On Saturday, February 10 Special Olympics PEI hosted the 4th annual Big Chill Bowling tournament in Summerside at the Credit Union Place. In addition to bowling, athletes had the opportunity to participate in a Healthy Athletes Health Promotion screening and an online Special Olympics International Athlete Satisfaction Survey.
The Big Chill offers PEI’s 5-Pin bowlers a valuable additional competition opportunity each year. 5-Pin bowling is Special Olympics PEI’s most popular sport, with 45% of our athletes participating. Prior to the Big Chill the majority of Islander bowlers had only one competitive opportunity annually. Open to bowling athletes from across the province, this quality competition offers much more than a competitive event.
This weekend’s Health Promotion screening was Special Olympics PEI’s 4th Healthy Athletes event. Athletes had the opportunity to visit stations which focused on nutrition, fitness and stretching, proper hand washing, basic body composition, and blood pressure testing. 34 athletes completed the screening. We are excited to acknowledge the 9 volunteers who supported the event! Volunteers ranged from students of the UPEI Applied Human Sciences Food and Nutrition program, trained medical professionals in the field, and other dedicated SOPEI volunteers. This event would not be possible without their commitment to the program.
At this year’s Big Chill athletes also had a unique opportunity to participate in an online Athlete Satisfaction Survey. Heidi Mallett, PEI’s representative on the Canadian Athlete Leadership Council, was responsible for implementing the survey locally. Heidi engaged the help of Athlete Leader, Janet Charchuk, to help with the survey. Athletes, with help from Heidi, Janet, caregivers and Special Olympics staff, completed the survey using laptops during breaks from bowling. Question topics included sports participation, health and wellness, goal setting, and asked athletes what they would change about Special Olympics. Heidi promoted the survey as an opportunity for our Island athletes to have their voice heard. Over 20 athletes participated in the survey, exceeding Heidi’s goal of 15 participants.
