Stephanie Dixon of Whitehorse is the chef de mission for the Canadian Paralympic team in Tokyo for the 2020 Paralympic games.

Dixon herself has piled up the accolades during a storied career:

• 19 medals in Para Swimming while competing in three Paralympic games.

• 10-time world champion, including five titles at the age of 14 in 1998.

• Four Paralympic games and World Championships as a broadcaster.

• A member of the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame, the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, and has been appointed to the Order of Canada.

• Assistant Chef de Mission for the Canadian team at the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto.

Dixon moved to the Yukon in 2011, is a former coach of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club, and up until now, ran the Yukon Graylings Master Swim Club.

Canada will be represented by 128 athletes, including guides, at the games, and will be competing in 18 Paralympic sports in Tokyo.

They will be supported by 113 coaches and support staff.

Needless to say, Dixon is pretty stoked leading into the games.

“I feel excited! It’s like – for so long wondering if these games would happen or not. Even heading into the Olympic Games, we … it’s just kind of like holding our breath. Really wanting it to go well – not just for the sake of the Olympians that were there, but also it was going to have a pretty big impact on whether we would be able to compete. So just seeing the COVID measures working well at the Olympics, and seeing how well our Canadian Olympians did, was really exciting. Now we’re just carrying that excitement and momentum here into the Paralympics. “

COVID-19 has had a major impact on the Paralympic community’s plans.

“It’s definitely impacted the athletes greatly. There’s no doubt about that. COVID has impacted the entire sport world,“ says Dixon.

“Our athletes training for the Paralympic Games had incredible interruptions to training, just challenges to the mental side of things, just – did they have something to train towards? And then just dealing with everyday life with COVID as well on top of that … it was a very challenging year for the athletes and for me as chef, just figuring out how to support them, and help to keep them hopeful, and motivated, but also feeling that whatever they’re going through is okay, because a lot of athletes in the last year didn’t feel motivated all the time, or hopeful and inspiring – all those traits we expect from athletes. So just supporting them on whatever journey they were on … athletes are resilient, and I think we saw that in the Olympics, and I think we will see that even more in the Paralympic Games – that level of resilience and grit, and ability to adapt, and be creative when things don’t go as you planned.”

Dixon says it takes a lot of character to be an Olympic or Paralympic athlete in these troubled times.

“To be an Olympic or Paralympic athlete without COVID is one of the greatest achievements in the world, and then you add COVID on top of that … but the positive part is that athletes are designed to adapt. They are designed to take obstacles and diversity, and turn them into opportunities. That’s why the Paralympics is so exciting, because we see this incredible amount of determination, and grit and resilience, whether COVID is there or not, so we’re just kind of experiencing a heightened version of all of those things, because we’re having the Games in a time of COVID.”

The general mood of the team going into the games is, not surprisingly, upbeat, but also grateful.

“I would say the theme is gratitude,“ says Dixon. “Everyone’s really excited to be here, they’re ready to go, they’re ready to show the world what they can do, and also just feeling incredibly grateful. These games are a gift, and athletes are feeling that.”

Dixon says one of her many roles as chef de mission is that of cheerleader.

“My role is the head of the delegation … I’m the head cheerleader, the head spokesperson, and so there won’t be friends, family in the stands, but fortunately I will be able to be in the stands, I might be one of the only people there, so head cheerleader is going to be one of my main roles, and being there and supporting … making sure they feel that Canada’s behind them. As Marnie (McBean) – the chef for the Olympics – she had an Indigenous drum from the Squamish First Nation, and I’ve been gifted a drum as well, so I will be there beating the drum, the heartbeat of Canada – our athletes feeling and knowing that Canada’s with them.”

The drum given to Dixon comes from the Squamish First Nation as well.

“A woman from the Squamish First Nation, Alice Guss, is the artist of the drum, and it was – it’s a drum that’s been blessed by the First Nation, and it’s an incredibly powerful and meaningful gift to be able to bring here into the Paralympic games.”

As for the team’s chances, Dixon says it’s just an accomplishment being there in Tokyo, but, given the tremendous adversity they have already faced, she is expecting them to perform well.

“I feel our team is successful by making it here. Many of these athletes have won by getting to compete on the world stage at this time, and I know they will have great performances. They’re ready to go, they’re excited, and when you have incredible adversity, and things are challenging – athletes are designed to make the most of those situations, and really use it to fuel them, to see what they’re able to do, to really pull and draw from deep inside of them, and we saw it at the Olympics, and we will see it at the Paralympics as well.”

Making medal predictions is not the way that Dixon is approaching these games, especially considering the lack of competitions for the athletes leading into the games.

“We’re not thinking along those lines for these games. The entire world has experienced COVID in very different ways, so it’s really hard to know where the various teams will be at performance-wise, operation-wise. We feel good at where Team Canada’s at with their preparations, and the way they’ve adapted their training in order to be here, but we’re just really excited to see what everybody can do.”

