If you tuned into the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, then you already know Canada’s mixed doubles curling team beat out Switzerland to win the gold. Like hockey, curling is a sport Canada consistently excels in.
But what goes on behind the scenes for Olympic teams and competitors? One of the answers to that question is a good coach, of course. Enter curling coach Elaine Dagg-Jackson.
Elaine started curling recreationally at the Kelowna Curling Club as a young adult. Her interest in the sport came naturally, as her dad was a world curling champion.
But for Elaine, the serious competition didn’t start until she moved to Victoria in 1986 with her husband, Glen Jackson, who was also a world junior curling champion. It was then that she was invited by Pat Sanders to join their competitive BC rep women’s curling team as a fifth player.
“With curling, there is a monumental fraternity that you become part of that is hard to explain. When Glen and I moved to Victoria,” continues Elaine, “all we had to do was walk into the local curling rink and we were embraced by a community. Curling is special; you always have friends at the curling rink.”
Elaine jumped into the competitive realm wholeheartedly. “Coming from a curling family, I always aspired to be the best at whatever I did,” she says. “I was always interested in reaching the highest level of curling; I just wasn’t convinced I could do it. But in Victoria in the late 1980s, there was a lot of winning going on in curling. Whereas previously it seemed unreachable, seeing people around me excel at curling made it seem like it was actually possible.”
Elaine’s team went on to win the Scott Tournament of Hearts (known as Scotties, the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship) in Lethbridge and the world title in Chicago.
Then, in 1990, Elaine was asked by Julie Sutton’s women’s curling team if she would be their coach. “They wanted to form a competitive curling team that would train to try to be the best in the world. Although I was still curling competitively myself, I was really inspired by the talent and potential of the team and became one of the first team coaches in curling.”
During that first year, Elaine found her passion and her purpose. She became completely infatuated with coaching and found she was better at it than competing.
“I didn’t really intend to retire from competitive curling, but coaching took hold of me, and off I went,” she says.
In the next two years, the Sutton team won the Scotties, the silver medal in the 1991 world championship, and a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. Elaine had a very demanding job in advertising and communications, making it difficult to spend the time on the road required for competitive curling. So, with her husband’s support and encouragement, she took the risk and made the career switch.
“In those days, there were not many (if any) paid curling coaches, so I had to forge a path. First, I spent a few years upgrading my coaching certification and, before long, a few contracts started to come in.”
To get her coaching certification, Elaine started with her Level 3; then her Level 4, which is equivalent to 12 university courses, taking her five more years to complete. Finally, she achieved her Level 5, the highest achievable standing, through the Coaching Association of Canada, making her a Chartered Professional Coach.
Since 2004, Elaine has been a national-level coach, initially hired by the Japanese and South Korean men’s and women’s curling teams.
After that, Elaine moved into her current role as the National Coach for Curling Canada. In this role, her job is leadership of the Canadian National Women’s Team Program. There are usually six teams in the program, and she oversees the training, support and funding to those teams.
“My role with each team may vary,” says Elaine. “I lead the team contingency of each women’s team that represents Canada at the World Championships and Olympics. Of course, they have a team coach who coaches them throughout the year. My time and influence vary. Some teams I have been involved with for 20 years (like Jennifer Jones’ team). My job is to ensure that every team that represents Canada is prepared with the skills and support to vie for a podium finish. Along with hockey, curling is ‘Canada’s sport,’ and we expect gold at every international competition. Of course, this doesn’t happen every time, but it is absolutely our goal and we are relentless in our pursuit of that goal. This inspires me every day.”
Although Elaine’s current professional position is with the women’s programs, she is also involved in the entire National Team Program, which includes women, men, junior and next generation. Elaine still coaches men’s teams, however, not professionally anymore.
Compared to winter sports like high-speed downhill ski racing or the tricks of freestyle snowboarding, you might think curling is less demanding. But according to Elaine, the effort required for competitive curling is misleading.
“Most people don’t realize the mental, physical, technical, strategic and decision-making skill required to be a champion. In curling, you need to concentrate and focus for up to three hours, sometimes for two or three games a day. A Canadian or World Championship runs for eight consecutive days, involving a total of around 14 games. It is very demanding, so health, wellness and injury prevention are critical components of the preparation.”
As for the attributes that Elaine feels make for a good coach, it’s more than just being motivational. “I think it’s important to honour and recognize your areas of expertise, focus on those and not feel like you need to be an expert at everything,” she says. “It takes empathy, attention to detail, the relentless pursuit of excellence, great communication skills, patience, a genuine interest in understanding human behaviour and in helping athletes achieve their goals. It’s always, always about what’s best for the athlete. I think I have the ability to tell a story that is convincing and motivating and enables athletes to believe.”
