Opening the Playbook

BMX racer Drew Mechielsen joins #OTP to talk Olympics, career highs and lows, and the pressures of being the best female rider in the country.

Drew has been riding since she was just three years old as she liked to do everything her brother did. After taking a step back from the sport, she got back into it when she was 13 and that was when she set her sights on the Olympics.

Drew is the best female rider in Canada and just the second female to compete in the Olympics in the event since its debut in 2008. But getting to the games wasn't easy, and today she shares the toll the pandemic took on racing, wanting to quit before she qualified, and why she's switched her focus from winning to having a strong race.

Episode topics:

• Making her Olympic debut in Tokyo
• Being just the 2nd Canadian woman to compete in the BMX event at the Games
• Wanting to quit the sport
• The mental struggles she's faced including self-belief
• Being Canada's best female racer

Quote:  

"We're kind of just climbing. We're pushing the boundaries and showing what we're capable of. So yes there are more boys but we're still a force to be reckon with."

-Drew Mechielsen

Resources:

Guest Info – Drew Mechielsen

Instagram: @drewmechielsen

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Climber Alannah Yip is this week's guest on #OTP where she shares what it was like to realize her Olympic dream. Alannah has been climbing since she was young and won her first national championship when she was just 12 years old. In just a few week's time she'll compete at the Tokyo Olympics in the Sport Climbing event (new this year), and is Canada's only female athlete doing so.

Alannah has dreamed of going to the Olympics since she watched the Vancouver 2010 Games take place right in her own backyard. In 2016 it was announced sport climbing would be an Olympic event and Alannah, an avid cliff climber, switched her training to indoor. She even picked up speed climbing, which was new to her.

In this week's episode, Alannah talks about what it means to her to be an Asian-Canadian athlete, and what's she's doing to help evolve the sport from the old-school "bro" culture.

Episode topics:

• Sport climbing at the Olympics
• Being the only female representing Canada at the event in Tokyo
• The fear of saying your goals out loud
• What being an Asian-Canadian means to her
• What she's doing to make the climbing culture more inclusive

Quote:

"It's hard to make big goals so public. My thought was that if you fail at it, that's a lot, emotionally, mentally, to have to talk about that to everyone you know. I think that's part of it – part of my nerves – to talk about wanting to go to the Olympics was because I would have to learn – it's almost an entirely different sport and start from scratch – which I did – and I sucked for a long time."

-Alannah Yip

Resources:

Guest Info – Alannah Yip

Instagram: @alannah_yip

Facebook: Alannah Yip

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Wheelchair basketball player Erica Gavel is this week's guest on #OTP and shares how she went from being a successful stand-up player to an even better wheelchair one. Erica played for the University of Saskatchewan, but after three straight injuries to the same knee, doctors told her she's never play again. She took the news hard, and turned to partying and let her grades slip. But when a mentor introduced her to wheelchair basketball and told her she had a shot at making Team Canada, everything changed. Fast forward a few years and she not only made that team, but won a silver medal at the ParaPan Am Games and went to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics. She's now hoping to represent Canada once again at the Toyko Games. Tune in to hear Erica's story of perseverance and determination, and the advice she has to offer others facing adversity.

Episode topics:

• Suffering three injuries on the same knee during her stand-up basketball career
• Being told by doctors she'll never play basketball again and the toll it took
• Discovering wheelchair basketball and how it changed her life
• Representing Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Paralympics
• Her piece of advice for others facing adversity

Quote:

"What I like to do is show people how cool, how exciting and how sexy Paralympic sport science and training actually is, and I think the media is doing a really great job of improving the quality of content but also the quantity of Paralympic sport content too."

-Erica Gavel

Resources:

Guest Info – Erica Gavel

Instagram: @ericagavel

Twitter: @gavelerica

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Today, long distance runner Malindi Elmore joins #OTP to discuss her love of running, heading to her second games at the age of 41, and what more needs to be done to support pregnancy and post-partum training for elite athletes.

Malindi has always wanted to go to the Olympics – it was a goal she set back in high school. Fast forward a few years, after running for Stanford University (where she still holds records to this day), and her dream became a reality at the 2004 Athens Games. Her speciality was the 1500m event, but while she worked hard to make it to Beijing and London, Malindi fell just short, heartache she details in the episode.

In 2012, after narrowly missing the cut, Malindi hung up her runners to pursue her other passions, coaching and motherhood. She dabbled in triathlon and ended up competing in a marathon for fun. That's when she realized she was still fast – just two minutes off the Olympic standard. From that point on Malindi's heart was set on Tokyo 2020, where she's earned one of three spots Canada has for the Olympic team.

