It has been several days since 17 of Timmins Special Olympians have returned from the Vancouver games that were hosted between July 7 - July 12, 2014. Athletes and coaches flew out on the Sunday before and returned on the late flight July 13/14. Every one of these athletes succeeded in their attempts to win a medal. Every athlete came home with a medal. To my unfortunate surprise, the City with the Heart of Gold, showed no enthusiasm or support for them on their departure or upon their return. There should have been. These athletes are incredible individuals and they have a heart of gold in everything they do and deserve the recognition for their triumphs. The athletes participated in Swimming, Athletics (Track & Field), Weight Lifting and Soccer. They represented part of Team Ontario. They competed against the other provinces in the hopes to make it to the World Games next year, to be held in LA. It is an enormous honour and experience for the Athletes to compete at such a high level and they will find out later this year if any of them will be moving forward to the World Games. They work hard. They train hard. And they have fun while doing it. They have a goal and make every attempt to succeed. Most often than not, They do. The coaches that travelled with them, Bob Boisvert (weight lifting), Albert Seale (soccer), Derek Thibeault (soccer), and Steph Cloutier (athletics), couldnt be more proud of their teams performances. Diane Wahlman (Community Coordinator Special Olympics for Timmins area and keeping coaches and athletes inline) and Shirley Roy(nurse) were also in attendance to cheer and encourage the athletes to do their best and to help keep the Athletes focused on what they were there to do, which was to bring home a medal and have lots of fun. As tired as all the athletes and coaches were when arriving, everyone of them were grinning from ear to ear and you could see the pride in Bob, Albert, Derek, Steph, Diane and Shirley knowing what the Athletes accomplished in Vancouver. Other cities that had sent Athletes to the National games boasted about their athletic accomplishments in full page adds, and aired news clips for their communities to see what talents their Special Olympians possessed, but NOT Timmins. If you arent a hockey great or singing sensation, it seems Timmins couldnt be bothered to recognize the hidden and triumphant talents that we DO hold. These are not the only Athletes in the Timmins area. There are several more. There are many more coaches, many more volunteers, many more parents and caregivers who support, include and encourage all of the athletes to do their best. These people take the time out of their lives to help inspire and motivate these Athletes, to teach them that they can do something big. To teach them that there is more to them, than just a disability. To show them that there are people with compassion and understanding, and who are willing to help these special individuals succeed in whatever it might be they choose to do. If it isnt sports, there is mechanics, computers, arts and other avenues of interest that are pursued, and there is some one there to help guide them every step of the way. I am writing this, because this has bothered me since the day they all left. I was in contact with them continuously while they were gone. I was able to watch some of the games online and cheer from home. I was there when they came home on their late flight. The city says it has a heart of gold, and in some cases it does. But none of that was shown to these people. These people deserve it the most. I, for one, feel privileged to have been accepted to take part in their lives over the last couple of years. I enjoy their smiles and silliness. I am dumbfounded by their dedication and efforts they put forward. I believe that everyone could learn something from these individuals and become a little more humbled because of them. These people, athletes and volunteers a like, show what a Heart of Gold truly is. I commend and congratulate everyone who participated at the National Games.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:21:14 +0000