School might be out for the summer, but FH Collins Secondary will once again be the scene of friendly competition as Special Olympics Yukon hosts their second annual Development Games on Saturday.
“It’s to highlight some of the sports that we offer,” said Natasha Jaczek, program director of Special Olympics Yukon. “Also we’re doing basketball, which we don’t currently offer in our community-based program. It’s to see interest levels and to see how the athletes take to new sports.
“(Last year) was a hit.”
The Development Games will actually start the night before the competitions with opening ceremonies at the Yukon Arts Centre at 7 p.m. featuring a parade of athletes, musical performances and speeches by Yukon politicians.
New to the Games this year are athletics and basketball clinics being held before the start of Saturday’s events. The clinics will be performed by the basketball and athletic teams going to the Canada Summer Games next month in PEI.
Saturday’s events will consist of basketball, bocce and athletics beginning at 1 p.m. Unlike last year, there will be no soccer.
“We thought it was a little too much,” said Jaczek. “It’s more streamlined this year with three sports.”
For more information contact the Special Olympics Yukon office at 668-6511.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com