About 150 Special Olympics athletes gathered at Kiwanis Field on Saturday to put their skills to the test.
“They’re getting back into the groove,” Jim Kruis, community co-ordinator of Special Olympics Brantford, said of the forced hiatus of competition for the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a fun event. We don’t take it as seriously as qualifying years.”
Dubbed Hometown Games, Saturday’s track events were hosted by Special Olympics Ontario, in partnership with the Brantford organization.
About 30 local athletes were joined by those from Sarnia, North York, London, Niagara Falls, Burlington, Oakville, St. Thomas and Kitchener-Waterloo to compete in javelin, shotput, long jump, standing long jump and races ranging from 50 to 3,000 meters.
Meghan Josling, who was dripping with sweat following her 3,000-metre race, called long-distance running “my special gift.”
“I run almost every day,” said the 27-year-old. “From 10 to 21 kilometers a day. “I feel free. I feel joy. I just love it.”
Josling, who is also a member of the Brantford Track and Field Club, trains twice a week with Special Olympics. She doesn’t let the Canadian winter get in her way. When the ground is icy and “gross,” she puts on a pair of snowshoes and makes the best of it.
Kruis said it’s the spirit of the athletes that makes Special Olympics extraordinary. His son Ben, who’s now 23, started competing when he was 10, making it to the national games as a pentathlete. Over the past 30 years, many Brantford athletes have competed at national and international games.
“Some of my most favorite memories involve Special Olympics,” said Kruis. “If someone stumbles on the track, the other athletes will stop and help them. It’s one big team. Everybody’s here for the same reason.”
Paul Wilson, who was recently inducted into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition, began his association with the local Special Olympics more than 30 years ago. His daughter, Christine, competes in track and field events.
“It helped with her self-esteem,” he said. “For us, it was about seeing her grow, to be able to have a good life.”
Margaret Micheli of Brantford is a staff worker for Special Olympics and has done some coaching. On Saturday, she was among the spectators cheering from the sidelines.
“It’s such a joy to watch them,” said Micheli. “They’re such an inspiration. They’re so unselfish. They remind us of what we should all be.”
Kruis said one of the biggest challenges is finding volunteers. They try to keep a ratio of four athletes to one coach but when they can’t find enough helpers, they have to cut the program short. It took more than 70 volunteers to run Saturday’s Hometown Games.
“I tell people to come and just check it out,” said Kruis. “If you ever think you’re having a bad day, these athletes will put a smile on your face.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can go to brantford.specialolympicsontario.ca or to the organization’s Facebook page.