After going with her first team to the Olympics in Albertville, France, Elaine has coached her teams at the Nagano, Turin, Vancouver and, most recently, the PyeongChang Olympics. But it’s the Vancouver 2010 Olympics that are a highlight of Elaine’s career.
“There were so many good stories with that experience,” she says. “I lost my dad when I was 19; he was a member of the Vancouver Curling Club that was the centre of the curling event. So, his world championship banner hangs there to this day. It was so nice to have my whole family experience the once-in-a-lifetime event of mom being on the coaching team and seeing me in my crazy Olympic environment in my home town.”
For Elaine, coaching has become who she is as a person.
“It permeates every area of my life, so my friends, family and sometimes complete strangers may find themselves at the mercy of my good intentions. I never achieved the aspirations I had as a curling athlete, but I seem to have this ability to inspire others to achieve theirs. My kids have also grown to understand the value of connection with people beyond their community. They have been able to travel, work alongside me at camps and inherited the sense of responsibility to take care of others.”
As well as her Olympic coaching role, Elaine and her husband have run curling camps since 1982, initially for junior curlers in Osoyoos and, more recently, for adult curlers in Kelowna and Parksville. Their camps sell out months in advance to curlers from all over the world. Elaine’s kids and their spouses help organize and coach at the camps – the generational curling baton is being passed.
Competitive curling takes a big commitment. The curling year goes year-round, running from May 1 to April 30. Spring is time to debrief the season, do a full analysis on each team, build training plans and set up expert consulting teams.
“I join teams for a couple of on-ice training camps in July and August and the competition season starts in September,” says Elaine. “I usually go to around eight competitions between September and Christmas. In January, there are a few more competitions and then the playdowns to the Canadian Championship begin. In February, I go to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and, at the end of that, I meet with the winner who will represent Canada at the World Curling Championship in March.”
If it sounds like a hectic schedule, that’s because it is. “The travel and pace can wear on you,” says Elaine. “Travelling can be lonely and exhausting, so I try to take care of myself by being active, eating well, reading and listening to music. I love what I do, so it’s not too hard.”
As a coach, of course, it’s important to keep your own spirits up. For Elaine, family, friends and colleagues keep her grounded, supported and valued. She spends her spare time at Lake Cowichan and, during the summer season, tries to slalom water ski every day, another of her passions. She makes time to travel with her husband and friends and spends as much time with her grown children and grandchildren as possible. “Leisure travel recharges the batteries and is so life enriching.”
What’s next for Elaine? Although she always says she has the best job in the world and realizes being involved in a coaching career for 25 years has been incredibly rewarding, she also knows it’s important to pay back the good fortune she has enjoyed.
“The next few years, I will focus on passing on the lessons I have learned and supporting the next generations of coaches. Being at the 2018 Olympics, I tried to take it all in,” says Elaine, “knowing that it might be my last. I enjoyed the reward and challenge of using my multi-quadrennial experiences to guide and influence the next generation of Canada’s coaching leaders and help them navigate the many challenges of an Olympic Games. The world is getting better at curling. Countries feel that curling is a sport where the medals are more achievable than in some other sports. My most welcome and exciting job is to figure out how to make sure the podium is achievable for Canada, but that is increasingly difficult each year. It is such a challenge to constantly search for ways to be better.”
Snapshot:
If you were to meet your 20-year old self, what advice would you give her?
“Don’t worry, it will work out!”
Who or what has influenced you the most? And why?
“My dad inspired me to believe that I could do whatever I could dream I wanted to do. He had high expectations of me and made me believe that I could – and should – aim for extraordinary things. He planted a passion and drive, and that I have spent my whole life trying to realize. Since he passed away at age 45, when I was just 19, I have looked to a few others to help me realize my potential (and tell me when to stop!). For example, Glen helped me figure out how to make a living at what I was passionate about. Gerry Peckham, my mentor, supports and encourages me every day. And Keith Dagg, my uncle, set an example and reinforced a passion to give back to the community, as well as to honour family and be connected.”
What are you most grateful for?
“I have so much to be grateful for – my family and extended family, great friends, good health, the privilege to work in a job that is challenging and rewarding, and the energy to pursue my passions.”
What does success mean to you?
“A few things: doing what you said you would do; knowing that you gave it everything; you did your best; you shared with others; you passed something on; and you contributed something outside your immediate world. You made a difference.”
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