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Locals off to Special Olympics World Winter Games
Three Cranbrook athletes are heading to Austria in one month to take part in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Cranbrook’s Roxana Podrasky, Erin Thom and Jonathan Robins will be competing in alpine skiing in Graz, Schladming and Ramsau, Austria March 14 to 25, part of a 108 member team of athletes from all across the country.
Special Olympics Team Canada, the third-largest team at the Games, will compete in six different sports: alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.
“Our Team Canada athletes, coaches, and mission staff are well prepared for this year’s World Winter Games,” said Marian Coulson, Chef de Mission for Special Olympics Team Canada. “The passion and skill level of our team is unmatched; we expect great results at these Games and, as always, a lasting impact on communities across the country.”
One of the world’s largest sporting and humanitarian events to be held in 2017, the World Games in Austria is a nine-day competition bringing together 3,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 1,100 coaches from as many as 110 countries. Learn more at www.austria2017.org
“I am very proud to be involved in Special Olympics Canada as Honorary Coach,” says Olympic and world champion figure skater Jamie Salé, who will accompany the athletes to Austria. “It is incredible to witness the role of sport in empowering individuals and transforming lives. We encourage all Canadians to rally behind our Special Olympics athletes for these games and to support local programs throughout the year.”
“We are very proud of our Team Canada athletes, staff, and coaches,” says Sharon Bollenbach, CEO, Special Olympics Canada. “Our programs reach far beyond just competitions and world class athletes, taking us into communities across the country, enriching the daily lives of over 42,000 Canadians with an intellectual disability (ID), through the transformative power of sport.”
The 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games will be Roxana Podrasky’s first foray at the World level and she is thrilled to be alongside her fellow alpine skiing teammates. Roxana says the Special Olympics programs have changed her and encouraged her to be a better person. She is healthier and in a better place because of sports. In her spare time, Roxana enjoys journal writing and baking.
Her goal for Austria 2017: “Come home with a medal or a personal best.”
Erin Thom, from Cranbrook, is excited to go to Austria for the World Games to compete and meet new people. She will be competing in alpine skiing and is proud of her silver and bronze medals from the Special Olympics Canada 2016 Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to being involved with Special Olympics, Erin has had multiple jobs including working for the Home Depot, the food bank and Special Olympics National partner, Staples Canada. Austria will be her fifth World Games, having previously gone in 1997, 2001, 2009 and 2013. Her goal for Austria 2017: “Skiing.”
Having experienced a Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2013, Jonathan Robins is excited to embark on his second World Games experience in Austria. In addition to alpine skiing, Jonathan is an avid softball, basketball, swimming and bocce player and loves to bowl and curl. Jonathan credits Special Olympics with keeping him busy and he is excited to go to Austria because “it’s going to be awesome!” His goal for Austria 2017: “Personal best.”
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Special Olympics B.C. photos