Today, she explains the challenges of training while also taking care of her two boys, how her training has changed from being a 20-year-old to a 40-year-old, and why she wants to see more support for pregnancy and post-partum training for elite level athletes.

Resources:

Guest Info – Malindi Elmore

Instagram: @malindielmore

Twitter: @malindielmore

Website: malinielmore.com

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Tennis player Rebecca Marino joins #OTP to talk about retiring at the peak of her career, playing in her first major in since 2013 earlier this year, and the impact social media has on her life.

Rebecca started playing on tour when she was 18 years old, but after feeling burnt out, she decided to hang up her racket just four years later. At the time, she cited depression, but now realizes that wasn't the case. In today's episode, Rebecca explains why she made the decision she did.

It wasn't until 2017 when her dad was diagnosed with cancer that she realized she had more tennis left to play. Once ranked a career high 38th, Rebecca had to start from scratch – at 704th. Her perseverance moved her up the ranks, and earlier this year she played in the Australian Open, her first major in eight years.

Today, Rebecca explains what it's been like to make a comeback, including what her fellow players think of it. She also talks about the impact her father had on her career, dealing with an untimely injury, and the pandemic trend that didn't work for her. Oh, and she's also setting the record straight on her connection between her career and cyber bullying.

Episode topics:

• Playing in a major for the first time in 8 years
• Retiring at the peak of her career then deciding to make a comeback
• How her dad influenced her decision to return to the sport
• Setting the record straight on the connection between her career and cyber bullying
• The pandemic trend that didn't work for her

Quote: 

"The more conversations we have about the fact that our emotional and mental wellbeing and happiness does tie into our performance, I think we're going to see a lot more change happening from organizations as well as individuals realizing they do need to take care of that as much as their physical wellbeing."

-Rebecca Marino

Resources:

Guest Info – Rebecca Marino

Instagram: @beccamarino

Twitter: @beccamarino90

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Emily Overholt joins #OTP to discuss her quick rise up the ranks, injury, and why she decided to share her struggles with mental health.

Emily started swimming competitively when she was just eight years old. Her love for the sport led to a breakout year in 2015 where she was a triple medallist at the Pan Am Games and a bronze medallist at the FINA World Championships. She says that sudden success surprised her but helped her build confidence going into the Rio Olympics. While in Rio, she earned a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

But it's when Emily returned home from the Olympics that she realized something was off. She didn't feel like herself and lacked balance in her life. She even considered quitting the sport. That's when she decided to talk to someone about her mental health. In today's episode, Emily opens up about what that was like, how she got through it, and shares her message to others who might be feeling the same way.

Emily also talks about the joy of making the national team again after taking a break, the difficult injury she suffered, and her thoughts on the upcoming Tokyo Games.

Episode topics:

• Her quick rise up the ranks and why is surprised her
• Winning an Olympic bronze in Rio
• Suffering a serious injury right before the Olympics and how to she battled through
• Her struggle with mental health and why she decided to share her story
• Why she now puts herself first

Quote:

"It was scary for sure especially because after the Olympics I did my best to hide it, I didn't really want people to know. But I guess I was in a much better place and felt like, even though it was scary for me, I could understand what other people are going through when they're feeling like that, so it was worth it to me to come out and talk about it and hopefully help someone who's going through that type of thing."

-Emily Overholt on sharing her story about mental health

Resources:

Guest Info – Emily Overholt

Instagram: @emilyoverholt

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

The Wings for Life World Run takes place on May 9th at the same time around the world. The goal: to outrun the so-called 'catcher car'. It's a fun and unique way to raise money for spinal cord injury research, something that hits close to home for this week's guest, Olivia Rey.

Rey is a Red Bull ambassador for this year's run and avid athlete. Five years ago, her life changed forever when she became a quadriplegic following a deadly car accident. In today's episode, Olivia recounts the accident, explains when she was fully able to accept her injury, and shares her ambition to help others who've also had a spinal cord injury.

It's an inspirational story of reliance and determination that you won't want to miss.

Episode topics:

• Wings for Life World Run
• Olivia's lifechanging story
• Her acceptance of injury and becoming a quadriplegic
• How she embraces new challenges, such as sit-skiing
• Her ambition to become a councillor to help other others healing from spinal cord injuries

Quote:

"Anyone that has had a spinal cord injury, there's the hole functional thing you need to try and get back, but then there's the mental health aspect of things as well. It's hard to be able to be ok in your head and not get super low that you don't even want to get out of bed. So, for me, connecting with my spinal cord community, that really helped me."

