Interview with Julie Stevens

Partial Transcript: I was born in Toronto, Ontario and I grew up out in the country in two little villages called Erin and Belfountain...

Segment Synopsis: Julie tells us a little about herself including where she was born, where she grew up, and where she lives now.

Keywords: Belfountain; Brampton; Erin; Guelph; Niagara Falls; Ontario; Toronto

Partial Transcript: I've had quite a few roles with the Games that both involve personal and professional connection.

Segment Synopsis: Julie briefly explains her relationship to the Canada Games, from her role as an assistant women's hockey coach for Team Alberta in 1999, to being a researcher at the 2005 and 2007 Games, and a spectator in 2009. She also mentions her visit to the 2019 Winter Games in Red Deer as part of her new role at Brock University as Special Advisor to the President Canada Games.

Keywords: Researcher; Team Alberta; Women's Hockey

Partial Transcript: At the time my husband and I had moved out to Edmonton for me to do my PhD at the University of Alberta...

Segment Synopsis: Julie explains how her various coaching roles in Alberta while completing her PhD led to her applying for and attending the 1999 Canada Winter Games as a coach.

Keywords: Coaches; Team Alberta; Women's Hockey

Partial Transcript: So, our team caught a flight out of Edmonton and then we touched down in Saskatoon and picked up a few Team Saskatchewan athletes to fill the plane up.

Segment Synopsis: Julie reminisces about her experiences traveling to the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, including the plane ride there and the athletes village upon arrival.

Keywords: Athletes Village; Cornerbrook; Deer Lake; Mission Staff; Newfoundland; Saskatoon; Team Saskatchewan

Subjects: Coaching at the Canada Games

Partial Transcript: The competition at the time was really exciting. It was a serious level of competition for female hockey because...

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about what competition was like for female hockey players at the 1999 Canada Winter Games, as well as how the opportunities provided by the Games allowed for both camaraderie and further career advancement.

Keywords: Camaraderie; Competition; Officials; Women's Hockey

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

Partial Transcript: Not so much from the 1999 Games. I do know a lot of the young women who played on the team have gone on to be involved in high-performance...

Segment Synopsis: Julie tells us about her relationships with individuals she met at the Canada Games.

Keywords: Canada Games Council; Mission Staffl; Women's Hockey

Partial Transcript: I'll talk especially about the Cornerbrook Canada Winter Games in 1999. So women's hockey ran the second week of the Games.

Segment Synopsis: Julie tells two specific stories that she remembers from her time as a women's hockey coach at the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Newfoundland.

Keywords: Bronze Medal; Closing Ceremonies; Overtime; Parade; Team Alberta; Team Saskatchewan

Subjects: Built Legacy; Canadian Identity

Partial Transcript: I'll speak to that question from my own perspective and I don't want to take away from the fact that young men, boys, men who come to the Games for different roles...

Segment Synopsis: Julie describes the significance of the addition of women's hockey to the Canada Games in 1991, shortly after the first women's world championship was held.

Keywords: Athlete pathway; High-performance; Mandatory; Women's Hockey

Subjects: Women & Gender Equity

Partial Transcript: It was really special for me. Now I was doing my PhD at University of Alberta at the time and quite aggressively moving up in the, kind of the elite or high-performance coaching pool for female hockey...

Segment Synopsis: Julie describes the opportunities that opened up in the coaching world for her as she continued working as a women's hockey coach in the 90's, and the important choice with which she was faced.

Keywords: Academic; Coach(es); PhD; Women's Hockey

Subjects: Career Impacts; Education

Partial Transcript: The Games are always discussed as a unique experience from an athlete and a participation and a sport competition side.

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about the research she conducted at the Canada Games, and how she investigated what type of capacity was the most important for a successful Canada Games operation.

Keywords: Budget; Capacity; Host Society; Sponsors; Volunteers; Whitehorse

Subjects: Government Relations; Research

Partial Transcript: I recall from attending the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse [00:21:00] that there was the TSN broadcast of the opening ceremonies.

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about a few times where she has reaped the benefits of technology at the Canada Games.

Keywords: Brock University; Canada Games Council; Curling; Observer; Sue Hylland; TSN; Women's Hockey

Subjects: Media; Technology

Partial Transcript: My experience at the Games... most of the experiences aside from being a coach living in a village...

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about what she experienced at the Canada Games as a spectator.

Keywords: Camaraderie; Community; Spectator; Volunteers

Subjects: Friendships at the Canada Games; Spectator's Perspective

Partial Transcript: The Games gave me personally, really influenced my philosophy towards sport. The role of sport in Canada...

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about how the Canada Games influenced the way she thought about sport, the organization of sporting events, and the value or emphasis that gets placed on different sports.

Keywords: Capacity; Professional; Women's Hockey

Subjects: Career Impacts; Research; Women & Gender Equity

Partial Transcript: My observer role with the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Alberta came about through a really special opportunity I had in my career.

Segment Synopsis: Julie describes what her trip to Red Deer, AB for the 2019 Canada Winter Games was like, and what her role as an "observer" entailed.

Keywords: Brock University; Higher Education; Host Society; Niagara; Observer; Red Deer; Special Advisor

Subjects: Organizing the Canada Games; Spectator's Perspective

Partial Transcript: Brock University's involvement in the 2021 Canada Summer Games is quite expansive, a couple of these areas are not new, other higher education institutions...

Segment Synopsis: Julie explains the different ways in which Brock University is partnering with the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara.

Keywords: 2022 Canada Summer Games; Athletes Village; Brock University; Campus; Canada Games Park; Community; Facility; Host Society; Infrastructure; Innovation; Niagara College; Operations; University of Regina

Subjects: Built Legacy; Technology

Partial Transcript: The 2021 Games are going to be a first in many many ways. We talk about the impact of a Games on a community...

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about what people can expect to see at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, and what sorts of things will make it unique.

Keywords: 13 for 13; 2022 Canada Summer Games; Lacrosse; Niagara; Niagara Falls; Niagara Parks Commission; Student Association; Venues; Volunteers

Subjects: Education; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: The keen part about the Games and all the swag at the Games is definitely Canada Games pin collection.

Keywords: Brock; Chef de Mission; Inuksuk; Nunavut; Pin(s); Whitehorse

Subjects: Pin Collecting

Partial Transcript: The Canada Games are a part of our Canadian sports system, that is in my opinion never given the dues it deserves.

Segment Synopsis: Julie explains how the Canada Games have impacted her view of what it means to be Canadian, saying they are part of our social fabric, and a celebration of youth in the country.

Keywords: Canada Games Council; Community; Fabric; Host Society; Infrastructure

Subjects: Canadian Identity; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: To build on a memory about the fabric of Canada and its connection to the Games, I'm really just going to highlight that bronze medal game...

Segment Synopsis: Julie once again talks about her memory of the Bronze medal women's hockey game between Team Alberta and Team Saskatchewan in Deer Lake, Newfoundland during the 1999 Canada Winter Games.

Keywords: Cornerbrook; Deer Lake; Newfoundland & Labrador; Team Alberta; Team Saskatchewan; Women's Hockey

Subjects: Canadian Identity; Unity Through Sport

Partial Transcript: For 2021 I'm really looking forward to going to all the different venues and watching the athletes.

Segment Synopsis: Julie talks about what she's looking forward to seeing at the upcoming 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara.

Keywords: Athletes Village; Brock; Covid-19; Venues