It's Our Turn Archives

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Byron Green – Wheelchair Rugby

Posted on 5 June 20243 June 2024 by Jacob Morris

It’s Our Turn, AthletesCAN’s new marketing campaign focuses on the stories of athlete leaders across the 68 sports eligible for AthletesCAN membership. The campaign highlights a pivotal moment for a new era in sport governance, underlining the athlete representatives’ respective journeys into the athlete advocacy movement both in their careers and within their National Sport Organizations (NSOs).

Each week, AthletesCAN profiles a key athlete leader among its membership, highlighting how athlete representation has played a significant role in their career and within their National Sport Organization.

Byron Green

Name: Byron Green
Sport: Wheelchair Rugby
Position / Event: 0.5
National team tenure: 2013 – Present
Hometown: Comox, B.C.

How did you first hear about and get involved in your sport?

I was first exposed to wheelchair rugby while I was going through rehab in 2001. I broke my neck and it resulted in a spinal cord injury. I spent about a year in rehab and my therapist at the time, a gentleman by the name of Duncan Campbell, introduced me to the sport, of wheelchair rugby. And funny enough, he is actually one of the inventors of the sport, which is super cool. Not a lot of people can say that they were introduced to a sport by one of the creators of it, so I’m pretty proud of that. Duncan is an amazing guy, so I’m really fortunate to have that connection with him. I got involved going through rehab, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later when Duncan reached out again. I had moved to Vancouver for a university and he told me about this new intro to Wheelchair Rugby night that was starting up. And I started going out to that and I was hooked.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think it’s important for the Canadian sports system to focus on an athlete-centric experience because really, sports are about the athletes. We’re the ones participating in it, driving it forward, growing the game. And we have a lot of great ideas. And, you know, there’s a lot of great people within within sports across Canada. We have a lot to give and we have some really innovative ideas and ways to grow the game, whatever sport that is. So if we can empower our athletes to to have impact on decisions around everything to do with sports, I think it’s just going to improve the experience for everybody and get more Canadians involved in sport, which is huge. That would be it would have such a beneficial effect across our country. So yeah, I think empowering our athletes it is the way to go.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I’ve been pretty fortunate in my in my experience with wheelchair rugby that I’ve been given the opportunity to have a bit more of a voice. I serve as the athlete rep on our board of directors for Wheelchair Rugby Canada. So I’ve been really fortunate to have some input on the decision-making process at that level and then recently Wheelchair Rugby Canada and myself, we started an athlete council. So we’re really happy with that step and really proud that I could, you know, be a part of that process and creation of Athletes Council that will help support, help steer and guide Wheelchair Rugby Canada moving forward into the future with decision making and trying to improve the experience for wheelchair rugby athletes all across Canada.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

My favourite memory of being involved In that realm of things is to see the impact that I have had at the grassroots level. Just when I can get a new person involved in the sport, whoever that is, and whatever their goals are around the sport, it’s just really empowering to see someone falling in love with with with an activity like, like wheelchair rugby that gets them active it connects them to a group of like-minded peers and it just can have so many beneficial impacts on that person’s life. So that’s why it really stands out to me as that as favorite memory.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

To surround yourself with good people. Because you know, there’s always so much to do. So if you can really have a good support network around yourself and and enable other people to do what they do best, I think that’s the sign of a good leader. I’ve been guilty in the past of trying to do everything myself and feeling like that’s what a leader should do. But I think it’s as I’ve learned over the years, that is it is the exact opposite. And you should be trying to empower other people to do what they do best and to help achieve a common goal.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I would really encourage any athlete in Canada that is feeling like they want to learn more about like getting into governance or just having a bit more of a voice to reach out to AthletesCAN. There’s such a wealth of information there, and I know early on in my journey I didn’t have a clue about a lot of things. Right. It’s all about learning and and tapping into people that that can share their experiences with you. And AthletesCAN has a wealth of that. So definitely reach out and either go to one of the annual conferences or just reach out for help. I know that actually back on creation of our Athletes Council, I relied on the terms of reference that AthletesCAN has on their website. And, you know, use that as a starting place and then just modified it to fit for our needs. So yeah, just an example of what AthletesCAN, can do to help out and, and just empower athletes.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Alison Levine – Boccia

Posted on 29 May 202430 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Alison Levine

Name: Alison Levine
Sport: Boccia
Position / Event: BC4
National team tenure: 2014 – Present
Hometown: Montreal, Que.

How did you first hear about and get involved in your sport?

I first heard about Boccia because I had played many other sports, many different para sports. So my sport previous to Boccia was wheelchair rugby, and it was Marco Dispaltro of current Boccia athlete who came to a tournament that I was volunteering at. Looking to see if there would be any players that would be eligible to be athletes for Boccia. And I was just volunteering at the time and I kind of saw him with a set of balls and wasn’t so sure, but kind of worked up the courage to go speak with him. And at first he wasn’t so sure that I’d be able to class into the sport. But then when he saw me throw a few balls, he quickly became very interested and told me that I had potential and I think six months later I was on the national team.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

