For Barb Conway only one thing could've made the 2012 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in St. Albert more fun.
"I wish Danny could've won," said Conway about her Prince George teammate Danny Lafreniere in the cross-country skiing competition at the Alberta event from Feb. 28 to March 3.
Conway returned home with a silver medal in the one kilometre race and a bronze medal in the 2.5 kilometre event.
Kim Erickson and Stephanie Tremblay also returned with medals in skiing while Jen Germann earned three medals in snowshoeing.
Lafreniere had a fifth-place finish in the five kilometre event and was sixth in the 2.5 and 7.5 kilometre races in his
division. "It was a lot of fun and we worked hard for it," said Conway.
"The best part was seeing our friends from different parts of the province and around Canada."
The 46 year old treasures the hand-knitted scarves all the athletes and coaches were given as keepsakes during the opening
ceremonies. "We all got scarves and the parents that went got scarves," said Conway.
Erickson won the silver medal in the one kilometre race in her division, while taking bronze in the five kilometre race. In the 2.5 kilometre she was eighth.
Stephanie Tremblay won bronze in the one kilometre race and placed fourth and fifth in the five and 2.5 kilometre races,
respectively.
Athletes are grouped into divisions based on their level of disability, so a competitor with a high disability (severe in his or her handicap) doesn't compete against a
person with a low level handicap.
Germann returned home with a silver in the 200 metre snowshoeing race and two bronze medals - in the 100 metre race and as part of the women's relay team.
She also placed fifth in the 400 metre race.
Calvin Dyck, a cross-country ski coach with Special Olympics British Columbia Prince George, was also at the games as a Team B.C. coach.
"The skiing went really well for Prince George," said Dyck. "We had an excellent time at the venue, met other athletes."
There were 640 athletes from across Canada for the five Prince George
competitors to mingle with.
"We had excellent support from province to province from a lot of faces we've seen before," said Dyck.
The coach said Lafreniere placed very well even if he didn't earn a medal. "He was against some tough
competition," said Dyck.
"I think he placed very well for the first time at nationals."
Dyck said he endorsed all five of the Prince George athletes to Special Olympics Canada for the next World Winter Games which will be in Pyongyang, South
Korea from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, 2013.
The next Special Olympics World
Summer Games are scheduled for Los
Angeles, Calif., in July 2015.
