It was a great time had by all at the Special Olympics New Brunswick summer games, held in Greater Moncton.
Around 450 athletes, volunteers and coaches from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island helped out at the event that was held this past weekend.
Executive Director Josh Astle says one of the highlights, was how the City of Dieppe stepped up to assist when the pool the athletes were supposed to compete in, sprung a hydraulic leak, “The City of Dieppe cancelled all of their morning programming in the pool at the last minute, to help us out. For the city to do that, it shows the type of commitment and compassion that our communities have for our special athletes.”
Astle says one of the best parts for these athletes is the friendships they form. There are some who they have met before and they don’t see on a regular basis, while others, they meet each event, “That is pretty powerful. The volunteers and coaches also form a special bond. We like to think of it as they are hooked and they keep coming back, because the athletes are so special.”
Next July and August, the national summer games will be held in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. “We will be basing our selections of athletes to go to Nationals, on our provincial games and how the athletes did, but you need to take into consideration that we don’t always take the top athletes in the top division. We spread it out and everyone has an equal chance to represent the province on a national stage,” Astle notes.
For more details on Special Olympics NB, and all of the programs they offer, click HERE
