villani, a Psychology and Thanatology graduate, made the Team Canada Development team. She quickly earned a spot on the Senior Bobsleigh Team, and now she’s a member of Team Canada (she was officially announced as a Beijing 2022 competitor on January 20).

For Kopacz, doing is one thing – teaching is another. The Olympic champ has relied heavily on what he learned from past coaches in deciding what he’d need to bring to the table as a first-time Olympic athlete coach. While sprinting techniques or how to anticipate the curves on a run come easy for Kopacz, teaching the mental side of the game is not as simple.

Arrived! 🇨🇳 very excited to be here #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/J8GmWCoxlp

— Sara Villani (@likeavillain13) January 27, 2022

“It can be hard to inspire someone to want to do this, to take on such a challenge, but they are both such hard workers,” he said. “At the end of the day, the bulk of the work, those little details, comes down to them. What I can do is try and help them get there the best I can – think of what I did, how I went through it, how I managed it, and let them take from that and add pieces of their own.”

Kopacz says that while Gray and Villani are technically ‘clients’ in his coaching profession, it's not entirely that simple. He amusingly refers to “beautiful and chaotic relationships” that have grown stronger over the last few years.

“We’ve laughed together, cried together, hung out together,” he said, noting just the six-year age gap between each other. “There are moments where it feels wildly strange that I’m scolding them for not doing something, where at the same time we’ve been really good friends for a long time. I’ve learned a lot about myself through this entire process, and the satisfaction I have is them feeling secure in knowing I’m doing my best for them.”

Kopacz says that while Olympic viewers only see the physical skills of the athletes at the Games, it can be emotionally overwhelming for young athletes to be halfway around the world, representing their country, and being so far away from friends and family – even more so during the realities of COVID-19 life. He knows what that’s like, and he’s confident his athletes will find ways to not let themselves get overwhelmed in China.

“The hardest thing a lot of folks don’t think of, from the athlete’s perspective, is while it’s exciting to be at the Olympics, it’s also a terrifying time in their lives,” Kopacz said, recalling himself trying to balance his nerves and enjoy the moment in 2018.

“Your dream is balancing on a knife’s edge; anything can throw you off, competition can throw you off, politics on the team can throw you off, you're worried about finances, you’re worried about your health. Plus, Covid. My god, if they got Covid at the wrong time, they wouldn't be part of the Olympics.

“They’ll need to come up with their own strategies to deal with all of this. I can offer them tips, but they’ll have to find their own ways to keep themselves calm. Whatever they want, though, I’ll be there for them. They can call me whenever they need.”

Like a proud parent sending their kids to their first day of school – with the Olympics being one of the biggest schools out there – Kopacz knows his work is done and it’s time for Gray and Villani to enjoy the moment. Perhaps, when they return, they can compare Olympic medals with their coach.