VoxEd Podcast – Team Canada Women: Striving for Greatness in Sport and Education
The Canadian Olympic School Program proudly celebrates two inspiring Team Canada women with the VoxEd podcast episode entitled Team Canada Women: Striving for Greatness in Sport and Education, in honour of International Women’s Day. In collaboration with the Canadian Teachers Federation, the captivating story of two Team Canada women on their journeys as elite athletes and professional educators is shared by guest host Kate Beirness of TSN. Annamay Oldershaw and Lyndsay Tessier are truly inspirational throughout the podcast, sharing their uplifting stories and encouraging women of all ages to never give up on their dreams.
Recently Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, Annamay Oldershaw competed for Canada in swimming at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is a former world record holder in the 200m breaststroke. Now an elementary school teacher, Annamay wants to share her inspiring story and continue to contribute to the Olympic Movement in Canada.
“The reason I got into teaching was to be that inspiration and to help youth in their journeys, in whatever that may be… As an athlete, that was my favourite part, talking to kids, asking them their goals and helping them achieve their goals.”
Lyndsay Tessier, Tokyo 2020 Olympic hopeful, only began training for the marathon at the age of 32 at a Running Room. Ten years later, she recently placed ninth at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. As an elementary school teacher, Lyndsay is not only a role model for her Grade 3 class, but an inspiration to all that it is never too late to work towards your dream.
“Participating in sport has completely opened my eyes to what I am capable of doing. A few years ago, my life was going in one trajectory, but then running came into my life. Suddenly, I find myself 9th at the World Championships and I am hopeful for the 2020 Olympic Games this summer. These ideas did not cross my mind but then, you work day in and day out, and enjoying the process and journey all the way along, you suddenly start realizing the things that have become possible because of sport.”
Download the podcast HERE.
About Kate Beirness
Kate Beirness is a Canadian television sportscaster, currently working as a host for SportsCentre on TSN. In 2016, Kate launched the HER MARK Summit. Sponsored by TSN, MLSE, and Under Armour, HER MARK is a one-day event aimed at empowering the next generation of Canadian female leaders, attended by 250 female high school students from across the country who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their schools and communities.
About the Canadian Teachers Federation
Marking 100 years as Canada’s Go to Voice for publicly funded public education, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE) is a non-profit organization and a national alliance of provincial and territorial Member organizations that represent over 300,000 teachers across Canada. CTF/FCE is also a member of Education International.
