Olympic Oval Full-Time Staff 2025/2026
Discover the full-time staff working at the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary.
Leadership Team
Mark Messer
Director, Olympic Oval
E: mark.messer@ucalgary.ca
C: (403) 830.4590
O: (403) 220.2948
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 1987
Stephanie Griffiths
Manager, Business Operations
E: sagriffi@ucalgary.ca
C: (403) 559.8868
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Didsbury, AB 🇨🇦
- Champion ARHVA 🥇| ARHVA 🐎 Novice Amateur 2022
- Part of the Oval Team since 2014
Jonathan Guilmette
Manager, High-Performance Sport
E: jonathan.guilmette@ucalgary.ca
C: (403) 472.2171
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Français 🇫🇷 | Español 🇲🇽
- Hometown: Montréal, QC 🇨🇦
- 3X Olympic Medalist
🥇 | SLC 2002 🇺🇸 Relay 5,000m
🥈 | SLC 2002 🇺🇸 500m
🥈 | TOR 2006 🇮🇹 Relay 5,000m - Part of the Oval Team since 2018
Sean Ireland
Manager, Innovation, Competitions, and Sales
E: sean.ireland1@ucalgary.ca
C: (403) 478.9840
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- 2X Canadian Olympian
23 | ALB 1992 🇫🇷 1,000m
16 | LIL 1994 🇳🇴 1,000m - Part of the Oval Team since 1998
Luke Janetzki
Manager, Operations
E: lhjanetz@ucalgary.ca
O: (403) 220.7889
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Toowoomba, AUS 🇦🇺
- Part of the Oval Team since 2012
Jen Painter
Manager, Partner Development & Guest Relations
E: jennifer.painter@ucalgary.ca
O: (403) 629.7097
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Lahr, Germany 🇩🇪
- ⛸️ Competitive Figure Skater
- 🏃♀️Competed in the Boston Marathon 2003
- Part of the Oval Team since 2025
Administration
Suma Joshua
Business Operations Coordinator
E: suma.joshua@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | മലയാളം 🇮🇳
- Hometown: Kerala, India 🇮🇳
- Part of the Oval Team since 2012
Caretaking
Eva Sy
Caretaker
E: esy@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | 普通话 🇨🇳
- Part of the Oval Team since 2004
Jenny Li
Caretaker
E: jenny.li@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | 普通话 🇨🇳
- Part of the Oval Team since 2005
Candy Ross
Caretaker
E: candace.ross@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2023
Daniel Xu
Caretaker
E: daguang.xu@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | 普通话 🇨🇳 | Tiếng Việt 🇨🇳
Part of the Oval Team since 2006
John Yallop
Caretaker
E: jyallop@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 1999
Innovation, Competitions & Sales
Dustin Miller
Team Lead, Competitions
E: dustin.miller@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2016
James Monson
Skate Shop Coordinator
E: jmmonson@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Français 🇫🇷
- ⛪ Christian
- Part of the Oval Team since 2008
Greg Planert
High-Performance Competitions Coordinator
E: gplanert@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Kitchener, ON 🇨🇦
- 🏁 Started Speed Skating in 1963
- 🇨🇦 Competed in the 1963 Canadian Championships
- Part of the Oval Team since 1987
Operations
Brad Kowal
Facility Operations Support
E: kowal@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Edmonton, AB
- Part of the Oval Team since 1996
Cam MacLeod
Team Lead, Operations
E: cmacleod@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 1987
Justin Murphy
Facility Operations Support
E: justin.murphy2@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Second Generation Oval employee
- Part of the Oval Team since 2014
Crispin Parkinson
Team Lead, Facility Operations
E: cparkins@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Winnipeg, MB 🇨🇦
- Coaches at the Seton Speed Skating Club
- Part of the Oval Team since 2006
Brendan Vance
Facility Operations Support
E: brendan.vance@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2023
Dustin Wandler
Facility Operations Support
E: dustin.wandler@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Expert Aquarium Designer
Andrew Masse
Facility Operations Support
E: andrew.masse1@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2025
Partner Development & Guest Relations
Darryl Becker
Guest Relations Representative
E: darryl.becker@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2024
Amber Bell
Guest Relations Supervisor
E: amber.bell1@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Cloverdale, BC 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2024
Brian Bergvinson
Team Lead, Sport Partner & Guest Relations
E: brian.bergvinson@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Kelowna, BC 🇨🇦
- 🏒CIHA " James Norris Memorial Trophy" Recipient - 2024-2025 Season
- 🏒CIHA "Calder Memorial Trophy" Recipient - 2023-2024 Season
- Part of the Oval Team since 2024
Katie DeBoer
Marketing, Communications, and Events Specialist
E: kaitlyn.deboer@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- ⛸️ Figure Skater for 14 years
- Part of the Oval Team since 2012
Katrina Kastner
Guest Relations Supervsior
E: katrina.kastner@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Calgary, AB 🇨🇦
- Season 9 Winner of the Amazing Race Canada
- Second Generation Oval employee
- Part of the Oval Team since 2017
Ivonne Vargas
Guest Relations Specialist
E: ivargas@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Español 🇨🇴
- Part of the Oval Team since 2008
David Vink
Advisor, Marketing & Partner Development
E: david.vink@ucalgary.ca
C: 403.909.0929
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | 日本語 🇯🇵
- Hometown: Grand Bend, ON 🇨🇦
- 🖥️ Owns a branding & design studio | foxcamp.ca
- Worked on 007's The World is Not Enough
- Part of the Oval Team since 2010
High-Performance
Kevin Overland (Crockett)
Coach, Long Track
kevin.crockett@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Kitchener, ON 🇨🇦
- 3X Olympic Medalist
🥉 | NGN 1998 🇯🇵 Long Track, Men's 500m
Reece Derraugh
Coach, Long Track
E: reece.derraugh@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2024
Patrick Duffy
Coach, Short Track
E: patrick.duffy@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Français 🇫🇷
- Part of the Oval Team since 2023
Mike Ireland
Coach, Long Track
E: michael.ireland@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- 4X World Sprint Champion
🥈 | SEO 2000 🇰🇷 Sprint
🥇 | INZ 2001 🇩🇪 Sprint
🥉 | HAM 2002 🇳🇴 Sprint
🥉 | NAG 2004 🇯🇵 Sprint - 3X World Single Distance Champion
🥈 | NAG 2000 🇯🇵 Sprint
🥉 | NAG 2000 🇯🇵 Sprint
🥉 | SEO 2004 🇰🇷 Sprint - Part of the Oval Team since 2019
Todd McClements
Team Lead Technical Long Track
E: tmccleme@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 1997
Stacy Polet
Elite Athlete Pathway Coordinator
E: crockett@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦
- Hometown: Winnipeg, MB 🇨🇦
- 🇨🇦 Canadian Long Track Speed Skating Team (1989 - 1992)
- Part of the Oval Team since 2012
Phil Riopel
Coach, Long Track
E: priopel@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Français 🇫🇷
- Part of the Oval Team since 2021
Elizabeth Ward
Coach, Short Track
E: elizabeth.ward@ucalgary.ca
Fast Facts
- Languages: English 🇨🇦 | Français 🇫🇷
- Hometown: Montréal, QC 🇨🇦
- Part of the Oval Team since 2012
The staff are the Olympic Oval's greatest asset. They are our competitive advantage. They are the reason for our success and longevity. Without these dedicated people, the Oval is just concrete and ice. They are the heart and soul of what we do.
Mark Messer
Director, Olympic Oval