At the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in February, local athlete Owen Munroe brought home two bronze medals in cross-country skiing.
Special Olympics Yukon is now hoping for similar success with the selection of the team that will represent the territory in the 2009 Special Olympics BC Summer Games to be held July 9-12 in Abbotsford, BC.
Sixteen athletes, accompanied by 10 coaches and mission staff, will be sent to compete in athletics, soccer and a new sport introduced to the Special Olympics just last year, bocce.
“Bocce was introduced in May 2008 as a sport that we offer,” said Team Yukon chef de mission Serge Michaud, who will be joined by team managers and assistant chefs Thomas Gibbs and Natasha Jaczek. “We offered it at the Development Games in July because it was a newer sport and to give athletes who haven’t tried bocce a chance to try it.”
Except for bocce, which is not included in national competitions, the BC Games are a qualifying event for the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games taking place next year in London, Ontario.
Special Olympics Yukon also intends to send athletes to next year’s Games for swimming and five pin bowling, however, those athletes will qualify through participation in local events.
Team Yukon
Athletics: Owen Munroe, Jessica Pruden, head coach Lindsay Agar.
Bocce: Mallory Pigage, Nick Ross, Caron Ross, Michael Sumner, head coach Janine Smith, mission staff Brant Gibbon.
Soccer: Kenny Atlin, Rachel Dawson, Willy Everett, Lester Gladue, Christopher Lee, Darrin Lucas, Gaetan Michaud, Stefan Oettli, Colin Sterriah, Patrick Sterriah, head coach Christina McGillivray, coach Grant MacDonald, coach Cody Wilkinson, mission staff Clayton Francis.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com