After five years of holding its annual swim meet in Olds or Didsbury, Special Olympics Airdrie (SOA) brought the yearly competition home, when SOA hosted more than 100 athletes March 30 at a day-long swimming competition at the Genesis Place Recreation Centre.
According to SOA swim coach Tammy Hnatiuk, 119 swimmers took part in the competition, with athletes travelling to Airdrie from Special Olympics associations in Brooks, Olds, Calgary, Lacombe and Lethbridge.
“It’s a huge turnout,” Hnatiuk said. “I don’t really expect that again. Part of it is because one of the swim clubs didn’t go to a different meet that they usually split up for.”
There was plenty of local representation in the pool as well, with 17 swimmers from SOA competing. Hnatiuk said four of those swimmers were taking part in their first official swimming competition.
“It’s amazing to watch them want to swim more afterwards, and it’s amazing to see how happy they are when they are done,” she said.
One of Airdrie's most successful swimmers at the meet was 16-year-old Evan Clowes. He competed in the back stroke, freestyle and front stroke, and won ribbons in three of his events. While he has been a swimmer with SOA for three years, the event at Genesis Place was his first official competition.
“I swim here a lot, so it’s good to be back in my hometown,” Clowes said after winning his race in the back stroke. “[I’m] having fun. You come first, whatever – it’s all about having fun.”
Other notable Airdrie athletes were Junhanne Tanner-Delooze, who won ribbons in all five of her events, and brothers Tristan and Aaron VanDecker, who split a pair of races against each other.
Hnatiuk said the competition helps build confidence for the athletes.
“Sometimes, it teaches them about losing, too,” she said. “That can be hard for anybody, but sometimes, it can cause a little extra grief for a Special Olympics athlete. But it’s good to have them do that and still get back in the water and try again.”
One of SOA’s most popular programs, the swimming program includes semi-weekly practices at Genesis Place on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. More than 40 swimmers attend the sessions, according to Hnatiuk.
“That’s why we run two nights,” she said. “There are a couple of swimmers who swim both days, but we don’t have too many doing that right now.”
The March 30 meet wrapped up the official competition season for Special Olympics, according to Hnatiuk, who added she wished to thank the 20 or so volunteers who helped make the event a success.
