Canadian national cycling champion Ben Chaddock has experienced a lot of success recently, and he is returning to his native Richmond later this month to speak to local schools about how he achieved that success: perseverance and recess.
No, swinging on monkey bars isn't part of the training regimen that helped him become the 2012 COLDFX Canadian National Criterium champion, but he does argue that having a balanced lifestyle with an athletic outlet is critical to pursuing one's dreams.
"Going to school, I had trouble academically. It was difficult to balance everything," said the 27-year-old Matthew McNair Mini School graduate who later learned to use cycling as his outlet.
He will be visiting McNair on Dec. 20 to explore this subject in greater detail with Grades 8 to 10 students - his first time presenting to this age group.
"I usually work with elementary schools, Grades 2 to 5, but my vision for this initiative includes a natural progression to various age categories, which is why I am venturing out to the scary world of middle school."
The main component of his presentation is focused around second chances, which he illustrates by telling his own story.
Chaddock has struggled with asthma since he was four and said he spent a lot of time in hospitals as a child.
That didn't stop him from taking up alpine skiing as a teenager, however, where he competed on the North American circuit.
"I was good, but not good enough. At 21, I went to Whitman and that's when I started bike racing," said Chaddock.
"Even though I didn't achieve my dream goals as a ski racer, my first passion, I am now achieving my goals at cycling.
"If you fail your first time, it doesn't mean you can't achieve something the second time around."
Chaddock's presentation also focuses on the practical.
Earlier this year, Chaddock formed his own children's foundation called BIKES (Bicycle-Inspired Kinetics in Elementary Schools).
The idea for the foundation was spurred from his experience helping put on bike safety demonstrations at elementary schools in the Walla Walla, Washington area when he lived there while attending Whitman College.
"Students would come and there were 10 stations, like one for fixing your bike, another for fitting your helmet, that kind of thing," said Chaddock.
"We had about 80 students come to that, and over the next three years we expanded that idea to other elementary schools."
Now based primarily in the United States (he said Canada is too cold for year-round training), Chaddock will be bringing that experience to a few B.C. schools in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island when he flies north for the holidays.
To find out more about the BIKES program, go to cyclinginatoque.blogsopt. com.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
