The Olds and District Special Olympics team brought home more medals from the Alberta Special Olympics Summer Games than chair Karen Mengersen can recall in her time in that role.
With the help of nine coaches, 24 athletes from Olds and District brought home a total of 44 medals from the games, which were held July 7-9 in Medicine Hat.
It was the largest team ñ and the most successful ñ that Mengersen can ever recall sending.
She says that the team will now have to wait until at least Aug. 7 to find out who will qualify to go to the nationals.
The next national Special Olympics Summer Games will be held in Antigonish, N.S., in 2018. Special Olympics Canada's 2018 Bowling Championships will take place in Prince Edward Island May 13-17 that year.
Medals from Medicine Hat
Baseball: Andrew Strandquist, Kyle Laycock and Lane Andrew won gold with the Airdrie ball team.
Athletics: Devyn Renzetti: one gold, two silver and one bronze; Christine Hogan: one gold, one bronze and a fourth-place finish; Aaron Lewis: one gold, one silver and a fourth-place finish; Kevin McBride: one silver, one bronze and a seventh-place finish.
Swimming: Nicole Palardy: three gold and a fifth-place finish; Tyler Slack: one gold; Wesley Wilks: two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
10-Pin Bowling: Mike Dougan: two gold, one bronze; Mark Mengersen: three gold medals.
5-Pin Bowling: Team 1: bronze (all five bowlers) ñ Kenny Morin, silver; Joey Rempel, gold; Darryl Siemens, silver; Nicole Chorny, sixth; Cheyanna Moostoos, silver. Team 2: gold (all five bowlers): Derek Dukes, gold; Derek Hallet, silver; Sandra McCloskey, bronze; Karen Bystrom, fourth; Brooke Carter, fourth place.
Golf: Alan Finch, 58; Chrissie Finch, 79/76. (Alan was only able to play one round, due to heat exhaustion and dehydration).
Mengersen was not only impressed with how well the athletes did, but also with the sportsmanship they displayed.
"It was really cool," she says noting as the Olds and District team gathered to go home on their bus, they spotted the members of the Calgary team getting ready to leave ñ and they cheered them enthusiastically.
Mengersen says several of the Olds and District athletes started the cheering. Then the local coaches encouraged other Olds and District members to do the same, which they did.
"They had a lot of athletes leaving the building," Mengersen says, noting the Calgary contingent likely numbered in the hundreds.
"We thought they would never end," she adds with a laugh.
The team will now have to wait until at least Aug. 7 to find out who will qualify to go to the nationals.
