Team BC’s Mission Staff for the 2023 Canada Winter Games is a mix of multisport games veterans and first timers. The volunteers are selected for their expertise in the sport, recreation, health services and communications sectors. Their focus is to support athletes, coaches, managers and provincial sport organizations to minimize distractions and create an environment for optimal performances at the Games. Here, we meet two Mission Staff members.
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Marie-Pierre Lavoie
As the Team BC operations assistant, Marie-Pierre (M.-P.) Lavoie’s job focuses on helping the Mission Staff team stay organized during the Games. From pin requests to uniform exchanges, to room bookings for coaches and athletes to creating a welcoming atmosphere in the Team BC office, Lavoie manages logistics with flair and passion for sport.
PEI 2023 will be her fourth Canada Games. So, what keeps her coming back to volunteer with the Team BC program? “I just love it! I enjoy seeing the teams perform and I enjoy talking to athletes when they come visit the office because I learn a bit more about their story,” says Lavoie.
At PEI 2023, she will also be the sport mission staffer for men’s curling in week two. “I look forward to making sure the team has everything they need to compete, stress free. And of course, watching and cheering them on,” she says. This is the second time with a sport assignment for Lavoie, after being the point person for diving at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.
Lavoie operates a translation business in Victoria and has been involved in sport for more than 20 years including serving as the translation manager for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Because of my every day job, I get to know the ins and outs of different sports and I get to follow athletes and teams in their achievements. I am a huge fan, a groupie really.” She has been known to shed tears of joy at medals presentations and flag-raising ceremonies.
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Emily Vickery
PEI 2023 is the first Canada Games for Emily Vickery of Vancouver. She is a sport development coordinator for viaSport British Columbia and considers the Canada Games as a learning opportunity and a chance to make more sport connections. “I’m passionate about coach development. So, I want to see how we support coaches at the Games,” she says.
Vickery has been involved in the BC Games and spent 10 years as a program coordinator for Triathlon BC. For PEI 2023, she is the sport mission staff for biathlon, archery and fencing. “I definitely have a lot of heavy equipment sports, in terms of things to shoot, fire or fight with. That’s going to be a fun learning curve,” explains Vickery. She is looking forward to the national multisport games experience. “I’ve never had the chance to watch athletes at this level before, from across the country.”
Vickery says the role of a sport mission staffer is to be the liaison between the Canada Games and the athletes and coaches for her assigned sports. “My job is to make sure that our sports have the most up to date and best information, so they can do their job as easy as possible – which is to go there, compete and have fun. It will be exciting.”
Find out more about Team BC’S Mission Staff for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
- Filed by Sam Corea (@sammy_sez), Team BC Communications Staff
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