1. Going back to school can be an Olympian hurdle.
- Author
-
Intini, John
- Subjects
ADULT college students ,OLYMPIC Games ,OLYMPIC Games (28th : 2004 : Athens, Greece) ,OLYMPIC Winter Games ,WOMEN speed skaters ,WOMEN cyclists - Abstract
Clara Hughes laughs sheepishly when she thinks of her first days as a university freshman last fall at the University of Calgary. Hughes isn't used to buckling under pressure. Her three Olympic bronze medals--two in cycling from the 1996 Atlanta Games and one in speed skating from Salt Lake City last year--are proof of that. Now, in addition to homework assignments and her ongoing efforts to learn French, Hughes is gearing up for what will likely be her Olympic swan song next year in Athens (after the fall semester in Calgary, she moved to Quebec's Eastern Townships to train). The Winnipeg native is one of only four athletes in Olympic history to win medals at both the Winter and Summer Games. In the meantime, while her art studies didn't get off to an explosive start, she is excited by her progress. One idea came out of a recent 1,500-km biking adventure in northern Canada with her husband which she says opened her eyes to the plight of Native children. "I'd like to establish an art or sports camp for the kids," says Hughes. "I won't try and turn them into Olympic athletes, but it would be great to give back a little of what I had."
- Published
- 2003