Without athletes, there would be no sport. So having a Canadian sport system that isn’t solely focused on the athletes just doesn’t make sense to me. As athletes, we’re the ones that are putting our health at risk, our body at risk, doing what we do, and we do it because we love it. But we’re the pinnacle where we’re the focal point of sport.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I feel like it’s been very difficult to make any change in my sport, but I feel like I’ve set the stage for changes to be made. I feel like my organization knows that they have to put us first. I feel like while it can be really hard to see major changes, I can kind of see a switch in maybe the mentality or the thinking in terms of let’s consult with an athlete before we make decisions now instead of getting feedback after. I think it’s a very slow process, but one that’s critical and vital. And I do think that organizations and the greater sporting organization Sport Canada are starting to realize that they have no choice and they really have to be listening to the athletes.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

It’s kind of broad, but one of my favorite things is just spreading awareness about Boccia because most people don’t know the sport. And I still remember attending my first AthletesCAN forum and meeting everyone from all the different Olympic sports and Paralympic sports and some people hadn’t heard of Boccia and I was just kind of a little shy and definitely, you know, looked different than all the other athletes there. But we had a a social night where we were just playing some icebreaker games and whatnot, and I kind of just let my personality shine and that’s where I really made connections that are both to this day that were there athlete representations from from Olympic sports that I would have never had the opportunity to interact with. But most importantly, what came through that was really the networking and knowing that the issues that I face and we face in my sport seems to be pretty universal across the board of all the other sports. So being able to feel that support from fellow athletes or athletes that are now retired and being able to reach out to them and be like, Have you experienced this? And if you did, how did you manage it and do you have any advice for me?

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

Being a leader in my sport, I think the most pivotal thing is realizing that just one voice isn’t just one voice. When I speak, I can speak on behalf of my teammates. I can speak on behalf of everyone from the grassroots level all the way up to the elite level. I feel like I’m able to represent the majority of what Boccia athletes are thinking and wanting by reaching out to them, taking people’s opinions. I feel like all the times that I put myself on the line and maybe push a little bit too hard against organizations or, you know, do something that I know maybe there might be a little bit of repercussions, but this is what really needs to be said. I feel like every time I do that, I’m making those changes for maybe not the current, but definitely the next generation of athletes that are going to be coming through the system.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

As an athlete, you you have to take accountability for your sport. You have to know that you are representing it. And it’s not just for you, but it’s for the next generations of athletes coming through the system. So all the hardships and all the times where you were frustrated and thought, this makes no sense. It can make sense for the next the next generation of athletes. Your voice is a tool that you may not think makes a difference, but it creates that atmosphere of letting everyone know that this is the way things need to be. It needs to be athlete-centered. And whether you’re still in your sport or just retired or retired for a long time, you can start making those changes by getting involved.

A lot of athletes aren’t sure about implicating themselves. They’re maybe newer to the sport or maybe they’ve been in it for a long time, but they just don’t feel that they have they don’t feel that they have a place or they feel like they don’t know enough about the system. And I have to say, when I started, I knew nothing about the system either. And I have had nothing but positive experiences of other athletes teaching me or just learning as as you go and never have I had any situations where where someone’s been like, Well, you should know that it’s always just a learning experience and we want more athletes involved. The more we are, the louder our voice is. So I say, Don’t be shy. And if you’re thinking about it or hesitating, come on in.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Shae La Roche – Water Polo

Posted on 22 May 202423 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Shae La Roche

Name: Shae La Roche
Sport: Water Polo
Position / Event: Right Handed Attacker
National team tenure: 2014 – Present
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.

How did you first hear about and get involved in your sport?

I was about 14 and at my school, my teacher that year, her husband was the head coach of our club so she knew I was involved in any sport I could be at the school. And so she said to my mom that it would be a cool sport for me to try. At first I sounded a little strange, like a sport. It was, you know, it’s a bit obscure. It’s not the most common sport you hear. But yeah, I tried it and I instantly fell in love with it. And from there it kind of just became my maybe my main sport and continued on to went on scholarship to the states for university. And now I’ve played pro and I’ve stayed with the national team. So since that age it kind of just became my life.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think an athlete-centred experience is super important. We’re the ones in the sport playing it. So just from our perspective, we can just see things different from like our coaches or directors or parents, anyone. We really can just see things that maybe they’ll miss. And it’s not ill-intentioned or anything, but it’s just that, you know, we have that unique sense of what we need and where we are. And I think adding that together with the help of everyone else I just named, combining all those perspective can just really get us to the best we can in our sport. In my sport, for example, we’re pretty strong with having an athletes’ council and our federation, we’ve worked with them for years and they really respect our point of view. I know that’s not the case in every sport. So I think that I’m coming from a sport that has set a pretty high standard and I just hope for that with every other sport. We have this with our national teams. I think that it’s important for that to be at every level too, and that takes athletes wanting to stay involved in their sport. At every level, be it recreational or competitive moving forward, starting at the grassroots and taking the steps forward that we need to build our national teams. I think it can be a little too late sometimes when it’s only national team, obviously speaking from the perspective of my sport, but it’s just getting into that conversation at every point we can and that’s how it’s going to help build forward and develop our sport.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I first started getting involved with our Athletes Council. I was a lot newer to the national team at that point, so I thought that it just sounded, you know, interesting. I’m someone who likes to speak my mind and I think I can be quite good at kind of representing the different points of view within our team as well. That was definitely a different story. You know, ten years ago when I was newer to the team. And I think now, now that I’m more veteran of it, I kind of know the different levels of not only competing but just being involved with our federation. I think that it’s just really given me a platform to bring any issues forward. And conversely, because I’ve built those relationships and like been there kind of using my voice, it’s made it so that our federation respects what we say too. And so at this point, they’ll come to us as well with, “Hey, we’re looking for your input on this”. And I think just by keeping not only me, but it’s the past athletes that have kind of started this movement like we’ve had great athletes involved who have been like, “okay, our voice needs to be heard on both the men’s and the women’s side”. It’s just kind of years of us kind of putting our foot in the door and then now they’re reciprocating that. So we’ve had athletes involved in different decision-making processes along the way, be it having someone on the board for hiring different levels of coaches or whatnot, especially with like the youth and junior teams and everything, and just having our point of view when there are bigger things happening in our federation. So yeah, there’s been a lot of instances where our director or CEO or coaches have been surprised at our point of view, which has been just really positive to make them think that from our perspective, you know, it’s just they’re not in our shoes. So even no matter how hard they try, they can’t always understand our perspective. So yeah, I think it’s been really positive for us to just be able to bring issues forward and issues positive things to. It could be sometimes we’re like, You know what? You guys made this change and we really appreciate it. Like this design that needs to stay.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

