From Ice To Advocacy
Anastasia Bucsis’ Path from Olympic Ice to LGBTQ+ Advocacy in Sports Media
Written by Lucas Yang | Edited by Marc Louie
Anastasia Bucsis grew up in Calgary, Alt. and first discovered her love for skating at the age of four. Bucsis is a former olympic speed skater and strong advocate for the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
The relationship between Bucsis and mental health is one of strong advocacy.
“Mental health is everything,” Bucsis said.
Bucsis competed in both the 2010 and 2014 olympic games in long track speedskating. Her status as an athlete is now being used to provide insight into the harsh realities athletes face.
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Bucsis grew up in a relatively conservative city; however, as she got older, she continued to feel different, which led to her feeling isolated. Once Bucsis realized that she was a lesbian, she struggled with accepting her identity, partly because she didn’t fully understand what it meant to be gay.
Photo by Richard Hugen
“I had no gay friends or role models, I didn't even know another gay athlete,” she said. “That anxiety really percolated off the ice and of course showed its head on the ice.”
This led to an internal battle, and she figured that she could use her status as an olympian to mask all of her emotions. The ice was a way for Bucsis to suppress her emotions.
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However, this internal battle led to increased anxiety, which impacted her performance on the ice, and eventually led to depression.
“When I looked into my future I just saw grey, there’s nothing good that’s gonna come of this... I was really struggling with depression” she said.
Bucsis can recall opening up to a Sports Psychologist about her battles with depression and finding a disappointing result.
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“Maybe think happy thoughts,” was the phrase that was given to Bucsis upon her opening up about her depression.
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Anxiety and depression started to become a lifestyle for Bucsis, which brought her to one of her darkest moments. Her internal battles got so harsh that she not only questioned her ability to compete, but her ability to live.
One of the most disappointing performances for Bucsis came at the World Championships in Sochi, Russia, a year prior to the 2014 Olympic games. Bucsis had such a poor performance she can remember crying in the dressing room after, being so disappointed in her performance.
“I was crying as if I was at a funeral,” she said.
Photo by Richard Hugen
To add on top of her poor performance, Bucsis was also diagnosed with clinical depression a couple months prior. Everything was starting to add up for Bucsis and not in a good way.
A change needed to be made for Bucsis. Her training environment and performance in competition was making her nervous, and at some points scared that she was going to take her own life.
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The former olympian can’t underscore the importance of being vulnerable enough when dealing with mental health struggles. Her ability to be vulnerable led her to have tough conversations with herself, which she credits as one of the leading factors in her living an authentic lifestyle.
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Bucsis eventually found the courage to proudly embrace her true identity as a gay woman. She now uses her experiences to inspire the future generation of athletes who may be in her shoes, letting them know they are not alone. Her journey is one of conquering her internal battles through living authentically, which many can relate to.
At this moment, Bucsis is proudly married and living the happy, fulfilling life she has deserved all along. She is now not only open to discussing her struggles with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, but proud to share her experiences in the hope of inspiring others with her courage and resilience.
Following her athletic career, Bucsis hung up her speedskates and pursued a career in media and sports broadcasting — fitting, given that she has many impactful stories to tell. She offers a unique and valuable perspective as a sports journalist and commentator for CBC Sports and other sport platforms.
“I have the privilege of talking to so many people, and seeing how my story does impact folks,” Bucsis said.
Photo by Richard Hugen
Bucsis now lives a life in which the part of her she once felt most self-conscious about, is the one thing she can be most proud of.
Bucsis recalls a quote that she went to in times of struggle when she knew that she needed change.
“If a flower doesn't bloom, you don't change the flower, you change the environment,” Bucsis said.
For Bucsis, nowadays, that flower not only does not need to be changed but is blooming in an environment where she can be her true authentic self.