Continuing to be better

Trina Radcliffe’s life has come full circle as the manager of athletics at
Olds College.

The positive impact she’s making on students goes beyond athletics, as she
works with the college to make it an inclusive and safe space for all.

When you arrive on campus at Olds College, you are welcomed by three flags
flying proudly across the Alberta skies. Throughout the month of June, the
red and white of the Canadian flag is anchored by the blue of the Alberta
flag on one side, and the rainbow colours of the Pride flag on the other.
It signifies the welcome, inclusive and safe space the institution is
working to provide its staff, students and community.

Over the last decade, Olds College has worked to develop its Broncos
athletics program, expanding to include basketball, volleyball, futsal,
rodeo and women’s hockey. The growth that Broncos Athletics has seen over
the last five years can be credited to Radcliffe and the team she has
built.

Radcliffe, originally from Oyen, Alta., is a product of her small-town
roots. She grew up playing baseball and school sports, not because she was
a standout on the court with her 5-foot-2 frame, but because the school
needed her to have a team. In the winter, she could be found on the
backyard rink built by her dad where she learned to play hockey with her
three brothers. It wasn’t until she was 13 that she finally got to lace up
for organized hockey. An hour away in Hanna they were starting a girls’
program. And as the story goes in small-town Alberta – they needed everyone
to have a team.

“There was everything from nine-year-olds to 18-year-olds on that team. I
was in the middle at 13 years old and loved the experience of playing
hockey with girls,” says Radcliffe. “I’d always played hockey, but never
got to play organized, just on the pond, so getting to play organized
hockey for the first time was such an incredible experience.”

It was a twist of fate that led to a goaltending career. Radcliffe, who had
played defence until then, was first in line to strap on the pads when the
team’s goaltender got hurt. She was a natural between the posts and made
the transition to goalie. It was a decision that paid off when she became
the first goaltender for the women’s hockey team at Mount Royal College
(now Mount Royal…