Eleven members of Olds and District Special Olympics (ODSO) will be participating in the 2019 Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games next month.
The Games take place Feb. 8-10 in Calgary.
One skier, Brian Tabor, will be attending, along with assistant coach Murray Elliott of Olds and head coach Martin McSween of Drumheller.
"We do a combined team every winter," ODSO chair Karen Mengersen says.
Ten five-pin bowlers will also be competing in two teams.
Team 1, the Olds Raiders, consists of Kenny Morin, Jeff Schmaltz, Joey Rempel, Marie Davis and Mike Dougan, along with coach Shelley McInnis.
Team 2, Olds Phoenix, consists of Tyler Slack, Jasmine Poitras, Andrew Strandquist, Cathy Vickers and Derek Hallet. Mengersen is their coach.
More than 700 athletes from 64 communities across Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories are expected to attend the Games, the largest sport and humanitarian event for individuals with intellectual disabilities in the province.
Mengersen thinks Tabor has a shot at medalling in alpine skiing.
She wrote in an email, "I mean, the potential is there. He's a good skier; an intermediate."
Mengersen also thinks the two bowling teams also have a chance of getting to the podium.
"I have sent teams to (summer games in) London Ont. in 2010 and Vancouver in 2014 and PEI in 2018. So for three national games in a row, Olds has had a five-pin team, part of Team Alberta," she says.
When asked if that means the two bowling teams have a pretty good chance of medalling, Mengersen said, "well, I'm hoping so."
