There was a lot of excitement going into the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games floor hockey finals in Calgary.
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“I couldn’t sit down, I was pumped,” said Kodi Cronk from Delhi. “I was all over the floor.”
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Cronk, who grew up in nearby Vittoria, played with the London Blazers, representing Ontario in the four-team Rocky Mountain division at the Feb. 28-March 2 tournament, and scored in London’s 4-1 gold-medal winning game against the Alberta Warriors.
“I would like to thank my coaches from Simcoe… and I would like to thank London (Blazers) for asking me to go out,” said Cronk. “This medal is for my friend who passed away in a snowmobile accident. So this is dedicated to him, Jordan Dale.”
And there was a lot of excitement in his hometown as people celebrated Cronk’s national gold medal with a fire-truck parade Sunday, March 10. Cronk rode on an antique Bickle fire truck and was cheered by hundreds of family, friends and Norfolk County supporters throughout the village.
“We have a big family and we know everyone around Vittoria,” said Elaine Boughner, Kodi’s grandmother, holding one of many ‘Congratulations Kodi’ signs on the main street.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Boughner smiled.
“I’m not surprised, I have a lot of family support,” said Cronk, who plans to continue playing floor hockey, and hopes to maybe someday return to the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.
“We aren’t done yet,” Cronk said. “I’ve played floor hockey since I was 16, and this is my first (national) gold medal.”
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