Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Most Commented
Canada's Thomas Hall holds up his bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. (JOHN MAHONEY/The Gazette)
Olympian to visit his alma mater
His mom still teaches at Clearpoint Elementary
Amy Luft
The Gazette
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Canada's Thomas Hall holds up his bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. (JOHN MAHONEY/The Gazette)
Amy Luft
The Gazette
Students heading back to class will get a special show-and-tell from one of this summer’s local heroes when Olympic medallist Thomas Hall graces his alma mater, Clearpoint Elementary, this month.
Hall, a bronze medallist in 1,000-metre canoe race at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing is a Pointe Claire native. His mother, Madeleine, happens to teach Grade 1 at the school.
When asked if he considered himself a role model to her students, Hall’s mother said he’s modest.
“(Tom) takes that role – he finds it humbling. But he knows what it means,” said Madeleine Hall, who returned Sunday from Dartmouth, N.S., where she attended the Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships to watch her 26-year-old Olympian son compete.
Speaking to students about his career is something the teacher thinks is important, because she remembers the impact her son’s early role models had on him.
“He had a picture of (champion canoer) Renn Crichlow ... who was a hero in the canoe ... and Steve Giles, who continues to encourage him,” said the proud mother.
She added that not only has the canoe community supported her son, but so too have the residents of Pointe Claire, through fundraising efforts and emotional support. Upon Hall’s return from Beijing last week, several banners were erected near the family’s Pointe Claire residence congratulating the elite canoer.
While Hall always excelled at athletics, his mother said he struggled early on in the classroom.
“Sports came easily to him, but school wasn’t as easy. He had trouble in school, so he’s sensitive to that,” said Madeleine Hall, who said entering the world of competitive canoeing at 13 taught her son about the focus and stick-to-it-iveness needed to master both sports and studies.
It also isn’t the first time Hall’s mother has brought her son in to show him off to the students, she said.
“He’d come in every year or so, and would sometimes bring in his boat so the kids get to look at it,” said Madeleine Hall, who has taught at Clearpoint (formerly Cedar Park school) for 24 years.
This year, he’ll have something extra-special to show off, she added.
“He’ll come in and bring his medal.”
aluft@thegazette.canwest.com