Aldergrove’s Chris Lakusta met his teammates on the B Division Kelowna Cougars just one day before they played their first floor hockey game at the Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games in Kamloops.
It all started when Lakusta and Beard were picked up by the Surrey team to play at regional qualifiers in Abbotsford in April of 2022.
At the time, there was no Langley floor hockey team owing to a lack of coaches and volunteers.
“I didn’t have a team,”Lakusta told the Aldergrove Star
Then, in November, organizers told the two Kelowna was short players and would they be interested in playing for the Cougars at games?
“I was very speechless.” Lakusta recalled.
After training locally, the pair went to Kamloops to meet their new team.
“They were pretty good to play with,” Lakusta said.
“We grew a pretty good chemistry.”
The team won silver.
“It was a very fun experience,” Lakusta commented.
Lakusta, Beard, and every one of the 12 Langley athlete who went to the Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games in Kamloops won a medal.
“This must be a first,” said Langley Special Olympics coach Randy Curr, who praised the competitors for their sportsmanship.
“Winning is very much secondary to these people, but it’s also very nice,” Curr added.
Kailyn Potomak won gold in downhill skiing, while the Langley Rockers – Brent Ponak, Katie Kovacs, Ryerson Shelvey, and Shane Winter, with head coach Tracy Boyd and assistant coach Hudson Shelvey – took silver in curling. The Langley Hot Shots – Evan Curr, Jennifer Burton, Karl Beugh, Jessi-Lynn Gordon, and Chris Beugh, with coach Greg Douglas – took bronze in five-pin bowling. And, playing with Kelowna, Beard and Lakusta won silver.
Lakusta can add his silver to the two gold and one bronze in track and field that he won at the Summer games in 2017.
“Thank you everyone for supporting us,” Lakusta said.
READ ALSO: Langley will send 12 athletes and 3 coaches to Special Olympics BC Winter Games
Coach Boyd was proud of the Rockers.
“The team did an incredible job this weekend, and they had a blast,” Boyd said.
“Despite a rocky start, with the bus breaking down on the way to Kamloops, and some very early mornings, each member of the team played well. It all came down to a tie in the final match, which went to the other team [Quesnel]. These Special Olympians did Langley proud.”
500 athletes from across the province competed in Kamloops for the 2023 Special Olympics BC Winter Games presented by Prospera Credit Union.
Wrapping up on Saturday, Feb. 4, they were SOBC’s first Provincial Games in four years, with athletes competing for the chance to qualify for the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary.
Athletes competed in eight SOBC winter sports: five-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.
“The 2023 Special Olympics BC Winter Games are an incredible opportunity for athletes with intellectual disabilities to show their skills, compete with pride, and develop meaningful friendships,” says SOBC President and CEO Dan Howe. “We are so grateful to all the volunteers, sponsors, donors, and supporters who are helping athletes achieve their dreams.”
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Langley’s Matthew Williams is named male athlete of the year by Special Olympics Canada
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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