Did you know that our very own Bonnie Mckissock is a world class triathlon official?  

Bonnie is a Level 2 Continental Technical Official (CTO). As a Level 2 CTO she has officiated in competitions around the world including the World Triathlon Championship Series in Bermuda, Continental Cup in Florida, and World Championships in Montreal.    

Officiating on the world stage has assisted her in becoming a better person and insurance broker. 

As a person: Volunteering as an official gives her purpose by focusing on others rather than herself, being involved with her community, and meeting new people around the world. In some instances, she is humbled and inspired by the determination of the athletes, such as seeing a visually impaired para-athlete ride down a hill at 80 km’s per hour. Bonnie states that the joy of accomplishment and the comradery of the sport is infectious, and encourages everyone to volunteer as the rewards you reap will be greater than what you can give.

As an insurance broker: She benefits from the transferable skills; officiating and insurance are both largely about risk management. In officiating you see the risks of the course and you work hard at mitigating them in order to keep the athletes safe. On the insurance side, you help the client identify their risks and then work to provide a solution to protect that risk. Additionally, being an official has improved her decision making as she is dealing with athlete safety as well as Olympic hopefuls that are impacted by her decisions; in the office this translates to clients who rely on timely advice regarding risk mitigation and insurance solutions in their day-to-day activities. 

Where it all started:  Bonnie started her triathlon journey back in 2009 as an athlete – she wanted to try something new and began competing locally in Winnipeg. In 2012 she was recovering from an injury and was unable to compete, but with a sheer love of the sport she started officiating to remain involved. She quickly found that officiating was more enjoyable to her and transitioned to volunteering more frequently. In 2017 she was presented with her first big opportunity to officiate at the Canada Summer Games held in Manitoba, thus sparking her craving for the world stage.  

Future aspirations: While her goal is to one day be able to officiate at the Olympic and paralympic level, she is so thankful for her opportunity to serve at the world stage for the qualifying races. She also loves the community aspect of being involved with the local events in BC and across Canada as she gets to meet people from all walks of life. 

Career highlight: One of the most exciting moments from her journey as an official was at the 2018 World Triathlon race in Montreal. Bonnie – residing from Manitoba at the time – got to watch the finish line as a young athlete from her home province clinched his spot in the Olympics. Bonnie had watched the young athlete develop over the years and was grateful to be there to witness him reach such a remarkable milestone in his career. 

A second career highlight would be grilling Andrew Janzen at the 2022 Ironman Canada competition in Penticton where Andrew was a participant and Bonnie was an official. Although Bonnie did not disqualify Andrew, there were more than enough close calls...

We at Janzen Insurance are very proud of Bonnie's accomplishments and aspirations. Her work ethic, involvement in the community, and compassion to serve others makes her an excellent insurance broker and person. If you ever stop by our office or find yourself calling in, we encourage you to connect with Bonnie who's experiences are sure to add valuable perspective to your life - while you're at it, she could also sell you a pretty good insurance policy...