Five athletes from the Norman region of Manitoba made history in February 2024 when they participated in the National Games held in Calgary. This is the largest number of athletes from Team Manitoba to ever participate in the National Games. The athletes who made it to the National Games are Mervin Linklater, Aimee Chubb, Michael Harrison, Fate Frank, and Cory Beardy.
Mervin Linklater represented the region in bowling, while Aimee Chubb and Michael Harrison participated in snowshoeing. Fate Frank and Cory Beardy, the youngest members of the team, aged 16 and 14 respectively, also participated in the games.
Mayor Colleen Smook acknowledged and congratulated the Northern champions during a Council Meeting held on April 15th as Marlene Enberg; Regional Leader for the Norman Region, praised the Mayor for her efforts in recognizing the achievements of the athletes.
Enberg said, “Mayor Colleen Smook has invited our Special Olympic athletes and acknowledged others at the council meetings. Because our athletes did so well at the National games, she wanted to recognize our athletes because they have accomplished so much.”
The Special Olympics Club in Norman and Thompson has come a long way since its inception three years ago. The club has grown from 20 to 25 members to a total of 54 members. Mayor Smook appreciated the hard work put in by the club members and acknowledged their contribution to the Special Olympics.
There are seven Special Olympics regions in Manitoba, with one located in Thompson. The mission of the Special Olympics is to enrich the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) through sport. The vision of the organization is to create more inclusive communities by opening hearts and minds towards people with these disabilities.
The organization has two primary categories, Active Starts, and Fundamentals. Active Starts is for children aged 2-6 years, while Fundamentals is for children aged 7-13. The programs teach the basic skills of sports such as throwing, kicking, and catching the ball, and even track and field. These programs run every Saturday from September to the end of April.
The Special Olympics Club in Norman and Thompson teaches individuals snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and alpine skiing. Enberg said, “This would be our second year of running the cross-country skiing and snowshoeing program.”
The achievements of the athletes from the Norman region at the National Games have brought attention to the organization. The achievements have also inspired others to join the Special Olympics Club and participate in sports. The organization has shown that with hard work and dedication, individuals with disabilities can achieve great success in sports.
~Matthias J. Johnson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Thompson Citizen. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
