When Jennifer Heil needed to secure a personal treasure and one of the most famous artifacts in recent Canadian sporting history – her 2006 Turin Winter Olympics women's moguls gold medal – she turned to a reliable old friend.
ATB Financial in Spruce Grove.
When Jenn was a youngster growing up in the Edmonton bedroom community, she was an ATB customer. Her parents remain customers, and so Jenn's glittery Olympic hardware was faithfully placed in mom Heather's safety deposit box.
"The funny story is I actually needed the medal for an event and I hadn't planned ahead," laughed Jenn. "My Mom called an ATB employee at home to see if they could open the vault after hours so I could have the medal with me."
"It was late Friday afternoon when I got the call," recalled ATB's Sharon Page. "Jenn needed the medal for a photo shoot she was doing the next day and Heather told me they were going to be late coming back to Spruce Grove. We worked it out so that two of us would be at the branch to meet them that night. It was important that we get her medal out."
"That was pretty incredible to have the kindness to come in on a Friday night to help me out like that," added Heil. "I was very, very grateful."
A stellar moguls skiing career has given Heil much to be thankful for: three Olympic Games, two Olympic medals, five overall World Cup titles and countless memories.
Heil's first Olympic games came in 2002 while she was still a high school student in Spruce Grove. With her principal's blessing, she missed three months of grade 12 to compete in Salt Lake City. She finished fourth in the moguls, missing the podium by the closest of margins.
"I realized very quickly that I was not prepared for those games," admitted Heil. "It was described to me that I was a great technical skier but not much of an athlete. I decided that to have a shot to win a medal I had to prepare myself and have better resources."
Thanks to sponsorships from a group of generous Edmontonians, Heil spent the next four years training full time. The investment paid off. Heil won gold in Turin in 2006.
"After I crossed the finish line I was just thinking to myself: 'Please, not fourth! Please not fourth!' Then I saw it flash across the screen that I was number one. I think I felt every single emotion at once: gratitude, pride to be Canadian, happiness and a bit of relief."
It was a dream come true to stand atop the Olympic podium, but Heil says she experienced an even greater moment during her career: competing in Vancouver in 2010.
"I felt like I had won the lottery to have a chance to be at that stage in my career and be able to represent Canada in Canada," she said. "I think all the athletes really realized what an opportunity we had to represent our country and inspire the next generation."
Heil didn't repeat as moguls champion, but did earn the silver. "I'm so proud of my performance that day," said Heil, who was under tremendous pressure to become the first Canadian to win gold on home soil. "It's a lot more meaningful to me, actually, than Turin because it was so much harder."
Heil competed for one more year on the World Cup circuit before calling it a career in 2011.
"I never had a specific plan about the day I would retire but it was always in my mind," said Heil. "I've been ready for a long time but it is a big transition and I feel really, really excited for new adventures and new challenges."
Heil's new challenges include studying business at McGill University in Montreal and working with various charitable organizations like Plan International's Because I am a Girl initiative, which advocates for girls' rights around the world, particularly their right to education. Heil is campaigning to raise $1 million for the cause and is almost halfway there.
"There's a big push globally for girls' rights because people are realizing that for countries to remove themselves from poverty, they need to engage the other half of the population," said Heil. "
Closer to home, Heil is a big supporter of Kids Kottage in Edmonton and she mentors young female skiers at her annual training camp each winter at Marmot Basin in Jasper.
"It's so much fun!" she exclaimed. "I just wanted the opportunity to reconnect with the kids in the system and share my experiences and let them touch my medals. It's a challenging sport for girls so I want to give my support. The greatest thing is the number of hugs you get. That makes it all worth it."
Heil's generosity comes as no surprise to Page, who's not just the Heils' banker, but a family friend.
"Jenn's just a wonderful girl," beamed Page. "We are very proud of her here. There's a street in Spruce Grove named after her. I drive that street every day and it's just so special."
