Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

Winter Olympics Spirit Day at Silver Birches Public School was made more special by getting to see an Olympic torch and gear belonging to Olympian Alison Herst-Jackson – the school’s principal.

Herst-Jackson represented Canada at the 1992 Barcelona (canoe-kayak – sprint K2 500m and K4 500m) and the 1996 Atlanta (canoe-kayak – sprint K4 500m) Olympics. Leading up to her second Olympics, Herst-Jackson was a world champion in the K4 200m in 1995, improving on the bronze she won the year before.

So how did a kid growing up in North Bay make it to the world’s biggest sports stage? Herst-Jackson says she was always competitive and dreamed of competing in the Olympics. The year she was in Grade 9, she came 20^th in OFSAA cross-country and won a Canadian kayaking championship. She decided kayak was the way she was going to get to the Olympics, so that’s the sport she focused on.

Recalling her road to the Olympics, Herst-Jackson says many people helped her along the way. She’s grateful that her parents provided many sporting opportunities. Her brother was with the North Bay Canoeing Club, and when she saw the Olympic sprint events on TV, she was “mesmerized. It’s a sport of power, aggression, spirit…it’s a beautiful sport,” she says. Herst-Jackson was 11 when she, too, started at the North Bay Canoeing Club. “They were my foundation,” she says of the local club and coaches.

Herst-Jackson says her parents were key to her success as an athlete. They attended both Olympics she was in, and the Canadian championships, and her Dad attended the World Championships.

Though she is a graduate of Chippewa Secondary School, Herst-Jackson spent the last two years of secondary school living out of the area. She attended a sport school in Ottawa and says living away from her family and friends was difficult. “It can be very lonely,” she says. She missed doing a lot of typical teen things with her friends, because her routine was “eat, train, sleep, train”.

As the world prepares for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, Herst-Jackson recalls her own experience to qualify for the Games. To qualify in her sport, you had to be the top four in Canada. “It is terrifying,” she says. But being named a member of Canada’s Olympic team was “a dream come true. Walking into the opening ceremonies with Canada… it’s hard to put into words.”

She says her first Olympics was exciting, and she was eager to take it all in; seeing athletes at the village that she had watched and read about. The second time, fresh off becoming a world champion, Herst-Jackson says her goal was to win a medal. “There is still excitement and pride, but there’s a different mindset…You forget about the magnitude of the race. You have a job to do there. I was more mature as an athlete.”

Her involvement in sport has seen her compete around the world. In addition to the Olympics, Herst-Jackson has been to Hungary, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Spain, France, the United States and Denmark. In addition to travel, her athletic pursuits also gave her friendships. She says her closest friend and fellow Olympian lives in Nova Scotia, and she keeps in touch with another teammate now living in Ireland. A former coach is still “an integral part of my life.”

Herst-Jackson has been inducted into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame. She is also vice-chair of that organization’s Board of Directors and says it’s a way for her to give back. “I love being asked to talk about my experiences,” she says. She has spoken to several sports teams and organizations about the importance of mental health and training, and leadership.

One of the topics she emphasizes is that “losing is OK. I lost more races than I won, and I am a two-time Olympian. You learn a great deal, and the power comes from learning and continuing to persevere.”

She says the transition to retirement as an athlete was difficult. Her friends had already graduated and had jobs, and she was heading to university. Her dedication and perseverance served her well, and upon graduation, she began her teaching career at Marshall Park Public School in North Bay. She also worked at Fricker Public School, Almaguin Highlands Secondary School and Widdifield Secondary School.

Herst-Jackson says the traits that made her a world-class athlete – commitment, dedication, perseverance, mental training and time management – are skills she still uses today and support her work as a Near North District School Board principal. Herst-Jackson believes those skills help her create solid teams and collaborate successes.