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The waiting Games

Let the Games begin. Curler Peter Malcolm could barely contain his excitement on Monday, four days shy of the competition beginning at the 2011 Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games.
Let the Games begin.

Curler Peter Malcolm could barely contain his excitement on Monday, four days shy of the competition beginning at the 2011 Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games.

“I’m looking forward to the Games, definitely, and the competition,” said Malcolm, a familiar face to grocery shoppers at the River Street Metro, where he’s worked for the past 11 years.

“Hopefully I’ll perform better than they do and score and do the right moves.”

Malcolm is one of a contingent of 14 local athletes competing at the Games, being held at four venues throughout Thunder Bay this weekend, and said it’s a great chance for the city and its people to share the area’s secrets.

“It shows what Thunder Bay’s all about, about the athletes and about the place where we live and where we have fun,” the 47-year-old said.

Teammate Jordan Pretchuck, 23, said he’s excited for the Games to arrive.

“I’ve never been in this kind of event before,” he said, taking a break Tuesday from curling practice at Fort William Gardens, where the sport will be staged on Friday and Saturday.

“It’s my first time. I’ve curled before, but never in a tournament like this before.”

The foursome gets together on Sundays and every second Saturday to train, and like all athletes, getting to the podium is their ultimate goal.

Pretchuk is confident in his teammates’ ability to get them there.

“I think we will do good, 100 per cent,” he said.

Curling is one of six sports being showcased in Thunder Bay this weekend. Others include speed skating and figure skating, to be held at the Tournament Centre; Nordic skiing and snowshoeing at Kamview Nordic Centre; and alpine skiing, slated for Mount Baldy Ski Area.

Games manager Julie Tilbury, a constable with the Thunder Bay Police Services, said there’s been plenty of behind-the-scenes work leading up to Thursday’s opening ceremonies, and an exciting two days of competition lies ahead.

“I think we have about 311 athletes who are going to be coming into town. We have over 65 athletes competing in the unified event, a parallel event going alongside the Games,” Tilbury said. “There are six spectacular sporting events and 700 volunteers are ready to bring this forward and make this a great event.”

The Games, designed to give mentally challenged athletes a venue to compete. The first national competition was held in 1969 in Toronto. Today all provinces and territories, the exception being Nunavut, hold provincial competitions, qualifiers for the national Games.

Tilbury said there are a couple of reasons why they continue to thrive after more than four decades.

“No. 1 they allow these athletes an opportunity to strive and compete and have some goals and be able to accomplish some things they’re looking to do,” she said. “The other thing is they make people aware of Special Olympics and what people with intellectual disabilities are capable of doing.”

Athletes are paired against people of similar abilities, to help level the playing field, she added.

“I can tell you when I went to the national Games and was watching the swim competition … on the higher levels you might have thought you were watching a college swim competition. There are some talented athletes. I think people are going to be surprised at what they see,” Tilbury said.

Admission to all events is free of charge. Events are scheduled to take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

For more information, visit www.specialolympics2011games.com.


 


Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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