Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “, brought to you by Hal Wright Chevrolet-Cadillac-GMC-Buick on the Sunset Strip in Owen Sound.
The level of excitement is growing with each passing day for a contingent of athletes about to depart for a major event in Vancouver.
The National Special Olympic Games commence next week in British Columbia and a group of 26 athletes from Region 4, including 6 from the city of Owen Sound, will be on the Ontario entry.
The local group will depart on Monday with the opening ceremonies and first events on the following day.
At the National Games, the performers from our region are spread out in terms of the events they are competing in.
Some will be in track & field, others will hit the pool to compete in swimming and another segment will compete in both 5 pin & 10 pin bowling..
The National games are the third step on the ladder to the pinnacle of Special Olympics, which is the World Games, so you can appreciate that the normal enthusiasm generated by Special Olympians at the local level is multiplied many times over for the National Championships.
Dealing with all those emotions, from the jitters to all-out exuberance, will be a challenge, no question for the performers, but similar to any National Championship, the athletes that handle the surroundings the best, most likely, will be the ones to advance to represent Canada on the International stage.
I’m Fred Wallace