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Special Olympics bring special memories to Winter Games

Feb 22, 2018 | 4:00 PM

Medals may be on the line but to the athletes competing in the Sask. Winter Games Special Olympics bowling it’s all about having fun this week.

The first day of the Winter Games Special Olympics kicked off on Thursday afternoon at Gutters Bowling and Gaming Centre in North Battleford and for Darlene MacQuarrie, the director of programming for Special Olympics Saskatchewan the next two days will be lots of fun for everyone involved.  

“Some of these teams will be bowling four or five games today so it should be very interesting,” MacQuarrie said. “The energy here at Gutter’s Bowling Alley will not diminish over the course of the day I can assure you of that.”

In all there are nine teams competing in the Sask. Winter Games with Special Olympics with four members per team.

MacQuarrie added for many of the teams the Sask. Winter Games is the first opportunity that they have had to be part of a competition of this magnitude.

“It’s really special to be here especially when you consider that La Ronge doesn’t have an actual bowling alley for Team North to practice in,” she added. “During the winter months they construct a makeshift bowling lane in the school hallway with bumper pads to help them and in the summer time they use the curling rink.”    

 

 

Tyler Servant of Swift Current is one of the athletes competing and said he has been looking forward to the Sask. Winter Games for a few months.

“This is a real treat being here in North Battleford,” Servant said. “We get a chance to see old friends and of course compete against each other which is fun.”

Servant has been bowling for nearly four years and is looking to build on his best score of 245 which he rolled a few weeks ago at an event.

“I enjoy the comradery and the competition of events like this so I just do my best and hope the pins fall for me,” he added. “We are all having a lot of fun here so far and I really like the venue here.”

Play continues with each team playing four games on Friday afternoon beginning at 12:30 p.m.

 

roger.white@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @RJWtheReporter