Special Olympians kick off competition

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This article was published 17/06/2017 (3173 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The atmosphere was electric as Special Olympics Manitoba athletes marched into the Healthy Living Centre gymnasium on Friday, kicking off the 2017 provincial Summer Games.

Representing 52 clubs from all seven regions of the province — plus a team from Saskatchewan — enthusiastic participants waved to the crowd as their teams were introduced.

“Each of these athletes have trained hard and prepared for these games and are looking forward to a weekend of great competition, fair play and most of all, a lot of fun,” said MC Karen Chrest.

An extra loud cheer erupted when the Westman region was introduced. Kathy Kempthorne of the Boissevain Turtles five-pin bowling team was one of the first Westman athletes to come through the doors.

As she waited for the ceremony to begin, she expressed a nervous excitement for the weekend. When asked what she is most looking forward to, Kempthorne said “meeting all the different teams, like the Parkland team,” adding with a smile, “They’re going down!”

Kempthorne’s coach, Betty Challner, said the entire team is thrilled to take part.

“Everybody’s so excited to have this opportunity, because if they do well they can go to nationals, and that’s just a super feeling for them,” Challner said. The Summer Games act as a qualifier for the 2018 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Antigonish, N.S.

Brandon University will serve as the athletes’ village and host events at the HLC. Other local venues include the Sportsplex, Thunderbird Bowl, Stanley Park, Shilo Country Club and CrossFit Rocked. The three-day competition includes five-pin and 10-pin bowling, basketball, bocce ball, golf, power lifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer and swimming.

Paul and Pat Cloutier of Winnipeg cheered their son Patrick on as he made his way into the opening ceremony. Patrick has been involved with Special Olympics Manitoba for the past 17 years, first with floor hockey, then soccer and now, golf.

“It’s a feeling of community, a feeling that together with a bunch of people with disabilities, they can do things together,” Paul said. “People with disabilities, they don’t get an opportunity to really join groups. They’ve always been on the perimeter, so this gives them an opportunity to be in a …non-judgmental (group).”

It also is a great community for the parents, who get to know each other over the years, he added.

“We’ve met a lot of good friends as well, like the people we’re with today,” Paul said.

Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest told the crowd it is an honour, privilege and thrill for the city to be hosting the Games this weekend. He encouraged the athletes to do their best and celebrate one another.

“I’ve had a lot of great coaches, and they all instilled in me that I needed to just do my very best, and everything else will take care of itself,” he said. “You’re all going to have a fun, amazing competition, but you need to respect each other in sport, respect each other’s performances, and congratulate each other every step of the way.”

Special Olympics Manitoba board director Duane Brothers sparked a big cheer from the athletes when he spoke of the “tremendous spirit” of Westman.

“Special Olympics Manitoba is an absolutely incredible organization that does not only embellish the lives of the people who are athletes here, it embellishes and makes even better the lives of myself, everybody in this room, this entire province of Manitoba,” he said.

Michelle Magnusson, chair of the local organizing committee, had a special thank you message for everyone who made the event possible.

“Once again, Brandon, you showed your dedication in hosting events. Please take your time to thank a volunteer over the next few days because we couldn’t do any of this without them,” Magnusson said. “I hope you make new friends, I hope you achieve your personal best at these games and have fun.”

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