One 2006 Canadian Winter Olympian made some  Greater
Sudbury children feel special over the course of the year, and
made them feel even more special when she visited them Friday.
Speed skater Kristina Groves, who won two silver medals at
the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, took time out from her hectic
schedule to visit Grade 1 and 2 students from St. Anne Catholic
School. She took  them skating at the T. M. Davies
Community Arena in Lively.
Groves and the students were pen pals during the season. The
relationship was initiated by teacher Tania Lacroix.
"I knew someone that worked for the Canadian Olympic Speed
Skating Team and asked him if there was an athlete who would be
interested in being a pen pal with my students and Kristina
volunteered...and that's how it all began."
About every two weeks, the students would send their letter,
by e-mail, to Groves and she would respond.
"The kids generated the letters and asked Kristina about
everything," said Lacroix. "They asked her about her training,
how to sharpen the skate blades...everything about speed
skating."
Lacroix said she hopes her students gained a lot from the
whole experience.
"I wanted them to learn how to write a letter," said
Lacroix.
"It was an excellent opportunity for them to find out about
the Olympics and about elite athletes. I wanted them to see how
she made sacrifices and how making those sacrifices can make
dreams come true. They found out sports can be fun, but takes a
lot of dedication."
Groves enjoyed the experience.
"I jumped at the chance," said Groves. "For me, it's always
good to have a strong link with kids and try to make a positive
impact on their lives.
"It was fun to get them excited about the Olympics. We were
pen pals all year and they sent me big banners when I was at
the Olympics to cheer me on."
The support from the students at St. Anne gave Groves an
extra push at the Olympics.
"Their support helped a lot and it was awesome to see," said
Groves.
The students even got to see Groves win the silver in the
1500-metre race live on television.
They also got to give update reports on how Canadian
athletes were doing to their entire school, which impressed the
teachers in more ways than one.
"The kids did morning news reports to update the school on
how Kristina was doing and all the other Canadian athletes,"
said Lacroix.
"I was amazed because they were reading words they normally
wouldn't have never read. It really got them involved in the
whole Olympic experience. It was really worth it to do this."
Lacroix was also impressed with the way Groves committed a
lot of her time to responding to the children.
"The students sent her a care package during the
Olympics...with a good luck bracelet in it," said Lacroix.
"She e-mailed us back...and told the kids every time she was
waving on television, she was waving to them. She made them all
feel very special."
The students were all smiles Friday when they got the chance
to meet Groves in person and go skating with her.
"Kristina is one of my heroes," said Alexandra Cote. "It's
really great to meet her because we wrote her all year. It was
cool to see her win the medal on television."
Groves gave the kids some quick speed skating lessons, which
they appreciated.
"I was excited to meet her," said Zach Thorne. "It was cool.
She's so nice. I am glad she came to visit us. We learned how
to skate really fast."
Groves, although already having left a lasting impression on
the kids, still had some sage advice for them to follow as they
progress through life.
"No matter what, always try to have a dream," said Groves.
'It's great to have dreams and with hard work those dreams can
be followed and come true."
Groves, who is originally from Ottawa, currently lives and trains in Calgary. She started speed skating when she was 11.
