Special Olympics BC – Mission’s Dan Catarig is a hardworking athlete who loves to help others.

Catarig serves as Athlete Representative on SOBC – Mission’s Local Committee. He says he felt honoured and surprised when he was elected to the position by his fellow athletes.

“I was pretty happy,” Catarig said. “I had a new opportunity to try new things and have a new role. I just want to help, and if you can help people, then why not?”

Catarig says some of his most important duties include representing athletes’ points of view at Local Committee meetings and being a mentor to other athletes. Catarig believes it is important for Locals to have an Athlete Representative because they have a good understanding of issues that affect athletes.

Catarig participates in basketball, Club Fit, floor hockey, soccer, and softball through SOBC – Mission. His favourite SOBC sport is floor hockey, and he enjoys teaching new players about sportsmanship and helping them work on their skills.

Catarig says good sportsmanship helps athletes have fun and succeed at their sports. Catarig believes when players allow themselves to get worked up, it can affect their judgement, which can lead to mistakes. Catarig says when athletes show good sportsmanship, everyone can feel good after a game.

“It is important to me because good sportsmanship, like even for a tournament, helps you not get frustrated. There is always a next time.”

Catarig says his most memorable experience with Special Olympics was attending a basketball tournament hosted by SOBC – Mission in November, 2017. He said the event was run really well and everyone had a great time.

Catarig’s team finished first in their division. He said his team passed the ball very well, and he is proud of how they played.

“Everybody, in the beginning, was pretty calm, and right after we got through the first game and we won, everybody’s emotions changed right away and everyone was smiling,” he said.

Catarig originally got involved with Special Olympics in Alberta, and he started up with SOBC – Mission when his family moved to British Columbia. He says he felt very welcome at his first practice with SOBC – Mission, and the athletes and coaches were very excited to see him. He says the fantastic support he has received through Special Olympics has encouraged him to participate in more sports and get more involved with his Local.

“Special Olympics is important because there are lots of really kind people, it is always welcoming, always fun, and coaches always have fun stuff to do!” Catarig says. “It is really good for athletes, and it is also good for your health because you are not just sitting on the couch and you are always getting out for various events.”

Outside of Special Olympics, Catarig recently earned his “L” through ICBC’s graduated licensing program. Catarig loves cars and he studied extremely hard for the knowledge test. Catarig wrote about his achievement in this Selfadvocatenet.com blog post.