“Some athletes have not competed in two years,” relates Dixon. “It’s been a long haul. It’s hard without having not competed in the last year, two years, to know where you stand in the grand scheme of things. I think it would be unfair to our athletes to give any kind of projection, or additional pressure when there is so much uncertainty of where everyone is going to rank, or measure up, and so we’re just excited to see our athletes perform, and there will be medals of course, and we will see the Canadian flag, sing the national anthem, but we’re really not giving any kind of thought on all those projections, we’re just really excited to get behind all of our athletes.”

Dixon says there will be a “small but mighty” Canadian contingent taking part in the opening ceremony.

“I don’t imagine we will have a large team marching out in the opening ceremonies. We are taking very very large precautions with COVID, and so there are the Tokyo 2020 protocols, and measures, and Team Canada – here we have additional measures as well. So we’re just trying to be as safe and cautious as possible. We have athletes who are immuno-compromised and it’s just not worth the risk to be in large numbers of people, so we will have a very small team, a small but mighty and proud team, walking out in the opening ceremony.”

Just like for the Olympics, it’s “safety first” for the Paralympics.

“The same measures and protocols apply for us at the Paralympics as they do at the Olympics. Team Canada has additional measures on top of that. It’s a challenge with the measures, but they’re necessary, and we feel very confident that they will keep us safe, which is the number one priority,” states chef Dixon.

Well-known in Yukon circles, Paralympic wheelchair racer Jessica Frotten, a native of Whitehorse, will be competing in her first Paralympic Games. Dixon has a priceless reaction to Frotten’s upcoming debut at the games.

“Yaaah! As chef I am supposed to be unbiased, but of course I’m wildly excited to have a fellow Yukoner here on Team Canada with me. It’s been great to see Jessica’s journey through Para-Athletics, and seeing her compete in Toronto at the Para-Pan American Games was fantastic. I was the assistant Chef de Mission at the time, and just watching her develop and grow, and now qualify for her first Paralympic Games, I couldn’t be happier for her. And also knowing that Whitehorse is behind her, and – so many people before I left said ‘You’ll have to give Jess a hug and say it’s from so and so’ and it’s really exciting to see the amount of support she has. I’m just really excited for her.”

“She’s got a huge cheering section back home, and she knows it, she feels it. And that will help fuel her performances.”

Dixon and Frotten haven’t had an opportunity to meet face-to-face in Japan yet.

“Because of sports only being able to come into the village a couple of days prior to competition, Athletics is in Japan, but they are not in the athlete village yet, because they compete later on in the games. So I think it’s still another week or so before I’ll be able to see Jessica here in the village, but we’ve been in contact over social media, and we’re really excited to see each other.”

Frotten is currently in Gifu, Japan, waiting for her chance to shine on the Paralympic stage. Her competitions start on Aug. 29 in Tokyo (Aug. 28 in Canada).

“They’ve been very well-received there. The community is very excited to have them there … and I think they’ve been hosting them in a great way,” relates Dixon.

On a personal note, as one would expect, Dixon is proud to represent the Yukon on the world stage.

“I’m always very proud to represent the Yukon and I love sharing with people here, whether flaunting to Canada or people around the world to what it’s like in the Yukon and how fortunate we are to have the amazing community that we have in Whitehorse. I’ve traveled all over the world and I feel like there’s no better place to live, and so I’m very loud and proud about that.”

“We’re really grateful and excited to be here and our athletes are going to put on a spectacular show that will inspire the world,” adds Dixon. “The Paralympic Games are just the most incredible sporting event in the entire world, and I’m very privileged and honoured to be here, and I can’t wait.

“We’ll have historic coverage of these games in Canada. For the first time, CBC will cover the Paralympic Games in prime time, on national television, so more Canadians than ever will see the Paralympic Games, and it is a game-changer to watch Paralympic athletes compete. It is the most incredible demonstration of human possibility, potential, spirit, determination, grit. It is the most moving and inspiring event that you can possibly witness, so I’m just so excited for our Canadians to see and to cheer and be moved by our athletes.”

After the games, Dixon will be starting a new journey in life.

“Last season was my final season with the Graylings. I’m off to do my Masters in the Fall.

“I handed off the reins to the swim club to the other coaches. I was the head coach of the Yukon Graylings Masters Swim Club for the last six years.”

Dixon will be studying for her Masters in Kinesiology – Safeguarding in Sport, at the University of Toronto.

“I’m starting, I think, two days after these Paralympic games end, so I’m just going to jump right into it.

“I believe in the power of sport, but there are still a lot of barriers to people having access to sport, as well as the people in sport having a positive experience, so I’m really excited to figure out how we can do sport in a better way, so that all people have access, and all people have a great experience.”

The opening ceremony for the Paralympics takes place on Aug. 24 at 4 a.m. Yukon time. Competition starts on the 24th and ends Sept. 5, when the closing ceremony also takes place.