On July 11 six athletes - Lindsay Pearson, Tracey Scoular, Theresa Presley, Wes Harrison, Christel Jensen and Micheal Oswald - along with five coaches - Chuck Bertrand, Margaret Casey, Marie Telder, Gary Rogers and Marilyn Adams - set off to Langley for the 2013 Special Olympics provincial Summer Games.
The whole experience got off to a great start on the ferry ride over when Olympic gold medal skater and long-time Special Olympic supporter Scott Hamilton introduced himself and wished us luck!
We soon learned that this was the largest games in Special Olympic B.C.'s history with competition in 11 sports by 1,136 athletes, along with 436 coaches.
More than 1,200 volunteers were there to assist the athletes and their coaches in everything from providing delicious and nutritious meals, transportation to the various venues and logistical information support.
The government of Canada contributed more than $140,000 in order to pay for the travel for all athletes, coaches and mission staff.
Athletes, family and friends gathered at the Langley Event Centre for the opening ceremonies where CTV morning news personality Ann Luu was the emcee.
The mayor of Langley and other dignitaries welcomed the athletes and coaches. There were performances from young hip hop dancer Dante Arias and a local band - and yes, I am saying this right, Elvis!
Two athletes and an honour guard of police chiefs and officers in charge carried in the Olympic torch. It was lit to signify the official opening of the games.
Two days of competition followed in 11 events.
Our local athletes competed in golf, rhythmic gymnastics and swimming and in the end there were over a dozen medals brought home to our wonderful peninsula.
In the swimming events, Christel won a gold, two silver and a bronze, Micheal a gold medal and Wes, two silver and one bronze.
In rhythmic gymnastics Tracey won three gold and two silver, while Theresa won a gold, a silver and three bronze.
In the golf competition, Lindsay placed fourth, just out of the medals. She golfed two personal best rounds and her coach, family and friends were incredibly proud of her accomplishments. The course was tough and the competition fierce.
All during the competitions, the athletes were carrying out their oath: Let me win. If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.
A dance and closing celebration took place on Saturday night. A sock-hop was the theme with Elvis coming round again for a night of rockin' and a'rollin'.
To say the least, it was a blast from start to finish and everyone had fun -which is the most important of all.
Special Olympics is truly about what you can do, not what you can't. The games certainly brought this front and centre.
From the coaches perspective, we demonstrated good sportsmanship at all times and we all served as great ambassadors for the Sunshine Coast.
