Special Olympics BC – Chilliwack’s Betty Colk is a friendly, outgoing athlete who says SOBC has helped her improve her fitness, gain confidence, and make friends.

“Special Olympics brings out the best in me!” she says.

Colk participates in 5-pin bowling and bocce, and says the athletes and coaches in these programs are enthusiastic and supportive. They all do a great job of cheering each other on.

“You can have a bad day and then you go to Special Olympics and you are like ‘Wow – this is fun!’ and you forget about everything else,” she says.

The Special Olympics Athlete’s Oath is very important to Colk and she says thinking about it helps her with sports and everyday life. She says the oath reminds her to try her best and keep things in perspective.

“It really, really helps because sometimes when things don’t go the way you planned, it is good to know that down the road it will get better,” she says.

Colk competed in bocce in July’s 2017 SOBC Summer Games. She said participating in Provincial Games for the first time was an incredible experience and it was great to spend time with her team.

“It was just fantastic!” Colk said. “We had so much fun!” Colk said she met a lot of new people in Kamloops, including some excellent bocce players from around B.C.

“At first I was nervous, but by the end we were talking and making friends and it was really cool!” she said.

The SOBC – Chilliwack squad came close to winning a medal, and Colk said she is very proud of her team’s performance.

“Our coach was very impressed with us! Our coach was super happy!” she said.

Colk says she used to get nervous in social situations, but Special Olympics has helped her come out of her shell. Colk says she is now much better at meeting people and she has a lot of fun talking and laughing with her friends.

“I can talk to people and stuff and it is really cool!” she says.

Colk says SOBC has helped her live a healthy lifestyle, and as a result she has improved her fitness and lost a lot of weight. Colk says this has allowed her to gain confidence and self-esteem.

“It makes me feel really, really good because I can wear nice clothes now!” she says.

Colk is a longtime volunteer with Community Policing Services through the Chilliwack RCMP, where she helps out with fundraisers and office work. She says the social skills and confidence she has gained through SOBC have helped her be successful in this role.

“I love volunteering because you have support and you are doing things for other people to make them happy,” she says. “I do fundraisers at my work and it is great to see the smile on a person’s face when you hand them a hotdog!”

Colk says all of the SOBC – Chilliwack volunteers are very nice and she would like to thank them for supporting Special Olympics athletes.

“They are all there to help and they are all there to listen if you are having a bad day,” she says. “They are not just coaches, they are counsellors, too. They help us forget about our bad days and stay focused on sports.”