‘Hometown hero’
Blayre Turnbull giving Pictou County reason to cheer
Students at G.R. Saunders Elementary School wore jerseys and red and white clothing on Monday.
Like their peers at other schools, students at the Stellarton school are learning about the Olympics, but the lessons have special meaning because a former student who went to the school they now attend is playing for Team Canada’s Women’s Hockey Team – Blayre Turnbull.
“When we said we were going to have jersey day, the students were like, ‘Oh, we’re having a Blayre day,’” said principal Erin Cormier.
Cormier said students have enjoyed watching highlights from the women’s team’s performances so far, and students are constantly talking about how they know or are related to the Olympian. Some talk about how they skate on the same pond that Turnbull skated on as a child.
“There’s a pride,” Cormier said. “Everybody wants to claim that bit of her.”
Turnbull is certainly giving them lots to talk about.
The Stellarton native got off to a strong start during her second Olympics in Beijing. In Team Canada’s opening game against Switzerland, Turnbull scored two goals and picked up two assists as Canada easily defeated the Swiss 12-1.
It’s not just Turnbull’s playing that has made headlines, however. A photo she shared of herself reuniting after three months with her fiance, fellow Olympian Ryan Sommer, at the Olympics' opening ceremonies went viral with major publications picking up on the feel-good post. Other media have written about how Turnbull overcame the tragedy of losing her mother to become the player she is today.
“I think for our young girls especially, she’s such a positive role model for making dreams come true and working hard,” Cormier said.
Last year, the school had Turnbull as a guest speaker for its Grade 6 graduation ceremony and she encouraged the students they could come from a small town and still do big things.
“She’s always been very grounded and when she comes home in the summer, she always connects back,” Cormier said. “She’s always a girl from Stellarton. I think those qualities of hard work and perseverance, and the importance of being grounded in your community, are very admirable qualities that she displays, and our kids see in her.”
In the midst of a pandemic, Turnbull has given people in Pictou County something to unite around.
“The entire town is excited about the 2022 Beijing Olympics,” said Stellarton Mayor Danny MacGillivray. “Our hometown hero Blayre Turnbull’s stellar performance to date is a point of pride for the residents. Town staff installed Canadian flags along Foord Street and erected banners to celebrate Blayre and Canada during what we hope to be her gold medal run.”
Charlene Bagnell, president of the Fundy Highland Female Hockey Association, said Turnbull and the other stars on Team Canada are indeed inspiring female hockey players coming up in their program.
“The little girls look at them as celebrities, where the bigger girls want to be just like them in a few years,” she said.
She said it gives them a reallife example of what’s possible. As well, some of the girls have had a chance to meet Turnbull and fellow Nova Scotia teammate Jill Saulnier, so these are athletes they’re able to watch on TV and recognize.
“They are celebrities for all these young girls.”