MEET MEAGHAN MIKKELSON: A T8N interview

 If awards were given out for chasing dreams and having no regrets, St. Albert hometown girl Meaghan Mikkelson would win handily. If they were also given out for getting things done and not complaining (including letting her soup get cold while we interviewed her) then she, too, would take gold. Too good to be true? Well, decide for yourself. But if you ask us, Meaghan Mikkelson’s pretty damn amazing. Just maybe don’t ask her to sing…

On Growing Up in St. Albert

t8n: Tell me a bit about growing up in St. Albert.

MM: Well, I’ve been living in St. Albert since I was eight, so it’s where I was raised—my childhood, my junior high, my high school, all my years of minor sport—everything. I had a great childhood there and tremendous support from the community, all the way right up to today. My parents are still there, so I come back and visit quite often.

t8n: Which schools did you attend?

MM: Lots of them (laughing). I went to elementary at Father Jan and junior high at ESSMY. Then for high school I was at Paul Kane for Grades 10 and 11. For the beginning of Grade 12, I actually moved to Calgary to play hockey but then ended up moving home towards the end of February. A bunch of my friends were at St. Albert High, so I ended up graduating from there.

t8n: Which local clubs did you belong to?

MM: Um, I was a part of the Sailfish Swim Club for a number of years. I played pretty much every sport you could imagine growing up: soccer, baseball, track and field, cross-country, volleyball, basketball. (Laughing) There were a few years in junior high that I played every sport at our school. So, I knew what I loved, and that’s pretty much what I spent all my time on.

t8n: When you do get home for a visit, is there any place you always make time to stop?

MM: Yeah, definitely. I always go down to the Sturgeon River for walks or jogs. And something my parents and I always do is go to the Farmers’ Market. I was just down there last weekend. It was the last one of the season, so we made sure to go. The other place I always end up is at the Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club.

On Hockey

t8n: The training and commitment you put into hockey is obviously tremendous. What’s the hardest part of the job, and which part comes easiest?

MM: Gosh, the hardest part (thinking about it). I think the hardest part is making sure you’re continually getting better. I’ve won two Olympic gold medals now, so it’s always about figuring out what areas you can improve and what you need to do to keep your spot on the team. I often say it’s hard to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there. So, yeah, the hardest part is evaluating your game and figuring out what you need to improve.

t8n: And the easiest part?

MM: Going to the gym. I’ve always been someone who likes to be active, so the training component of it. I love to work out. I’m not gonna lie though—some days it’s a bit of a grind (laughing). I’m just like everyone else and have my days where I don’t feel like training. But for the most part, that motivation to be in the gym—that’s what comes easiest.

t8n: Is there anything people assume you love doing but that you just don’t? For example, I’d have been surprised if you’d said “But I hate working out.”

MM: (Laughter) Gosh. I don’t think there’s anything I dislike about it. That’s why I’m still playing. Obviously Olympic years are extremely tough when you’re training 10 to 11 hours a day and your schedule’s crazy. That year is extremely stressful both mentally and physically, so that’s probably the toughest part: trying out for an Olympic team and trying to make the Olympic team. It’s a long hard year, and often times it’s not very enjoyable. So I guess I’d say that lead-up to the Olympics is something people would think is all exciting and fun, but it’s actually very difficult to get through.

t8n: When you train, do you listen to music?

MM: I do, for sure!

t8n: And what would I find on your iPod right now?

MM: Oh, gosh. I actually probably wouldn’t even know the names of the songs (laughing at herself). It’s all techno dance music—just really upbeat, something that gets your blood flowing just by listening to it. Just dance stuff.

t8n: Speaking of dance, what song would get you up dancing?

MM: What would get me up dancing? Oh, gosh! I’m sure pretty much almost anything would get me up dancing (laughing).

t8n: The physical and financial investment to stay in your sport is great, yet it’s not a lucrative career for women. What would you ask communities like St. Albert to do to build support for the game?

MM: Well I think they’re doing it right now. Doing this interview with you is a prime example of that. You know, I’ve gotten calls from the St. Albert Leader and the Gazette, and I feel they’re continuously trying to profile athletes in the community, and that’s huge in terms of exposure. I think Canada’s doing the same thing. You look at the Olympics and all the exposure the athletes got… that exposure’s really great. But making sure that we don’t get lost or forgotten about between Olympic years—those are the times when support is most important.

People wonder what happens to us between Olympic years—they don’t know where we play and what we do. And we actually have a professional league, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). That’s where most of us play. And it’s great hockey. But we have 50 to 200 people in the stands; whereas, you sell out crowds of 18,000 at the Olympics. So, yeah, having that support not only when we’re wearing the Team Canada jersey, but also when we’re playing on our teams in the CWHL is very important.

t8n: I would hope that support for women in sports is growing and that the whole mentality that it’s the boys’ team that’s the main show—I hope that’s changing.

MM: And I think it is. If you look at our game in Sochi, most people would argue that our gold medal game was far more exciting than the men’s. And it’s not wanting to compare or anything, but we had more than 13 million viewers for that game. That’s five times the amount of people who would watch a Hockey Night In Canada game. That’s massive. So, I think the support is coming along, and it’s growing. It’s just taking time.

t8n: Do you have any advice for young people in sports?

MM: My biggest thing throughout my career has always been to train to a point where I know I won’t have any regrets looking back. So I’d say if you have a goal—whatever it is—do everything possible to get there.

