To say that Cochrane and area athletes cleaned up during the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games would be an understatement.
Spread over numerous events, six local athletes brought home 14 medals.
Team Alberta's and Cochrane's own Elouise Stewart celebrating her gold medal win. (Photos provided)Representing Team Alberta, The Special Olympics Bow Valley team brought home 13 of the possible 15 medals in cross-country skiing.
Elouise Stewart - three gold.
Sarah McCarthy - three gold.
Kieran Pothier - 1 gold, 1 bronze and a 4th place finish.
Brock Jesse - 1 silver, 1 bronze and a 4th place finish.
Shane Stewart - 2 silver and 1 bronze.
Paul Oldridge of Cochrane also won a bronze medal in curling as the skip for the Calgary Comets.
“We were large contributors to the overall Team Alberta medal count and our guys worked hard and they deserve what they got,” says cross country coach Shawn Jesse. “Especially in some cases the competition. It's pretty pretty stiff. It’s definitely a good feeling coming out of those games.”
Cochrane's Brock Jesse receiving his silver medal. (Photos provided)“We had a little bit of everything in terms of weather we had the extremes, extreme warm, extreme cold, all those sorts of things. But our athletes came through."
Jesse believes his athletes performed so well that the Special Olympics World Games are in sight.
“They're starting the process shortly and it goes through this special process with the Special Olympics Canada and of course, they're limited by how many athletes can attend the games. Our expectations are that we'll see at least one or hopefully more of our athletes go on to the World Games.”
Fri, May 10, 9:00 AM
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