BY Cassidy Dankochik
Jill Officer is drawing back to her on-camera days. The former Creative Communications student and 2014 Olympic gold medal curler
Officer isn’t a complete novice in front of and behind the camera, working in Brandon as a reporter at the beginning of her curling career.
After so long on the ice, Officer has to be careful while calling the games, especially when she’s calling games for her former teammates. A game Team Jennifer Jones played was one of the first games she broadcasted.
“It was good in the sense that I can talk about them to some extent, but it was a little harder because I have to be careful about what I say,” she said.
In the sport of curling, communication is key. Officer’s background in communications helped her compete on the ice, and helped her team gain sponsors and attention off the ice as well.
“If we ever needed a press release, to do newsletters, and even once social media came on the scene, those were my things to do,” she said.
Officer still looks back fondly on her Red River days, and the stress the program put her through helped prepare her for elite competition. She graduated in 2001.
“It was day three or four I went home crying to my parents, asking what I was doing,” she said. “I’m so glad I stuck with it and I don’t regret one bit taking the program.”
Officer still keeps in touch with some of her first-year friends, remember Friday nights at ‘The Office’ dive bar.
“No matter what you decide to do in the future, [communications] can be used in any aspect of your life,” she said.
Despite taking a step into the broadcast booth, Officer is still connected and competing in curling, although on a more relaxed schedule. She will be Team Jennifer Jones’ fifth (spare player) in the upcoming Canadian Scotties, and has competed at various mixed doubles events this season.
