Athletes from Special Olympics BC-Powell River returned to the community triumphant after winning gold at the Special Olympics BC Winter Games in Vernon last weekend.
Three local players, Andrew Swindlehurst, Tanya Norman and Robert Lang, are part of the Vipers floor hockey team. The rest of the players are located in Comox, Courtenay and Nanaimo. The Powell River contingent is coached locally by Tarra Tipton and travel to Vancouver Island for frequent practices as well. The hard work and travel paid off as the team was placed in the top division of the competition and beat their opponents in every game leading up to the gold medal match.
“We played pretty fantastic,” said Norman. “A lot of people were surprised and amazed at how well we played together.”
In their first game against Surrey, Vipers won 11-1, followed by a 15-3 win against Kamloops and an 8-1 win against Abbotsford. They faced Abbotsford again in the final, winning 7-1.
“As coaches we’re pretty proud to see the outcome that happened,” said Tipton. “You could see the hard work the athletes put in both at the games and working up to them.”
Each athlete on the team is expected to comply to a strict regime that includes weekly practices, training sessions and sticking to a healthy eating plan, all of which they log, according to Tipton.
“We have to be committed,” said Norman. “We had to sign that we would commit ourselves to at least three times a week in training along with other sports that we also do.”
In addition to floor hockey, athletes in Vernon competed in front of large crowds in five-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, snowshoeing and speed skating with more than 1,200 medals handed out.
Vipers have already set their sights on the next goal: to compete at the national and international level. The 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games take place in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and are the qualifier for the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Sweden.
“Last provincials we won and made it to nationals and placed second, so this is our second crack at it,” said Tipton. “Hopefully we’re going to get selected and head to Thunder Bay next February. Our goal is to win there so we can potentially go to worlds.”
Along with a strong commitment, what sets the team apart is their connection to one another, added Tipton.
“We have two new players but otherwise our team has been together for almost 15 years and that plays a huge part,” she said. “They’re so supportive of each other. In our last game Abbotsford scored the first goal in the first period and rather than getting down they knew they had to pick themselves back up. They pep-talked each other on the bench and went out there and gave it their all.”
The team is coached by head coachRandy James and assistant coaches Ed Houlihan and Tipton.
