Special athletes bond with supporters

The sounds of raucous joy and people engaged in playful sport echoed from Big White Ski Resort, as Motionball Kelowna’s Winter Games kicked off.

Volunteer Event Director Derek Fuhr stood close by, cheering on participants and keeping score during the events Saturday.

“We’re a charity organization that’s spread across the country, we’ve got 50 events nationwide,” Fuhr told Kelowna10. “The backbone of our charity organization is in-person events, the whole point is to get some face time with the actual athletes.”

This is Motionball Kelowna’s first ever foray into winter games, and Fuhr said they’re grateful to be able to use Big White’s facilities to be able to have another event with the athletes during the year.

“A lot of the sports for the special Olympic athletes are summer run events,” Fuhr said. “For them specifically, it’s nice to get back outside and get a little bit of exercise, and it’s just good for everybody.”

The event is focused on fundraising and meeting the athletes who participate in these special Olympics programs, rather than competition.

He summed it up as an opportunity for supporters to get to know the athletes, and vice versa, as they compete in these games side-by-side.

“You know, it's a fun-loving event where it's not really about competition, it's not about winning, it's about having fun,” he explained. “At the end of the day, there’s this friendship bond that’s created with the people that you’re raising money for.”