National news.
Peter Mansbridge, anchor of CBC’s The National, makes room on the set for West Carleton’s Julia Bradley, an associate director on the show and Olympic hopeful.
Photo courtesy CBC
Her childhood friends in West Carleton and classmates at Arnprior District High School would be surprised to learn just how successful Julia Bradley has become as an athlete.
Petite and affable, she wouldn’t have been the graduating class of 1990s first pick to become an Olympic hopeful.
However, few would have doubted Bradley’s chances at making it to the top of the Canadian journalism world either. Smart and driven, she has become a crucial element behind the scenes on CBC’s The National.
“There is pressure in both situations,” Bradley said. “They complement each other.”
The Marathon-raised Bradley was home recently for a ceremony in honour of First World War participants.
As associate director at CBC, she covers Remembrance Day and other specials, elections, federal debates, and works fulltime on the news show many Canadians watch each night.
And, yes, Peter Mansbridge is an upstanding journalist.
“He’s the best in the business,” Bradley said, almost reflexively.
“And he does such a wide range of stuff. He can do the show standing up,” she added, alluding to the recent set upgrades that resulted in the anchor no longer having a chair.
As an athlete, though, Bradley has cycled her way onto the Canadian women’s team and is aiming to win at the London Olympics in 2012.
Consider that Bradley didn’t do much in the way of sports until she took up rowing in her mid-20s, only to realize she “wasn’t good enough.” For her to represent Canada – about 10 short years after deciding to take the sport seriously – is no small feat.
“It’s a difficult thing; a real physical exertion,” she said. “You still need skill, but aerobics is really important.
“It’s the sheer finesse I really like about it.”
The talent and hard work paid off late last month at the Track Cycling World Championships in Copenhagen, where Bradley’s team won gold for the first time in 17 years.
Cycling partner Tara Whitten claimed two golds; along with a new coach, the wins have allowed Bradley to speak confidently regarding Canada’s chances.
“It’s very hopeful for Canada,” she said. “Everyone is really motivated.
“A year ago I never would have thought we’d come back from the worlds with gold.”
Bradley races both on and off track, often in Ottawa-area competitions, for Stevens Racing presented by The Cyclery. Her mother and sister still live in the city, though her brother has moved. So her attachment to the area remains strong, even though cycling has taken her around the world.
“There’s definitely that part of me that is from the Ottawa Valley,” she said.
“It was a great place to grow up. Wayne Rostad singing. Friday skating parties at the Kinburn Community Centre! It was the place to be when you were 12 years old.”
Asked about the slow demise of rural Canada, with farms shutting down and young generations moving to the burgeoning suburbs, Bradley said she hopes the rural way of life doesn’t become a thing of the past.
“I hope not. I don’t think so, either. There is nothing like growing up in a rural area; so many positive things,” she said. “One of my best friends grew up on a farm. It’s a very difficult way to make a living. It’s rewarding, but it’s a hard life. And there’s a lot more opportunities than in past generations; more job opportunities.”
BOTH SIDES OF THE CAMERA
Bradley, along with fiancée Sherali Najak, a Hockey Night in Canada executive, works in the country’s most urban areas, at the CBC building on Front Street in downtown Toronto. It’s about as far from Marathon as one can get. But she attributes much of her success to her upbringing. And it is now paying off in more ways than one.
Among her duties is placing names and other information on the television screen. That’s been the extent of her contributions to the side of the camera most Canadians see. Until the Copenhagen race.
As a backup on the women’s team, a glimpse of Bradley made it on CBC sports during its coverage.
She’s making news on both sides of the camera.
“It was a really small thing in the pit,” she said, laughing. “They are really supportive and give me a lot of time off. I’m the only one on the team with a job. And everyone at CBC is rooting for you. It’s really nice.”
Her advice to rural kids who feel the top is too far away?
“I’ve been persistent and always learning,” she said.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, and I’ve learned a lot.”