Savannah Thompson, an 18-year-old Selkirk athlete, raced her way to victory at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary 2024 earlier this month. Savannah, a Lord Selkirk Comprehensive Student picked up four medals in speed skating events for Team Manitoba from Feb. 27 to March 2 in Calgary.
A team of 56 athletes represented Manitoba to compete in Alpine Skiing, Floor Hockey, Curling, Speedskating, Cross Country Skiing, 5-pin Bowling and Snowshoeing. Team Toba placed 4th behind Ontario, BC and Alberta with 16 Gold, 24 Silver and 16 Bronze medals. Interlake Athletics athletes Savannah Thompson (who trained with Sargent Park Racers) Nolan Penner, and Alec Baldwin accounted for 9:
Savannah achieved personal best times in all her races and won Gold in the 222m, Silver in the 333m and Bronze in both the 111m and 500 m races.
Nolan Penner came home with a Bronze in 100m and Gold in the 4 X 100m relay in Snowshoeing.
Alec Baldwin won Gold in the 800m, 1600m, and 4 X 400m relays and also in Snowshoeing.
Savannah has been speed skating for eight years and has always jived with it. It is an activity that she engages in to bring her joy.
“Speed Skating helps you get your mind off of certain weights on your shoulders,” said Thompson.
She trains at Sargent Park Racers in Winnipeg, attends ice practices for one hour weekly, and has been taking extra strength and conditioning classes since October to help her prepare for the Winter Games.
Savannah is grateful for the extra ice time Speed Skating Manitoba has given her this winter at the Selkirk Recreation Centre.
Her training routine involves warming up and stretches, technique training, and practice races. Athletes train skills such as crossovers and discuss recent races with their coaches. She loves the practice races, which range from half-lap to six-lap distances.
Dominic Jones-Bieringer has coached Savannah for two years. He said that she has improved greatly as a skater.
“It is incredibly impressive,” explained Jones-Bieringer.
He said Savannah’s passion and drive to speed skating explains the rapid improvement.
This was Jones-Bieringer’s first time at the National Special Olympic competition, and he was impressed with his athletes.
“I am super happy with how all my skaters did.”
He was excited for Savannah, who brought home a medal for each of her races and received personal best times on all of them. She shaved 9.8 seconds and 6.5 seconds off two of her races. Usually, racers reduce their times by 1 or 2 seconds.
Katy Thompson, Savannah’s mom, is extremely proud of her daughter.
“It is nice to have medals, but even better to have new personal bests,” said Katy Thompson.
Savannah was one of three speed skating athletes selected to compete for Team Manitoba at the Special Olympic Games. Athletes are picked based on their wins and race times from previous events the same year. She was also chosen to attend the 2023 National Special Olympic Winter Games in Thunder Bay. She was the only speed skating athlete from outside of Winnipeg.
“It is awesome when you can represent your own town,” said Katy Thompson.
The Special Olympic Games in Calgary were life-changing for Savannah. She got to skate at the Olympic Oval where the speed skating event for the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games was held.
“Calgary has the world’s fastest ice,” said Katy Thompson, adding to the memories they took from the event.
Savannah loved exploring the Calgary skywalks and the Calgary Tower, but she was there for one main reason: to compete.
“My favourite part about the games was getting my first gold in a national competition,” said Savannah.
Another highlight was meeting her role model, Canadian Olympian Catriona Le May Doan. She was thrilled to meet someone she looked up to.
The Selkirk Legion sponsored Savannah to attend the Special Olympics event through the Draft an Athlete program that allows organizations to sponsor an athlete’s fees. The Selkirk Legion sponsored her entire trip, raising $2,000.
“Hats off to the Legion in Selkirk,” said Katy Thompson. She described the whole experience as heartwarming. She explained how a lady made pies and sold them to send Savannah to Calgary.
Every donation helps, and the Thompson family is extremely grateful for the Selkirk Legion’s generosity.
“Selkirk takes care of their own, and I believe in that,” said Katy Thompson, describing how the sponsorship eased the financial stress of the games.
Savannah is a very busy athlete. She also participates in Special Olympic Alpine Skiing and Track and Field and in the community’s band, cadets, and theatre programs.
Savannah’s goal is to become a Team Canada Speed Skating Athlete and compete in the 2025 Special Olympic World Games. The Worlds will be held in Italy from March 7 to 18, 2025. Athletes are selected based on their previous race times. Savannah has to wait until June to determine if she has been selected for the team.
Savannah’s next competition is the Manitoba Cup on March 16 in Portage la Prairie, where she hopes to win some new medals.
