A LESSON IN CHASING DREAMS
Olympians inspire city school kids
At just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, an elementary school gymnasium becomes a scene of happy chaos, with about 400 kids screaming, dancers performing hip-hop and a large video screen projecting some of the most exciting scenes from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
When Sam Edney first took a peek out into the gym, though, his eyes focused on one person.
“She was my Grade 9 gym teacher,” says the Olympic luger as he hugs Colette Pereschitz, who’s wiping tears from her eyes. “I recognized her the moment I saw her, which was such a great surprise. She was the one who got me into the sport.”
This magical moment is just one of many at Calgary’s Holy Name School, as the 33-year-old silver medallist in the team luge relay and three of his Olympics teammates pay a visit to the school.
It’s Pink Shirt Day, Canada Day and an Olympics celebration all rolled into one: the kids sport the anti-bullying hue on everything from T-shirts and leggings to headbands and tutus; some wear Team Canada gear, while others excitedly wave tiny versions of the Canadian flag; and around the necks of many are cut-out cardboard replicas of Olympic medals, no doubt a pre-celebration classroom project.
The students, who range from kindergarten to Grade 6, offer a rock star reception to the Olympians. It’s surely a harbinger of things to come for the likes of Justin Kripps, who later tells me he’s been a bit of a hermit since coming home to a sporting hero’s welcome on Monday at Calgary International Airport.
“I’ve hardly stepped outside the door, I’ve been so tired,” the 31-year-old Kripps, pilot of the two-man gold medal bobsleigh team, later tells me with a laugh. “This is kind of an overwhelming first appearance, but it is pretty fun to be around so much energy.”
Appropriately on this annual day dedicated to preventing bullying, they each take their turn telling the kids about their firm beliefs in teamwork and being part of a community.
“They represent a ton of hard work and dedication from many people,” says native Calgarian Alex Gough, who brought home a silver and a bronze in luge. If her teammate had instead won, says the 30-year-old luge veteran, “I would have been as happy for her as I am for myself.”
They talk about their own childhood dreams, along with the challenges they face both in sport and life. “When I was a kid, I watched Donovan Bailey win gold in the 100 metres,” says Kripps of his decision to go into track and field at age nine; a decade later, he’d discover the sport of bobsleigh.
Two days after the Olympics opening ceremony, though, he got news that his beloved grandmother had died in Australia.
“I put that in my pocket,” he says of his grandmother’s unwavering belief he would get gold, “and took it down the track with me.”
Justin Snith, who is sporting his silver medal in the luge relay, tells the crowd about embracing his coach’s belief that “excellence is a habit,” while his luge teammate Edney tells them, “You can achieve whatever you want to achieve,” whether that’s sport, academics or any other activity, says the 26-year-old native Calgarian. “Chase your dreams.”
As part of the festivities, a handful of lucky kids get to partake in a luge demonstration, while all the children on this day have an opportunity to touch at least one of the medals.
Snith knows that for a child, especially one who harbours a dream of one day becoming an Olympian, it’s almost too good to be true.
“When I was a kid, seeing an Olympian would have been the biggest thrill,” he says with a modest laugh. “But even with jet lag, I am having such a good time here. I love to share my Olympic story and medal with people because we had the whole community behind us.”
Yet there’s probably no one more thrilled on this day than the gym teacher who all those years ago saw something in one of her students.
“I cried,” says Pereschitz of her experience watching Edney and his teammates capture silver in the team luge relay. “My kids laughed, but it was awesome.”