Speed skater Matthew Williams and alpine skier Kailyn Potomak from Langley will be competing for B.C. at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay from Feb. 25th — 29th.
Williams has been to the podium before, including one gold and two silver medals in the 2019 Special Olympics BC Winter Games.
“I like how fast it is and how everything can change in a second,” Williams said of his sport.
He is hoping for a personal best in Thunder Bay.
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Potomak got involved in Special Olympics 12 years ago, with softball, then moved to basketball, soccer, and track and field.
“Now its alpine skiing, and basketball,” Potomak observed.
In the 2019 Special Olympics BC Winter Games, her first winter sports competition, Potomak won a bronze medal in giant slalom, silver in super-G, and gold in slalom.
“I was really proud of myself,” Potomak recalled.
“It is so cool to be part of Team BC.”
“At Special Olympics I have made a lot of friends” she added.
“I have learned about who I am and what I can do.”
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Williams and Potomak are part of Special Olympics BC’s largest-ever provincial winter team, 143 athletes with intellectual disabilities, 42 volunteer coaches, and 13 mission staff from 42 communities around the province.
Special Olympics Team BC 2020 will be competing in eight sports in Thunder Bay, Ont; five-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.
Michelle Cruickshank, Special Olympics Team BC 2020 Chef de Mission called them an “incredibly well-prepared provincial team.”
“I am so proud of the dedication and effort shown by all of these inspiring athletes, coaches, and volunteers,” Cruickshank declared.
“They have been working hard for three years to reach this event, and I know they will do B.C. proud at national games.”
In total, the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games will see 1,200 delegation members from Canada’s 10 provinces and two of three territories come to compete in Thunder Bay.