Hundreds of athletes compete at Special Olympics track meet in Guelph

Athletes showed off their skills and their sportsmanship at a powerful track and field meet. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte finds out why winning isn’t the only goal.

Hundreds of students competed Wednesday at the annual Special Olympics Track and Field Day at the St. James sports fields in Guelph.

Schools with both the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) took part.

“We’re hosting over 600 athletes for various track and field events,” said April King, principal of special education and accessibility at UGDSB.

It’s something athletes have been training hard for.

“I love doing the track meet. My coach Carly always tells me to practice every week,” said student Kate Brubacher. “[But] she never gives me a hard time.”

The day is a way to celebrate each individual athlete.

“Just come and know that you get to truly be yourself and nobody is judging you,” explained Nicole Wilson, a WCDSB special education resource teacher.

The event featured a number of track and field events.

“50 metre dash all the way to 400 metres,” said teacher Shelby Errygers. “Then we have shotput and softball throw and running long jump. And then for adaptive, we do a shorter run of 25 metres, and we bring in adaptive equipment such as basketball toss, beanbag toss and tee ball.”

These adaptations are greatly appreciated by athletes like Alex Winter.

“With my disability, I won’t exactly be happy running the 100 metre dash, especially when you’re carrying around hunks of plastic on your feet, which I do,” he said.

The event is split up into two days. Athletes with UGDSB are competing in North Wellington, while Dufferin’s event is May 21 in Orangeville.

Going up against competitors can be intimidating, so Grade 12 athlete Avery Elliott shared some advice for the younger students.

“It’s like a nice mindset. I get a lot of sleep. I go to bed a bit earlier than I usually do, and I make sure my bags are packed and everything for today,” she said.

Winter also wants his fellow competitors, and everyone else in the community, to keep one important piece of advice in mind.

“If you can’t include everyone in the game, then you’re not playing it right,” he said. “Those are words that I live by when it comes to sport.”