I think I wouldn’t say it’s one big specific memory, but it’s every time that I have one of my teammates or someone involved. You know, it’s been juniors, it’s been parents even coming up to me and thanking me or just acknowledging like what you do is important and it impacts people. And sometimes it’s just small conversations you have with the Federation or just like showing that you support those athletes and feeling that especially from an older person on the senior team like just feeling that I could help them and better my sport in some way. Yeah, I think it’s all those little moments that come together that make me really like thankful for the position I do have and want even more to just kind of keep breathing our sport and giving back.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I think I’ve learned to just bring forth my point of view or the point of view from our team as well. You know, sometimes there’s athletes who will come to me with like, “Hey, I think this should happen or this is an issue”. And even if it wasn’t something that I didn’t feel, but if it’s something that the team has felt that obviously needs to come forward and I’ve just learned like there’s no harm in doing so, I think we can be a little bit hesitant at times to kind of speak your mind. In the past with different coaches, especially, you know, growing up we had a lot more like kind of old school coaches, like, it’s my way, this is what we’re doing. End of story. And we’ve evolved a lot beyond that. And again, we’re a sport this lucky to have worked really hard like our coaching staff is very responsive to us and yeah, they’re really adaptable, which is positive for us because that gives us the space to and like the confidence to be able to move forward. And it doesn’t mean they’re going to listen to everything we have to say. You know, we’re like, it’s not for us to kind of say that everything, but I’ve just learned that if it’s something that we really feel like matters to us, bring it forward. Like you can’t expect it to change if we don’t try to change it.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I think it’s just if we want to see change and we want to see the sport develop positively, in the way we envision it, we have to get involved. You know, like I kind of touched on before, we can’t expect something to move the way you want it to. If you kind of don’t stand up and get involved a bit and we have the chance to shape sport into what we want it to be. And I think that being involved in this life and you know, I’m very aware of how amazing of a lifestyle we have getting to play the sport we love, getting to, to travel, to represent your country. And it’s like we can make it an even more positive experience for everyone else coming up, too. Like, I think we’re moving forward and we’re developing and and changing and why not just make it better for everyone else, you know? So I just see such a positive light moving forward. And I just want us to bring that to everyone.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Bo Hedges – Wheelchair Basketball

Posted on 15 May 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Bo Hedges

Name: Bo Hedges
Sport: Wheelchair Basketball
Position / Event: Guard
National team tenure: 2007 – Present
Hometown: Fort St. John, B.C.

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

I got involved with kind of being the athlete voice and being an athlete rep through Wheelchair Basketball Canada back in the early 2010s. I guess somewhere around there I got nominated to be the athlete rep, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into and then from there I got to go to an AthletesCAN form and that kind of stoked the fire and kept me going from there till now.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think that’s important so that athletes are, you know, helping to dictate where they organization is going and actually how their training is. Things have changed a lot. A lot of athletes are very knowledgeable and as well, a lot of the people on the organizational side were athletes at one time, but they’re so far removed that they don’t necessarily know what’s going on at the ground level. And so the concerns and the challenges there and what the athletes would like and I think if everybody works collaboratively. It’s it’s a much better system and everybody comes out further ahead.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

For me, using my voice mainly comes through being an athlete rep and being on the board for AthletesCAN. And then also I’m on the board of directors for Wheelchair Basketball BC in my old home province and I chair that board. And so I try as an active athlete to speak to all those different levels, the different groups that I represent. Overall, I think it’s just about trying to talk to everybody. I speak to people within those groups and organizations and make sure that I’m hearing what other athletes are feeling and take that to those positions. To speak to those points is the main piece for sure. And for me, it’s just after I did it for a while and that it became rewarding. And I enjoy those conversations with other athletes and my peers and seeing what’s going on and trying to help is, is the key there, in trying to help everybody have a better athlete experience.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

For me, I think my favourite memories go back to being at an AthletesCAN form. My first one, the next one, and all of them are of being great. The in-person version is obviously a little better, but even the online version still has a special feeling to it. The one that I ran to to join the board for the first time, that was a pretty cool experience. Those types of interactions with athletes from all different sports, Paralympic and able, they’re in the same room having conversations and that sort of thing is, is very rewarding.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned about being a leader is, is having the conversations sometimes are not easy conversations. You need to have all the conversations with all the different athletes and get to know them and then be able to have the hard conversations on the other side. So it’s a lot of listening, but then it’s a lot of, you know, just that motivation to once you have the knowledge, to speak to it and not be afraid to raise your voice to the organization, to whoever it may be, the coaches staff and just say, “Hey, this, we need to change this or this needs to happen. And this is what the athletes are thinking.”

