Olds Elementary School received more than 10 hampers full of sport balls from cyclists participating in this year's Pedal for Kids, a five-day, 500-kilometre-long bike ride across Alberta to raise funds for the Canadian Tire Jumpstart charity.
The riders, each of them wearing red Jumpstart cycling uniforms, paraded into the school gym last week, to applause from the children. Along with a table full of Frisbees, tennis balls, skipping ropes and pinnies, one Jumpstart official estimated the value of the goods was as high as $3,000.
Jumpstart is a national charity that helps children from low-income families participate in physical activity and organized sports. According to a press release, the Olds chapter has disbursed $15,737 and helped more than 170 kids play.
To return the favour, the school's Care Club donated $1,000 back.
One of the visiting riders was three-time Olympic speedskater Brittany Schussler, national community manager from Forzani Group Ltd., which operates as retailers like Sport Chek and Atmosphere. The Canadian Tire Corporation acquired the company in 2011.
Schussler talked to students about the importance of sports in her life and where they took her. She qualified for the 2006 Turin Olympics as an alternate in team pursuit but did not compete. Her chance to skate for Team Canada came in 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi, retiring after.
One in three children cannot afford to play organized sports, she said, a number that "blew my mind."
More than 70 people participated in the Pedal for Kids. Michelle Bouwman was another one of them, making the trip from Nova Scotia, where she and her husband own a Canadian Tire store. This was her third time on the bike ride.
"I love riding and helping kids. I've seen the impact of sports on kids," she said.
Having been an amateur athlete, Schussler knows what it's like to have a stretched budget. Government assistance for athletes going to the Olympics is $18,000 per year, she said.
"You say to yourself, I didn't go into speedskating for money but that being said, you still have to live. In a sport where winners are measured by thousandths of a second, a hundred dollars to buy better food makes a difference," she said.
Her advice to young athletes deciding whether they can afford to pursue their dreams is to ask themselves if it's worth it, no matter the outcome.
"Whatever success is on your scale, whether it's going to the Olympics or if it's making the national team … if you don't achieve that ultimate goal, are you going to be sad that you spent five or 10 years and thousands of dollars in debt trying to do that? Or are you going to say, ‘I loved every minute of it,'" she said.
And when somebody steps forward with financial support, it's met with gratitude, just like in this case with the donation from OES students.
"They worked very hard to raise money like that and for them to see Jumpstart as a worthy cause and … wanting to be a part of it, that's the ideal outcome," Schussler said.
"They see both sides of the coin and that's amazing."
A fun walk and run is being held at the Olds College wetlands on Sept. 24 to support Jumpstart charities.
Registration costs $10 per adult and $5 per youth. Families of three can register for $25.
The 5-km run starts at 9 a.m.
The 4-km walk starts at 10 a.m.
"In a sport where winners are measured by thousandths of a second, a hundred dollars to buy better food makes a difference."BRITTANY SCHUSSLERFORMER OLYMPIC SPEEDSKATER
