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Special Olympics Canada logo. Photo Credit: Special Olympics Canada twitter
By Shane Clausing
special olympics summer series

Special Olympics Alberta launches first ever Virtual Summer Series

Jun 6, 2020 | 5:00 AM

Special Olympics Alberta announced that they are launching their first ever Virtual Summer Series.

The Virtual Summer Series allows Special Olympics athletes to compete in various different sports from June 15 to September 15. The event was organized after the cancellation and postponement of all summer events that Special Olympics athletes would have participated in this summer.

“Special Olympics across the world are trying to come up with ways to keep our athletes active and moving and also for their mental health as well, so they aren’t just sitting at home,” said Kelly Hollohan with Special Olympics Grande Prairie.

Some of the sports athletes can participate in include simple tasks such as walking every day and setting a goal for a month or more and see how far you can walk, and hope to meet that goal once the end of the month rolls around. Athletes can track their progress and it encourages them to keep moving and striving towards something.

Athletes participating in the challenge can choose to keep with the same sport for three months or switch to something different after the first month. Other activities could include a sport like cycling in a park. Whatever can keep the athlete moving and striving towards a goal.

With the cancelation of summer events for Special Olympics, Hollohan says that the biggest impact the summer cancelations has had on the athletes, isn’t so much the exercise, but the social aspect.

“A lot of our athletes, they’re missing more of the social interaction than they are the actual physical (sport itself), because that’s what’s getting them out of the house, so they can see their friends and peers. That mental well-being is just as important as their physical well-being.”

During COVID-19, Special Olympics Alberta has been hosting live workouts and yoga for athletes using Facebook live.

Recently, they have made available a dietitian to participate in a Facebook live every Wednesday to discuss food and nutrition with the athletes. They also have a guest every Friday to discuss stress management and relaxation techniques. Both of these tools are very useful for athletes.

With all athletes in Grande Prairie encouraged to participate in the series, Special Olympics Alberta is also encouraging them to fundraise.

The series isn’t exclusive to Alberta, it’s Canada-wide, and each Special Olympics group in each province has set a goal to raise $50,000. The money will help support Special Olympics Alberta to provide training and workouts, virtual social opportunities, and mental health support to over 3,300 athletes in the province.

Special Olympics Alberta says that the event is also open to anyone around the world that would like to participate.

Details on how to register can be found at the Special Olympics Alberta website.

by Shane Clausing