Kicking it Special O-style
Special Olympics Yukon enriches the lives of Yukoners with an intellectual ability through opportunities to train and compete in sports, and the gala is a fundraiser to help them provide programming.
Special Olympics Yukon (SOY)
A different kind of volunteer
Tom Gibbs doesn’t get as many hugs as he used to. As the president of the board of Special Olympics Yukon these past five years, he isn’t working with the athletes as much and he isn’t able to give out as many of those encouraging hugs.
Ride for Dad Rolls Into Town
Sixteen of the country’s top prostate researchers are meeting in Whitehorse this month and it’s partly because of Mike Thorpe. “Mike is very much responsible for this,” said Garry Janz, president of Ride for Dad – a non-profit organization that raises money and awareness about prostate cancer. Thorpe is co-chair of the Whitehorse branch. “Without …
It’ll be Hip
Special Olympics Yukon will introduce an event of the season and it’s looking hip! Two hours of Tragically Hip by cover band The Hip Show.
Giving Everyone a Chance to Shine
Getting a medal isn’t the point. “We’re there to have fun,” says Gaetan, captain of Yukon’s Special Olympics soccer team. “doing your best.”
Women in Whitehorse – Brettanie Deal-Porter
Brettanie Deal-Porter is program coordinator for Special Olympics Yukon in Whitehorse. Both have cemented a special place in her heart.
Coy Cup Comes to the Yukon
“Get ready for some high paced hockey,” says Whitehorse Huskies Coach Michael Tuton. “The top AA teams of B.C. and the Yukon are battling it out for the Coy. It’s gonna be great hockey. Very hard hitting games. “Bring some excitement. Let’s blow the roof off the Takhini arena.” Tuton says to expect a high calibre tournament …
New Colours
An exhibit featuring paintings by 22 year old Yukoner Anna Thompson is currently on display at the Atco Electric Yukon Youth Centre Art Gallery. Thompson has a cognitive disability as a result of a brain injury as a baby which left her with cerebral palsy – and is a prolific and enthusiastic artist, says her …
Especially Good Fun
There is something special about watching Special Olympics athletes compete. If you know people with an intellectual disability involved with the Special Olympics, then you know what it’s like to watch a person give everything they’ve got. It’s just like watching any athletes perform the sports they love – except there is an underlying air …
Stepping out for the Games
Five Special Olympics Yukon athletes went to Corner Brook, Newfoundland for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Special Olympics Yukon sent two skating athletes and three cross country skiers. The team qualified by competing at the 2015 Special Olympics British Columbia Winter Games that were held in Kamloops, B.C. this past winter. On February 24th, …
My Story as a Special Olympics Athlete
Mallory Ellen Pigage has been a Special Olympics Yukon athlete for 16 years. “Is a time for me to socialize and do sports at the same time.”
Bowling is back
In the popular bowling movie Kingpin the term “munsoned” is coined by the film’s writers Peter and Bobby Farrelly to describe being up a creek without a paddle, essentially being left for dead. For the Mad Trapper Alleys in Riverdale that seemed to be its fate after closing its doors in May. But now the …
A Star in LA
It’s the last Thursday evening in July, and Elyn Jones is sitting beside the parking lot of Universal Studios giving an interview on her cell phone. She and her husband, Jerome McIntyre and their daughter Breda, 12, have spent a scorching afternoon touring the worksite of numerous Hollywood stars, along with three of her nieces …
That Special Olympic Feeling
Serge Michaud about Special Olympics. “”providing opportunities to individuals who may not get opportunities to compete in sports they love.”
Yukon Athletes are Prepared to Dominate
Vancouver had better be prepared. That’s where the Yukon is sending 24 Special Olympians, ages 13 and older, to compete in the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games — our largest team ever. Janine Peters is the Chef de Mission for team Yukon. She oversees training, makes sure the athletes have everything they need, and coordinates …
Special Olympian Brings Back Hardware
It’s not every day that a Yukon figure skater is named to Team Canada for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. For that athlete to win a silver medal is a very proud moment and that is exactly what 15 year old Michael Sumner did in Pyeonchang, South Korea this month. Sumner joined 101 …
Golfing for Good
On August 7 and 8, Yukoners will have not one, but two opportunities to tee up for great causes. On Friday night, Special Olympics Yukon is holding its annual Golf Gala at Meadow Lakes Resort. Always popular, the event once again has a packed roster of golfers. “We are completely full,” explained an enthusiastic Serge …
A Special Trip, with Talent Included
The air crackles with energy as members of the Ynklude Art Troupe rehearse for their next stage outing. Laughter and chatter abound as producer Julie Robinson explains changes in the lineup, adding a few more saxophone solos by Hayley Hulushka as bookends at the show’s beginning and end. There’s just a week left before the …
An Unstoppable Force
Wrangling four Special Olympics athletes for a week of national-level competition in an unfamiliar city is not for the faint of heart. But 74-year-old Bill Wasylenko handled it with a smile on his face. Wasylenko is one of two coaches for Special Olympics Yukon’s curling team that travelled to the national winter games in St. …
Skipping Into History
We got our medals stuck in the ice” Thomas Scoffin. The 17-yr-old Whitehorse resident skipped the Junior Winter Olympic Team.
A Brother’s Bond
As cross-country skier Gary Chaplin walked through the arrival gates at Whitehorse International Airport last month, gold, silver and bronze medals hanging around his neck and bagpipes playing, it was hard to determine who was more proud: Garry himself or his older brother.
