Eliette Chaput, student athlete at West Texas A&M
Can you introduce yourself?
Hello!
I'm Eliette! I'm 23 and I've been doing athletics for 14 years now (that's getting on a bit). I was born into a family of 7 children with a sports coach/nutritionist mom and a military dad. As you can imagine, my childhood was no picnic! We've moved around a lot because of my dad's job, which has enabled me to build up a certain versatility.
So I started athletics, "forced" by my dear parents, in the Var department at Hyères-les-Palmiers, then in Martinique at Aiglon Athlétisme, where I learned the pleasure of training. We then moved to Brittany, where I joined Stade Brestois Athlétisme, which gave me a taste for competition. Finally, as part of my studies, I moved down to the South-West, to Bordeaux, where I raced for Talence for a year before the Covid period, before finally joining my current club, C.A. Béglais.
After 3 great years with my club, I needed to try something else while there was still time. That's why I chose to move to the United States after many years of doubt and reflection. And here I am, on Texan soil, at West Texas A&M University, more fulfilled than ever with a crazy coach and team!
You finished 30th in 21'16, well done for your performance! Can you tell us about your race?
Honestly, it's a bit complicated to assess performance in the first half of the year in a new environment (new competitors, new terrain). Cross-country skiing here is very different from France: less technical and much faster. That's why I find it hard to see any improvement. I think I'll really be able to observe it at the end of the second half of the year, i.e. around next May.
But never mind! The race took place on a Saturday. We arrived a few days early to get used to the environment, which to tell the truth, strongly resembled the Breton weather I know so well. Despite praying for sunshine with my teammates, we arrived at the cross-country venue, which was already well flooded. There was superb team cohesion marked by the different colors of each university, very involved and dynamic supporters running in all directions, a giant screen projecting the composition of each team and a start line filled with water on which people from the organization tried to sweep to dry it out as much as possible (quite the opposite of the French Championships, where water is added to make the terrain ever greasier!).
We warmed up in the rain, but once we got to the start line, the stress was palpable. Everything was so fast: a few accelerations, a man in boots running and gliding like a cartoon character (enough to lighten the mood a bit), then the coach takes us one by one to give us the last pre-race tips.
The start was given, and I have to admit that it was similar to the start of the French Championships: people went off very fast, elbowing and jostling each other... With Julie, my teammate, we were instructed to stay together and manage our race intelligently. We got off to a cautious start (to tell you the truth, we were around 80th after the first kilometer), but what was satisfying was that we were clawing back places as we got closer to the finish line. However, the hardest part for me was the final stretch, which was almost a kilometer long.
It's also where I saw our team-mate (a team favourite as well as a race favourite) retire. It was a very unsettling moment, but what kept me going was thinking about the work I'd done with the girls over the course of the season. So I fought my way to the finish line, trying to hold on to my position (as it was impossible for me to catch the girls in front).
Finally, I finish my run and collapse on the ground... I don't know if I'm crying with joy or sadness, but I'm relieved to have finished. We all met up at the finish, the coach was there, and we cried together, remembering all the work we'd done since August...
In short, we finished 2nd in the 2024 Division II Cross-Country Nationals, and that's something we're going to remember!
It must be a very special moment for you, especially with this team medal. How have you prepared for this competition throughout the season?
It was a mixture of many emotions! And honestly, as it was my first semester here, I didn't have any real goals in mind, just to enjoy, work and adapt to my new environment! I think the coach is doing a really good job. In France, I didn't do much walking (around 50km/week in winter, 30km/week in summer). Knowing this, my coach gradually increased my mileage, replacing some of the jogging the girls were doing with elliptical training to avoid injury. Today, I can easily do 90km in a week!
You seem to be doing well where you are with the West TAMU team, can you tell us about the atmosphere?
I can't tell you... Just thinking about the last few months makes me smile stupidly behind my screen. I'm living a little daydream! I'm so lucky to be so well surrounded. I think those of you who follow me on the web have seen just how exceptional the atmosphere is!
I attach a great deal of importance to the environment in which I train. That's why I had two main criteria when I chose my university:
(1) A coach who listens to the athlete and focuses on the relationship.
(2)A passionate team with real team cohesion.
So I can tell you that these two hypotheses are ARCHI validated.
What's the training environment like at Canyon? What are typical days like for you as a student-athlete?
I think everything is done to optimize performance and recovery. On the one hand, because our place of residence is close to the university and sports facilities (track, weight room, etc.), but also because we have a recovery area at our disposal (cold bath, recovery boots, treatment, etc.). A little bonus for the milestone-setters: long dirt roads that allow us to rack up the kilometers without trauma! To quote a typical day:
- 6am: wake-up call
- 6.30am – 7.30am: Footing with the team.
- 7.30am – 9am: breakfast, shower, nap and/or work.
- 9.15am – 12.15pm: classes
- 12:30 pm: lunch
- 1:30 pm – 3 pm: Rest, nap, homework…
- 3.15pm – 4.30pm: jogging + ranges + straight lines.
- 5pm – 7pm: free time
- 7:30 pm: dinner
- 9pm: end of the day
Outside of training, how do you manage to balance your university life with your responsibilities as a top-level athlete?
Being a Master's student, I have very few hours of classes per week, which means I have a lot of free time to work while thinking about my recovery.
What are your goals for the indoor season?
I don't know what distance I'll be competing in this season, so you'll find out in January (*wink wink).
How was thanksgiving?
My first Thanksgiving was an incredible moment. We were invited (some of the team and myself) by a couple of organic farmers that Elise knows well. We all pitched in to prepare our best specialties and place them on this gourmet buffet! I was able to taste the famous tender turkey, as well as the famous Apple Pie! In short... I'm still full of memories!
Many thanks to Eliette for the precious time she devoted to us. We wish her all the best for the rest of the season.
