“I'm someone who never looks behind, who moves on and always tries to achieve more,” says Royal Canadian Air Force male athlete of the year, Master Corporal Gabriel Auclair, who is an Aerospace Technician at 406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron, based at 12 Wing Shearwater, Nova Scotia.
MCpl Auclair got into weightlifting when he was 15 years old, inspired by his brother, who practised the sport at the time. However, joining the Canadian Armed Forces was his father's idea. He suggested it as a route to help him become bilingual and improve his chances for his application to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “But I loved my job,” says MCpl Auclair, “so I stayed.” By doing so, he's travelled the world on deployments with Her Majesty's Canadian Ships Ottawa, Ville de Québec, Algonquin and Winnipeg.
“I haven't always had wins, I haven't always had successes,” adds MCpl Auclair. “We've all had downfalls, we've all had difficulties, we've all had problems. My philosophy is not to look back. I look forwards and try to be the best I can be and to always improve.” The weightlifter fits his intense training schedule around his hours at the wing, where he has worked since he finished his trade training in 2003. He was posted first to Shearwater, from 2003 to 2007, and then to 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron in Patricia Bay, in British Columbia, and now to 406 Squadron.
MCpl Auclair was at the gym when he saw a Facebook notification of…
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