Lyle, a whip-thin young man wearing black sunglasses, a form-fitting navy blue parka, streamlined athletic snowshoes, and with a big smile on his face, runs at full speed around the playground perimeter fence at Northcott Prairie School.
The weather is not all that cold, and there is more ice than snow on the ground, but that doesn’t stop the young athlete from pouring it on. Two and a half minutes later, he completes his circuit. As he crosses the finish line, his coach yells out he has broken his previous best time by about a half-minute, and there are high fives and congratulations all around.
Lyle, who is an athlete for Special Olympics Airdrie, is asked what he loves most about the sport of sprint-snowshoeing.
“I love the running,” he answers simply, as if it should be obvious to anyone watching. But a second later, his true competitive fire reveals itself.
“I look forward to competing and maybe getting a gold medal,” he says, with absolute confidence.
To Lyle’s mother, his brother, and his coach watching on, that serene confidence is not surprising to anyone who knows the young man. His coach, Lyndon Chubbs, who has taught competitive snowshoeing for 30 years, said this is what the Special Olympics and competitive sport in general does for those facing differential challenges: It builds up their confidence and gives them an opportunity to participate at an elite level.
“They all want to win, but the motto of Special Olympics is: ‘Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,’” explained Chubbs.
As a coach, he said it’s not about pushing Special Olympians like Lyle to win their events, but helping them to achieve their own best result each and every time they compete.
“It’s all about understanding what each athlete can do and what they bring to the sport,” Chubbs explained. “Being patient and understanding that there are going to be different levels, and creating a training plan that will allow each one to develop at their own pace to reach their personal best each time.”
At the end of the day, Chubbs said the “bravery” portion of the Special Olympics credo is really what matters most. According to the long-serving coach, it’s about helping individuals who have often experienced social isolation in their lives through no fault of their own learn to grow and thrive through sport.
“Here it is about participating, doing your best, supporting each other,” Chubbs said.
And that personal growth takes many forms, added Susan Farkas-Fillatre, the media relations coordinator for Special Olympics Airdrie. Not only does it build confidence in the athletes while they are competing, but it also builds their confidence to go out and be full participants in their schools or in the community at large.
“It’s about getting to know people and coming out of their shells,” she said.
So not only are the Special Olympians among us training their bodies and their minds to compete, Farkas-Fillatre explained, they are also learning valuable social and lifestyle skills they can carry with them throughout their lives when their competing days are done.
“One thing you will see here is that it is a family,” she said. “Of course, it’s important for athletes to get out and exercise, and things like that, but it’s the social component that is so important.”
Lyle and some of Special Olympics Airdrie’s other athletes will next be competing in Sherwood Park from Feb. 24 to 26 at the 2023 Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games. For more information on this weekend's event, visit bit.ly/3xGQZC7
