Interview with Erica Ans

Partial Transcript: Wow, well it's actually all the same! I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I grew up here actually in Cole Harbour and I did move away for a little bit, I've lived in Québec...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks a bit about where she was born, where she grew up, and where she lives now.

Keywords: Cole Harbour; Halifax; Nova Scotia; Québec

Partial Transcript: So, I started as an athlete in the ‘95 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alberta...

Segment Synopsis: Erica lists all of the Canada Games she has attended as both an athlete and a coach.

Keywords: Alberta; Bathurst; Campbellton; Cornerbrook; Grande Prairie; Halifax; Newfoundland; Prince George; Quebec; Red Deer; Team Nova Scotia; Whitehorse

Partial Transcript: So, the Canada Games were really different for me because it was one of the only like multi-sport Games that I participated in.

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about the multi-sport aspect of the Canada Games creating a special camaraderie for young athletes.

Keywords: Multi-sport; Table Tennis; Village

Partial Transcript: Yeah, so in 1995 I travelled, we took a plane, and it was a big charter plane. So like all of Team Nova Scotia...

Segment Synopsis: Erica reminisces about flying to the Canada Games as a young athlete, and getting to tour around a bit.

Keywords: Newfoundland; Québec; Team Nova Scotia; Team Québec

Subjects: Friendships at the Canada Games

Partial Transcript: Yeah so, a lot of the times in table tennis, you know, we play around 9AM or something so it's always you know get up early, get breakfast...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about her mentality as an athlete at the Canada Games, and what she remembers about some of her table tennis competitions.

Keywords: Competition; Cornerbrook; Gym; Team Nova Scotia

Subjects: Athlete Mentality in Competitions; Friendships at the Canada Games

Partial Transcript: I think the one, like one big thing is like the whole team aspect, like I keep talking about because it is so multi-sport...

Segment Synopsis: Erica explains why the Canada Games are important for young athletes who may or may not be advancing into professional sport in the future.

Keywords: Commonwealth Games; Olympics; Pan-Am Games

Subjects: Athlete Mentality in Competitions

Partial Transcript: Yeah so in ‘95 I was still pretty new to table tennis I'd only been playing for a few years and one of the big things that happened there was I started meeting some of the players from Québec and some of the coaches.

Segment Synopsis: Erica says that she moved to Quebec specifically so that she could play in the '99 Canada Games. She also talks about her career trajectory and how it's been impacted by the sport of table tennis.

Keywords: Coaches; Table Tennis; Team Québec

Subjects: Athlete Mentality in Competitions; Career Impacts; Francophones and Anglophones

Partial Transcript: Yeah so like the camaraderie in table tennis is pretty good anyway like table tennis is a pretty small sport compared to a lot of others...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about pin collecting at the Canada Games and how it's a good icebreaker for athletes.

Keywords: Gear; Lobster; Nova Scotia; Pin(s); Quebec

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games; Friendships at the Canada Games; Pin collecting

Partial Transcript: Yeah I still, when I went for team Nova Scotia the athletes that came with me, like one of them was my best friend.

Segment Synopsis: Erica says that she does keep in contact with some of the players and coaches she's met at the Canada Games.

Keywords: Coaches; Cornerbrook

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games; Friendships at the Canada Games

Partial Transcript: Yeah so I decided to become a coach because when I started University like I was doing, at the beginning I thought I wanted to be like a full time coach...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about how she coaches Team Nova Scotia table tennis players to prepare for their competitions.

Keywords: Coaches; Nova Scotia; Quebec; Training

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games

Partial Transcript: Yeah so after graduating high school in Nova Scotia I moved back to Québec to do my degree at Laval University.

Segment Synopsis: Erica explains how there is more opportunity for athletes to train and succeed in Quebec, since there are so many more athletes and resources offered to them.

Keywords: Coaches; High-level; Medal(s); Québec; Sport Nutrition; Sport Psychology

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games; Women & Gender Equity

Partial Transcript: So, I see, I'm just going to think about my team last time like everybody was there to you know play and they wanted to do well and everything...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about gender equity for athletes as well as coaches, and says that even in officiating now they are increasing the number of females in those roles.

Keywords: Athletes; Coaches; Social

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games; Women & Gender Equity

Partial Transcript: So I remember in one of the Games that I went to I was sharing, we were at like a dorm I think it was in Whitehorse...

Segment Synopsis: Erica says that table tennis is an inclusive sport and talks about some of the experiences of disabled athletes that she has witnessed.

Keywords: Able-bodied; Disabled; Inclusive; Para-coach; Special Olympics; Wheelchair Basketball

Subjects: (Dis)Abilities; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: I'm not sure like nationally, like you said that there are like the separates for you know Paralympics and stuff so...

Segment Synopsis: Erica says that including more para-sports and para-athletes would be a great addition to the Canada Games in the future.

Keywords: Special Olympics; Wheelchair Basketball

Subjects: (Dis)Abilities

Partial Transcript: I think it's really just like a great learning experience for everybody. The fact that you're going away with a team and a lot of athletes that I took away as a coach, it was the first time that they went somewhere without their parents.

Segment Synopsis: Erica discusses how the Canada Games are a good stepping stone for a lot of athletes and can prepare them for other high-level competitions.

Keywords: Athletes; Coaches; High-level; Team Nova Scotia; Village

Subjects: Athlete Mentality in Competitions; Canadian Identity; Career Impacts

Partial Transcript: So I've basically been from one side of the country to the other just with the Canada Games so you get to see what it's like in those different cities and provinces

Segment Synopsis: Erica explains how the Canada Games allow people to experience people and cultures from around the country through the sport interactions as well as in the ceremonies and activities offered by the Host.

Keywords: Arts & Culture; Closing Ceremonies; Opening Ceremonies

Subjects: Canadian Identity; Indigenous/First Nations relations; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: I think Whitehorse was definitely like one of the top two just because like that’s somewhere where I probably wouldn't really just go and see and then we were able to go you know like downtown Whitehorse...

Segment Synopsis: Erica says that the 2007 Whitehorse Games and the 2011 Halifax Games were particularly special to her, and explains why this is the case.

Keywords: Dog Sledding; Family; Halifax; Snowshoeing

Subjects: Built Legacy; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: Yeah, so being in another community, you know it’s different because you don't really know you know where you're going at the beginning and stuff...

Segment Synopsis: Erica talks about how the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, NS were a little different for her since she played a part in organizing some of it as part of the host community.

Keywords: Families; Halifax; Host Society; Sport Lead

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games; Organizing the Canada Games