Casault, Norman (198)
THE SPEEDSKATER
Mr. Honore Maisonneuve, the first mayor of Donnelly, and had paid for all expenses of the outside rink in the village. One day he noticed that Normand Casault around the boards and Normand looked fascinated to see how one could slide across the ice on skates. Therefore Mr. Maisonneuve stopped his car to speak to him. “Would you like to have skates?” he asked and Normand with a bright smile said, “Yes, Oh, yes.” So Mr. Maisonneuve brought him to the local store and bought him a pair of skates.
From the moment Normand put on these skates, he had only one thing in mind…the skating rink, and from morning until night he went around and around that rink; by now, he rarely went to school! When the school superintendent heard this, he went to see Normand’s mother to explain that there was a good school in Regina for cases such as her son was. Normand was an easy, pleasant character and he said he was ready to go to Regina as long as he could bring his skates.
When school began in September, Normand received tickets to go to Regina so he left with the little amount of clothes he had, but his skates were in his baggage! Once in Regina, to Normand’s great joy, there was an arena where he could skate nearly all year. Also there was a physical education teacher who noticed Normand’s skill on skates and asked him if he’d accept to have a coach. Normand barely answered but seemed very satisfied. Things went along so well that in 1956, there was a national speed skating competition for different classes according to age levels. That year, 1956, the competition was in Edmonton, Alberta.
The teacher registered Normand in the intermediary class for the quarter mile race, the half mile race, and the three-quarter mile race. Normand won all three.
Two years later, he competed for the North American championship, and there again, Normand won first place in all three categories: the quarter of a mile race; the half mile race and the three-quarter of a mile race.
He, who had not put on a pair of skates before the age of 14, became the North American champion in his category.
When a reporter came to interview him, his first words were to thank Mr. Maisonneuve, and he said it in a way which everyone could understand, “Thank you, Mr. Maisonneuve, for having bought me my first skates.”
Later, Normand took a course and became a barber in order to have a livelihood
Normand son of Ulric Casault + Jane Lizotte
N 1937-07-09; McLennan, AB
M. Rowena Wheatly
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