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I think the more you can be involved with AthletesCAN, and learn how sport and the sport system works in Canada and how sport organizations should function, the better able you are to make a change within your organization and take that knowledge and and help the organization. It’s not about saying, you’re doing this wrong. It’s about I think we can do this better. And so by being involved with AthletesCAN, you gain that knowledge, gain that confidence and that ability to then speak to different items and help move the needle within your organization.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Rob Law – Lawn Bowls

Posted on 8 May 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Rob Law

Name: Rob Law
Sport: Lawn Bowls
Position / Event: Fours and Triples
National team tenure: 2018 – Present
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

I started at Forum in I want to say 2019. That was the last in-person one before COVID, I was recently nominated or elected as the athlete rep for the Bowls team and then was given the opportunity to go down to Toronto and really got involved in the athlete advocacy side of things. Sitting in Forum, that was a particularly inspiring moment for me and a pivotal moment. So I sat in that and that was what inspired me to apply to Board of AthletesCAN. But that first forum was, what opened my eyes to what athlete activism can be and what it can accomplish.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

Athletes are the heart of the sport system or any sport system. Without athletes, the system is really not there to serve anyone. And that goes from grassroots right up to our high-performance level. So prioritizing that athlete experience and making sure that the athletes are heard is so essential to making sure that the system is effective in serving who it was designed for.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

There are probably two ways to approach this on a day-to-day level. I think the athletes can provide so much more than just the athlete perspective but can provide real value. And so I’m often involved in discussions and problems revolving around strategy, the kind of NSOs in general, but then also our high-performance program. And it really gives you a whole new perspective of what the athletes journey is and what the bigger picture is. So I’ve been involved in strategic planning and using your voice in maybe a wider setting.

I’ve also been involved in scenarios through AthletesCAN where you had to speak up in a lot of room and in a medium or a hostile environment. And in that case it’s really shaped the confidence as an athlete to know what we stand for and our principles and then apply those. It gives you a new sense of kind of purpose behind that and a new sense to just when you go out and play what it means to play for your country and kind of play the sport and be a part of that sports system.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

Certainly my maybe most memorable, it certainly wasn’t my favourite memory at the moment, but was definitely the Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton AGM that took place in 2022. I want to say that was the one that made CBC eventually and was quite controversial at the time. But that was a moment where I felt like in my sport journey I had never really witnessed someone kind of try and take advantage of athletes so blatantly or what felt like so blatantly. And I won’t kind of go into or kind of speculate on intentions behind that, but to watch that and to feel like there was a real injustice happening in the room and then to be able to stand up and use the experience I had learned in my own athlete advocacy through my work with AthletesCAN to be able to stand up and make a difference in that meeting was an experience and a thrill that I will never forget for sure.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I think the biggest thing for me is looking at the whole picture. Understanding that sport is is not just for me, it’s not just for you, it’s for everyone. And the collective we, it’s about building this system that serves everyone and doesn’t leave anyone behind. It’s kind of shaped how I view sports, how I view our own program.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I think AthletesCAN is a great way to just build confidence. And at the end of the day, your sport journey is what you make of it. So getting involved in your interest helps you guide that. I always take the opinion that you really can’t complain about something unless you’ve tried to try to help with it. Getting involved in those conversations, being an active part of your Athletes Council or Athlete Committee or just volunteer committees, etc., it just shapes how you can look at your sport, the experience you have and it makes it so much richer. AthletesCAN is the perfect way to build the confidence, find the skills, the resources to make sure that your athlete experience is exactly what you want it to be at the end of the day.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Amy Burk – Goalball

Posted on 1 May 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Amy Burk

Name: Amy Burk
Sport: Goalball
Position / Event: Right Wing
National team tenure: 2005 – Present
Hometown: Charlottetown, PEI

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

When I first became a part of our national team, we had a few good role models on our team and one of them, one of my teammates, kind of guided me and took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. She was the athlete rep who sat on our board of directors. I got to see a little bit of what she did and how she brought athlete concerns to the table. When she retired in 2008 after the Beijing Paralympics, a bunch of teammates retired. And that was kind of like a calling for me. Even though I was still a rookie on the team, I was going to take on more of a leadership role. When the call came out that they needed a new female athlete rep, I was like, “You know what? This is something that I do want to kind of get my toes into. I’d like to see the organization side and to make sure that the athletes are being heard.” And so, I ran for the position and then I was voted among my teammates. And then I got appointed to the board of directors. And that’s where I kind of got to see, I got to bring the athlete voice to the table. And it was nice because they weren’t always aware of what was going around. You know, they handled the behind-the-scenes and the politics, so it was great to to be heard in that sense.

