CELEBRATING SUCCESS
Special Olympians return home
It was a scene of joy and jet lag as 13 members of Team Canada West returned home to Saskatchewan from the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria with some new hardware.
The team made it back to Saskatchewan early Sunday and on Wednesday met at the Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club in Regina to show off their medals.
Saskatchewan athletes won three medals — Ron Brandt from Saskatoon won gold in the 4x100metre snowshoe relay, Terry Livingstone from Regina won gold in the 777-metre speedskating event and the floor hockey team, with Chris Anderson, Kyrren Dean, Matthew Haddad, Robbie Bomboir, Shane Haddad, Tyler Haddad and Zane Lauritsen, all from Regina, along with Dean Boechler, Kyle Couture, Lee Salzl and Mike Snell from Saskatoon, won silver.
For all the athletes, it was a trip of a lifetime, the chance to compete on the world stage and to represent Canada, but for three of them there was an added element. Shane was on the silver medal-winning floor hockey team with his two sons — Tyler and Matthew.
“Being there in Austria just by itself was just ‘Wow.’ And then being there with my two families — my hockey family and my dad and my brother ... words can’t even compare to how awesome of an experience I had,” Tyler said.
To Tyler, it was a moment he could cross off his bucket list. He never imagined he’d have the opportunity to play floor hockey on the international stage with his brother, let alone his dad.
“You don’t usually have the opportunity to go to the top level with your dad and your brother ... you don’t see very many teams that have father, son or brothers playing together,” he said.
Tyler loved the experience and hopes to qualify for the next Winter Games with his brother. He’s not so sure his dad will still be playing.
For Shane, playing on the international stage representing Canada was a dream come true. For years, he watched greats like Mario Lemieux play and represent Canada around the world, but he never thought he would get the chance to do that, too.
“I’ve always watched Team Canada in the Olympics and the fans and it’s just like experiencing life to the fullest in the World Games,” he said.
The trip to Austria was a whirlwind with the group gone for two weeks. They left Saskatchewan on March 12 and travelled to Toronto to meet the rest of Team Canada before going to Austria. The next day they left for Austria, where the first week was spent getting settled and ready to compete. The Games started on March 17 with the opening ceremonies happening the next day. The Games lasted for a week ending on March 25.
The Special Olympics World Winter Games run on a similar cycle to the Olympics with the Games being held every four years.