All it took was an indication.
Hallie Clarke, 18, was born in Belleville, Ont., however has hung out residing in Calgary, Boston, Buffalo and elsewhere.
The nomadic nature of Clarke’s upbringing left her with deep roots in each Canada and the U.S. — and an essential resolution to make this previous summer season, the genesis of which started about 5 years in the past.
Clarke was freshly in Alberta when she walked into WinSport Area — the place her mother was working as an influence skating coach — and found her calling.
“I occurred to see this ‘Be taught to push’ signal and I used to be like, ‘That sounds so Canadian. I’ve to do this.’ After which I attempted it as soon as after which I simply sort of stored going and by no means stopped,” Clarke recalled to CBC Sports activities just lately.
Rapidly, Clarke went from a leisure native slider to a developmental athlete with Staff Canada to an alternate on the 2022 Beijing Olympic staff. However after these Video games ended with out Clarke even making the journey to China, athletes inside Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton got here ahead with accusations of a poisonous atmosphere created by “authoritarian” management.
In search of elevated stability, positivity and alternative, Clarke moved south of the border to affix the U.S. staff. She made her World Cup debut as an American and slid to a pair of second-place finishes, together with in Whistler, B.C. She closed the season by putting tenth on the world championships in Switzerland.
Regardless of the success, nonetheless, Clarke’s path to the 2026 Italy Olympics remained foggy as she’d simply begun the method to acquire U.S. citizenship. Then, Staff Canada employed Joe Cecchini — Clarke’s private coach and the man who oversaw her first-ever downhill sled journey again in Calgary — as its head coach.
And so, as soon as once more, Clarke was on the transfer — this time again to Canada.
“I had heard that the entire group has actually carried out a reset. They’ve fully new management. That they had actually turned over a brand new leaf. And Canada is my residence. I’m Canadian and it’s a privilege to compete for Canada. So I’m actually excited to be again,” Clarke stated.
Now, Clarke is a full-fledged member of the Canadian skeleton staff. The primary World Cup of the season begins Thursday at 9 p.m. ET in Yanqing, China, with dwell streaming on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports activities app and CBC Gem.
Robust trio
Clarke will probably be re-joining veteran teammates Mirela Rahneva and Jane Channell, every of whom are two-time Olympians that competed forward of her in Beijing.
“Olympic yr is chaotic making an attempt to qualify, however I had actually wonderful teammates. We had been all actually supportive of one another.” Clarke stated. “Clearly there’s at all times stuff occurring behind the scenes, however there’s at all times going to be that stuff. In order that apart, I used to be actually fortunate to have good teammates.”
Cecchini, who privately coached a number of Canadians, stated Clarke can bridge the hole from Rahneva and Channell, for whom 2026 may very well be their closing Olympics, to the following era of Canadian sliders.
For now, although, he stated the ladies’s staff has excessive potential main into the Video games.
“The three of them sort of feed off one another. So when you’ve one particular person doing rather well, that’s superior. However when you’ve three, you realize they’ll actually help one another and push one another to realize nice issues,” he advised CBC Sports activities.
Whereas an Olympic podium look is the purpose for Cecchini — although organizers nonetheless don’t know the place sliding occasions will even happen — the previous Italian Olympian is principally charged with restoring order to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.
He stated his “greatest achievement” thus far is having each coach within the group turn out to be totally licensed, together with safe-sport coaching.
“There wasn’t a variety of teaching earlier than, however I believe that the coaches have actually carried out a very good job of bringing the staff collectively,” Clarke stated.
After conducting a full evaluation of this system, Cecchini stated he’s additionally intent on creating clear pathways for athletes and coaches to maneuver by way of the system.
“I don’t assume I’ll ever totally perceive each facet of what occurred,” he stated. “However I used to be teaching a variety of the Canadian athletes [privately] and I used to be listening to their plights, I used to be listening to their tales. And when there was a gap, I believed that I may make an impression each on the tradition of this system but additionally from a growth pathway.”
‘Alignment’
Cecchini, the 41-year-old from Path, B.C., has 20 years of expertise in legislation enforcement, the place he typically labored in psychological well being departments. He stated he tries to carry that into sport by understanding an athlete’s wants and creating an open dialogue.
“It’s not a lot about everybody having the identical opinion and having the identical voice, however having an alignment. And so all of our athletes are in alignment. Their targets are in alignment for this system, for themselves. They could have completely different opinions on how we have to get there, but when their targets are in alignment, we will create a shared imaginative and prescient for our program,” he stated.
In the meantime, Clarke stated there’s one noticeable distinction in her return.
“Every part is actually constructive. Everybody is actually targeted on ensuring that the athletes have every part they have to be their greatest selves each on and off the ice,” she stated.
As a coach, Cecchini should strike that delicate steadiness of pushing his athletes to be at their greatest with out overdoing it.
He stated it’s “superior to listen to” that he was a deciding factor in Clarke’s return to the staff.
“Whenever you hear an athlete say they’re excited to rejoin this system and a significant component was the work that you just’re doing that sort of makes all of it worthwhile. So it’s the very best praise that you may get,” he stated.
Now, with Clarke and Cecchini again aboard, Canadian skeleton can start to show the web page.
“I believe [Clarke] will probably be a world champion someday and/or an Olympic medallist,” Cecchini stated. “She works actually onerous. She’s devoted herself to this and she or he has confirmed each step of the way in which by way of the event pathway that she’s there to win.”
Clarke has envisioned what that medal second could really feel like.
“You simply despatched chills desirous about it,” she stated. “It could imply the world to me, actually. Once I take into consideration representing Canada and sporting the Maple Leaf, I simply consider all of my household and mates and this nation giving me so many alternatives.
“With the ability to signify every part that my household and mates have carried out for me whereas residing on this nation can be actually particular.”