The power of positivity is infectious

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2020 (2174 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Luke Allard is a nine-year old Grade 4 student at École Margaret-Underhill.

Luke is a good student and says he’s really missing his friends at school.

“I don’t like being at home for school now because I don’t get to see my friend,” he says.” My teacher is Madame Michelle. She teaches me lots about math. That’s what I like. I like math.”

Luke has a lot of fun playing sports and he is a great teammate.

“I play for the Park City Vikings. I’m thinking I’ve been playing for five years now,” he says. “Coach Ryan is my coach. I like him a lot. He is a great coach. Our team has a lot of fun. I really like my teammates.”

Speaking to him, it becomes clear that Luke really enjoys playing hockey.

“Sometimes I play defence, but usually I play forward. My favourite position is right wing. I like right wing because I get to skate in front of the play. I really like to skate,” he says. “My favourite shot is my wrist shot. Scoring goals is a lot of fun.

“There are a lot of players that I really like. My very favourites, though, are Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Stone and Nikolaj Ehlers.”

Athletes who take their craft seriously often have routines that are firmly entrenched on a game day. Such is the case for Luke and his pre-game meal.

“I like to have a granola bar and a glass of milk,” he says.
Luke lives in Transcona with his dad Jeff, mom Karen, and sisters Kayla and Brenna.

“I love my family. I love my mom and dad. I want to say thank you to my mom and dad for always taking me to hockey and for doing a great job of taking care of me and my sisters.

Thank you to my mom and dad for getting me into hockey, I really love playing.”
In addition to being enthusiastic, Luke obviously has a big heart.

“He is a bright, upbeat kid,” says dad Jeff. “He only sees the positive in things.”

Positivity is a great attribute to have, especially in our world today. Luke’s positivity is reflected in his ultimate goal as well.

“My dream is to try to get into the NHL,” he says, echoing the wishes of so many young players.

Luke knows the key to that is practice, and here is what he offers to other athletes.

“Keep on practising and never give up. Never stop practising, you have to practise to get better.”

 
Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Troy Westwood is co-host of The Big Show, every weekday morning from 6 to 10 a.m. on TSN 1290 radio. He writes about Winnipeg’s unsung sports heroes every other week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. If you know of an athlete whose story Troy should tell, contact him at: troy.westwood@bellmedia.ca