Olympic effort

Eleven Special Olympic athletes from Northwestern Ontario are turning to the public to help send them to Alberta for the 2012 Canada Winter Games.

Armed with a fundraising goal of $11,000, or $1,000 per athlete, the Special Olympians kicked off a fundraising campaign on Thursday, eager to let everyone in the region know just how important the event is to their lives.

Curler Rachel Warren, whose team finished second at the provincial Games held last winter in Thunder Bay, said she can’t believe she’s qualified for nationals.

“I’m thrilled. This is my first time ever qualifying for nationals. I’m hoping I’ll make some new friends and see what Alberta’s all about. Hopefully we’ll have a good time, and maybe we’ll come back with the gold for Thunder Bay,” she said at a fundraising launch at Northern Credit Union’s Arthur Street branch, where the regional organizing committee was given its first $1,500 contribution.

“Way to go,” Warren said. “The best way to support an athlete is to raise money, and if we get our goal, so help me God, we’ll do well. And I hope everybody else has a good time.”

Warren will be joined in St. Albert, Alta. next February by seven other Thunder Bay athletes, inlcuidng curlers David Heise, Paul Luomala, Janice Martinsen and Jordan Pretchuk; snowshoers Thomas Boyes and Patricia Newman and downhill skier Amy Cizmar.

Atikokan’s William Hanlon (snowshoeing) and Joshua Wiens (curling) and Terrace Bay’s Shannon Moquin (snowshoeing) will also make the trek westward.

Ashleigh Quarrell, the public relations co-ordinator for Special Olympics Thunder Bay, said the rewards are worth the donation.
“(The athletes) work very hard to make it to the national games or any level of competition. They’re getting together on a weekly basis and they’re sometimes doing more than that,” Quarrell said. “And they all compete in multiple sports as well.

“So as much as they’ve qualified for individual sports, it’s a huge part of their lives because they do so many different sports. They get involved in the social activities. It’s a big piece of their lives and it’s a well deserved victory for them to be able to head to nationals. They’ve worked very hard for it.”

Money raised will be used to pay for transportation, coaching and support for athletes, Games registration and the team uniforms.

“It feels great to be starting our fundraising campaign for this with some money already in our pockets,” Quarrell said. “We would hope that we wouldn’t have to say that somebody can’t go. That would be really unfortunate.”

To host a fundraiser, make a donation or for more information, contact the local Special Olympics office at 684-1034.