The Silver Lining
Over the past few weeks, a student from our Rundle community has been living out a dream years in the making. Tom Stephen is a grade 12 student at Rundle Academy and is currently representing Canada at the 2020 Nordic Junior Ski Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. Getting to the international stage, however, was not an easy endeavor for Tom. Tom is one of the youngest members of Team Canada this year, competing for the first time in the U23 category. Not only that, but Tom had a real uphill climb starting with a freak injury this past summer.
Prior to starting his grade 12 year, Tom unfortunately broke his collar bone while mountain biking with his friends. A harmless afternoon of fun turned this young man's world upside down. Not being able to train or participate in other social activities really took its toll on Tom, but if you know this young man, giving up was never on his radar. Needless to say, this only fuelled his motivation
and he found himself securing a spot on the national team this past January.
Now, competing in both individual and team events, Tom had the opportunity to add some more accomplishments to his already impressive resume. Tom's goal of a top 30 finish in the individual events was reached earlier this week, placing 17th in a group of 80+. With this finish, Tom helped secure a place in this year's upcoming World Cup, but he wasn't done yet. Along with his teammates, Tom was able to capture a silver medal in the team relay. This, in turn, was the first medal that Canada has ever achieved in this event at the U23 races.
If you asked Tom in September if he would be where is now, he would have probably answered you with a sense of cautious optimism. It wasn't the easiest of paths for him, but he never lost focus. It is truly unbelievable to see how far this young man has come to compete at this level and the entire Rundle community is extremely proud of these accomplishments. Well done, Tom!
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