Para athletes build brands and fans through social media

CALGARY – Canadian Paralympian Michaela Gosselin began sharing her journey on social media without realizing how deeply it would resonate with others.

From her battle with cancer to her training routine as a member of Canada’s national Para alpine ski team, she is particularly thrilled that her influence and visibility reach an audience that includes people who live with a disability.

‘’I hope that if there are other athletes with a disability that follow me, I can help pave the way,’’ said Gosselin, diagnosed at 18 with cancer, which resulted in a scapulectomy of her left shoulder.

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That hope eventually became a reality last year. Another athlete reached out to Gosselin after undergoing the same cancer surgeries. The message led to an unexpected mentoring relationship which Gosselin says is the most powerful outcome of her online presence.

‘’I was really happy to help her. Sometimes I don’t see how many people I reach,’’ said the 25-year-old Para alpine skier primed for a second Paralympic Games next month in Milano Cortina. ‘’Then people come up to you and they say: ‘Oh I liked your post, how are you doing? It’s so fun to follow your journey.’

‘’To actually have an impact is incredible.’’

It’s no secret that generating exposure outside a Games has always been a huge challenge for Paralympians and most Olympians. And with shrinking, and sometimes eliminated, newsrooms and sports departments across North America, social media channels like Instagram and TikTok have been a lifeline for these athletes to communicate to an audience.

Meanwhile fellow Canadian Para nordic skier Natalie Wilkie uses social media to showcase the everyday joy of elite sport.

Wilkie also brings a unique story. At age 15, she lost four fingers on her left hand in a life changing school workshop accident in 2016. Already a serious cross-country skier before her accident, she was a triple medallist at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games at age 17, the youngest athlete on the Canadian team.

She added four more medals in 2022 and enters the Milano Cortina Games as the reigning Crystal Globe World Cup champion in women’s standing Para biathlon, a sport she mastered as a Para athlete.

‘’If people can relate, feel more comfortable or just follow along, then that’s a win,’’ said Wilkie, from Salmon Arm, B.C. 

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Wilkie admits she’s one of the more active content creators.

‘’I probably take the most pictures and videos of anybody on my team,’’ she admits. ‘’I just think it’s important to capture content from the athlete perspective. Sometimes it’s the only way people know what’s going on.’’

To keep social media from being a distraction, Wilkie plans her content ahead of time, limiting it to quick moments rather than lingering interruptions.

‘’I kind of already know what I want before I get there,’’ she said. ‘’I’ll stop for two minutes, take a quick photo and that’s it.’’

For Wilkie’s Para nordic teammate Mark Arendz, the social media scene is more of a professional responsibility that he takes very seriously. The 12-time Paralympic Winter Games medallist has built a reputation to post detailed races summaries and reflections shortly after each competition, updates that media and fans come to rely on.

‘’It’s a lot of work,’’ he admits. ‘’It is part of being a high-performance athlete now. It’s not my favourite and I would prefer to just enjoy the moment.’’

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Arendz says he has developed a system, keeping his materials organized so the information can be shared quickly. He says visibility matters, particularly for Para athletes.

‘’I’ve kind of found my niche now,’’ he said. ‘’That’s been good to debrief from the event quickly as I’m doing it and then get it out there. It’s a great opportunity to share those messages with others.’’

More and more Para athletes around the world are joining Arendz, Wilkie and Gosselin in mastering the art of social media, bringing fans closer to their journeys – one post at a time.