Six athletes and one alpine skiing coach from Special Olympics BC-Kimberley/Cranbrook, will leave Saturday afternoon on a journey that will take them to the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Cranbrook-based athletes Donna Schwartz, JoAnn Griffioen, and Shyanne Moe will be joined by two bowlers and one provincial bowling coach from Fernie to compete in five-pin bowling.
Cranbrook residents Erin Thom and Roxana Golbeck will compete in alpine skiing, supported by coach Misty Pagliaro of Cranbrook. They are joined on the the Special Olympics Team BC 2020 skiing team by athletes from Invermere and Trail as well as teammates from across the province.
Cross-country skier Jesse Jensen of Cranbrook will also be part of the team, alongside a cross-country skiing athlete and coach from Golden, plus teammates from all parts of the province.
These athletes qualified to to compete at the 2020 National Games based on their performances in the 2019 Special Olympics BC Winter Games one year ago. Since their selection to the provincial team, they have been working hard in the Games sports, in cross-training opportunities, and in their other Special Olympics sport programs, so they have been training at least three times a week or more. It’s been a multi-year journey to reach the national stage, because they also had to train and compete in Regional Qualifiers to earn spots in the 2019 SOBC Games.
These dedicated athletes are looking forward to achieving personal bests and bringing home medals from the National Games. Many are also hoping to qualify to advance to International Special Olympics competition.
The Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Thunder Bay 2020 will take place February 25 to 29. Encouraging messages can be emailed to teambc@specialolympics.bc.ca, and results and news will be posted at www. soteambc2020.ca
The local athletes will return to Cranbrook on March 1 at 6:45 p.m., and would love to have supporters come to the airport to welcome them home.