Hockey player Emma Carey and badminton player Novelyne Bordey are the NWT’s participants in the Women in Coaching Canada Games Apprenticeship Program, supporting Team NT at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Québec.
“I find that there’s such a need for female role models in [Yellowknife] and in the North especially,” said Carey.
“I’m glad I was given this opportunity that I can attend [the Canada Winter Games] again, not as an athlete but as a coach, and give back to those that have given so much to me in my sporting career,” said Bordey.
The Women in Coaching Canada Games Apprenticeship Program is intended to provide female coaches with “practical and integrated major national multi-sport games experience,” according to the Coaching Association of Canada’s website.
Carey said she’s been coaching for the Yellowknife Minor Hockey Association since she was 15. As an athlete, she competed in two Canada Winter Games and two Arctic Winter Games.
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“I knew I’ve always wanted to coach Canada Games and Arctic Winter Games once I got old enough and got the experience, so I saw this as a big step forward that I could take for myself developmentally,” said Carey of why she applied to the program.
“I’ve just found a passion for working with the kids and showing them the sport that I love.”
As part of the program, she is working toward her High Performance 1 hockey coaching certificate.
Bordey competed for Team NT in badminton at past Canada Winter Games and Western Canada Summer Games. She also played at varsity level while getting her master’s degree. This was her first year coaching badminton.
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“It’s like a complete 180 of being in a different perspective, different shoes, but really appreciating it,” said Bordey.
The program matches apprentices with a mentor coach and gathers all participants twice for professional development weekends, the first of which took place at the beginning of June.
“It was a great environment, lots of learning opportunities,” said Bordey, speaking just after she had returned from the June weekend.
“It’s really interesting having different perspectives from different sports, different areas in Canada.”
Both Carey and Bordey said it will be strange attending the Canada Winter Games in 2027 not as an athlete.
“It’s definitely nerve-wracking, but I’m super excited for the experience and being able to grow from it and take away a lot of it, and just really use it to my advantage in my development for coaching,” said Carey, who wants to continue coaching for Team NT at future multisport games.
As a word of advice to athletes wanting to compete at the Canada Winter Games, Bordey said they are a “higher level of competition” compared to the Arctic Winter Games, but athletes should not focus on winning.
“Don’t let a bad game or a loss hold you back from making more friends all throughout Canada, or the pin trading, and talking to other coaches, talking to other athletes that are way more maybe advanced in skills and such,” said Bordey.
