Former Akwesasne Skating Club figure skater Jennifer Mitchell will be putting her knowledge to good use this month. Mitchell was hired by NBC as a logger for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Having moved to BC in June of 2009, Mitchell attended a job fair for the Olympics and was initially hired in an assistant/runner position. After learning about Mitchell’s background in figure skating, NBC offered her a figure skating logger position instead.

“It’s very exciting,” Mitchell said. “I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be working for the Olympics let alone NBC. A lot of people are very happy, proud and surprised that I’m going to be working for them. I’m very excited. It hasn’t really set in.”

Mitchell will be working at the Pacific Coliseum for the next three weeks while the Olympics are taking place. She’ll be watching figure skaters perform and logging what they’re doing on the ice. Her knowledge of figure skating was a definite requirement.

“I have to know all of the figure skating knowledge, and all the jumps and be able to identify them,” she said.

It shouldn’t be a problem for her as she skated with the Akwesasne Skating Club for six years from 1998-2003, competing regularly and never fully giving up the sport but retiring from the club when she went on to college. She still enjoys putting on a pair of skates and getting back on the ice.

Although her NBC job is only for 3 weeks, Mitchell is hopeful for the future and grateful for the experience.

“There is a possibility of future opportunities (with NBC) but I’m not really going to get my hopes up or anything,” she said. “I’m just going to do the best I can and if something comes up that would be great. I just have to do the best I can to show them I’m a great worker.”