Laura Brown on the Don’t Stop Believin’ video for Hugo Barrette
Laura Brown discusses the making of the video meant to lift the spirits of a recovering Hugo Barrette.
On Oct. 27, Hugo Barrette was training on the track in Cali, Colombia for the season’s first track World Cup event when he was involved in a serious crash. To lift the sprinter’s spirits as he recovered, his fellow teammates put together a video set to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.'” Later, Laura Brown, of the women’s team pursuit squad, discussed the making of the video and what it has meant to Barrette.
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Tell me how you found out about Hugo’s accident?
We were at the track training at the time of Hugo’s accident. We had just finished an effort and so we were sitting in the Team Canada pit in track centre watching the sprinters do their jumps.
What was your first reaction?
Unfortunately, crashing is part of our sport. However, Hugo’s crash was particularly horrific. We were all very concerned for his health and safety. He was attended to immediately by velodrome medical, our staff and the French team doctor. He was in good hands.
How did the idea of the video come about?
Well, we made a video during our Milton training camp that was spoof of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” (which is on the Women’s Track Endurance Canada Instagram feed). Hugo said it was his favourite video of the year. When our soigneur, Delphine, came back from the hospital and said Hugo had requested another video, we knew what we had to do! We started brainstorming. At first it was going to be a Katy Perry song but then someone said Hugo hasn’t stop playing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” for weeks. The idea to do a lip sync took off from there.
How long did it take to shoot?
We started shooting Wednesday night and had all the footage by late Thursday night. Everyone was super enthusiastic, which made it easy to get the footage. It was incredible to see the support for Hugo far beyond our team and the power of the cycling community as a whole. There are a lot of people in his corner.
Then came the edit?
By the time we woke up the next day (race day), our performance analyst extraordinaire, Emily Wood, had finished it. I still don’t know how she was able to do put it together so fast. She did an incredible job. I gave her a rough idea of how I thought it could look; she definitely took it and ran with it. I was speechless when I saw it completed for the first time.
Kristi Lay has a pretty mean air guitar.
Yeah, she does! If you know Kirsti, she is always busting a move. We’ve been dancing quite a bit lately as a team.
Of all the lip sync’ers, who would you nominate to face off against Jimmy Fallon?
Ian Melvin, definitely.
Have you heard back from Hugo regarding the video?
Some of the team went to the hospital Saturday after the race and showed him the video. As soon as it started, he said. “This is my song!” I left early so I wasn’t able to be there when he saw it, but I would have loved to see his reaction.
I think it was pretty moved by it. I know what it is like to be sidelined by an injury and I hope something like the video we made can help bring him light during his recovery process. I heard he especially loved Ian’s part—it made him laugh. Laughter is medicine.
