SPORT: Basketball

PROVINCE: Saskatchewan

How long have you been involved with Special Olympics?

This is my fourth year with Special Olympics.

How is your life different since joining Special Olympics?

I have developed as a person. I grew up more as a person in my early 20s. I have gained a lot more confidence as a person and who I let in my life. Special Olympics is one of those places where anyone can be who they truly are as a person and brings a lot of new friendships that can last for the rest of our lives.

What do you like most about the sport you will be competing in at Special Olympics World Summer Games Berlin 2023?

There are a lot of things I love about playing basketball and being a part of a team. For being a part of a team, I love working with other people/women the most. We can play as a team and be friends as a team while playing on the court and off the court. Playing basketball or being on a team is like having another family where we can rely on each other for anything, and we can connect on a level that not a lot of people find in a lot of their friend groups or people they surround themselves with. Being in a team sport like basketball or soccer is like having a second home you can hang out with or go to when you are training or feeling down, and they will be there when anyone needs them. Basketball for me is more than a sport, it's a family. That's why I love being in the sport. Any time I am on a team we all instantly connect so well and understand each other, where we come from as a person and as an athlete. That is what I like most about my sport and the sport I am in for World Games.

What is your proudest moment with Special Olympics?

The proudest moment I had with Special Olympics is when I was in Calgary, Alberta with my local team in Regina (the Wildcats) for three full games against different teams and when one of us was out and couldn't play the last game. We were all so tired in our last game and we didn't know if we were going to make it or not, but we pushed through and made it to the end and won our last game. That was my proudest moment as a Special Olympics athlete.

 What does Special Olympics and attending World Games mean to you?

Being a part of Special Olympics Team Canada means to me being a part of something more than sports itself. It's more like being a part of something bigger like winning the FIFA World Cup (soccer) or even winning the Grey Cup for football. You are going to the Games and being a part of a team with your family. It's more than yourself or anyone, it's what you can do and push your limits or even give your all in the championship final game against that one team to be the best there is and to work as a team and keep the other team guessing what’s going to happen next. That is what being a part of Special Olympics Team Canada means to me.

What is your goal for Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023?

My goal for the Games is do our best in the Games, to work as a team instead of individual athletes, making sure we can do what we can to push past our limits and push past our thinking that we can't make it to we can make it as a team and with each other.