BC Special Olympics October 2019 Newsletter

Special Olympics BC – Victoria athlete Michael Langridge and Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Sutter strike their bowling-themed parade pose at the Sports Celebrities Festival presented by Wheaton Precious Metals.

Fifty years of opening hearts and minds to the talents of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Fifty years of inspiration and excitement from Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey. Plus two decades of empowering support from the Sports Celebrities Festival presented by Wheaton Precious Metals. Equals one night to remember!

The 2019 Sports Celebrities Festival was an inspiring celebration of the 50th anniversary of the global Special Olympics movement, and of the Vancouver Canucks’ 50th NHL season. And it was an inspiring display of support for the work of the Canucks for Kids Fund and Special Olympics BC, changing lives through the power of sport.

We are very grateful to Presenting Sponsor Wheaton Precious Metals; Major Sponsors Canaccord Genuity, Macquarie, and TD; Event Sponsors BLT Construction Services, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Home Hardware, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, and Palladio Jewellers; and Media Sponsors The Province, Vancouver Sun, and Sportsnet 650!

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Pictured: SOBC – Delta athlete Travis Meyer and Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes at the 2019 Sports Celebrities Festival. Photos by Jeff Vinnick / Vancouver Canucks

Staples Canada is supporting the dreams of Special Olympics Canada athletes through the Give a Toonie Share a Dream fundraising campaign running now through November 3!

Staples Canada stores across the country are raising funds and awareness to support the more than 47,500 individuals with intellectual disabilities participating in high-quality year-round Special Olympics sport programs all over Canada. Supporters can donate at their local Staples or while shopping online at www.staples.ca/shareadream.

We are very grateful to all the Staples stores, staff, and customers in B.C. for their amazing support, and to the Special Olympics BC athletes and volunteers throughout the province who give great time and energy to help make this important campaign a success!

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This fall is action-packed for the Special Olympics Team BC 2020 Training Squad! The members from more than 32 communities around the province are coming together with their sport teams for Sport Summits. At the summits, they are building their sport skills, mental performance techniques, Games and nutrition knowledge, goals, and team spirit to help them deliver personal bests at the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay.

The 5-pin bowling, curling, figure skating, snowshoeing, and speed skating teams have already succeeded in their summits along with the B.C. Vipers floor hockey team! Up next are the North Shore floor hockey team this weekend, and alpine and cross country skiing in November.

Team members are showing impressive commitment to training in their home communities, putting in the work at least three times a week, with the vital support of their training coaches and supporters.

Please click here to meet some of the many team members who are epitomizing the 2020 National Games theme of “pure heart” through their dedication to their training.

Fans can follow the journey on Special Olympics BC’s social media accounts and website www.soteambc2020.ca! Team supporters can find key info on the Families & Fans page, including fan apparel info.

Gyms across the country are getting ready to pump up support for Special Olympics!

On November 23, CF|24 presented by TYDAX Fitness participants will take on a series of workouts to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics programs across Canada. Participants will sweat it out alongside Special Olympics athletes as they take on 24 workouts in 24 hours, four workouts in four hours, or one 24-minute workout.

We are grateful to B.C. gyms CrossFit Anchored Athletics, CrossFit BC, CrossFit Empower, CrossFit Ladysmith, and Raincity Athletics for being part of this fun motionball event.

You can celebrate inclusion and make your workouts make a difference by encouraging your local gym to get involved. For more information, check out www.cf24.ca or contact Meg Ishida by email or by phone at 604-314-4535 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free.

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The nationwide Rock The Rink figure skating tour offers a stunningly beautiful display of figure skating. It also serves as a powerful display of inclusion, thanks to the iconic skaters who are warmly welcoming fellow skating stars from Special Olympics into their midst, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly sharing the spotlight.

Rock The Rink’s iconic lineup is comprised of Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue, Patrick Chan, Elvis Stojko, Kaetlyn Osmond, Jeremy Abbott, Carolina Kostner, Tatiana Volosozhar, and Maxim Trankov. The tour has also chosen to welcome a Special Olympics Canada athlete into the cast at each Canadian stop, presenting a solo by the Special Olympics athlete as part of the show. A talented athlete alongside talented athletes. Inclusion at its best.

The tour kicked off in B.C. in October, and Special Olympics BC’s Marc Theriault, Alexandra Magee, Alexander Pang, and Darlene Jakubowski absolutely killed it in the performances in Abbotsford, Penticton, Vancouver, Dawson Creek, and Prince George. Their captivating skating and the lists of their accomplishments opened many eyes to the abilities of Special Olympics athletes.

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The Metro Vancouver Transit Police raised an amazing total of more than $55,000 for Special Olympics BC during our 2018-19 fundraising year!

This year’s Metro Vancouver Transit Police Charity Golf Tournament was the most successful yet, bringing in more than $37,000. Transit Police members also raised funds and awareness for SOBC through their overtime drive, LETR run and walk events, the Vancouver Polar Plunge for SOBC presented by Westminster Savings Credit Union, and the Cops, Pops, and Pizza campaign.

