Ever since he started swimming for Special Olympics glory more than 10 years ago, David Dunn has been a star in the pool.
The evidence is in his house - fistfuls of medals hanging from the walls.
He's also quite adept at making his shots count on the basketball court.
Until Sunday's regional championship provincial qualifier at Otway Nordic Centre, Dunn had never tested his own racing engine with a pair of snowshoes on his feet, other than in practice. It seems all that practice running the field at Lac Des Bois elementary school the past five months with his friends from Prince George Special Olympics is paying off for the 25-year-old Dunn. He just has to look at his washboard belly to notice the benefits.
"I like to snowshoe now, it's fun and it gets my abs in shape," said a smiling Dunn, while awaiting his 100-metre and 200m finals. "It's hard to run. I like the longer races. It gets me in shape."
Dunn made tracks for next year's Special Olympics Provincial Winter Games in Vernon, winning gold in every distance he entered on the Otway course - 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.
He'd been reluctant to join snowshoeing because like many people in Prince George, he's not a big fan of being outside in cold weather. He swims twice a week with the Prince George Pisces Swim Club and twice a week with Special Olympics, all in the warm confines of the Aquatic Centre. But now that he's part of the snowshoe racing crowd and is reaping the fitness benefits, he's tolerating the cold much better.
Prince George coach Wilma VanHage and David's mom, Suni Dunn, have been trying for years to convince him to give snowshoe racing a try and he finally decided it was time. It's been a cold and snowy winter this year for the Saturday training sessions but Dunn has been a stickler about not missing practices and he's in no danger of failing to meet the 75 per cent attendance required for athletes to qualify for the provincial event in 2019. If he proves in Vernon he's one of best in the province, Dunn will advance to the 2020 Special Olympics National Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont.
"We wanted him to do a winter sport - he loves basketball and he loves swimming but this is his first year at snowshoeing and he's enjoying it," said Suni. "It's kept him in shape, it's good for his social development and self-confidence. Now that he's finished high school it's something to keep him active. Active body, active mind.
"One sport he would like to do, and they don't have it, is snowboarding. He likes to snowboard."
Dunn still plays basketball and gave up the chance to play in the B.C. Winter Games last weekend in Kamloops to compete in the snowshoe races. His basketball team won a silver medal.
"I'm not surprised," he said.
Chase Caron, 25, one of Dunn's friends from Prince George, pushed him to the limit in the 200m heat, which ended in a photo finish. Caron captured top honours in the 400m event, was second in the 800m and third in the 100m.
"I've been doing this about five years," said Caron, a Special Olympics golfer, track and field runner and long jumper. "I was a close second in the 200. It's kind of hard to run. I do like the burning of calories, the cardio is always nice."
Two years ago he and Tegan Raines represented Prince George in Corner Brook, Nfld., at the Special Olympics Winter Games. Raines had a dominant day at the races Sunday, winning the 400 and placing second in the 100, 200 and 800m races.
Another first-time snowshoe competitor, Leif Skuggedal, won multiple medals as well, placing second in the 400m, third in the 100m and third in the 800m.
"It's awesome, I like it, and I'm going to join it next year too because if I do really good I'll go to Vernon to compete in the Winter Games," said the 31-year-old Skuggedal. "I was dead-last in the 400 when I came around those trees and I just picked it up and I passed Lance (Boyes) and I passed Thomas. He was slowing down because he was getting tired and I finished second."
Skuggedal also does track and field and 10-pin bowling and is a soccer goaltender. Special Olympics soccer starts in March.
"I just wanted to compete," he said. "I wanted to come out and lose some weight and I'm doing pretty good."
On a warm and sunny Sunday, Mike Harris was a speed demon in winning the 100m sprint, also finishing second in the 200 and third in the 800.
Jared Thiessen of Burns Lake had the quickest time in the 200m event.
Other Prince George results were as follows: Jennifer Germann - second in 100m and 200m, third in 400m and 800m; Marinka VanHage - first in 800m, second in 400m, third in 200m and 1,600m; Breanna Feniuk - first in 50m and 100m, third in 200m; Josiah Lecher - third in 200m; Brandon Meise - first in 100m and 200m, third in 400m; Adrian Rosen - first in 1,600m, second in five kilometre; Spencer Rourke - second in 200m and 800m; Corey Walker - first in 400, second in 200m, third in 100m.
