By: Justin Boone
jboone@ticats.ca
As an offensive guard for the Tiger-Cats, George Hudson is used to reading defences and trying to find out where the blitz is coming from in order to protect his quarterback from the pass rush.
What most fans don’t realize is that George’s favourite reading time comes at the end of the day, when George and his wife, Shannon, are tucking in their two sons, and reading them a bedtime story.
It’s not a rare act for a parent, but it’s something George finds particularly important. When he was in grade two, his father, who was a busy man running his company, found time to sit down with the young George and wanted to hear his son read, but there was one problem.
“I couldn’t,” said George. “I don’t know how I did it, but I kind of just snuck my way through school, without really learning how to read or reading at all.”
It was an embarrassing admission for the youngster, especially to his father, whom he wanted to impress. As a result, his parents went down to the school with George and meet with his teachers and principal and decided there was only one solution.
“They basically just gave us a whole box of books and every night at home I had to read from when dinner was over until bedtime… and it worked,” said the Ticats guard proudly.
It was a message he passed on to the students at King George Elementary, as the Ticats stopped at the school as part of their participation in Hamilton’s Literacy Week.
After sharing his story with the students, George read them a book that was displayed on the projector in the gym, allowing each student to follow along.
“George did an excellent job sharing that great book and I think that’s going to go a long way with the boys and girls to see some of their heroes read all the time too,” said the school’s principal, Katie Carr.
If you still want to be a part of Family Literacy Week it’s not too late. Hamilton celebrates the week from January 21 to January 27 this year, with events taking place at schools and libraries across the region.
The week is intended to promote the importance of reading and learning together as a family and several parents were present at King George. It wasn’t the only stop for the Ticats during the week. On Wednesday, Sandy Beveridge read to students at St. Bernadette’s Elementary School. Both players made a point to keep things exciting, especially George, who received some advice in advance.
“My wife gave me lessons and told me how I need to get some voice inflection, and be more animated and make it more fun for the kids. I didn’t want to be all monotone and boring for them.”