We are very grateful to Metro Vancouver Transit Police members for their outstanding support of Special Olympics BC and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for SOBC!

Pictured: SOBC – Ridge Meadows athlete Katherine St. Amand and SOBC’s Charlotte Taylor joined Transit Police Deputy Chief Officer Barry Kross for a cheque presentation on October 18.

The second half of the 2019-20 sport season will feature amazing action around the province in Regional Qualifier competitions in Special Olympics BC’s 10 summer sports.

In the 2020 Regional Qualifiers, athletes will give their all seeking to earn spots in the 2021 Special Olympics BC Summer Games. Those Provincial Games will be the provincial qualifier for the 2022 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat, Alberta, which are the national qualifier for the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany.

For SOBC athletes, it all starts right here with Regional Qualifiers. A significant number of Locals around the province will host these exciting competitions, and we sincerely thank all the volunteers, coaches, and supporters who put in so much time to make these important opportunities possible. Best of luck to all competitors!

Regional Qualifier dates are still being determined, so stay tuned for lots more details in the coming weeks! If you are planning a competition and need sanctioning documents or any other resources, please contact SOBC Sport Coordinator Jean Tetarenko by email or by phone at 250-883-2452 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free.

In 2012, Special Olympics BC introduced the Performance Program. The concept of the program was to provide SOBC coaches and athletes with sport-specific training that would elevate the performance of SOBC athletes. The program has been very successful, helping many coaches and athletes reach their potential.

Based on feedback from coaches and the SOBC community, the Performance Program will now be evolving into the newly designed Coach Development Workshops. Over the past year, Special Olympics BC Sport Consultant Jacques Thibault and SOBC sport staff audited resources available to coaches in B.C., and consulted some former participants of the Performance Program. It was determined that SOBC could create greater value for all coaches and athletes by focusing on hosting sport-specific coaching workshops that are solely for coaches. The intent is to give coaches the time and tools they need to enhance their abilities.

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Functional testing is a great tool for athletes and their coaches. It helps show an athlete’s fitness level, and doing the tests at regular intervals (e.g. six months apart) can show and motivate progress. Functional testing shows where and how coaches can help athletes focus to improve their fitness and foundational movements. And it helps athletes feel successful when they see the improvements in their results!

Special Olympics BC Locals are awesomely offering functional testing with their fantastic Club Fit programs. Club Fit is a fabulous and fun opportunity for athletes to participate in a weekly program that will help build their overall fitness. Please contact your Local to find out if you have Club Fit and can participate in functional testing.

In addition, Special Olympics BC is hosting three functional testing events in November:

• Open to all athletes: Prince George November 1
• Open to Richmond athletes: Richmond November 3
• Open to all athletes: Burnaby (BCIT) November 7, with the generous support of Vancouver Canucks employees through their annual Live 2 Give event

>> Learn more about functional testing

✅ The Performance Program is being revamped and will now be moving forward under the title of Coach Development Workshops. Please click here to find out how the Coach Development Workshops will elevate the performance of Special Olympics athletes across the province, by educating coaches and providing opportunities for networking.

✅ NCCP Special Olympics Competition Sport Workshops are taking place on November 2 and 3 in both Cranbrook and Victoria. This course is required by Special Olympics BC and all coaches must complete this within their first year of coaching Special Olympics athletes, so don’t miss out!

If you would like to register, please contact Leslie Thornley by email or by phone at 250-317-1272 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Once class capacity has been reached, you will be put on a waiting list.

✅ The SOBC coach certification requirements have been updated as of August 2019. You can review the current list here.

✅ Make sure to take advantage of all resources Special Olympics BC has to offer by checking out the resources page here.

Special Olympics BC’s Board of Directors and Leadership Council provide vital guidance for our organization and movement, and SOBC benefits significantly from the efforts of these valued volunteers.

We are thrilled to welcome SOBC – Dawson Creek volunteer Steve Oliver to the Leadership Council, bringing years of experience in Special Olympics and the sport world as well as in safe-sport procedures. Oliver is the Program Coordinator for SOBC – Dawson Creek and has twice served as a valued mission staff member for Special Olympics Team BC (2018 and 2020). Over the past 10 years, Oliver has acquired training and experience in dealing with safety and dispute resolution as both a national Level II volleyball coach and in his role as volunteer firefighter.

The Leadership Council is comprised of the Regional Coordinators representing the eight SOBC Regions and respected leaders in the SOBC sport world. This group plays an essential role in creating Special Olympics BC policies. Policies can be created through issues brought forward by members from the local level speaking to their Regional Coordinators. Regional Coordinators bring the concepts to the Leadership Council for deliberations. Out of those discussions, the Leadership Council can recommend the creation of policies, which must be approved by Special Olympics BC’s Board of Directors.

If you are an SOBC athlete, coach, or volunteer who would like to raise an issue, please contact your Regional Coordinator.

In October, Special Olympics BC welcomed Tara Fisher to the role of Administrative Coordinator. Tara brings years of experience in operations and logistics management in the education, food, and service industries. We are so pleased to have her as a member of the SOBC team on the provincial office front desk!