The athletes of this weekend's Special Olympics Ontario WInter Games parade into the Robert J. Surtees Athletic Centre in front of a capacity crowd of family and friends during the opening ceremonies on Thursday night. PHOTOS BY LIAM BERTI
The march of over 300 athletes moving one step closer to their lifelong dreams earned the collective roar of family, friends and fans as the North Bay 2015 Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games officially began on Thursday night.
With smiles and enthusiasm abound, the two-hour opening ceremony at Nipissing University’s Robert J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre set the ideal tone for the rest of the weekend.
Police Chief Paul Cook, Mayor Al McDonald and representatives from the Special Olympics all offered their welcome and words of encouragement ahead of what is sure to be a momentous occassion for both the athletes and the city.
North Bay’s own J.J Stickland, who will be competing in the snowshoe discipline on Friday, was given the honour of carrying the torch onto the stage with Chief Cook and cherished every moment of the experience.
“That felt just so amazing,” Stickland said after the ceremony. “To be able to stand up there in front of family and friends was really special.”
The 17-year-old Grade 12 student explained how wonderful it felt to be a part of the entire event and get the chance to meet so many great people.
Stickland also said his excitement has been building up since he found out that he would be lighting the ceremonial cauldron almost two months ago.
“I knew it was going to cool, but that was just totally different than what I imagined,” he said.
But now, he said, the real fun starts.
The Games will be taking place throughout town this weekend, with athletes competing in alpine skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, nordic skiing, snowshoeing and speed skating disciplines.
They will also be making the most of North Bay’s wealth of quality venues too, including Laurentian Ski Hill, Nordic Ski Club, Memorial Gardens and the Clarion Resort.
While the athletes are competing for golden glory, they are also vying for the chance to represent Ontario at the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
There are 12 regions in the competition this weekend, including 15 North Bay athletes representing one of the three Northern Ontario divisions on their home turf.
The North Bay Police Service commenced the event earlier in the day too, running a Law Enforcement Run for Special Olympics through the downtown core and, eventually, to the opening ceremony. The Service has partnered with the Special Olympics of Ontario to organize and run the events.
According to the organization, the torch run, known as the “Flame of Hope”, has become the largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness campaign for the Special Olympics.
Chief Cook was quick to commend the community on the vast amount of fundraising and impactful awareness efforts in the anticipation leading up to this weekend.
But as Sara Butler, the daughter of North Bay Battalion head coach Stan Butler, delivered a powerful and emphatic commencement statement with her father, the Games were officially under way.
The elder Butler was named the Honourary Coach for the Games and said the Special Olympics has been a big part of his family’s life.
Honourary athlete and longtime NHL player Bill Houlder also gave a heartfelt speech, during which he told the athletes and their families that sport can be the ultimate way to prove yourself when everyone else has nothing but negative things to say.
The rest of the evening saw entertainment from local talent like the Can-do Theatre, the Barbara Treleaven School of Dancing students and other local musicians entertain the athletes and audience.
The Games begin at 9 a.m. Friday morning and all are free to the public.
For the full schedule and more information on the weekend’s events, click here: http://www.specialolympics2015games.com/default.asp
