The second-ever Special Olympics BC Vancouver Island School Sports Soccer Tournament featured a stellar day of play by four fantastic teams! 

After training for weeks and feeling pumped to play, teams from Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Secondary, Port Alberni’s Alberni District Secondary, Courtenay’s Mark R. Isfeld Secondary, and Parksville’s Ballenas Secondary competed in the second tournament of its kind, held at Ballenas on December 13.

After a great day of close-fought games, the Dover Bay Dolphins came out on top! The hometown Ballenas Whalers kicked into second, while the Isfeld Ice claimed third place and the ADSS Armada netted fourth.

Kudos to all the amazing student-athletes who competed with determination and pride! Huge thanks to the many Ballenas student leader volunteers who helped with refereeing and scorekeeping, to Ballenas staff member and coach Jessica Kerr who organized the gym use, and to all the school staff who took the time to coach and get these awesome student-athletes involved.

Kerr said the Whalers practiced weekly after school for six weeks leading into the tournament, and their Physical and Health Education class had a soccer focus to help the players prepare. The Ballenas students were “very excited to play,” she wrote in an email.

Isfeld staff member and coach Kari Bennett wrote that her students were asking about the return of the tournament even before the event was discussed. Through their hard work, the Ice improved by leaps and bounds from the previous year. After their successful tournament, Bennett wrote that the team had a wonderful time.

The first SOBC Island school sport soccer tournament took place in January 2019 and included three teams from Ballenas, Isfeld, and ADSS. Dover Bay brought the new team to the tournament this December and came away with the title!

Special Olympics BC School Sport Competition programs give student-athletes with intellectual disabilities their time to shine on the playing field in front of their communities, as well as empowering training opportunities. Please click here to read more about SOBC school sports programs.

To get involved, please contact SOBC Sport Manager Helen Cheung by email or by phone at 604-737-3055 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free.

Sincere thanks to the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, Tim Hortons, the Samuel Family Foundation, The Slaight Family Foundation, the GoodLife Kids Foundation, and the Hamber Foundation for supporting SOBC’s youth programs and opportunities throughout B.C.