I did take a step back in 2014 after my first son was born. I had a hard time with handling the board of director position, full-time training, and being a new mom. But then when I finally got into a really good routine, I started seeing what the Canadian Paralympic Committee Athlete Council was doing. And it was incredible to see the work that they were putting in to help push the Paralympic movement in Canada. And, you know, I talked to a couple of members and I was inspired by what they were doing. I knew they started kind of from how I did. I started asking some questions and trying to to see if this would maybe be a fit for me and one of the members, Chelsea Gutierrez, actually kind of pushed me to put my name in for the running. I sat on it for a little while, and I’m trying to decide, you know, is this something that I think would benefit the sport system and, you know, still on the fence. But I thought what’s the worst in trying and so I did I put my name forward to run for the Athlete Council and lo and behold my peers have full faith in me and believe that I could be a good addition. And they voted me in! I was completely blessed and surprised. I just really like seeing what athletes could do for the sport system and it’s just something that I just really hope that I can help contribute very thoroughly.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think it’s so important to have an athlete-centred experience because, you know, our main job is to train hard, and compete at our best. And I think the best way for us to excel is to have an athlete-centered environment. We don’t care about the politics behind the scenes. We just want to go, and as cliche as it sounds, we just want to go and have fun and that’s when we are at our best. So I think if we can continue having a great athlete-centred environment and just increasing that as we continue, moving forward, I think you’re going to see the stress of things just falling off the athletes and just getting to perform and do what they want to do and succeed and just enjoy the moment and enjoy what we’re doing.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I have a very good working relationship with our high-performance staff and our team. They know that and I’m very vocal and I’m very keen on stressing the importance of the athlete voice. My teammates and peers in the organization know that they can come to me in a safe, non-judgmental, respectful environment and that I will bring their concerns, their feedback, their opinions forward. Not only does that help our organization and our program, but it also helps team cohesion, just knowing that your voice is being heard, that people are taking you seriously and that it is just a safe, non-judgmental space.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

There’s been just a lot of little things, and I don’t think one can stand out is like my favourite memory. But one, it’s just knowing that my teammates know that I have their back and that, if something is going on that’s not good, we will get to the bottom of it and we will fix it. Or if it’s just something that is like, this is a good idea, this will benefit our program. Just knowing that my teammates believe that I have their best interests at heart, I think that really goes a long way.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

Bringing the athlete perspective to the table really goes a long way. We have so many moving pieces within the organization or our program in general. And while everyone has the best interests at heart on wanting to succeed and be at the top of the podium, they’re not necessarily sure how one decision could impact an athlete and so, you know, having that working relationship, it really does help. Getting the perspective from not only the athletes but everybody. It’s just you put that whole thing together, it’s like a giant puzzle. You put all those pieces together and it’s just incredible to see how much better a system and a program can run.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

To just advocate for yourself and for your teammates and for your sport, I think can really go a long way. You know, one person’s perspective on something might not be the same as somebody else’s. So if we can get all of those different opinions, and feedback perspectives together, we can be great. There could be so many more things that we can accomplish as a sports system. The sport system is so welcoming now and we just want everyone to come and voice their concerns. Voice your opinions, and you’re going to get great feedback. We’re just making huge gains forward. We’ve come so far as a sports community already and I can just see it keep moving forward.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Celina Toth – Diving

Posted on 24 April 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Celina Toth

Name: Celina Toth
Sport: Diving
Position / Event: 10m Platform
National team tenure: 2008-2023
Hometown: St Thomas, Ont.

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

I was a gymnast for about six years on the provincial team. I wasn’t very good and I was in a situation where I was doing skills that I wasn’t ready to be doing, skills that I was told to do. And I said I told my parents I wanted to quit. And they were like, Well, you have to see out there and see how it goes. So I saw out the year was still what didn’t want to be there. So my parents were like, okay, you need to go and tell them you are quitting yourself. So 12 years old, they set up for myself. I told my coaches I was done. And then another coach was like, why don’t you try diving? So I quit on a Monday. I called the Diving Club in London, Ontario on Wednesday, and then I tried out on Friday and was on the team on Monday.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

Canada and the sport system need to prioritize the athletes experience because times are changing. The athletes have a voice. They should be in charge of their own everyday experiences, their competitions, and their training. We’re coming into a day and age where we all have our voice. We all make our own choices. Back in the day, training was a certain way. You were told what you were supposed to do by your coach and you did it. And now athletes are more experience-based. They’re older, they’re learning more, and they can have a part in their everyday environment and say what they want to do. It can be a more collaborative experience. In my experience, that’s what I learned and took away from how coaching, learning from different people, being on the national team, going to Montreal, and learning from other coaches. I was taking things in and I knew some about my body too, and what I was doing right. So for me, that was the most valuable thing, being able to collaborate with others and my coaches and learn and respect them and they learn from me and respect me. I think that that is such a huge benefit and positive thing that will just help people get better. And I think that that is something that we really need to honour and hone in on in the future.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

Using my voice in my sport journey has allowed me to become into who I am. I was someone who was very uncomfortable with confrontation and being a part of AthletesCAN allowed me to come into my own and speak up for myself. I always found that I was in the wrong sport because I was an individual rather than a team sport. And I’m such a big team player. I like to support my teammates. I’m always the loudest one on the pool deck and so I learning how to use my voice, not just in the pool cheering for people but outside and sticking up for myself and others has been such a benefit. I want to be here for all of the athletes and not just speak up for myself. I want to make sure that the athletes in the future have a better experience than I did or than those before me. So I think that that has been the best and most rewarding thing I can bring forward and continue to support.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

My favourite memory of being an athlete rep is any AthletesCAN Forum. Any time where the athletes can get together, meet, share experiences or support one another has just been absolutely incredible and so rewarding. I’ve made so many incredible friends who have helped me get to the point where I am today in my career that I never would have met without athletes can forum and, you know, getting to support the others at Pan Ams when I was there and even now at Parapan Ams, it’s been just so fun and gives me so much pride in our country and the people that we have here supporting other athletes and themselves.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I’ve learned that it is hard to be a leader. It’s hard to be a leader in sport. It’s hard to be a leader in your life. It takes practice. It takes work. But as long as you believe that you’re doing the right thing and asking for help and following the path that you believe is right, you will come to the right, you know, right place in your journey and you will help others and others will support you. we’re doing this for the betterment of sport and the betterment of athlete experience. And we want people to be happy and we don’t want people to leave the sport upset or miserable, or like they didn’t feel like they had support from their teammates. And so we want everybody to work together. We’re a team, regardless of whether you’re a team sport or an individual sport, we are all working together for the same goal for the athletes best experience and performances, and that’s ultimately what we’re working for. So, yes, it’s hard, but as long as we all work together, we’ll get there.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

My peers should join AthletesCAN and be a member because it’s such an incredible community. You have just so many people working towards the same thing. You can learn so much about your sport, about yourself, about sport in Canada, and how you can support others. We’re all here wanting the same thing, you know, for our teams to do the best they can for ourselves, to do the best we can. So this community has been such an incredible group of people that are pushing and supporting you and they teach you to use your own voice and support yourself and stand up for yourself. That’s been my biggest learning from being a part of AthletesCAN. I’ve been a part of AthletesCAN since 2016. I became part of the board. I applied to be on the board multiple times. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. But I didn’t give up like I don’t in sport. And it was so incredible to be a part of that board and speak up for other athletes in this country and be able to, speak for them in a difficult time after COVID, sort of during COVID and after COVID. I learned so much and we have so much more work to do. And I’m just so honored to be a part of this organization. I really can’t say enough. It’s so incredible. These people are friends for life and they will have your back for life. And who doesn’t want that?

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Johnny Purcell – Skateboard

Posted on 17 April 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Johnny Purcell

Name: Johnny Purcell
Sport: Skateboard
Position / Event: Street
National team tenure: 2021 – Present
Hometown: Lunenburg, NS

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

I had been on the team for about a year and a half and the previous athlete rep had reached out at the end of her term and she was transitioning out of being the athlete rep. It had been a couple of years since she was in sport herself and she kind of reached out and proposed the position to everyone in the group and at first it didn’t initially resonate with me. And then I kind of spoke to her a little bit more about it and the position kind of interested me. Sometimes it takes the person pulling you into it.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think it’s important to prioritize being athlete-centered because that’s that’s what this whole thing is. You know, that’s what that’s what everything comes back to is these individuals. And even if skateboarding specifically is an individual sport, but even if your sport is a team sport like hockey, like that team is made up of a collection of individuals who are all pushing the sport on Canada’s behalf and without these athletes, none of these organizations or sports are going to like to move the needle within the country at all. So I think having any conversations without the athletes, at least in some part being involved, would be doing a huge disservice to both the athletes and the growth of those sports in general.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I’m still pretty new to the athlete role. I started in early September. I did attend one qualifying event as an athlete rep and as a result of that, when I came back, I prepared a little bit of a survey to kind of just ask the team like, how was their experience at the event and what were some good things and what were some challenges that they might have faced in hopes that we could get feedback to give to the coaches and the directors of Canada Skateboard to hopefully help the athletes more in the future? I realized quickly how I phrased the questions to my team members was actually really important because you can get any answer you want depending on how you phrase the question. Really taking the time to think of those survey questions in a meaningful way to give people the freedom to say what they felt was the last thing I’ve, I’ve done as an athlete rep I think to help the team.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

I’m new to the athlete advocacy position I’ve now and I’ve also just been added to the board of directors for Canada Skateboard, which is pretty cool. So I’m kind of like both. And I think in large part that’s because a lot of these boards now want to have at least one athlete or athlete representative on the board. So that’s kind of combining, combining those two roles.

But favorite memory so far, I think one of our young female athletes, Faye, had just won the Pan American Games. She got gold and it was, you know, six weeks after I started an athlete rep. And I just kind of felt like a sense, an extra sense of happiness for her. And I think in large part that’s due to like the fact of being an athlete rep and just an extra sense of excitement. I would have been happy for her regardless,but just seeing others on the team do well and perform. It’s given me an extra boost in morale for them.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

In large part just because you’re the athlete rep, it doesn’t specifically mean that you’ve got the captain, you’ve got the “C” on your jersey. It’s not it’s not quite the same as something like that. But I think just if you’re in that position, the most important thing that stood out to me is just to be as honest as you can with the team and with yourself and just trying to, whether it be at events or in the like training for these events and preparation like just showing up, so to speak, and just like being there and like doing the things that you say you’re going to do, trying to lead by example in that sense. It doesn’t mean you’re necessarily the best on the team, and I’m certainly not.

