He and his older brother, Matt, were in the water when they saw someone kiteboarding and immediately wanted to try it themselves.
“At the time, my mom thought I was too young to try it out, but my older brother really got into it,” said Arsenault.
“For the first little while I would follow him around and help him with his equipment and watch him. Then in 2010 when I turned 13, my mom let me try it.”
Since then, the newly crowned Canadian Freestyle Kiteboarding Champion hasn’t been able to separate himself from his board.
“It just started as a thrill and something fun and cool to do. That was the motivation to keep going. But as soon as I got older and a bit better, I realized I’d be able to make this into a job for a bit.”
“After that, it changed to trying to progress as much as I can … that feeling keeps me out there. It’s kind of like an addiction; you just want to see how far you can bring it … You just don’t want to stop.”
For Arsenault, the hardest obstacle of the sports has been the short summer season on the Island.
“I always feel like I have to make up for that in the cross training because I know guys are living in spots where they can kite year round and I have to compete against them.”
After graduating high school, Arsenault decided to spend six months in Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.
“I was able to spend a whole year riding and it really made a difference.”
The biggest challenge in preparing for a competition has been the mental side of the sport.
“I try not to overthink it too much. I know I can ride and I know I can do certain moves I need to do, it’s just a matter of landing them. Keeping calm and staying confident helps.”
Gaining momentum, Arsenault won the Junior Champion title at the Canadian Kite Clash in Squamish, B.C.
“That was my first national level competition, so going into it I wasn’t expecting too much … After I won that, I set my goal to win the men’s title the next year.”
The next year’s season ended with a concussion during the men’s final for the national title.
“I got myself knocked out in the finals. I was really down after that. I wanted to get it last year.”
In the 2016 season, Arsenault got his wish, returning home Monday night with the men’s national championship title.
“It was a huge accomplishment for me. It’s been a few years now wanting it, and it’s relieving to finally get it. It definitely makes me want to keep going and see what else I can do.”