My other advice is just to enjoy it. I see a lot of kids starting to train extremely young, and they’re focusing on one sport. I think it’s important to try every sport. And today’s best professional athletes are just that: well-rounded athletes. They’re good runners, they can golf, they can do other things. So I’d definitely say go out and try new things, and enjoy doing it. Don’t always be too serious.

t8n: When you look back on this year, what do you want to be able to say it held for you?

MM: Held for me?

t8n: You know, you’ll look back and say, 2014 was the year I accomplished dot, dot, dot.

MM: Oh, I accomplished so much more than I ever thought I could (laughing). With the Olympics, making that team was extremely difficult. In 2012, I was in a position where I was sitting on the bench at the World Championships, and I felt I might lose my spot on that team. I really had to work my way back up. I trained harder and worked harder than I had my entire career.

Then going to Sochi, breaking my hand four days before the gold medal game, playing in the gold medal game with a broken hand, getting an assist on the first comeback goal and then us winning that game!

Then there was going on The Amazing Race Canada and pushing myself out of my comfort zone each and every day […] I proved a lot to myself and hopefully empowered others to recognize we’re capable of doing so much more than we think we can. And, you know, moving forward in my life, I recognize that—that I can do so much more than I ever think I can.

t8n: Just one more question before I ask you about The Amazing Race. Tell me about the charities you support.

MM: I’m involved in Jumpstart. That’s my main charity, and I’m pretty passionate about it. I’ve been pretty lucky growing up in that I’ve always had the opportunity to be involved in sports. And I know that not everyone’s as fortunate. Sport has brought so much into my life, and I think it’s important for all kids to be exposed to that.

On the Amazing Race

t8n: Were you nervous at all about how the editing process was going to work, seeing as reality shows are famous for building narratives full of drama?

MM: I’m not gonna lie. I was really nervous! When we finished filming, I was like, how are they going to portray us! Are we gonna be these girly-girls, just kinda running around and making mistakes (cringing)? But we said going in that we were just going to be ourselves. And, thankfully, I think they did a pretty good job showing the people who we really are. Everything you saw, that’s pretty much the stuff Spooner and I do. So, yeah, hats off to them (laughing with relief).

t8n: What did the experience of competing on the show teach you that hockey didn’t?

MM: You know, I’ve heard countless times, “Make sure you enjoy the journey.” And that it’s about the process, not the outcome. And I think I kinda always would say, “Yeah yeah, that’s great” (mocking herself), but it didn’t really resonate with me. It certainly did with the race. I mean, we didn’t win that thing, but the experience and the things we got to do along the way—that was the epitome of it not being all about the outcome. That really hit home for me in a way that it never did throughout my hockey career.

t8n: Do you have a favourite moment from the show?

MM: (laughing) Oh, so many! I think the whole Normandy leg. It was so humbling. Standing on that beach, talking to that veteran about his experience. Just being there as a Canadian… It was a very humbling and proud experience. That was the leg we also got to ride around on those carts on the beach—that was the most fun I had in the entire race (laughing). That leg was my favourite, by far.

t8n: Is there anything you won’t travel without?

MM: Um, it sounds nerdy, but my vitamins (laughing at herself). Everywhere I go, even if it’s just for a day, that’s one of the first things I pack.

t8n: You won free fuel for a year! When you’re fueling up for a road trip, is there any snack you’re guaranteed to come back to the car with?

MM: Oh yeah. Probably gum, sunflower seeds and Fresca.

t8n: It’s obvious you and Natalie Spooner are an amazing team. I assume people mistake you for one another all the time now and treat you like a celebrity couple. Have you thought about your Brangelina name (laughing) and what it would be?

MM: Oh, goodness! Yeah some of the girls were calling us Mikkelspoon. And then one of our other friends… (pausing to laugh) Um, I have a bit of an embarrassing nickname—Shmoosy. So, they were calling us Shmooner (laughing). Those would be the only two I’ve heard, so far.

On Being Meaghan

t8n: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever had?

MM: That I’m a role model for young girls. That is the best thing. And that has been the best thing that’s come out of the race. And it’s far more rewarding than any monetary prize we could have won.

t8n: Was there any other love of something that just didn’t take? Are you a closet singer or wannabe painter?

MM: No, um (laughing) I’m kinda boring. I can’t sing, I can’t dance, I can’t act…

t8n: (Interrupting) Oh my god, we could hang out together.

MM: (Laughing) I guess there was a point when I had to choose between hockey and swimming. So I always say if I hadn’t been a hockey player, I’d have been a swimmer.

t8n: And how about the best advice you were ever given?

MM: That would be from my dad. It fell along the lines of “Work to the point where you know you’ll have no regrets.” And also from my mom. She’d always say, “Never, never, never give up. No matter what.” So I think those are the two things I’ve always carried with me.

t8n: Speaking of your parents, your Mother’s and Father’s Day commercials were great.

MM: Yeah, those were awesome because my parents actually helped write the scripts. So, those are things they actually do say to me. That’s kinda cool of them. t8n

Looks like “kinda cool” runs in the family. A big thanks to Meaghan for making time to talk to us. For more from this interview, check out Truly Deeply Madly on page 21.

 

“Never, never, never give up.
No matter what.”

 

”It’s hard to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there.”

 

“I trained harder and worked harder than I had my entire career.”