Special Olympics athletes receive warm welcome home
The Team Alberta athletes who participated in the Special Olympic Summer Games received a warm welcome when they returned to Edmonton Sunday.
Friends and family cheered on the athletes at the Edmonton International Airport, many of them coming home with medals draped around their neck.
The Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games kicked off in Vancouver on July 8 and wrapped up on Saturday. The competition featured more than 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials and 11 different sports.
Tammy Royan was all smiles as she wore the gold medal she earned in softball.
“Vancouver was awesome,” she said. “I enjoyed the games…. I got to meet new players and new people from other provinces, so it was really good.”
Sheila Berrisford’s daughter Laura was also a member of the softball team that won gold.
Berrisford said the experience is an extraordinary one, for both her and her daughter.
“It’s beyond any dreams,” she said. “It’s been a great learning experience. It’s teaching her how to get along with people, about competition and it’s just really brought her out of her shell.”
