Canada's Brianne Jenner, women's hockey team embracing uncertainty of Beijing Games
CBC
In a career that already includes an Olympic gold medal and numerous accolades for club and country, Brianne Jenner describes this year as among the most impactful.
A 12-year veteran of the Canadian women's national team, she credits the rapport the group has achieved with shaping a standout campaign.
"This season especially has been one of the most memorable for me, largely because of the environment we have on the team," she told CBC Sports. "There's a sense that everyone can be themselves, everyone can be comfortable, everyone can be a leader ― everyone has a voice. It took us time to really build the culture that we wanted."
That culture, she says, arose from the early days of COVID-19, during which athletes were forced to find new ways to improve while kept apart.
"I think the foundation of what we have here is just relationships: people really, genuinely caring about each other and wanting to see each other succeed," Jenner explains, noting that players took advantage of the restrictions to uncover other areas to develop.
"In the first year of the pandemic, we weren't able to do the things that we were used to being able to do, like being on the ice together, practising together, having camps. But what we were able to do was stay connected."
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It isn't only the atmosphere around the rink that's made the season memorable. Just days after Jenner claimed world championship gold, she and her wife welcomed their daughter, June.
June won't be taking in the Olympics from the stands, but she has had plenty of opportunity to see her mom in action. Throughout the winter, the four-month-old became well-adjusted to life on the road.
"It was just so much fun to have her around the girls and around the rink," Jenner said. "She travelled a lot in the first couple months of her life, following us on a few road trips, and it's just been the greatest couple months."
Family and friends will be unable to attend the Games, where a "closed-loop system" will govern interactions. Heading into a Winter Olympics unlike any before, Jenner takes comfort in knowing that she and her teammates are well-practised in embracing uncertainty.
The 30-year-old alternate captain expects the group to lean on the resilience they've gained over the past three years, and they have no shortage of experiences to draw from.
Before a December COVID-19 outbreak within the squad led to game cancellations and a revised pre-Olympic schedule; before the 2021 world championships were twice postponed and before they were cancelled the year prior; before the 557-day span between national team games, there was already ample material.
"I think we've just become adept as an entire group at dealing with adversity and not letting it affect us ― in fact, using it as a strength," she said. "It's sort of become a part of our identity really, dealing with adversity."
