Sixteen Sunshine Coast athletes arrived home from the Special Olympics 2017 Provincial Games in Kamloops on July 9 bearing 26 medals! As part of the larger contingent known as Region 5, we participated in three days of ceremony, competition and great weather, a time no one will ever forget.
Chris Walker and Amanda Boghean, as part of the Vancouver Team, attained gold in softball. The team of Amber Fenton, Darlene Nelson, Wes Harrison and Candice Garrett secured gold in bocce. Linsey Davidson won two bronze in rhythmic gymnastics. Gus Vaughn achieved a gold in golf. Swimmers Genny Verge, Stephanie Rogers, Christel Jensen, Lindsay Pearson, Paul Davis and Micheal Oswald together collected four gold, five silver and two bronze. Bruce Stuart and Amber Maher between them brought home two gold, two silver and two bronze in track and field.
The whole team sends their appreciation to coaches Pat Stuart, Cathy Verge, Darren Lane, Tania Flynn and Grace Gardner for guiding us through this amazing experience! Special thanks go to all the other coaches who worked with us over the past four years to get us ready. Your undying belief in your athletes has paid off!
Finally, a huge thank you to the community as a whole for all the support you show to Special Olympics.
See if you can spot our local athletes in this photo of the whole of Region 5, which covers Vancouver to Whistler and the Sunshine Coast.
