Jason La Rose
Media at the IIHF World Junior Championship are getting familiar with Charlotte Hébert-Wiencke, who is volunteering with media services at the tournament for the third time in four years – she travelled to Helsinki in 2016 before giving her time in her hometown of Montreal the following year.
The 22-year-old student is hands-on behind the scenes, answering questions from media in the press box, mixed zone and media workroom, ensuring game lines and stats are updated and distributed, and assisting with pre-game and post-game media sessions.
HockeyCanada.ca caught up with Hébert-Wiencke to talk about her volunteer experience…
Why do you volunteer? My dad and I, we always watched the World Juniors. I was there in Ottawa in 2009 and we went to a few after that, mostly in Canada. When it came to [the 2016 World Juniors in] Finland, my dad told me I should volunteer, and I thought it was a good idea. I have always been into hockey, I have played growing up, so I got in and I had such a good time, and I really fell in love with sports management, and with being in the backstage. The next year was in Montreal, and I applied again, and I loved it.
Why media services? I study communications [at Concordia University]; it’s really a field that interests me. Since I’ve been volunteering at the World Juniors, I’ve been leaning more towards the sports aspect of communications, so I feel like it’s a good experience.
What is your favourite World Juniors moment? Seeing Finland win in Finland [in 2016], was really a really cool experience. I made so many Finnish friends, and seeing Finland win was such a big deal for everyone. It made it a lot easier to deal with Canada losing [to Finland in the quarter-finals]. And, I got the chance to meet Saku Koivu, which was fun.
How much of the experience is connecting with new people? You get to meet a lot of like-minded people. In Finland, there was French, Russian, someone from Belarus … a whole bunch of different people from different cultures, and I’m still in touch with a lot of them. It’s a great way to meet new friends.
What do you say to potential volunteers? Go for it! If you are interested in being behind the scenes, being part of the excitement, meeting new friends … volunteering is so rewarding.