Hallie Clarke's return a step in right direction for rebuilding Canadian skeleton program

All it took was a sign.

Hallie Clarke, 18, was born in Belleville, Ont., but has spent time living in Calgary, Boston, Buffalo and elsewhere.

The nomadic nature of Clarke's upbringing left her with deep roots in both Canada and the U.S. — and an important decision to make this past summer, the genesis of which began about five years ago.

Clarke was freshly in Alberta when she walked into WinSport Arena — where her mom was working as a power skating coach — and discovered her calling.

"I happened to see this 'Learn to push' sign and I was like, 'That sounds so Canadian. I have to try this.' And then I tried it once and then I just kind of kept going and never stopped," Clarke recalled to CBC Sports recently.

Quickly, Clarke went from a recreational local slider to a developmental athlete with Team Canada to an alternate on the 2022 Beijing Olympic team. But after those Games ended without Clarke even making the trip to China, athletes within Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton came forward with accusations of a toxic environment created by "authoritarian" leadership.

Seeking increased stability, positivity and opportunity, Clarke moved south of the border to join the U.S. team. She made her World Cup debut as an American and slid to a pair of second-place finishes, including in Whistler, B.C. She closed the season by placing 10th at the world championships in Switzerland.

Despite the success, however, Clarke's path to the 2026 Italy Olympics remained foggy as she'd just begun the process to obtain U.S. citizenship. Then, Team Canada hired Joe Cecchini — Clarke's personal coach and the man who oversaw her first-ever downhill sled ride back in Calgary — as its head coach.

And so, once again, Clarke was on the move — this time back to