Saskatoon's Shannon Comerford is a wife, a mother, a beekeeper and an elite athlete pursuing a dream to represent Canada in fencing in 2020 at the Tokyo Olympics.

I'm proud of the journey I had. - Shannon Comerford

Now Comerford is adding advocate to her resumé as she works to support young LGBTQ athletes.

The desire to serve as a positive role model for young athletes struggling to find acceptance in sport comes from her own life story. It wasn't always easy growing up gay and pursuing her love of fencing.

"There was definitely a time when I was in the closet, as they say, and I wasn't open to anybody," said Comerford, in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

"There are always people who don't really understand or want to understand, and you can you can hear little comments under their breath or just even just tension in the room."

The role model she never had

Comerford is a One Team Ambassador (#OneTeam) with the Canadian Olympic School Program. The program puts her in direct contact with young people with a goal of raising awareness of inclusiveness for LGBTQ athletes in sports.

No matter where her sport takes her, even if it's a country that is not LGBTQ friendly, Comerford does her best to make sure other athletes know exactly who she is.

"I guess for me the biggest thing is just visibility," she said. "I've always tried to be open and honest about my story and who my family is and who I am as a person."

No regrets

Comerford, a 30-year-old wife and mother who was raised on a honey farm just outside of Saskatoon, has been fencing and chasing her Olympic dreams since she was a little girl.

"I'm proud of the journey that I had," she said. "It would have been nice to see more gay athletes as I was growing up just to relate to them, and to share our experiences."

Comerford is now able to serve as the role model she never had through her work as a One Team Ambassador with the Canadian Olympic School Program. Her message to young athletes is simple, but empowering.

"Just be yourself," she said.

"If you're not safe and secure in yourself it's so hard to go out and compete and be a strong athlete…so just be yourself and really embrace that, and with that your strongest and most competitive self can come out."