Two athletes and three coaches/support staff from our area are off to the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary next week.
Snowshoers Trenten Heinrichs (Rosengart) and Janell Brown (Winkler) will be joined at the Feb. 27 to March 2 competition by coaches Sabrina Klassen (Winkler) and Julia Thiessen (Altona) as well as Team Manitoba mission staff member Chris Sumner (Altona).
The four were given a big send-off last week at a community pep rally in Winkler attended by family, friends, and dignitaries.
“Four thousand athletes and coaches from across the country will be descending on venues in Calgary to compete in events like curling, five-pin bowling, figure skating” and, of course, snowshoeing, said Sumner, noting Team ‘Toba’s snowshoeing team includes 18 athletes and six coaches. “Some have been to the Canada Games before. But for some this will be their first time that they’ve ever been at a national level event.”
That’s the case for Heinrichs, though Brown represented Manitoba at the national games in track and field a decade ago.
The pair train with the Winkler Bear Paws and won their events at the Special O provincial snowshoing competition last winter to earn the chance to compete nationally.
Heinrichs says he’s most looking forward to “having fun, hanging out with friends” at the Games and “trying to win some medals and make my parents proud.
“I’ve been working out in our fitness room at NPC [Northlands Parkway Collegiate],” he added. “I’ve been training hard doing workouts, been practising snowshoeing, doing some leg lifts and leg workouts and running.”
Brown shared she’s been training multiple days a week as well. She said she’s eager to take to the field against athletes from other provinces and is determined “to win medals” in her events.
It will be Thiessen’s first time coaching on the national stage. Her home club is the Altona Panthers Special Olympics team.
“This is my first time going to national Games, and so it’s been really nice to have an experienced assistant coach [in Klassen, who has attended several national competitions] to check with and learn from and ask questions to, because it’s a big learning curve,” Thiessen said. “I’m excited to see the athletes. From what I saw at the provincial Games, there is such a community amongst the athletes and families, so I’m excited to see those relationships as well.”
“We haven’t been at Games for four years,” noted Klassen, “so being able to see the hard work and dedication the athletes have put in—they’ve been training up to three to four times a week—and then just being able to compete and showing all the hard work they’ve done, being able to see other athletes from across Canada. We haven’t seen some of them in a long time. So yeah, [we’re] super excited.”
The pep rally heard greetings from Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens, Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt, and Special Olympics Manitoba’s director of sport Colleen Lowdon-Bula. Altona Mayor Harv Schroeder was unable to attend, but he also sent along warm wishes of support for the team.
“You have worked tirelessly to reach this point,” Hiebert told the athletes. “We are so very proud of your achievements.
“This is your moment to shine,” she said, “and I believe in you and your potential to do great things.”
She also lauded the Special O volunteers for helping to make it possible for the athletes to compete.
“None of this would be possible without the amazing help and guidance of the coaches and volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to these amazing athletes sitting here today.”
“So much hard work went into it,” agreed Mayor Siemens. “So much support from friends and family goes into this type of an event.
“We are exceptionally proud that you’re going to go and represent Southern Manitoba. We’re certain that you’re going to represent us well.”