I’m just trying to do the things that you think you should be doing in hopes others see that and kind of get motivated to do the same thing and like knowing using discretion to like when I say being honest like I’m now on the board of directors as well as being the athlete rep. You’re wearing like two different hats. And one of those hats requires a lot of discretion. Understanding what to say, when to say what and when to hold your tongue, for the sake of your athletes and for the sake of the organization.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I think as far as athletes joining AthletesCAN it’s pretty self-explanatory. As an athlete, you’re not only training and preparing for these events and things to do well in your sport, but a lot of your time and energy is going into resource allocation and planning for yourself. You’re not totally focused on a career, you’re invested in your sport. Planning how you’re going to get to these competitions and live, quite frankly, is a large part of your time as well. So AthletesCAN can at least hopefully guide you in the directions and strategies. Whether it be their list of where to go for resources based on your geographical location, which is helpful or yeah, the other support systems that they have. Just the stuff outside of training for your sport that comes with being an athlete.

As far as any athletes that are thinking about getting into being an athlete representative or any type of leadership role for their team, I think, you know, it might feel weird or uncomfortable or, you might have the sensation, that I’m not doing anything. But in which case I think just know that one, someone’s got to do it. And why not you? And two, it’s just a good way to prepare your it’s a good way to train yourself. It’s a good way to practice showing up for other people on other people’s behalf. You know your issues are going to be relevant there as well.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Sasha Beck – Triathlon

Posted on 10 April 202427 May 2024 by Jacob Morris

Sasha Beck

Name: Sasha Beck
Sport: Triathlon
Position / Event: Guide
National team tenure: 2014-2016
Hometown: Oakville, Ont.

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

I heard about it from a couple of coaches and then the previous Athlete Director, and they had suggested that I’d be a good candidate so I applied to it and so that was my first intro to it. And then I met with our CEO and our President and he gave me some more information about it, and they both had some background about me, and I really wanted to give back to the sport that I loved and grew up doing. It interested me and I thought I could make a real difference bringing an athlete voice to the Board and aligning with some of the policies and criteria that they had already set in place and were in motion.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

Good question, it’s really important. I think there’s a lot of value in having an athlete as a member on the Board because that is the entire membership at the national sporting institute level. Triathlon Canada specifically has 22,000 members, and all the decisions that they make at that Board level have a direct impact where the output is impacting all the memberships which are all athletes so it’s really important and valued to be able to bring that voice to the Board and those decisions.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

I’m still new to the Board so I don’t have a lot of experience where I can say that I brought my voice to the Board. But when I was an athlete on the national team, I was on the Paralympic team and I was a guide to a visually-impaired athlete, and this was something that was brand new to Triathlon Canada and brand new at the Paralympic Games than I was training to compete in as an athlete – which was Rio in 2016. One area that I was really able to bring my athlete voice to and had a positive impact was because this position was brand new to the national team position being a guide, there was not a ton of support or criteria in place to support, so this was a really big conversation I had with a lot of the High Performance coaches and directors to try and figure out how this position was going to get fulfilled and sustained leading into the next Games going into Tokyo 2020, then Paris 2024, and Los Angeles 2028 and how could we improve on the experiences that I had. It was good, but could use improvement, and so it was really clear on some things that I think needed to happen to help make sure that this guiding position, which is definitely a mandatory position to carry that visually-impaired athlete through to the finish line are treated like they’re a teammate – they’re not a volunteer, they’re a teammate on the national team.

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

One of my most recent memories: I am a part of a committee at a Provincial Sport Organization level to help develop their provincial development plan. To me, it’s a special memory because it builds off the pathways I’ve created from the National Sport Organization in Canada, and I think it’s the first time it’s a very clear pathway of development to national team athletes and something that I felt like being a part of that national team journey as an athlete and now bringing it forward and being a part of a committee to help develop a new provincial development plan. I felt like I was really inspired to help the provincial level really come up to that national-level standard, and just be really clear on that criteria and what it takes, the standards, and what I would have wanted to see as an athlete when I was in that development phase, in that national team phase, that I want to see there today. I feel really proud that we are in the midst of doing that right now, but my voice is heard, and I feel like it’s going to be very good progress towards building a pathway for athletes in Ontario and then up to the Canadian national team level.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I have learned that as we progressed through the years, more and more people are seeing value in listening to athletes and including them in some big decisions that are going to directly impact them. Whether you are a retired athlete, or a current athlete, you’re getting a survey to help gauge feedback to help support those decisions. I’ve learned that if you speak up and you’re really clear about what athletes need in their sport, you can achieve it. There are a lot of people that are willing to support athletes, but not necessarily come up with a solution but are ready to support, and we’re just waiting for people to speak up. So I think what I’ve learned as a leader in sport, is that if you speak up you’re going to be heard, and it will have a positive impact if you have a supportive organization.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

I think it’s really important that athletes consider joining organizations such as AthletesCAN that are literally there to support athletes and help them bridge the gap to some of the formality-type policy language that will come out of the NSO level. That really gives athletes the opportunity to contribute to some of those key decisions or information sessions and understand them when it comes to the NSO level or PSO level. I think a lot of times, athletes are the outputs and just hear some of those decisions, but it’s really important they understand why those decisions, criteria, and policies were made and realize that when they’re a part of those types of conversations when they join those organizations that they can have an impact on themselves and progress through their sporting career.

