Last week members of the Sunshine Coast RCMP had the good fortune of playing a heart-warming game of basketball with the Sechelt Special Olympics team.
Special Olympics basketball is so popular on the Sunshine Coast that there is one team in Gibsons and two teams in Sechelt, who play throughout the winter months. They invited the RCMP to play with the Sechelt teams in the final game of the season, held at the Sechelt Elementary School gym. A dedicated group of volunteers helped to organize the game, just as they do with the many other Special Olympics sports teams running on the Coast.
RCMP Const. Andrea Ceulemans loved the experience and said that “giving up some time to play with these special athletes puts everything in perspective. I’m sure that just as playing here tonight helps us to forget about the challenges we’ve faced in our day at work, playing here tonight also helps the athletes to forget about the challenges they face in their lives every day. These moments are at the very core of what tonight is all about, and of what community policing is all about.”
After plenty of smiles, handshakes and high-fives following the game, members of the RCMP left in amazement of the skill and the heart the athletes played with.
The Mounties know they have to practise up for next year, because it was clear these Special Olympians will be back and better than ever.
