The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast
Hello again! I was fortunate enough to sit down with my swim coach Marie Telder to ask her about her experiences with Team Canada in Los Angeles at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.
First, I asked about how much hardware (medals) the swim team brought back to Canada…50! 39 of those belong to Team BC! Whoo Hoo! Joshua Low of Langley won the first gold for team Canada for the 25-metre backstroke and Kelsey Wyse of Kelowna and her relay team not only won gold in the 4X50-metre relay but also set a new world games record with a time of 2 minutes 48 seconds!!
When I asked Marie about her favourite memories, she recalled the magic of one athlete’s words that brought peace to a child who was scared of flying! She was also touched when she received a cheerleader pin from an athlete from Finland. Pin trading was a major activity at the Games and Marie brought home a plethora of them. She even let me choose one from her collection. I picked a beautiful one from Pakistan in the shape of an animal with large horns.
Marie talked about a fascinating initiative known as “The Peale Project”. Seven Special Olympic athletes from Southern California, all of whom are photo buffs, were paired with professional photographers who mentored them for over a year. They were given hi-grade cameras and they covered their experiences at this year’s World Games.
It is truly cool to have Marie as a coach in swimming. I am looking forward to October 3rd when our Special O swim team, The Dolphins, kicks off its fall/winter season! I asked Marie if her experience at world games would change her coaching style. She replied that she was not sure but that she loved coaching swimming and she was continuing to train herself. I’m sure her experiences will bring it to the next level!
Meanwhile, a reminder that Athlete Registration for the new season of Special Olympics here on the Coast will take place on Thursday September 17th at 5:00 p.m. at the Sunshine Coast Association for Community Living office on Mermaid Street, Sechelt.
If you have any questions with respect to registration, please contact Allyson Pearson at 604-885-7732.
That’s all for now faithful readers! Till next time, remember the oath of Special Olympics: “Let Me Win, But If I Cannot Win, Let Me Be Brave In The Attempt!”
The Special Olympics Canada swim team pauses during the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles this summer. Helping them win 50 medals was Marie Telder, standing
second from right, who coaches the Special Olympics swim team on the Sunshine Coast.