-Olivia Rey

Resources:

Guest Info – Olivia Rey

Instagram: @Reyban0

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf4Y-1k85_Tj1txi0rM-VUNniNeAv46lI

Wings for Life World Run – May 9th

https://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/en?viewerCountry=CA

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Today, Amanda Glazer, Baseball Operations Associate Analyst for the San Francisco Giants, joins #OTP to discuss how she got into sports, what her day to day includes, and why more diversity is needed in the industry.

Along with her role with the Giants, Amanda is currently working on completing her statistics PhD at U.C. Berkeley.  She says combining statistics and sports wasn't something she thought of at first, but realized it was a possibility after seeing a job posting. In this week's episode, Amanda explains exactly what she does in a day and the creativity that goes into it.

Amanda was one of the first, if not the first female baseball analysts for the Giants and says the lack of diversity is a major issue in the stats industry. Today, she explains what can be done to change it, and how she hopes girls will see her and realize it's something they can do too. Join us, won't you?

Episode topics:

• Being one of the first, if not the first, female baseball analyst for the SF Giants
• What her job as a baseball operations associate analyst entails
• The lack of diversity in statistics and baseball and how it can be changed
• Breaking barriers and what she hopes to offer other women

Quote:

"In an industry like this, there is a lot of value in people bringing in different perspectives and ideas and approaching things in different ways, because that's how you gain that edge advantage. So that's been something that has been really awesome for me because I'm super encouraged to try some things that are a little out of the box, or come up with different questions or approaches. So, it's made me a more a creative person."

-Amanda Glazer

Resources:

Guest Info – Amanda Glazer

Instagram: @pepperandrubybffs

Twitter: @pandaglazer

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Today, New York Yankees Hitting Coach Rachel Balkovec joins Opening the Playbook to share her path to becoming the first female hitting coach in the MLB.

Rachel has a resume to impress, which includes a lengthy Division 1 softball career, a stint as a strength and conditioning coach at LSU, and an internship with the St. Louis Cardinals, but quickly found out it was about more than just what was on paper when it came to getting a job in baseball. It was about gender and being a woman. In this latest episode, Rachel shares her struggles with breaking into the sport (including briefly changing her name to try to gain traction) and what she now tells other women who want to do the same.

Rachel has become a pro at turning adversity into opportunity, which has become obvious with her work with players. She has a passion for player development, and at times, uses her past experience to help better their game. She's currently helping a pitcher who has the case of the yips, which is something that ended her playing career years ago. Today, she explains what that experience was like, being diagnosed with PSTD, and how she only recently has been able to throw a ball again.

Episode topics:

• Becoming the first female hitting coach in the MLB
• Her struggle of trying to break into the MLB
• The yips and PTSD, and how she created opportunity from her experience
• Her passion for player development and the position she's ambitious for

Quote:

"It's never been my mission to be the first at anything but what I will say is that when I was 10 I said I wanted to be the first female kicker in the NFL…I've always been this rule breaker, this hellion, this I'll show you, come from behind underdog type of human since I was very young. And no one from my childhood is surprised that I'm doing this."

-Rachel Balkovec

Resources:

Guest Info – Rachel Balkovec

Instagram: @rachel.balkovec

Twitter: @_rachelbalkovec

Facebook: Rachel Balkovec

Tiktok: @rachel.balkovec

Website: www.rachelbalkovec.com

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Canadian Pole Vaulter Alysha Newman joins OTP for a candid conversation about success and struggles, the upcoming Olympic Games, and body image.

Alysha has changed the landscape of Canadian pole vaulting for women, being the first high school female athlete to jump over 4m and looking to become the first Canadian woman to jump over 5m.

She is currently training and competing in Europe to prepare for the upcoming Olympics, and says, while the delay was frustrating, it has given her time to grow as an athlete, which will hopefully lead the Olympic medal in Tokyo.

In this week's episode, Alysha also touches on the culture of pole vaulting and why so many people enjoy watching it, as well as the additions that comes with breaking records. She also expands on the interesting way she elevates her mental game, her fear of finishing her career before she's ready, and the impact body image has on her and other female athletes. It's a jammed packed episode you won't want to miss!

Episode topics:

• The culture of pole vaulting
• How hypnotism has helped her strengthen her mental game
• The controversy surrounding the delay of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• Her fear of finishing her career before she's done
• Body image and confidence
• How she travels with her poles

Quote: 

"Right now, what I do, I don't train and go to the gym to look good. I train to be the best pole vaulter in the world. And I think a lot of athletes underestimate what we're putting our bodies through and how our bodies look from the workouts we get from our coaches…so I think that's what's hard on the female side. For us, we're put on a pedestal automatically."

Resources:

Guest Info – Alysha Newman

Instagram: @alyshanewman, @onebody_onelife

Twitter: @alysha_newman94

Facebook: Alysha Newman

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: https://www.openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook