STUDENTS AT a local elementary school got the chance to interact with an Olympic athlete June 3.
Kristi Richards is a member of the Canadian World Cup Mogul team as well as a participant for Canada in the 2006 and 2010 Olympic games.
Working with the Actnow provincial initiative, Richards has been travelling to schools in an effort to encourage students to be healthy, physically active and to achieve their goals – no matter how lofty they may seem to others.
Richards will be travelling to nine different schools over a two-month period delivering her message, which is simple: dream big and work hard to make it happen. During a presentation at the school she explained that when she was a child, people told her that becoming a skier was not a ‘real’ goal or occupation. Something the 2007 world champion for moguls has clearly proved incorrect.
Richards was in Terrace only for the afternoon and was pleasantly surprised when a group of Upland’s students met her at the airport.
Richards said being able to work with children and spread a positive message has been a huge benefit of being an Olympic athlete.
“It's one of the best things that came out of it for sure,” she said. “It’s so great to see the spark in their eyes.”
Principal for the school, Todd Hollett, said it is not every day such a high calibre athlete from B.C. makes a visit to Uplands.
“It's always wonderful to have a role model like Kristi come and join us,” he said.