Canadian luge athlete, Arianne Jones, received a
motivational boost on the road to achieving her Olympic dream on Thursday.
November 1st. With her sights focused on Sochi 2014, Jones spent the morning at
the track trimming her locks while giving and receiving inspiration alongside
the Kids Cancer Care community.
Encouraged by 12-year-old youth luge athlete Sam
Judson, who trimmed her hair for charity last year, Calgary’s pint-sized 22-year-old
Jones decided to lend a foot of her locks and raise money for Kids Cancer Care.
Jones plans to donate the hair to Angel Hair for Kids who provides wigs at no
cost to children who lose their hair to cancer or other diseases.
“As an athlete you become so focused on the
day-to-day highs and lows along the journey to achieving your Olympic dreams
that it is easy to lose perspective on the real challenges in life that others
are facing,” said Jones – who added that she established an immediate connection
with Judson, someone she handed used equipment down to, as they are both tiny
in stature.
“To see my young teammate, and someone I was
helping along, be so tuned in to the adversities of these incredible children
who have battled cancer made me realize that to truly represent Canada, I have
to do more than just compete. I believe the true spirit of being an Olympian
realizes itself when you leverage your privileged position as a role model to
positively impact others while bringing awareness to important causes like Kids
Cancer Care.”
As is the case with far too many Canadians, the
connection to cancer also exists deep into the luge community.
Calgary luger and cancer survivor, 12-year-old
Chris Rowell emceed the event, introducing Jones to an enthusiastic audience of
teens. Samantha Andres, whose battle scars with cancer include an amputated
leg, shared her story of triumph and adversity before joining Rowell and Judson
at the start line to make the first cut in Jones’ waist-length hair.
“It is events like today that
encourage other young kids like myself to fight and believe they too will
achieve their goals of getting healthy,” said Rowell. “Many of us understand
how hard it must be to have cancer, but big-hearted people like Arianne, along
with organizations like Kids Cancer Care, allow us to forget about our disease
for a few hours and for that I am grateful. Lucky for me, I am fully recovered.
Now I feel like I can give back, and have committed to raising money to help
make battling cancer a little easier for other children.”
Following an inspirational presentation that
culminated with getting the most memorable haircut of her life, Jones and a
group of her Olympic teammates gave the kids a luge demonstration before giving
them a chance to hop on a sled and take a trip down the icy chute
themselves.
“Part of my goal in doing this was to inspire these
kids and give them a little hope, but I am blown away by their strength,
positive attitude and outlook on life and sport,” said Jones. “As a result, I assure
you the big learning in all of this is I am the one who is leaving here today
most inspired. I’m more motivated now than ever to chase my dreams having
witnessed first hand the extraordinary challenges these kids face. They will
have a special seat on my sled with me as we slide closer to Sochi.”
Jones’ journey towards achieving her Olympic dream
continues November 24-25 when the World Cup season kicks off in Igls, Austria. Canada will play host to the 2013 World Championships at the
Whistler Sliding Centre, February 1-2, 2013.
In addition to donating her hair,
Arianne also raised over $2,500 for Kids Cancer Care: https://secure.csfm.com/kidscancer/shaveyourlidforakid/home/profile.php?participant_id=770676591347646690
Watch the video from the event: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/news-video/video-canadian-luger-arianne-jones-loses-locks-for-charity/article4898398/
Kids Cancer
Care’s Shave Your Lid for a Kid Program also encompasses hair donations by
working alongside Angel Hair for Kids. Learn more:
http://www.kidscancercare.ab.ca/hair_donation.htm
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