There were 18 Prince George athletes who attended the Special Olympics BC Winter Games in Kamloops from Feb. 2 to 4 and they have returned victorious.
In snowshoeing, David Dunn earned gold medals for the 400m, 800m and 1600m races and received a bronze in the 200m race.
Adrian Rosen earned golds medals for the 200m and 800m races and a silver in the 400m.
Tegan Raines earned one gold medal in the 400m race and one bronze in the 100m race. Marinka VanHage earned silver medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m races.
When the Prince George snowshoe team combined their efforts they won a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay race.
In curling, the Fire on Ice team of athletes that included Greg Eveneshen, Darcie Muzychka, Ruth Caldwell, and Tyler LeFebvre won a bronze medal while the team of athletes that included William Spaetgens, Samuel Russell, Spencer Rourke and Gregory Cole came in fourth place.
In the five-pin bowling competition the team that included athletes Debbie Bileck, Mathew Brewer, Audrey Nelson, Leif Skuggedal and Adam Spokes came in fifth place, while Prince George bowler Lance Pattinson who stepped in to play on the Dawson Creek team because they were short a player won a gold medal.
The local Special Olympic athletes are excited about the BC Summer Games coming to Prince George in 2025. The event will see as many as 1,100 athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in 10 sports, including 10-pin bowling, basketball, bocce, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, swimming, and track and field. The athletes will compete in regional teams, supported by about 300 volunteer coaches and mission staff.
