Virden family pushes for Special-O sport

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/10/2017 (3132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cade Scharff wanted to play baseball, but he couldn’t.

“It was frustrating for him and frustrating for us, because everyone was asking him, ‘Hey Cade, are you in ball?’” remembered his mother, Rita.

He would tell his friends he wasn’t allowed. The sport wasn’t safe, since his rare genetic disorder slowed his hand-eye coordination.

The question then became: What sport could Cade play? But the options are few and far between.

To change that, the Scharff family is organizing an information meeting with Special Olympics later this month in Virden.

They want to bring at least one Special Olympic sport to their hometown.

“Why do we have to drive all the way to Brandon for my kid to be in something?” she asks. “We have the facilities in Virden, the only thing we really don’t have is the bowling and swimming. We need to find out what kids are interested in and go from there.”

Cyndi Price, regional leader for Special Olympics Manitoba in Westman, said there should be more options for athletes outside Brandon.

“That’s my frustration, and that’s why I’ve had lots of consultation with people there,” she said. “There could be golf out there, there could be bocce, there could be indoor floor hockey. … Part of my regional leader mandate for myself is to bring more sports to people in their community, not necessarily bringing them into Brandon.”

In addition to offerings in the city, Minnedosa and Boissevain offer bowling, bocce is played in Neepawa and golfers are swinging in Minnedosa.

More communities on board would likely help with registration numbers.

Five years ago, only 11 per cent of Manitobans eligible to compete in Special Olympic sports were participating, a percentage Price considers “very low.”

That’s improved in recent years, at least in Westman, but there’s still a long way to go.

After all, she believes the benefits of sport are far-reaching.

“For the athletes, it’s a sense of belonging. It’s an opportunity to be involved in sport at a level that they can participate in.

“And they want to fit into community, so we have to find a place for them in our community.”

Cade’s mother never gave much thought to Special Olympics until her son couldn’t play baseball. She didn’t think her child was eligible.

Once she cleared up that misunderstanding, she recognized the value participating in Special Olympics would have on her son, a Grade 6 student with a genetic disorder that’s slowed his development.

“He loves, loves being around other kids, he wants to be active and he likes to be part of a team.”

This spring, he sought out competition. His mother drove Cade to the Brandon YMCA weekly for a multi-sport camp, which he enjoyed.

Rita said she’d drive to Brandon if she must. “You do it for your son,” she said. But she hopes to find something locally, in an arena in which he’d strive.

There are athletes, she’s learned, already driving to Brandon from Virden and Elkhorn to compete, who may be enticed by a closer option.

“I just want it out there that we’re trying to do this,” she said. “We just need to try and be a community and get the kids together and having fun, that’s the main thing.”

Currently, Special Olympics in Westman have an estimated 216 athletes and 71 coaches, competing in 10 sports.

The information session is geared toward prospective athletes, their parents, as well as people interested in coaching or volunteering. The meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Virden Collegiate multi-purpose room. People can contact Laurel Lamb at Prairie West Recreation at 204-748-2542 or pwr@mymts.net to RSVP in advance.

» ifroese@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ianfroese