Canadian Olympic bobsledder Alysia Rissling, a two-time champion who races 150 kilometres per hour down icy tracks, knows a thing or two about reaching goals.
Rissling was in northern British Columbia this week, visiting elementary school students in Fort St. John, to share her experience and wisdom with young students.
"I was lucky enough growing up, I had a plethora of mentors that were involved from all levels of high-level sport and I realized the value of having those people in my life," she told Carolina de Ryk, the host of CBC's.
"I wanted to give back to some kids who maybe do not have the same experience."
One-on-one time
Rissling is part of a mentor program called Classroom Champions which pairs Olympic and Paralympic athletes with young students around North America.
The program partners with classrooms of students from kindergarten to Grade 8.
So far this year, Rissling has been mentoring the students online. This week's trip is the first time she meets the students in person.
"I'm so excited to get to hang out with them and spend some more time one-on-one and they can personally show me some of the work that they've done," Rissling said.
The mentor program follows a curriculum, she explained, and so they cover different topics from goal-setting to community involvement.
In each case, Rissling said she includes examples and advice from her own life.
"[It's] more interactive with individual students and they have a better relationship with the mentors rather than just speaking to a bunch of students and not knowing if anyone pays attention," she said.
With files from Daybreak North.