 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Senior at Caribou High School Tori Degenhardt, left, gets an autograph from Olympian Julia Clukey after an assembly on April 25. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — As part of her three-school Aroostook tour, Olympian Julia Clukey visited with Caribou High School students on April 25, sharing her story of dedication, perseverance, and hard work. Indicating a positive response to her speech, the line for Clukey’s autograph extended almost to the back of the auditorium.
“Her message today was that you have to work hard and you have to accept defeat once and a while; you have to work through [defeat] and certainly we see kids in that situation every day,” said CHS Principal Mark Jones.
Starting with her first wide-eyed trip down a hill on a luge as a 12-year-old, Clukey not only shared her successes (and she’s had many), she shared with the students times of her life when she didn’t succeed.
“I think it’s important for kids to realize if you want something, it’s not going to be instant gratification — you’re going to have to work really hard … and you’re going to fail; that’s part of life no matter what you’re doing,” the Olympian said after her CHS presentation. “Failing is going to make you appreciate your successes all that much more.”
“There’s sad times and bad times in life and I think it’s important to face those head on just as much as you would your successes,” Clukey added.
Caribou senior Tori Degenhardt was one of many students who enjoyed Clukey’s presentation.
“I liked it; I snowboards, so it’s nice to hear another athlete talk,” she said.
After the formal presentation, audience members had an opportunity to ask Clukey questions; the whole audience was wowed after a student asked Clukey the fastest speed she’s raced at.
“91 miles an hour,” she answered.
“Have you ever calculated how many G’s you do?” Principal Jones asked, referring to g-force.
“Five,” the Augusta native answered, and again, her response was met by awe.
The Olympian’s presentation was orchestrated by the Maine Beer and Wine Distributors Association; its president, Nick Alberding, accompanied Clukey to her three assemblies — visiting Houlton on April 24 and speaking in Van Buren as well as Caribou on April 25.
Alberding says that people giggle with it’s announced that Clukey’s presentations are sponsored by his association, but the message is all serious — to speak and inspire, “and I think that’s a positive thing,” he said.
As Clukey and Alberding have been working together for the past two years, he says he’s proud of Clukey’s work with the kids.
“She’s not here to preach to the kids and you’ll never hear her talk about alcohol,” Alberding said. “She’s really here to talk about setting goals and overcoming challenges and, hopefully, that resonates with the kids.”
Clukey has announced that she plans to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Additional information about Clukey can be obtained by visiting http://clukeyluge.com.