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Laura Walker, Curling

Posted on 12 March 202427 May 2024 by Alan Hudes

Laura Walker

Name: Laura Walker
Sport: Curling
Position / Event: Skip
National team tenure: 2018 – Present
Hometown: Edmonton, Alta.

How did you first hear about and get involved in athlete advocacy?

About two years ago now, a group of athletes within Curling Canada were brought together and we were just kind of asked questions and asked to discuss things that affected us, things within our High Performance Program and our National Team Program. And I think a lot of us had our eyes opened in that meeting to the fact that we hadn’t really been asked a lot of these questions before. We hadn’t had any of these discussions before, and a lot of us had been around for a really long time. From that group, our Athletes’ Council was formed and there’s now a group of us that are involved in athlete advocacy within Curling Canada. I have been on the Athletes’ Council since it began about two years ago. It grew out of us realizing that we maybe haven’t been asking important questions enough in the past.

Why is it important for the Canadian Sport System to prioritize an athlete-centred experience?

I think as an athlete, it’s a little bit frustrating and a bit perplexing to think about why it is that we as athletes have to push so hard for an athlete-centered sport experience. Sport doesn’t exist without athletes. We are sport and I think that a really good amount of positive and healthy sport experiences are life-changing for a lot of people. It certainly has been for me and to create those kinds of people in our world. I don’t think that there could be anything more important than giving the people who are involved in sport the best possible experience.

How have you used your athlete voice on behalf of your peers and how has it impacted your sport journey?

In May of 2023, I attended a Board meeting on behalf of the Athletes’ Council to basically request a seat at the table to request to have an Athlete Representative on the Board of Governors within Curling Canada. And from that process, we were able to have myself appointed to the Board.

We now have an athlete in the room. We have an athlete at the table. We have someone there who’s part of the discussions and who can just bridge the gap between the athletes and the governance level at Curling Canada. So that’s something that we worked to achieve and I think it is extremely important and kind of a long time coming. So that’s affected my journey in the sense that I’m now a governor on the Board of Directors with Curling Canada, and it’s helped me really learn a lot and see that there’s more than one side. I think sometimes as athletes, we want to see change. We want certain things to happen for us. And now I am seeing why certain things are happening, why certain decisions are made. It’s really helping me to understand the big picture within curling and kind of balance all of the different factors and different stakeholders. That has certainly been eye-opening and a really positive experience for myself as both an athlete and now as an advocate

What is your favourite memory being an Athlete Rep / being involved in athlete advocacy?

I think my favourite memory was actually sitting in that meeting room with the Board. I think I went into it not really knowing what to expect. I hadn’t really met a lot of the Board members before. I didn’t know them. I didn’t know what kind of reaction they would have to me, asking to be a part of it.

And I remember being met with such positive feedback, with such open-mindedness. The Board was really open to wanting to make this happen somehow, someway. And I remember that being just kind of a great feeling, knowing that we’re all on the same side and we just have to figure out how we can get there together. I think that’s a real testament to curling, but I think also kind of a lesson for other athletes in other sports that sometimes you just have to ask. Sometimes you just have to get in the room and have a candid, from-the-heart conversation. And you might be surprised what could come of that.

What have you learned about being a leader in your sport?

I’ve just learned how much learning there is to do and always will be to do. I think certainly in curling, but I’m sure in a lot of other NSOs, a lot of factors kind of exist in a bit of a vacuum. There might be the High Performance side, the governance, the staff, the events, the operations. All of these things happen a little bit independently of each other. And I think I’ve learned how beneficial it can be for all of those pieces to learn a little bit more about the other pieces of the puzzle and kind of listen to all sides. I just think that that’s really important and something that I may have overlooked in the past. And I’m really looking forward to continuing to learn more in the future.

Why should your peers join AthletesCAN and/or get more involved in the leadership of their National Sport Organization?

If not now, then when? There are a lot of positive changes coming out with the Sport Governance code changing, with this kind of narrative in Canadian sport around creating that more athlete-centered sport experience. And I think athletes in the past have had this notion of wanting to get more involved. They’ve felt like maybe they’re not heard. They have had these feelings of wanting to do more, but either not necessarily having the time with our busy training and competition schedules and just not really knowing how.

And that’s where AthletesCAN comes in. There’s just so many great resources and great people that it’s all out there for you. You don’t have to figure it out by yourself. You don’t have to have this daunting task of knowing where to start. You can start with AthletesCAN, and you can get a lot of your information from there. And it just makes it a lot less daunting to take that step to get involved and start to advocate for yourself.

Category: It’s Our Turn

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Byron Green – Wheelchair Rugby

Byron Green

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Alison Levine – Boccia

Alison Levine

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Shae La Roche – Water Polo

Shae La Roche

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Bo Hedges – Wheelchair Basketball

Bo Hedges

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Rob Law – Lawn Bowls

Rob Law

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Amy Burk – Goalball

Amy Burk

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Celina Toth – Diving

Celina Toth

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Johnny Purcell – Skateboard

Johnny Purcell

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Sasha Beck – Triathlon

Sasha Beck

Athlete Rep Spotlight: Laura Walker, Curling

Laura Walker

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