The Alberta contingent of Team Canada gathered at the Calgary International Airport on Monday morning as they prepared to fly to Southern California for the 2015 Special Olympics.
Eight athletes from Alberta, representing the sports of basketball, bowling, bocce, swimming, athletics, softball and golf, are set to compete in the Los Angeles games.
“The excitement surrounding the games, this is the very first time that L.A. has had a game of this size since the 1984 Olympics,” said Kelly Edwards, Mission Staff for Team Canada bowling, who has been a volunteer coach with Special Olympics since 1986. “The response and the social media experiences they have provided to our athletes leading up to the games has been amazing.”
Kelly says Alberta’s representation includes a number of athletes who will be competing on the world stage for the first time and she looks forward to experiencing the games through their eyes.
One of the first timers is competitive swimmer Elliott Moskowy who specializes in freestyle.
“I feel just over the top excited,” exclaimed Elliott. “This is my first competition at worlds!”
Elliott says his training regimen has him in the pool six days a week for training sessions of up to two hours. His dedication resulted in success at the national level during the 2014 Special Olympics Summer Games in British Columbia.
“I did pretty good,” Elliott humbly admits. “I won eight medals in my last competition in Vancouver. I won five gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze.”
Elliott says he will not be able to match his Vancouver medal total in California because he’s only scheduled to compete in three events.
“We’re extremely proud,” said Laurie Moskowy, Elliot’s mother. “Elliott’s been working really hard to get to worlds.”
Laurie will fly to Los Angeles to see her son compete and she will not be alone in the stands along the pool.
“He’ll have an entourage of fans coming from Red Deer and Saskatchewan too.”
Aaron Johnson and Carlos Villafuerte, two members of Team Canada’s bowling team, are looking forward to their trip and their time in Anaheim, the team’s host-city.
“I’ve been (bowling 10 pin) for a good seven years now and this is my first trip to the real games,” said Aaron, who balances his training with his work schedule at the Sobeys location in the town of Olds. “I’m very, very excited and I feel very, very, very fortunate.”
“Proud to make it all the way to this step now,” said Carlos, who developed a love for bowling as a child in Peru. “The main (goal) is to make friends, have fun, do my best and try to bring some medals back to Canada.”
The 2015 Special Olympics World Games are scheduled to run from July 25 – August 2. Team Canada is arriving in California early to allow the athletes time to acclimate to the conditions and the excitement surrounding the event.
The 114 members of Team Canada will compete alongside approximate 7,000 athletes representing 177 countries.
