“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
That’s the motto Special Olympians voice prior to competition and, for a contingent of athletes from Wellington County and Guelph, it will be what they repeat at the Special Olympics Canada 2018 Summer Games.
For local 10-pin bowlers Jennifer Allen and Marc Richardson, the National Summer Games journey is complete. The bowling competition took play May 14 to 20 in Summerside, PEI.
Allen, who lives in Guelph after growing up in Hillsburgh, came home with three gold medals in the doubles, singles and division overall events. She also secured a silver medal in team bowling, in which four athletes competed together.
Allen said she was excited and nervous but, “I was fine after I threw my first ball … just think about one frame at a time.”
Richardson, of Guelph, also came home with a couple of medals, winning a silver in his team event and bronze in his single division.
“It was exciting but nervous at the same time trying to compete against the best from Canada and the best from Ontario,” he said.
Both athletes say their first National Summer Games was a great experience.
For two athletics competitors and nine basketball players, their adventure has not yet begun.
Athletics and basketball are two of nine events included in the National Summer Games, which will be held in Antigonish, Nova Scotia from July 30 to Aug. 4. The other events are bocce, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball and swimming.
Eva Bell of Guelph and Taylor Redmond of Puslinch will be representing the local area on the national stage.
Bell will be competing in javelin, shot put, running long jump and the 200m sprint. She said she’s excited about going to the National Games and most looking forward to the experience.
Redmond will also compete in javelin and shot put, in addition to standing long jump and the 50m sprint.
“I’ve been training hard with my dad up at the University of Guelph and I’ve been doing personal bests so far,” Redmond said.
Bell has also been doing her own training, in addition to the team’s weekly sessions.
When asked how he felt about going to the games Redmond said, “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.
“But going, it’s really a big deal for me and yeah, I can’t wait to see my friends there and friends I haven’t met yet.”
Basketball head coach Chris Metteis and assistant coaches Dario DiRenzo and Brian O’Donnell will take a nine-player Team Ontario to the National Summer Games to compete in the B/C division.
“This is a big thing,” DiRenzo said. “And … basketball is tough to win and … be chosen, so we’re very honoured and humbled to have this opportunity and I think the athletes are well aware as well.
“So this just doesn’t happen every year. It’s quite competitive.”
The team has been training since January for its debut on the national stage.
Metteis said the core group on the Team Ontario basketball team has been together for about 10 years.
“There’s a couple on this team that were kids and now they’re adults,” Metteis said.
“So we’ve watched them grow up and mature, not just as individuals but as basketball players from childhood.
“They’ve kept coming out and this team, several players on this team that have gone to two provincial games, we got a silver medal the first time we went and then we recently won the gold medal in Guelph, so they’ve gone to two provincial games and now they’re going to their first nationals. It’s a big deal for them.”
Metteis said athletes qualify for Special Olympics if they have a mental or intellectual disability.
“The benefit for the athletes is giving them the opportunity to socialize, and to socialize in an athletic manner so they (can) go out and exercise, participate in the sport that they love and then also give them the opportunity to compete in that sport,” he said.
Metteis also said all participants are the “essence” of an athlete.
“They’re there to compete and they’re there for the love of the sport and … the level of Sportsmanship you see at any … Special Olympics event, is … amazing,” he said.
“They respect their opponents, they help their opponents and they’re just there to play their sport to the best of their abilities.
“If you ask what the special thing is, it’s those moments that you see an opponent picking … (a) player from the other team up because he’s fallen, because it’s the right thing to do.”
