Olympian balances passion for curling with life at MRU

Not very many people can say that they work with an Olympic Bronze medalist, but the folks in Supply Chain Services have one among their ranks.

Legal Contracts Advisor Amy Nixon won a bronze medal as a member of Canada’s women’s curling team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

After getting a taste of the podium at the Torino Winter Olympics, Amy Nixon is itching to return.

Her take on the experience is not quite what one would expect. While it’s obvious she had a positive experience; traveling to Italy to represent her country and coming away with a medal, she says it was almost surreal.

“It’s sort of a whirlwind,” says Nixon. “It’s weird to be under a microscope and to have people fully engaged in your performance for two weeks and then it all goes away … it’s kind of like a mini-bubble, celebrity moment.”

Nixon also cites the nature of curling for some of the awkwardness encountered during her “fifteen minutes” of fame. She says because curlers are often mic’d up and spectators can hear them talking, they feel a little closer to the action then most fans.

“It’s interesting how people, watching the sport on television … think they know who you are, that they know you personally,” she says.

Nixon on the ice, Nixon off the ice

While Nixon says it was very interesting and often quite delightful when fans approached her, she is a different person on and off the ice.

“When I play on the ice, that’s kind of the competitor in me, but I’m a different person at home with my husband, with my family and with my friends and at work,” says Nixon.

The experience was also special for Nixon not only because of her success, but also because she was able to share the special moment with her father.

Nixon’s father Daryl was the coach of the 2006 Olympic women's curling team.

“My favourite memory of those Olympics is literally walking into the closing ceremonies arm in arm with my dad with a bronze medal in my pocket,” Nixon says beaming proudly. “I just don’t think there’s very many people that can say they shared that experience with their parent.”

The match isn’t over

Nixon is still a competitive curler who has qualified for pre-Olympic trials in Nov. 2013.

One of the reasons Nixon decided last summer to apply for a position as Legal Contract Advisor at Mount Royal was because of Mount Royal’s work life balance.

Originally from Regina, SK, Nixon studied at the University of Calgary before pursuing a career as a lawyer. She spent four years as a prosecutor for the City of Calgary and while she enjoyed the challenges of having to bring her ‘A-game’ so to speak, to the courtroom floor day in and day out, she found it very difficult to balance her court time versus her on ice time.

However, at Mount Royal, she says she’s received support for her on ice endeavours and the position itself lends itself to a more balanced lifestyle for her sport.

“It’s a challenging job in the sense that it’s different, it’s interesting, it makes me think, but it’s a quieter pace,” she says. “I’m not tied to a scheduled court time … I very much have the ability to get it done when I need to get it done.”

Nixon also says that she was up front about her passion for curling in the interview for her position and Mount Royal has embraced her.

“The people that I work with are pretty kind about being interested in how it’s going,” says Nixon. “I kind of feel like it’s a valued piece of me, instead of a thing that is a challenge first.”

Director of Business and Retail Services, Mike Reed says Nixon is a fantastic addition to their team.

“Amy's done a great job reducing turnaround times and managing client expectations,” he says.
 
“From the feedback I've received, clients love Amy's outgoing personality and her ability to get contracts processed quickly and accurately. I'm also pretty confident that if we organized an MRU bonspiel, I'd be watching out for the BRS curling team!”

— Fred Cheney, Jan. 26, 2012