Special Olympics is in April Armstrong’s blood.
Armstrong, her father Darrell, her mother Suzanne, and her older sister Mary are all proud Special Olympics BC - Burnaby athletes.
Armstrong, a Special Olympics Team Canada 2019 member competing in athletics, says it’s fun to be a Special Olympics family because they all support and learn from each other
“That’s the really good part of having a family with Special O, you get tips and tricks and inside scoops on things,” she said.
When Armstrong was young, she would go with her sister to watch their parents participate in practices and competitions. Armstrong said seeing her parents compete and have a great time with other athletes made her want to join the movement.
“They were the influence for my sister and me to start with Special Olympics,” Armstrong said.
A talented and hardworking athlete, Armstrong has participated in many sports. Currently, she does track and field with her dad, basketball with her dad and sister, and curling and Club Fit with her mom and sister.
Armstrong says her family members are great teammates and she loves playing sports with them, but it can get competitive.
To Armstrong, Special Olympics means friendship, sportsmanship, and having fun. She says her family members feel the same way, and they have built a large network of friends within Special Olympics.
Armstrong is a friendly, outgoing person with a great sense of humour, but when she gets on the track she’s serious and focused. She loves to meet new people at competitions, but saves the socializing for after her races are finished.
“On the track I am very competitive. I don’t talk. I do my thing, and that’s it. Off the track I am buddy-buddy with all the other athletes,” she said.
Through Armstrong’s outstanding performances at National Games, she qualified for Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi 2019. She’ll represent Canada on the track in the United Arab Emirates March 14 to 21.
Sign up for the Special Olympics Team Canada 2019 newsletter to follow April’s progress.