Lyle, a gauzy young man wearing black sunglasses, a fitted navy parka, streamlined athletic snowshoes and a big smile on his face, is running at full speed around the Northcott Prairie School’s playground fence.
The weather isn’t quite as cold and there’s more ice than snow on the ground, but that doesn’t stop the young athlete from pouring it. Two and a half minutes later he ends his lap. As he crosses the finish line, his trainer yells that he’s beat his previous best by about half a minute, and high fives and congratulations are everywhere.
Lyle, an athlete for Special Olympics Airdrie, is asked what he loves most about sprint snowshoeing.
“I love running,” he replies simply, as if it should be obvious to anyone watching. But a second later, his true competitive fire reveals itself.
“I’m looking forward to competing and maybe winning a gold medal,” he says with absolute confidence.
With Lyle’s mother, brother and coach watching, that cheerful confidence comes as no surprise to anyone who knows the young man. His coach Lyndon Chubbs, who has been teaching competitive snowshoeing for 30 years, said that Special Olympics and competitive sports in general do it for those who face different challenges: It boosts their confidence and gives them the opportunity to compete at an elite level to participate .
“They all want to win, but the motto of Special Olympics is, ‘Let me win. But if I can’t win, let me be brave about trying,’” Chubbs explained.
As a coach, he said it’s not about pushing Special Olympians like Lyle to win their events, it’s about helping them achieve their own best result every time they compete.
“It’s about understanding what each athlete can do and what they bring to the sport,” explained Chubbs. “Having patience and understanding that there will be different levels and creating a training plan that allows everyone to develop at their own pace to reach their personal best every time.”
At the end of the day, Chubbs said the “courage” part of the Special Olympics creed was really the most important. According to the longtime coach, it’s about helping people who have experienced social isolation in their lives, often through no fault of their own, to grow and thrive through sport.
“This is about participating, doing your best and supporting each other,” Chubbs said.
And that personal growth takes many forms, added Susan Farkas-Fillatre, media relations coordinator for Special Olympics Airdrie. Not only does it build confidence in the athletes as they compete, but it also boosts 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 getting out of their shells,” she said.
So the Special Olympians among us are not only training our bodies and minds for competition, Farkas-Fillatre explained, they’re also learning valuable social and lifestyle skills that they can take with them throughout their lives once their competitive days are over.
“One thing you’re going to see here is that it’s 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’s so important.”
Lyle and some of the other Special Olympics Airdrie athletes will next compete in the 2023 Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games on February 24-26 at Sherwood Park. For more information on this weekend’s event, visit bit.ly/3xGQZC7
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