Training Camp At Sun Peaks

If you ever want to get involved and stay involved in a sport or a variety of sports that can light-up you heart, get involved with the Special Olympics program in your area.

It’s not only fun, it’s especially rewarding to watch some of our athlete’s take part and play at quite possibly the highest level they might ever reach, but regardless they still play.

No rough play, no cheap shots, no profanity and definitely no cheating, just pure clean fun at the highest lever you will ever see.

I have been involved with the Special Olympics in Delta and have had a “blast” meeting great individuals who I truly call my friends.

As with other sports it’s all about holding training camps and the most recent one was at Sun Peaks in Kelowna in BC’s most beautiful interior.

The following is taken from the newsletter for wide distribution, so please pass on to anyone and everyone.

Over the last weeks and months, the snow sports athletes have all been hard at work in their home communities, logging dryland training and workouts

• participating in Club Fit and other SO programs
• pursuing cross-training opportunities such as dancing (cross-country skier Katarina Gerhardt)
• yoga (alpine skier Kelsey Wyse)
• cycling (cross-country skier Tracey Melesko)

The training camp at Sun Peaks allowed all the athletes, coaches, and mission staff to meet each other and spend time together in their sport teams.

It was also a great opportunity to train on snow, some of them for the first time this season, which was a big confidence booster.

The welcoming Sun Peaks volunteers helped provide a great training environment, and energized the athletes by remembering them from the 2015 SOBC Winter Games.

In addition to the on-snow workouts, the camp also included training in mental performance, competition preparation, and dryland exercises.

The snowshoeing athletes and coaches were all glad to be together, and they put videos filmed that weekend to good use.

Head Coach Maureen Brinson went through the footage filmed of each athlete with the coaches, breaking down the videos for coaching tips, and then they brought in the athletes to go through it all together.

This technique benefitted the athletes, giving them specific guidance to take home as well as the videos, as well as helping equip all the coaches with more tools to work with a wide range of athlete.

More news to follow in the next while on the BC Special Olympics.