Special Olympians across Manitoba gathered this weekend to compete at the Winter Special Olympic Games.
Sports included bowling, alpine skiing, curling, floor hockey, nordic skiing, snowshoeing and speed skating.
Five athletes from Steinbach—Alex Koop, Mark Mosters, Andrea Martens, Gilbert Fehr and Angela Kuffner—competed in bowling at the Mosienko Lanes in Winnipeg. They played against other bowlers from other regions across the province.
Mark Mosters and Alex Koop medalled during the games. Mosters took home the bronze, while Koop captured the gold medal.
For Mosters, it was his first medal.
“It’s pretty awesome,” he says.
Special Olympics bowling coach Chuck Hudson has been involved with the team for around 15 years.
It was just a day of trimming the bowling alley’s grass. Then, one day, he was asked if he wanted to help with scorekeeping.
“I got in there, and I had such a blast. I continued going in, and it's been great,” Hudson recalls.
Hudson says that their program has 40 bowlers and plays together every Saturday morning. This past weekend was the first Winter Special Olympic Games in four years.
“Just like everything else with COVID, it's been shut down. They were pretty ecstatic to be able to get back at it, and they had a blast out there,” he says. Last year we were about half the people were there for bowling, and this year we're back into full swing.”
He is excited about the team and is happy about their performances this weekend. He appreciates their efforts and how they try their best.
He adds that Koop had a “super game” as “he had a 278 mark and bowled above his average.” Placing first in his category gives him a chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Alex will be in the possibility of going through the Canada Games. They’ll either inform me, and then I will inform him, or they will inform both of us at the same time if he's going to go through the Canada Games, which are in Calgary next year.”
With files from Corny Rempel.
Check out the photos from this past weekend: