WATCH ABOVE: Shaw Charity Classic raises funds for Classroom Champions. Global’s Jill Croteau reports.
CALGARY – A program that sends Olympic and Paralympic athlete mentors to schools to teach about training, goal-setting and perseverance is benefiting from this week’s Shaw Charity Classic
Determined to recover from a life-altering motorcycle accident, Michelle Salt overcame physical challenges, and became a Paralympian who made it to the podium.
“I knew what I wanted almost exactly from the time I lost my leg and that was to snowboard again,” said Salt.
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Salt has been enlisted for speaking engagements, but says her most fulfilling commitment is with Classroom Champions. She was matched with a Calgary school and has served as an athlete mentor, staying connected to the kids all year.
“I had the best season I had on snow to date,” she said. “I got to stand on the podium for the first time in Canada. I felt more accountable and had students watching me and looking up to me and I had to make them proud.”
Twelve-year-old Phil Steeves said learning from a living example of endurance has meant a lot.
“It’s really hard when you’re hiking…over a mountain, you just have to persevere and keep going,” said the teen. “I know I’d be proud I did all of it in the end.”
Teachers at Langevin School have also noticed benefits, and said their students have been more engaged since starting the program.
“It’s different than the one-off athlete or speaker who answers questions and is gone,” said teacher Carole Ware. “It’s because it follows us through the entire year; there’s a difference of being involved in it.”
For more on the program, visit the Classroom Champions website here.
With files from Erika Tucker
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